How Can I Slow Down?
I never knowingly turn down an opportunity to show Austin’s Butterfly to a class. But it had been a while. So, when I showed it last week to a class who were about to do a bit of peer assessment, I found myself paying extra attention.
And it struck me, like it had never struck me before, that there is something brilliant about the pace at which Ron Berger delivers his wonderful lesson on the power of critiquing and redrafting.
There’s loads to write about the content of the lesson. Of course there is. But the truth is, thanks to Storm Eowyn, I’m currently without electricity or WiFi, sitting in my car, typing this on my charging phone. So I’ll delve deeper another time.
Suffice to say, for tonight at least, that the time Berger takes to give this lesson is something to behold. There is something so reassuring about his presentation. He’s unhurried, measured and calm. His knowledge gives him the confidence to go at his own pace - or rather, the pace most appreciated by the pupils. And, in turn, they feel secure. They trust him, and they learn.
So, my one question this week has been, How Can I Slow My Delivery Down?
It’s a challenge, that’s for sure. Especially given the mad-cap dash to cover the curriculum that seems to supersede everything else.
This is one for further thought. Slow, unhurried and measured thought. But I’ll wait for WiFi before attempting that.
In the meantime, thanks for reading, thanks to all this week’s new subscribers. And have a lovely weekend.
Jon
I was lucky enough to teach at an expeditionary learning (EL) school (the network Ron Berger is a part of) and see the power of implementing critique in the classroom.
In particular, peer critique connected to rubric based evidence in the learning process either via looking at exemplar student or teacher samples or early rough drafts helped to encourage what we referred to as ‘craftsmanship’ - raising the quality of student work and slowing down the rush for students to ‘just get it done’
I agree about it being a mad dash to cover the curriculum! Great to have a little bit of time to teach something else.