Online every day I see what appear to be amazing things that educators are doing in their classrooms. As a connected leader and learner, I tend to be quick to praise, to share, to encourage and to promote practice.
But is this my best practice?
Do I know enough about what I am encouraging?
Recently, I have been exploring the impact of the “enthusiastic amateur”.
The term “enthusiastic amateur” refers to educators who have “emerged from the cave” and who have embraced the power of technology in the classroom. The are often loud with their enthusiasm. They are excited about their learning and they share share openly.
This can be a step in the journey to understand the power of technology to change learning in the ‘classroom’. We are all on the path of learning as we integrate the use of technology into our school system. However, at all times, student learning must be at the centre of our practice.
Andy Hargreaves explains the concept of “innovation without improvement” very nicely in this video. Michelle Cordy has explored this idea more concisely here.
Certainly we want to encourage educators to learn about how technology can be leveraged to enhance where, when and how learning can take place.
How do we best ensure educators are using technology to to deepen learning aligned with the learning intentions for the students?
Quoting: “However, at all times, student learning must be at the centre of our practice.” The key words are “at all times” and “must.” AND very central to this are the effective assessment of the learning and revision as suggested by reflection on the assessment.
The phrase, enthusiastic amateur, is new to me but very meaningful and appropriate. My blog is titled “Considerations” (http://johncbennettjr.com ) and addresses my notion of what I mean by considerations and how important those efforts are to effective learning, successful career, and successful personal life. It is absolutely essential for the enthusiastic amateur! Albert Einstein has a quote so appropriate and meaningful here: “If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it well enough.” No question in my mind that this applies directly to the enthusiastic amateur – both in the preparation for the use and the reasoning for the use of any content, pedagogy, or technology!
Reblogged this on teaching knowledge and creativity.
The “enthusiastic amateur” is riding high on the spike of the implementation curve, don’t you think?
Perhaps this is a state of mind that can happen over and over again in the world of educational technology where new and exciting tools are always being developed. It’s equally amazing to me how quickly something can feel old and nostalgic.
I think we agree that mindfullness and intentionality is key. Thank you for your blog post. I appreciate the mention.