How to Navigate August

 

When teachers flip the calendar from July to August, a feeling of trepidation overcomes them. There is a considerable difference between July and August in a teacher's life. July is fairly easy-going and August is extremely demanding.

The amount of tasks teachers must complete in August is expansive and daunting. A teacher's list includes responsibilities that might range from learning the important concepts and principles of a new curriculum to considering how various discipline methods can be applied to student behavior, and organizing their classrooms to memorizing dozen(s) of students' names, interests and aptitudes. 

No amount of time can lighten the morass of responsibilities teachers face in August. So, how might teachers take command of this list and approach it with a sense of control?

As Charlotte Danielson wrote in 1996, "given the complexity of teaching a map of the territory is invaluable." The Framework for Teaching is a roadmap that teachers can use as a navigation tool to conquer their list with the "framework to determine which aspects of teaching requires their attention" and how to leverage their strengths. Teachers love to create and curate so it's not that teachers want to avoid learning, considering, applying, organizing or memorizing. It's that all of this happens under pressure before students start school.  If teachers use a compass, the directions they decide to take in tackling their list will be systematic, efficient and effective.

Here are some examples. By understanding the updated Framework for Teaching Components and Elements of Success, teachers will be able to intentionally

  • analyze what they must know in 1a Applying Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy with Disciplinary Expertise that reflects a solid understanding of content and the structure of the discipline being taught in the new curriculum. Teachers understand this is critical to 3c Engaging Students in Learning when using the Instructional Materials and Resources effectively to support intellectual engagement.
  • guide their thinking on how to apply the discipline methods by contextualizing them to 2d Supporting Positive Behavior of Self-monitoring and Collective Responsibility so students successfully monitor their own behavior and attend to their impact on other students. Teachers will want to know how 1d Using Resources Effectively will be Supports for Students in discipline. 
  • arrange their classrooms by 2e Organizing Spaces for Learning to Design for Learning and Development. Then, 1e Planning Coherent Lessons, positive Flexible Learning and Student Collaboration, will be affected by the arrangement for learning opportunities.
  • reflect on how they will spend time and effort getting to know the names, interests and aptitudes of their students by 1b Knowing and Valuing Students in Respect for Student Intersecting Identities and Understanding of Students' Current Knowledge and Skills. 4c engaging Families and Communities will add value to Engagement in Learning Experiences.

When it is challenging for teacher to find coherence in what they do, it feels chaotic and it becomes difficult to see the connections of all the expected responsibilities on the list. Without a framework for how to accomplish tasks, then teachers are lost and exhausted. The updated Framework for Teaching has an increased emphasis on the flexibility and autonomy necessary for teachers to advance their expertise. The updated Framework for Teaching encourages teachers to trust their training, instincts, and experience in navigating August and the school year.




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