One of the worst nightmares for teachers (and greatest pleasures of students) is getting off-topic. However, there is a good way to get off-topic, and it often involves more learning than what would have happened in the first place. This method is called “teaching in the margins” and can help move your classroom from good to great.
What are the Margins?
Here is a video that sums up what the margins and teaching outside the box can do.
How to teach in the Margins
To really get your kids outside the “center” of the classroom, you have to get them involved in what you want to teach. To do this, try:
- Creating a lesson plan around a current event (natural disaster, spreading disease, etc.)
- Whatever it is, your kids should be INTERESTED! If they’re not, you’re not teaching in the margins!
- Use Inquiry to get the kids really involved, take them one step further!
- Inquiry is a great way of letting your kids be as creative and innovative as possible.
- BEWARE: Not all hands-on lessons are inquiry!
- Let the students make the lesson plan.
- Ex: Have the students research their topic and then present their information in a way of their choosing.
- Teach outside the curriculum, but be able to tie everything back in.
- Cohesiveness is key!
Margins and Teachable Moments
Teachable moments can happen while you are in the margins, but the two are distinctly different:
Margins
- Planned-out, to a degree
- Leaving the “center” of the classroom to go outside the box
- Explorable
Teachable Moments
- Off the cuff
- Content-Driven
- Still mostly in the “center” of the classroom
Margins aren't just for paper anymore! Leaving the "center" of your classroom will allow for a whole new world of learning to happen! #NSTA #scienceteaching #EDT431 @AnnMacKenzie
— Mr. Thomas (@BryceSBThomas) September 19, 2018
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