Session 2
Why is it important in education that we always "begin with the end in mind?"
posted by skoelker @ 7:01 PM
Thursday, October 26, 2006
About Me
- Name: skoelker
- Location: North Yarmouth, Maine, United States
I'm a middle school technology integrator in Southern Maine.
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7 Comments:
If we don't know where we want kids to end up when we teach them something, why are we teaching it? If we asked ourselves where we were going more often, I wonder where we'd wind up?
How else will we know (including the kids) when we've been successful?
It is important to know what we are to arrive at, so that we have can plan the journey.
This approach has made all the difference in my teaching. It makes so much sense to know where you are going before you begin so that the activities and assignments you plan will get you there. I certainly don't always have essential questions, but I do try to think about what I want my kids to know before I begin a unit so that they can get to that end.
A teacher needs to begin with the end in mind so that you can stay focused on the essential learning that you want to take place. I must admit that, even when I keep the end in mind, I often travel in different directions to get there (depending on the kids, the time I have to teach and explore the topic, and the interest of the students), but that's what makes teaching so much fun!
The end is the beginning.
The end is a goal to be reached.
Once you know what the goal is, you can make a plan to get there.
I think that it is important to have the end in mind. I like to think of it as exercising. I always look at the picture or the pants I want to get into after exercising. I believe that people would not exercise if there was not an end result. There may not be anything to work for.
When I bake a cake, I would love for the end result to be picture!!!
Kids need to have an end result or "why am I doing this?' If I tell them what they will learn, it may make them feel better about the process of learning it.
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