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Necessary Ingredients Part 5 - Overcoming Success April 22, 2008

Posted by Matthew Woolums in Opinion.
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I’ve been thinking about this one for a long time. There are many voices calling for change, but change is slow in coming if it is coming at all. One reason for the lack of change in the educational world is the belief that as educators, we are mostly successful practitioners of our craft. Fortunately, this is partly true. While the generalization can’t be applied with even brush strokes for all teachers, most teachers deliver their curriculum, their students complete most of the assignments, and in the end, there is some growth, even if it is no more than a student might affect with any concerted intervention on anyone else’s part.

It is that modest success that keeps us from adopting new techniques, strategies, goals, and technologies. In order to provide a thriving 21st Century technology-infused learning environment, we (as educators) must not rely on moderate success. Treading water isn’t enough to keep up with the pace of change in the world around us. The ability to feel uncomfortable with doing ‘good enough’ needs to be an integral component of our approach to a life dedicated to teaching and learning.

I’m going to have to think critically about my own practices. I hope the following questions will be helpful to me in identifying where I’ve settled for ‘good enough’ instead of preparing for what’s next.

In case you missed them, here are links to the previous four ingredients.

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