What’s Your Lens?

I always find it so invigorating to talk with teachers about the craft of teaching. It is quite interesting to pick their brain about their perspective on education and teaching and learn a bit about how and why they do what they do in the classroom. No one celebrates the wins and understands the day to day grind of teaching better than a teacher. And sometimes is it just so nice to experience that mutual admiration society.

One topic I really like to ask of other educators is about their lens in the classroom. If they had to boil down what really drives or focuses their energy and efforts to create quality lessons and a supportive learning environment, what would that be? I find this to be very illuminating for two reasons:

1. Some teachers struggle to answer the question. I don’t think a lot of teachers either have the time to or find it useful to think in this manner. And I don’t know that I blame them that much. Teaching is such an outcome oriented profession and considering something a bit more abstract or possibly philosophical does little to assist with practically creating that lesson. Answering the question is also sometimes difficult to put into words. I know why I do what I do and I know the reasons, but it’s difficult to quantify. I get it.
2. There is such a wide range of answers. When I do get an answer, they are all over the place. Some teachers reference a need to cultivate healthy relationships with their students, some are more focused on intellectual growth in the classroom, some see a bigger picture of improving society as a whole. No matter whether I agree or not, it is really motivating for myself to see the passion that comes through during this conversation. When teachers are able to verbalize something that hits so close to home and drives what is certainly a main focus in their life…well, it’s just really cool to experience.

So, what is my focus? What drives my instruction and classroom environment?

I only think it’s fair to let you take a peak through my lens. Obviously, I am biased…but I believe all should at least consider my way of seeing things in the classroom. : ) If I were to boil it all down to one quote, it would be this one:

“Without knowledge of human cognitive processes, instructional design is blind.” (1)

This is the first sentence in a text that completely shifted how I see learning and education. Without an understanding of how learning happens in the brain, whatever we design in the classroom may or may not jive with how humans learn. And, if that’s the case, we are wasting our time designing that presentation or that graphic organizer or collaborative activity. And this extends also to the physical design of our classroom. Are our students in an environment that best supports the learning process? As teachers, a major aspect of our job is to teach students stuff. They should leave our classrooms knowing more than when they entered. To me, that implies that teachers should know how learning happens and tailor our instruction to that. It simply does not work the other way around.

So, a basic understanding of memory processing: aspects and limitations of attention, working memory, encoding, long-term memory, forgetting, elaborate rehearsal…and so much more. Without this knowledge, we are blind to any cognitive hurdles our students may encounter during the learning process. And we certainly will not be able to assist them with overcoming these barriers both in the classroom and outside when they study independently.

Then, when we know and understand how to best work within the confines of memory, we can best design instruction and use more impactful strategies (such as retrieval practice, spaced practice, interleaving, and dual coding) to more effectively teach. This leads to more positive learning outcomes and can definitely motivates our students to learn even more. Positive results leads to student motivation…not the other way around. And you want to build a positive relationship with your students? Show them you are invested in their learning, teach in a knowledgable and spirited manner, and help them to reap the rewards of a highly stimulating and effective learning environment.

For me, this is what does it. My lens is learning in the most impactful manner and environment possible. This is only a possibility when I understand how they learn and tailor my instruction to these limitations. I know not everyone agrees or may not see this as the most important aspect of teaching…and I guess I’m okay with that. But, I do hope you see value in investing in the learning process for the sake of our students. Maybe my focus won’t totally become your focus…but I do hope it gives you food for thought and maybe, for just a few moments when you are designing your next lesson, see things through my lens.

So, what’s your lens? What’s your focus? What drives you as an educator?Subscribed

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If you’d like more information on topics of memory, attention, and learning strategies to create a more effective classroom…boy do I have the book for you. Okay, so I’m a little biased because I wrote it. : ) It’s called Do I Have Your Attention? Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning. If you access this link, you can find more information on the book, endorsements from Dr. John Hattie, Dr. John Sweller, Dr. Dan Willingham, and more, and methods to order in both the US and UK.

I have also presented at many conferences and to many faculties on these topics. If you are interested in collaborating, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can find me on Twitter, Bluesky, or feel free to contact me through my website.

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1. Sweller, J., Ayers P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011). Cognitive load theory. Springer.

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Feature image by ClickerHappy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-binocular-on-round-device-63901/