The metaphor I use for why I teach the way I do is most often, “It’s like weightlifting.” On the surface, this seems like kind of a silly, inept metaphor for an English teacher who spends most of his days teaching Creative Writing and a smattering of online publishing.
However, it works, despite how disparate the two disciplines appear to be.
In my class, we do lots of small, targeted assignments, usually two or three per class period, every day. I focus these assignments on a specific skill, much like weightlifters spend different days targeting different muscle groups. But we’re not talking “arm day” and “leg day” -levels of focus. This is much more “right tricep day” and “left calf day.” Very specific. We move around to different skills so no one “muscle group” gets tired.
I have to admit, for much of my career, I gave very few assignments. They were almost all major assignments, and they caused my students and me a lot of stress. Most of the rest of the days in class, I talked at my students, or had text-based conversations with the 6-8 students who would participate. I think those kids, the 6-8, got a lot out of my class, but there were too many who slipped through the cracks.
My class was like a weightlifting class in which the teacher spent ten days talking about weight room safety and proper form and that cool dude from Game of Thrones that sets world records for the distance he can throw a washing machine… and then tries to get kids to max out on one day at the very end.
That’s not only a really terrible way to get stronger, it’s a really great way to get someone hurt.
When we do many cycles of targeted reps, we’re actually building the skills (muscles) that students need to be successful. And that’s the goal-- for everyone to be successful, for everyone to at least be able to lift a good bit more than they could when we started.
However, it works, despite how disparate the two disciplines appear to be.
In my class, we do lots of small, targeted assignments, usually two or three per class period, every day. I focus these assignments on a specific skill, much like weightlifters spend different days targeting different muscle groups. But we’re not talking “arm day” and “leg day” -levels of focus. This is much more “right tricep day” and “left calf day.” Very specific. We move around to different skills so no one “muscle group” gets tired.
I have to admit, for much of my career, I gave very few assignments. They were almost all major assignments, and they caused my students and me a lot of stress. Most of the rest of the days in class, I talked at my students, or had text-based conversations with the 6-8 students who would participate. I think those kids, the 6-8, got a lot out of my class, but there were too many who slipped through the cracks.
My class was like a weightlifting class in which the teacher spent ten days talking about weight room safety and proper form and that cool dude from Game of Thrones that sets world records for the distance he can throw a washing machine… and then tries to get kids to max out on one day at the very end.
That’s not only a really terrible way to get stronger, it’s a really great way to get someone hurt.
When we do many cycles of targeted reps, we’re actually building the skills (muscles) that students need to be successful. And that’s the goal-- for everyone to be successful, for everyone to at least be able to lift a good bit more than they could when we started.
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