What If No One Follows Me?

Have you seen this video?  It is one of my favorites about starting and sustaining a movement!




I am starting a movement at my school, encouraging teachers to make a shift to a more student-centered classroom.  I need followers, as is important as any movement begins in order to pick up speed or else it will die a fiery death.

Having utilized a student-centric model in my classroom, I am inherently aware of the benefits to using this model in the classroom. Benefits include increased student motivation, engagement, and self-confidence by achieving success when assuming new responsibilities.  But, teachers have been lukewarm to my proclamations about these benefits.  Teachers have difficulty abdicating the throne, so to speak, and making the shift to being a facilitator in a student-centered classroom.

Many teachers were trained in educator prep programs that featured the teacher as the expert in the room.  It was a different era in schools, and times have changed with the constant connection to information that our students possess today.  Teachers are no longer required to be the expert in the room, and students are yearning for the opportunity to craft their own learning experiences utilizing tools of their choosing, and demonstrate their learning in ways that appeal to them.

In my next post I will focus on the steps that I am taking with my teachers to help make the transition from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered model.  In the meantime, let me know of any suggestions that you may have for making this transition as seamless as possible for teachers.