Why My PLN Is Priceless

Yep. It has been a while since I have posted anything on to blog. But educator extraordinaire David Wee’s latest blog post is forcing me to reflect on my personal practice. Both at work and at home.

Courtesy of David Wees 2014

After posting this graphic to Google+ David received nearly 30 views in two hours. 

I also commented on his post:

Absolutely. In an ideal world in ideal conditions. I think basically it’s about developing relationships with students built on trust, respect and communication. Not sure if we need to do 20 (!) things. The simpler the better IMO. Thanks for sharing!

David’s response was professional at best, insight and revealing about his learning as an educator for (I’m taking a stab here) over 20+ years:

Teaching is a complex activity, IMHO, and I actually think this list is incomplete, and certainly each item on this list requires some unpacking. While relationships with students are key (and maybe not well represented on my list, oops), they are not sufficient for the teaching, and subsequently the learning, that occurs to be good.

What does it mean to “ask questions that prompt thinking from all students”? How does one “become an expert in the ways students typically understand a subject”?

Rather than try to reduce teaching to simplistic formulas, I’m trying to figure out its complexity.

Wow…

As the Reflective Educator, David is both provocative and insightful. Inquisitive and generous. I am very privileged to have him as part of my professional learning network. 

Thanks for pushing me to think, David. We all need to be teacher and learners (probably learners first).

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