Why Teachers Need to be Learners

2 Apr

Written By Paul Matthews

There are certain phrases that get thrown around a lot in our schools:

- We have a growth mindset.

- We have an inquiry stance.

- We are a community of learners.

I love these phrases.

There are so many students who come to school each day convinced that they can’t do the one thing they’re there to do: learn. This sort of low self-efficacy works it’s way out in statements we hear in the classroom every day:

- I can’t do maths.

- I’m not a good reader.

- I’ve never been good at drawing.

What do we say? We encourage them to put in the hard work, don’t we. “Have a growth mindset, you can do it if you try!” I have these sorts of phrases in high rotation in my classroom.

However, when it comes to technology, it’s so easy for us to slip into the same mistakes we warn our students against:

- I’m just not a tech person.

- I’ve never been good with computers.

- I can’t be bothered learning another system.

Being a learner

In order to make sure our “learning community” language is more than skin deep, as teachers, we must model being a learner ourselves.

AI is the perfect place to do this.

We model being a learner by acknowledging and navigating change caused by AI. It means being aware of the problems and possibilities, and working to steer clear of the hazards and embrace the benefits.

It also means not complaining about advances in technology to our students.

Be encouraged.

This rapid change is giving us a fantastic opportunity to model learning, a growth mindset, and an inquiry stance to our students.

Some students learn from us, all students learn about us, and we have the opportunity to not only call them to learn, but to model learning with them.