Growing in knowledge, in many ways, is a shattering act; it is the breaking apart of what we know about ourselves and our world. Education, like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, is the process of building something new and beautiful from those scattered pieces. As an educator, I believe it is my role to help students piece together the things that knowledge—information—has scattered by imparting strong habits, skills, and qualities they can take with them to every area of their life.
In broad terms, these qualities include empathy, thoughtfulness, clear communication, and a commitment to personal values. Said another way, it is when my students can analyze Caspar Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog and connect its themes to both Romantic literature and their own lives, an activity which I have done in all of my 11th-grade literature classes. I believe that the critical thinking skills this develops will be crucial to my students’ future success, whether that’s in a classroom or a workplace. Another example of what these qualities look like in a classroom is my 10th-grade student, Kristiana, who was able to adopt a more nuanced stance towards a contentious issue after doing in-depth, scholarly research for a week, accompanied by lessons that discussed researching methods, evaluating sources, and collecting important information from those sources. These skills, listening to and engaging with what other people say on both a personal and academic level, are also necessary qualities for students to develop, particularly in a media-saturated age.
Some of my favorite ways to teach these skills are image analyses, one-pagers, and longer writing projects. When doing an image analysis, my students explain the various aspects of a picture or painting that they notice as well as the aspects they have questions about. Then they turn those observations and questions into interpretations and predictions that we discuss as a class. It is a great way for them to see that, often, they are not the only person who notices peculiarities in a piece, and it is usually the peculiarities that the artist is trying to emphasize. Of course, I also emphasize that the same is true for literature. One-pagers, alternatively, are a way for my students to create thoughtful responses to almost any assignment or lecture. Essentially, students fill a page with important notes, quotes, or images that help them remember key concepts. This helps them understand how they learn and, subsequently, helps them engage more in future lessons. Longer writing projects are also a good way for my students to practice their communication, analyzation, and critical thinking skills, in addition to several other important habits and qualities.
Of course, I am excited to see how my style and methods of teaching will change in the age of Corona. I am also eager to see how new technologies may change the way I teach and assess, especially since current tools like FlipGrid—a video recording service—have already changed the way I measure reading completion and short presentations. Whatever tool I may use to help my students learn these qualities, skills, and habits, I recognize that it is just that: a tool. It is a way for me to help students piece together a strong sense of self, value, and empathy, a sense that is built on the foundation of information.
If you’re curious…
I’ve included some of the resources I typically use throughout the year in the space below. Look them over, try them out, and see for yourself how your students handle the information they’ve been given.
Write with a Point 