Classroom Sherpas

Last night, when I was avoiding doing bar prep - much like now, I came across a blog by a middle school teacher who inadvertently uses the 5E system.  I say inadvertently because she apparently didn't even know it existed.  In case you don't know what the 5E system is its a teaching method/strategy.

1. Engage - use something to engage student: incite their curiosity
2. Explore - students explore and postulate on what they've engaged in is or how it works etc.
3. Explain - necessary explanation (mostly correcting postulations)
4. Elaborate - discussion
5. Evaluate - self explanatory

Anyway, it got me thinking about my best teachers.  My best teachers haven't been teachers at all.  In fact, most of them have used the 5E system or the Socratic method in some form.  My best professors and teachers in all of the many years of school I've endured have been facilitators of learning, not teachers.  Not once have I learned the best when a teacher was shoving information down my throat.  I always learned the best when I engaged and had guidance with self-teaching.

I find this even more interesting because my highschool history teacher used to refer to himself as a facilitator and would correct people when they called him a teacher.  Looking back, he was right.  I was just too stupid to recognize the difference.  So, thanks Mr. B.  You were awesome.

More people should do it.  Come classroom sherpas, help the masses.

Back to work.