I read.
I read ALOT.
I read novels, non-fiction books, news articles, journal articles, Salon, blogs, and horror shows masquerading as mathematics textbooks.
This paragraph by Peter Norvig, first read, I don't know, a couple years ago, has stuck with me. I have it tagged and revisit it every time I feel like I suck at teaching math, to remind myself that four years is not long enough. Freaking Mozart: age 4 to 17. The mother-flippin Beatles: 10 years between clubs in Liverpool and Sgt Pepper. etc. The lesson, besides TEN YEARS, is PRACTICE WITH QUANTITY.
Researchers (Bloom (1985), Bryan & Harter (1899), Hayes (1989), Simmon & Chase (1973)) have shown it takes about ten years to develop expertise in any of a wide variety of areas, including chess playing, music composition, telegraph operation, painting, piano playing, swimming, tennis, and research in neuropsychology and topology. The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. There appear to be no real shortcuts: even Mozart, who was a musical prodigy at age 4, took 13 more years before he began to produce world-class music. In another genre, the Beatles seemed to burst onto the scene with a string of #1 hits and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. But they had been playing small clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg since 1957, and while they had mass appeal early on, their first great critical success, Sgt. Peppers, was released in 1967.
10 comments:
So I still have 4 years to go before I become a real expert! I just wonder, though: besides the Beatles example, the quoted research was about children starting at a young age. Does the same apply to adults absolutely? I certainly feel like I will be more adept at just about everything in four years, but am I really that inept right now?
Hey now, I'm not trying to impugn anyone's skills! I'm just saying, this snaps me back when I start perusing the help wanteds.
Nice post! :)
I don't know if it is discomforting or encouraging though ;)
I love that Norvig article, and since I teach computer science it has particular significance for me.
Also, having taught more than 10 years I would say, yes, it takes about that many to really get good at teaching. However, I'd still prefer to teach with an energetic novice than an experienced teacher that has suffered burnout.
This year has probably been the hardest I've faced, because although I've been through similar things, this is the first time I've ever seriously thought that maybe I don't want to do this next year--or ever again. It's scary because this is all I've ever known. Although I was happy going into year six, I can understand why most teachers don't make it to year five!
Kate, I couldn't find a way to email you, so I'll make my personal request a public one: I would really love for you to participate in my 52 Teachers, 52 Lessons Project. I think you have a lot of great things to say! Please consider it.
Maybe you should change your blog name to "I Want to Teach For Now" :-)
Reading through some of your stuff it sounds like you're at a difficult school or at least have some really challenging classes. You know that cheeseball graph they show you in teacher prep programs, where you start out the school year, like, "Excited!" and then in October "Reality Sets In!" and then "Things Really Start to Suck!" and then "Winter Break!", etc, well I think we are deep in the deepest trench of that graph right now, so I'd maybe not make any decisions until at least Easter break. (I think that phase is called "Renewal"...) Chin up.
I would like to write something for your project, thanks for the invite. Gimme a few days. Also I'm having my profile show my email address now, sorry about that.
I copied that paragraph out and stuck it to the inside of my desk drawer. I totally agree... I feel a lot more confident after my first year, but I also feel I have "miles to go before I [teach well]."
Ah! So as a (math) student teacher, it seems almost impossible to figure out what to deliberately try to improve on next time while drinking from the fire hose of life. Organization? Student engagement? Clarity of examples?
Hi ERFIN - I don't have a good answer for you. :) For me everything improves in tandem. Maybe identify what you think is most prominently standing in your way, and tackle that first? Or identify where you feel confident about how much control you have, and start there?
ERFin: I always found that there is something that nags at me, that bothers me when I look back on it, that I really *want* to work on when I reflect about my teaching...that is what I usually wind up thinking about and working on in the next year.
Post a Comment