Most of us know the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, and have probably even shared its lesson with our own children or students. The idea of "slow and steady wins the race" is applicable to our lives in many ways. After attending Harvard's Project Zero Classroom this past July, I propose this story has another application to us as educators. Perseverance is certainly an important part of teaching students. Even more important is slowing down and taking the time to teach students in a way that fosters thinking, not just memorization of facts and ideas with no real connection or application. This idea was a thread which wove its way through every class, session, and study group meeting I attended at Project Zero Classroom. True education is about helping students become the future adults we will want to exist with in the world one day.
Now I know what you are probably thinking...that is all well and good, but my school district requires me to cover a certain amount of information in a certain amount of time and there is no way I can slow down! I thought the same thing at first, but seeing is believing. The idea of slowing down in order to teach for thinking and understanding was not just a talked about proverbial concept these educational gurus wanted us to blindly accept. It was modeled throughout the entire week from the moment the first session started. In fact, I often found myself thinking about how nice it was not to be rushed from place to place and information hurled at me in such a way that I was lucky to retain, at most, 10%. We were given time to discuss and reflect many times throughout the day. The pace of the classes was such that I walked away understanding what I heard, my mind racing with all the ways I planned to use the information in my classroom. Even now, almost a month later, I can tell you about every session and class I attended. I now know from my own personal experience that teaching for thinking and understanding with a slower, reflective pace really does work.
The new school year is now underway and My Project Zero Classroom notebook is not tucked away on a bookshelf with the many other professional development reference materials collected over the years. It is out on my counter and open. I refer to it during my planning a minimum of once per day. It has been so easy to incorporate what I have learned into my established lessons and routines because I was allowed the opportunity to truly in internalize the information. I want to share what I experienced with anyone who will listen. As a means of redelivering, I plan to use this site as a tool for modeling thinking and understanding. My hope is for others to have access to the information, to experience it at their own pace, and, in order to foster true learning, have time to reflect.
Even though Harvard's Project Zero Classroom was a phenomenal experience, I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. This is just another step towards making me a more effective educator. My own experiences, trials, and tribulations can be further enhanced with honest conversations among educators willing to be a "tortoise" with me...because, after all, it was the tortoise who won the race!
