Student Teachers...?

As a teacher, learning how to let go of control over exactly how a lesson will flow can be a hard one to learn.

But it's one I'm learning how to do quickly in our fourth grade classroom, as students are turning in their DOJO points to become "teacher" for a subject.

So far, we've had four different students step up to the plate and embrace the challenge of planning and carrying out lessons in Math, Social Studies, and Science. At home, they've taken the time to find videos, create activities, make Powerpoints, and pre-read the book material.

I must admit, it's harder to let someone else teach than it looks/sounds. It's a lot more work up front to make sure the student knows exactly what lesson we'll be covering, to check in about activities and plans, etc., but during the lesson it's more just gentle guidance and chipping in when necessary to emphasize a point, generate the start to a discussion, and manage classroom behavior. (Actually, students are generally more well-behaved for their peers. Imagine that!)

Some people may think this idea of students teaching students is crazy, and 5 years ago (when I started teaching), I may have agreed. But I truly feel that we, as teachers, can use opportunities like these to empower students to master material and lead their classmates. When they can explain concepts to each other, then we know they've understood it in the first place.

And who knows - we may have a few future teachers on our hands...


(On a completely unrelated - but funny - note... At dismissal yesterday I was trying to call a student down to the office, but I ended up paging Pierce Brosnan instead... No big deal.)