{"id":3878,"date":"2021-09-30T16:45:32","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T20:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=3878"},"modified":"2021-09-30T16:45:32","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T20:45:32","slug":"teaching-in-the-margins-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2021\/09\/teaching-in-the-margins-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching in the Margins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Gravel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What does “teaching in the margins” mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The margins are places where learning and discovery take place, outside of the control of the instructor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally in a classroom, a teacher has lesson plans that outline exactly what will be taught, with the explicit goal of teaching every student a specific concept. The teacher knows BEFORE class what the students will (hopefully) learn. And the goal is for every student to learn the same thing. All the control is in the hands of the teacher. This is only natural. Because of state standards, state funding, and standardized tests, teachers must get through all the pre-determined course material. Having total control is the only way a teacher can ensure every topic is covered by the end of the year (or by the standardized test). This sort of teaching is known as being in the \u201ccenter\u201d of the classroom. It is compared to a monoculture field, with no diversity and total control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the margins are place where the teacher relinquishes control, and gives freedom to the students to learn and discover. In the margins, the teacher has no idea what the students will learn. There is diversity of thought, and students take risks. Each student\u2019s learning journey will be unique in the margins, instead of every student learning the same thing. In this way, we see the margins as a \u201cplace\u201d for learning, not a process or technique. The margins are compared to the transition zones in nature, places outside of human control, which are volatile and unpredictable. They are diverse places, which gives them autonomy and longevity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"4<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTeaching in the margins\u201d means being unafraid of this unfamiliar territory. It means embracing student curiosity, and being willing to go off the lesson plan to pursue students\u2019 questions and natural inquisitiveness. However, teachers should not only be unafraid to embrace the margins when they do arise, but teach in way to encourage their development. When teachers are in the following their lesson plans, in the \u201ccenter\u201d of their classroom, the lessons should be designed to foster student wonder. This way, the students will be encourages to bring the teacher out of the center and into the margins. If the teacher is unafraid to relinquish control and pursue this learning journey, both the students and the teacher will be pleased by the results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Being in the "margins" of learning may seem scary, but by releasing control of your lesson you are giving control to the students to follow their own unique learning journey! @edutopia<\/a> #science<\/a> #learning<\/a><\/p>— Nathan Bantz (@BantzDoScience) September 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>