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Thanks so much.

-Justin

10 Teaching Questions to Make You Comfortably Uncomfortable

Teachers should be "comfortably uncomfortable" in their classrooms.  I totally stole that phrase from my pastor.  It's the idea of not getting too complacent with ourselves.  I think it's important for teachers to stay comfortably uncomfortable with their teaching to push student thinking and learning as far as it can go.

Here are ten comfort questions I've been thinking about.

How comfortable are you with...

  1. Silence after a question?
  2. Noise during an activity?
  3. Not knowing exactly what you are doing for the day?
  4. Admitting that you were wrong?
  5. Not knowing all the answers?
  6. Taking a lesson in a brand new direction, on the fly?
  7. Moving on when there is still lesson plan left?
  8. Staying put when the class doesn’t get it?
  9. Reflecting after a bad day?
  10. Reflecting after a good day?
#6 and #2 are ones I've recently been checking myself on.

Which ones are you too comfortable with with?  Which ones set you on edge?  What am I missing? 
Photo credit: ldandersen
March 15, 2011   at  8:53 AM
Posted by Labels: ,

10 comments :

  1. Wm ChamberlainMarch 15, 2011 at 10:06 PM

    Good list. My problem lately is sticking with something that appears to be a spectacular failure. It's important to keep pushing, modifying, but not giving up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justin StortzMarch 15, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    Wm Chamberlain-
    That's definitely tough to do. I've also felt the opposite too- the beating a dead horse thing.

    When is it appropriate to quit? When do you totally scrap something?

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 15, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    I like the list. The hardest one for me is the noise level. Even with interactive activities (design time, for example) I get really anxious when the volume rises.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Audrey McLarenMarch 16, 2011 at 6:34 AM

    Thanks for the great list! This is why I love reading blogs!

    The one that drives me the most crazy is #1, probably because I can't see my students, and worry that silence means they're not listening or even there (I teach math online).

    #7 is a bad habit. I spent all this time putting this fantastic lesson together, so the heck with it, whether or not you get it, WE ARE DOING IT!

    I would add:
    -sharing my labour-of-love hard-earned resources with my colleagues
    -using web tools in my classroom
    -shutting up and letting my students figure stuff out on their own sometimes

    I'm totally comfortable admitting I'm wrong, though, since I get so much practice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. vr2ltchMarch 16, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    Love the list! Each day brings a different thing that I need to check on my comfort level on. Noise is one thing I don't have an issue with ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 16, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Love the list! What I learned over time was noise is a good thing & that silence after a question didn't necessarily mean the kids didn't know the answer. Questions that have crossed my mind 1) Can I really let this play out? (because it's going well & we're moving along & other good stuff is happening) 2)Do I let them continue this at home? (only because of parental interference)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Justin StortzMarch 17, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    Audrey,

    "sharing my labour-of-love hard-earned resources with my colleagues"

    That is a great comfort test. I know for me, it is harder to share things with my own team than it is to tweet are write something here. Isn't that crazy?

    ReplyDelete
  8. John R. SowashMarch 20, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    #2 and #8 are tough for me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Audrey McLarenMarch 23, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    Justin, you hit the nail on the head! I find the same thing is true. I have uploaded a lot more stuff than I have handed over in person. That's partly because there are a lot more people in cyberspace that are interested in what I'm doing than there are in my own space. But it's also partly because uploading gives me that feeling of being famous, if only for a moment, on my blog or on twitter!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chris NorkunMarch 11, 2012 at 8:46 AM

    noise during an activity aways makes me uncomfortable. I just listen to the conversations and as long as students are asking each other for help and checking out each other's work...I let it all go.
    By the way, I awarded you the Versatile Blogger Award. Check out my post to pick up your badge. http://chrisnorkun.blogspot.com/2012/03/versatile-blogger-award.html

    ReplyDelete

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