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Why classroom questions often fail, and how to fix them
Ever experienced with silent classrooms when asking open-ended questions? This excerpt from Chapter 3 of Teaching Meaning breaks down why “guess what’s in my head” questions fail and how to fix them. There’s a common…
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The wrong ends of the constructivist stick
Despite the perennial debate on whether teachers should “just tell” or not, both sides of the discussion tend to accept constructivism. Constructivism is a stance on learning which broadly says that students construct meaning in…
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Understanding isn’t just knowledge (& how we can teach it)
The knowledge-understanding problem is perennially debated. Many sense a difference and argue that we should ensure students learn knowledge and understand it. But others claim that understanding doesn’t exist beyond what you know. The issue…
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The false choice between teaching consistency and teacher autonomy
Education is caught in a debate over autonomy and cohesion. On one side, teachers are demanding professional autonomy: the right to discretion over their lessons. Others are demanding “consistency” through rigid structures and scripts. Neither…
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Direct Instruction’s limits: A nuanced look at Engelmann’s ideas
When Engelmann developed his popular Direct Instruction1, his principle was that students were capable of learning anything. This seems like a good rule to follow; it removes blame from the student. If they didn’t manage…
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Information theory and why explaining clearly isn’t enough
Claude Shannon’s groundbreaking information theory focused on getting a message from A to B. It’s now one the major underlying theories of the computers we use every day. Its principles also tell us something fascinating…