Stop Talking…Please
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Walt Disney 
From the desk of Carol C. . .
Recently my friend, Susan, asked me to dinner. She had invited another friend of hers, too…a person I hadn’t met before. Her friend was pleasant, and I found her stories of traveling interesting. This friend is an animated person who remembers details far better than most people. I really did find her stories interesting…up to a point that is. After a while even though this friend continued to be animated and talk about places she had visited that I wanted to visit, I began to lose my focus. I just couldn’t listen anymore. I needed a break to listen to someone or something else or better yet to have a chance to contribute to the conversation with something more than “Wow” or “Beautiful”.
On the way home I thought more about my evening. It wasn’t awful. It just could have been more engaging. More engaging in the way my classroom needs to be sometimes. There are numerous occasions I could recount when I was excited about what I was teaching but talked on and on and on. Slowly, more and more students would tune me out as these lessons continued. The kids could have started out as excited as I was, but too much lecturing or talking or teaching or whatever we call it turned them off…squelched their excitement for learning during that class.
Bringing our own enthusiasm to what we teach is only part of the challenge. The other part is how to actively and authentically involve our students in their own learning so they continue to feel the joy learning brings. Here’s what I’m thinking needs to happen in our classrooms:
- Keep your own talking to a minimum. Think about your own days as a student or as a teacher in a workshop. How much talking/lecturing at one time can you take before you begin to zone out?
- The harder the concept the less you talk to the whole group. Think about a subject or topic you have some difficulty with. For me that might be technology or calculus. It doesn’t take long for a presentation in either of these two areas for me to be absolutely lost. I can listen, follow, and understand for a short while and then that’s it. I’m in over my head. The teacher needs to come over to help me individually or in a small group. Talking to the entire group is no longer helpful and many times turns students off.
- Keep your students active…physically and mentally. Even if it’s just moving to another table to work with a group, using the pencil sharpener when they need it, or figuring out a problem on their own, students need time to think without your direct involvement and time to make some autonomous decisions.
These are a few of my ideas. What are your secrets to infusing enthusiasm in your classroom? Share your ideas!