Initiate the Learning Process
The teacher’s task is to initiate the learning process and then get out of the way.
-John Warren
Well, yeah sometimes as teachers we do accidentally stand in the way of learning. Maybe it is putting up a scaffold that isn’t needed or waiting a bit too long before allowing independent practice. Sometimes it is keeping kids in a small group when they’re ready to move on. It happens!
Once when our TCRWP staff developer visited our school in the US we had to go off and coach a partnership. I went and taught a little lesson and then they did it. I lingered because I felt like I should do something next. She came up and said, “now you walk away. You taught them something they weren’t doing earlier. Now they’re doing it. Walk away and check back later.” We hesitate sometimes to walk away but teaching doesn’t always mean sitting next to a child each step of the way. It also means letting them take steps on their own too.
