Engaged Learning

I like the way Mr. Ernhart, the History teacher, models the process of searching for a research topic; he shares his thoughts about Hitler’s march into Paris and the way the French people reacted. He made a point of sharing his curiosity and feelings about this time period. This technique reminds me of Penny Kittle: the way she modeled composition by writing along with her students. Rather than taking a “teacher as authority” stance, she put her drafts on the overhead and considered aloud the edits she might make. In this way, her students got the chance to experience her thought process. I’m sure it must have demystified the process for many of her students. I imagine it gives students confidence, to be able to watch their teacher create while realizing that no one writes perfectly without revision. Mr. Ernhart’s students begin to think like researchers and to allow themselves to imagine, evaluate, and question.