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"Last September I had 14 students staring at me, waiting for me to teach them how to solve a word problem. "Well, the operation is subtraction because the key word is difference," I would say. I found myself spoon-feeding 8-year-olds the answers because I was unsure of how to help this particular group of children solve difficult word problems. Seven months later, I am the one staring at my students, listening to them teach each other different ways to correctly solve the word problem. "Classroom discussion facilitator" is my new favorite title.
Not only was I doing all the talking in math at the beginning of the year, but I also found myself creating all the dialogue in English language arts. After observing my class, my supervisor guided me to "do less!" Such a simple phrase, but it really resonated with me. I realized I was doing too much talking, explaining, and assisting. How were my students supposed to take ownership of their learning if I never gave them the chance?"
