My job is to tell - Your job is to show that you know

Every day I get to go into classrooms and see lots of great things taking place. The teachers at my school really care about their students and do their best to ensure that the students are learning and progressing. One of our teachers has had a message written on the board since the beginning of the year. I have used it as the title of this post. This view is pervasive among educators. I interpret it to be: I tell, you learn. In my opinion this view is outdated and all too often ineffective.

At this point it is important to say that this teacher does a lot more than simply tell students what he wants them to learn. I have seen him using creative ways to involve students and empower them in their own education. Even so, all too often teachers act like they are the source of all knowledge in their chosen field. The gatekeeper of info that their students cannot access except through them. Students know that information is available to them at their fingertips. They can utilize many different technologies to access even more current information than their teacher possesses.

Information does not equate to education. Even accurate and timely information does not equate to education. So what does it mean to be educated? An educated person does possess knowledge, but to be truly educated one must be able to analyze information and apply it appropriately. I believe that this analysis and application is even more critical in our world because so much information is available to so many. An educated person is one who can re-evaluate and modify as necessary. They can sift between the informational wheat and chaff.

As educators it is our task to ensure that students play an active role in their own education. They need to become producers rather than consumers in their classrooms. Teachers must transform themselves into educational coaches while the students shoulder the responsibilities of active players.