Going from "good teaching to glorious teaching"

September 28, 2015

(Photo: Center for Inspired Teaching)

This piece was written by Ms. Aqueelha James, Principal of John Burroughs Elementary School (DCPS), a STEM-themed school. In August 2015, Ms. James participated in OSSE and Inspired Teaching’s STEM Leadership Academy. Ms. James has also partnered with SCALE, Inspired Teaching’s science teacher training program, to work with a cohort of Teacher Leaders at her school towards the goal of integrating best teaching practice across all classrooms and lessons.

My leadership philosophy spins off this– you can’t truly serve people unless you love them. I admire the Inspired Teaching staff because it’s clear that they love what they do. Inspired Teachers show that they love their students and their work; they help teachers get connected with the reason they went into teaching in the first place—for the students.

Four of my teachers are now taking part in SCALE: Science Curriculum Advancement through Literacy Enhancement (Inspired Teaching’s year-long professional development program for teachers of science in DC Public Schools). I like that SCALE creates a professional learning community for teachers and have big hopes for my teachers and SCALE this year.

The same way that kids learn best from each other is the same way that adults learn best. I believe teachers learn best from teachers, and my teachers will learn much more from their colleagues than they will from me. By sharing and collaborating, they will find ways not just to re-ignite each other’s passion for teaching STEM, but also to ignite their students’ passion for learning. By sharing best practices, my hope is that they will move from good teaching to glorious teaching.

Glorious teaching is something you can feel. It’s fluid and organic; it’s the teacher facilitating and moving the lesson in the direction of students’ growing interests and understanding with the appropriate end goal in sight. To do this, the teacher has spent time planning and thinking in advance about any misunderstanding students may have, what they already know, and what they don’t yet know. I know glorious teaching is happening when I step into a classroom where children are asking questions of each other because what they’ve just learned is important to them. Children continue having conversations from class to class, talking about what they learned, questioning the author, challenging a hypothesis, or simply trying to make sense of it.

Glorious teaching is not robotic teaching, with the teacher saying, “All eyes on me. I am asking a question. Now it’s your turn to answer.” That robotic teaching is not the fluid and organic teaching that makes kids love to learn. When you do have that fluid teaching, there’s no question about classroom management because the kids are more interested in the content than anything else. Glorious teaching is when children experience genuine interest rather than just being compliant. It’s going back to the idea that kids’ minds are like engineers’ minds, and teachers should take full advantage of that notion. The classroom becomes a place of taking academic risks, and it’s not even considered a risk anymore; it’s just an environment where kids feel free and empowered to share their understanding of content and concepts. It is liberating to see this kind of teaching happening.

My big hope is that with SCALE, we will have glorious teaching spread throughout the entire school. Teachers will collaborate with each other, receive individualized coaching from former classroom teachers (at Inspired Teaching) who love what they do, and together, we will get from good teaching to glorious teaching.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.