by Anna Gratz Cockerille
Thomas Edison is best known for inventing the first long-lasting, widely distributable lightbulb. He also developed the first phonograph and motion picture camera. Steve Jobs was integral to the development of the personal computer and later to some of the most widely-used, iconic gadgets of our time: the Apple Macintosh and the iPhone. Marie Curie discovered two scientific elements and broke ground in understanding radioactivity. Ada Lovelace was the world’s first computer programmer.
What do all of these figures have in common? They were true innovators. They held fast to their beliefs and worked long, hard hours to manifest their visions. Because of them, the world will never be the same.
Each year, teachers undergo a creative process, not unlike that of an inventor. They begin with raw materials and vision. They work incredibly hard to manifest these ideas of who their students can become by the end of the year. Because of them, their students will never be the same. Like all creative processes, innovative teaching is best accomplished through reflection and a willingness to revise. It is these that are at the heart of any process of change.
Educators know that the summer months are a crucial time to reflect on the year that was and prepare for the year ahead. Thus, this is the perfect time to come together with the TCRWP community to reflect on our teaching, to think about ways to revise it, to make plans to innovate and invent new approaches. Tomorrow night, staff developer Ryan Scala will lead a Twitter chat on ways to author a new chapter in our teaching and learning lives. Please don’t miss this opportunity to gather deep insights and generate excitement for the year ahead.
Each Wednesday night at 7:30 pm Eastern, The Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project hosts a Twitter chat using the hashtag #TCRWP. Join @rscalateach to chat about authoring a new chapter in your teaching and learning life tomorrow evening.
Not on Twitter? Take Heinemann’s free Twitter for Educators course here.
