2 min
We connect in community through teaching and learning. Over the last 20 years I’ve watched arts workshops explode in volume and scope across North America. Creators and workshops are easy to find.
In previous posts we talked about the idea that the doorway to become a better creator is to become a better learner. We create what we learn AND we learn what we teach.
To become a better learner, become a teacher. The best teachers are learners too. To learn is to live. To teach is to give.
‘When you learn, teach, when you get, give.’
Maya Angelou
To prepare a learning experience, I reflect on my own learning first, make connections among the material, the students, and the many ways to learn. These tips also apply to self-directed learning.
Push thinking on a topic. Open up processes for change. Use research-based strategies to help students make connections.
Provide multiple lenses to view the topic. One way to picture this is as different coloured lighting gels, the kind that theatres use to create different effects. Using lenses provides many ideas and strategies to see the topic with new eyes and to add rich layers of meaning.
Use questions as a way to facilitate thinking and growth. Questions provide opportunities to reflect.
Establish community. Networking and meeting other learners is important to the process.
Share research by including multiple sources and putting together information we can’t otherwise find in one book.
Facilitate learning to spark thinking that results in a change in a learner’s practice or project. Set something in motion.
Play is important to writing and learning and creative thinking. Aim to have fun along the way.
Teach to learn. Each time we teach, new connections are made, understanding expands, and craft improves.
Click here to download a WORD document of the plan so you can edit it to suit your needs.
Today's video explores ways to connect with your community through teaching.
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
― Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Write about a teacher who influenced you. Then, write him/her a thank-you note.
Search for workshops, classes, programs, and/or conferences, making a “bucket list” of learning experiences.
It's easiest to see your reflection when it's calm. If you find a quiet moment, check in. Notice and name what you see, hear, smell... What is your story when the waters are still? Then take a breath, and create something. Draw. Write. Sing. Just make.