I Don’t have Time for That
Posted by: Toby Fischer in PD, education, issues, technology, twitterAbout a week ago I asked my PLN on Twitter, “When a teacher says ‘I don’t have time for that’ do they mean, I don’t know how & I’m not willing to take the time to learn.” I will start by saying this is not my opinion, I was trying to start a discussion.
There was a great amount of wisdom in the responses.
@futureofedu It might just mean “I’m scared to try that!” from @kellyhines
I agree, many want to jump in, they are just scared of the water. In my district, there is me and the others in our educational technology department there to be their life jackets. Still, not all people are jumpping in.
@futureofedu means teacher doesn’t know how said thing fits w/curriculum therefore said thing is perceived as added on to curriculum. from @nancydevine
We must stress that it isn’t one more thing. When we talk about embedding technology and 21st century skills, it happens with the teaching of content, not separately.
@futureofedu Probably more like: “I’m being pulled in too many directions with stuff I already know to take on something else.” from @nlowell
@futureofedu Yes and no-My current workload exceeds my contractual liability.Should I feel pressured into even more with no allowance – no? from @sdisbury
@zemote @futureofedu re: teachers/time – I don’t even have time to do the things I know how to do and I desperately want to do. from @teacherc
Dear adminstrtors, please make time in your teachers schedule for them to learn and grow. Hire people in your district that can support this professional learning.
Dear Politician, Find a way for the above statement to be financially feasible for ALL schools.
Teachers need to shift their practices to embed 21st century skills and technology. This should not be an option. The problem is the lack of understanding and funding for this shift to happen at the speed it should be. The question I am left to ponder, what do we do to change this?
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April 29th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
S2 final assessment date will be agreed next week. One topic left to do and I’ve embarked on a peer teaching project where each group are taking a chunk of the final topic, creating a lesson and teaching the rest of the class.
Now I could teach this all myself in a few lessons but I know that the pupils will enjoy this more. But I’m terrified though that this will fall flat. If it does I’ll have to fly through the course at the end and the pupils’ results may suffer due to lack of time in class to revise. The consequence of getting this wrong is that they are set into General level classes instead of Credit for S3.
Is it worth it?
April 29th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
The enabling activity here is letting teachers know they’re responsible for their own learning. Professional Development should not be something they wait for nor something that’s done to them, but something they do for themselves.
The bootstrap is that the same 21st century skills they need to teach with, they can use to learn with, but they need opportunities to learn that are not embedded in their work day but embedded in their lives.
The Catch 22 is the only way they can learn it is to try it, but until they learn it, they don’t know what to try.
The strategy needs to be “Addiction.” Give them little pieces that they want again. Keep feeding the need.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:42 am
@eshep had a similar post on his blog yesterday. http://learningtocollaborate.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-dont-have-time.html He has some very good insite.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:47 am
sdisbury–We must experiment. If this is the first time you’ve done this, it will not go perfect. Nobody wants to hear this, but it is a fact. I believe in the rule of 3. It takes 3 years to get a lesson right. Year one “please be ok”, Year 2 “I like this, but” Year 3 “WOW”. The key is assessing the project and revising it immediately after while the thoughts are still in your head. Good luck, give great directions and guidance and your students will soar.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:52 am
nlowell–I have been trying to focus some of my time lately on tying my professional development sessions to teachers personal use. If a teacher can start by using a tool for their personal life, they are more likely to see the connection it can have in the classroom. I like the “addiction” idea.
September 28th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
If a teacher cannot “bend” for their students, they should not be teaching. Teachers are hired to educate children and prepare them for their futures in society. If that means adjusting to 21st century teaching tactics; adjust.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:59 am
Hi,
I also agree on this point, student should help their selves, this is the right way to learn, but teacher should provide guidelines, rest is the responsibility of student.