A beautiful thing happened in my classroom the other day.  After I stopped a story mid-way to let my on-task period get a jumpstart on their homework so they didn’t get too far ahead of the off-task period, three students pulled their chairs together to discuss the dilemma presented in the exposition and rising action, possible solutions to the complications, and the moral and social implications of different actions that could be taken.  I stood there in awe of the sparks flying as they excitedly expressed their points of view and built upon each others’ comments and ideas.  It was all I could do not to pull up a chair and chime in.  But, as I went for said chair, I forced myself to resist the temptation. These students didn’t need me to offer my ideas and so-called expertise. What they needed and really craved was the opportunity to grapple with the text themselves.  I did however, tell them that it was awesome that they were continuing to engage with the story. I couldn’t help myself in that respect!

This is my take-away from this inspiring moment:  It is not always the content that matters, but how the content sparks outside-the-box thinking. Yes, one of my main objectives was to teach them about suspense that day and how to identify author’s clues that added to that “sitting on the edge of your seat” feeling.  However, the real magic happened when I wasn’t actively teaching but instead allowing time for the students to toss their opinions and ideas around with peers.  In a world with seemingly endless standards to cover, I think that we as educators lose sight of this important point.  When we fly through content trying to squeeze it all in, we rob our students of priceless opportunities to not only think for themselves, but to converse, debate, and arrive at conclusions with their classmates.  And, isn’t that skill more valuable in the workplace and real-life situations than simply being able to regurgitate terms, dates, and facts?

-a post from Annmarie Ferry, ConversationED contributor.

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