Greg sent this:
Ben –
Do you think anyone on the PLC applying for jobs might find a letter of initial interest helpful? I’m attaching one I wrote up for my current round of job searching. Feel free to share if you think anyone could use/adapt it to their own use in case that could simplify anyone’s task. I kept it pretty kosher-sounding and avoided potential red flags like CI and Stories, but pushed the “every kid succeeds” envelope as much as possible.
Here is the letter:
I came across a great article today which talks about the ridiculousness of starting classes with hyper-specific learning objectives and/or can-do statements and how they actually can HARM learning. A great section of the article says,
“It is this spirit of explorative learning that creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson fears is not promoted enough in schools: “Our children and teachers are encouraged to follow routine algorithms rather than excite that power of imagination and curiosity.” Learning goals are a habit of this algorithm and often serve to narrow the possibilities of a learning experience. These types of teacher-centred approaches harken back to behaviourist teaching where “compliance is valued over initiative and passive learners over active learners” (Freiberg, 1999). It is also tied to the idea that good teaching can be broken down into a recipe of technical, formulaic procedures.”
Here is a link to the article if anyone is interested:
Thank you, Greg! I personally know more than a few teachers who might be able to use this right about now as we move into hiring season.