Serving  Dinner

I remember reading articles in Educational Leadership, a professional journal for educators.. There are many fabulous articles over the years that have encouraged my thinking about teaching and learning.  I was thinking about the difference between engagement and compliance and remembered something I read in this journal.  I did some research and found the articles.

The first was a monthly principal column by Thomas Hoerr. He is the former Head of School of the New City School in St. Louis.  The second was a monthly column by Charlotte Danielson.  She is internationally known as an expert on teacher effectiveness and the creator of the Framework for Teaching.  I was fortunate to attend workshops that she led many years ago at the University of Virginia. In their articles both writers touched on the topic of engagement.

Mr. Hoerr emphasizes three factors necessary for students to truly be engaged. These are relevance, high interest, and the feeling of success. If these are present students will be engaged for the sake of learning and not for the sake of a grade or compliance. These factors all present allow for curiosity and wonder. These factors allow for the learning to be joyful and fun. Students are engaged because they want to be, not because they have to be.  These are the same factors considered by game designers to hook people to play or engage.

Ms. Danielson writes about effective lessons in the metaphor of a dinner. She asserts that we cannot become so focused on the standards that we are teaching that we forget about the student who is to learn it. In her metaphor the standards become merely ingredients. As teachers we have to combine the ingredients and consider who we are feeding. If we don’t make the dinner inviting and delicious the students may not eat it, or may bite and chew simply out of compliance.

It is my desire to be a leader of a school that has an intriguing menu. The classroom/dining areas are inviting and promote the discourse of learning. The students/patrons visit each day and can’t wait to return again.

Shortly after reading these columns in the journal, I came upon an ad for a particular session at an educational conference. It all came together in my mind when I see that this student is showing and saying exactly what Thomas Hoerr and Charlotte Danielson are sharing.  “Engage me, please.  I’ve mastered compliance.”