20 Minute Teacher

Hello!

Here's some fun and exciting news!

We have been trialling having some grade 2 students teach a 20-minute lesson to the class on an area of personal interest! Just to give you an idea, thus far, we have had two students teach: one taught a guided drawing for a mythical creature she invented, and the other student brought materials from home to teach a fine motor/art task of weaving bracelets. Currently, only grade 2’s will have this opportunity, as they are working towards leadership roles within the classroom. 

Please note that not all grade 2’s were interested in this opportunity, that is okay! We will see how this process goes for grade 2’s and then there will either be an opportunity for current grade 1 students to teach a lesson next year (2019-2020) or at the end of this year (June 2019).

This is connected to our Montessori philosophy at LBS as it allows for students to develop:

1. Co-operation, Collaboration, Not Competition.
   Children are encouraged to respect and support one another in their learning, and with their daily needs and experiences.  Learning is a social process. 
2. Independence and Choice.
   Children construct their own intelligence.  

Students have free choice of what content to teach so long as it is appropriate for school. If you are unsure of the suitability, the students can run their ideas past me beforehand. The main educational outcome is for students to work towards being able to break down the steps of learning to support the learning of their peers, and take on the role of an “expert”. Additionally, children are developing presentation skills of speaking to a large group. When students are the “teacher” they are in charge of classroom management, which practices respectful communication with peers.

For students who are observing the lessons, they are learning something new, as well as the importance of clear and concise delivery of information, and what effective speaking and sharing looks like. In addition, they are learning, through peer modeling, how to scaffold instruction to ensure the success of all students participating in a task. 

On Thursday, I made up a schedule for all grade 2’s who were interested, I will post the schedule on my blog once I have returned to the school. Please note this project is meant to be independent student work based on their areas of interest, thus, preparation work for this opportunity will be done outside of school time. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Take care,

Lindsay Brown