Teacher and Learner

I saw a picture on a cell phone this morning that took me off guard. It shows that the mirror image of the word Teach is the word Learn. Hmmm. I’m sure I’ve seen this before, but it’s worth a reminder.

So, in response to that, I reflect on the following question I have heard posed several times recently: “Who should be more tired at the end of the school day – the teacher or the student?” Linking that to the image I saw this morning, who should be more tired – the teacher or the learner?

If you ask kids: "Does learning with technology make you think harder," how will they respond? If the answer is no, then why are we using it? If the teacher is still in front of the room sharing everything THEY know about the subject, then why are we using the technology? What sticks with you from your education? The discoveries that you made, the learning you uncovered, the content you made sense of on your own.

In a traditional classroom, the teacher goes home exhausted. If we are teaching our students 21^st century skills, such as problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, innovation, literacy skills, and a healthy dose of critical thinking, then it is the learner who should come home more tired at the end of the day. And homework should prepare them for the hard work of the next day.