Transparency

For educators, transparency can mean telling students what material will be covered on a test, or telling them when you have made a mistake. It can mean the difference between building relationships or alienation. What if it also meant telling them WHY you were using a particular technique, or what the PURPOSE of a set of lessons was? Some teachers do this well, some without even understanding why or when they are doing it, and others consciously make an effort to help students make connections - they are studying personal finance because they will be in charge of their finances for example. In STEM education, we often hear teachers explaining that why we focus on those areas is connected to the future job market, which is true, careers in STEM fields are booming. At STEM School, we are also transparent in explaining why we focus on collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. These skills will not only help them in any career field, but they will also help them in college, in the military, in interacting with social media, in interpreting new information, and in being lifelong learners.

There is still room to grow though for us all. How often do you hear teachers or principals tell students something that is the equivalent of "because I said so"? I would venture to guess more than we care to admit. We do it when we talk about state standards such as testing, we do it when we expect a certain behavior in our classrooms. What if instead of expecting only compliance, we showed our thought processes and praised inquiry? I find myself often being asked "why" by students. "Why do we have to take the ACT?" Your scores can earn you scholarships that help prevent you from being burdened with hefty student loan debt. "Why do we have to put our schedules into a Google calendar?" You have to learn a system of time management before you can adapt one and make it your own.  "Why does it matter if I come to school?" You are valuable and worthy and we want to see you grow and learn. My favorite is "why are we doing this assignment?" Many teachers will agree with me that it would be very easy to sarcastically respond. Instead, I have found that telling students that is a great question bewilders and pleases them in equal measure. It IS a great question. Shouldn't the purpose of a lesson be explicit? Shouldn't they know how it connects to the content or material ? It's a great way to check ourselves, and it's an even better opportunity to make a connection to, and empower, students. If we can't answer why it matters in their lives, what's the point?

As schools we can also move to a more transparent way of interacting with our communities. We can include business partners in internship opportunities, as partners in Project Based Learning, to give feedback to students. We can include our students' parents and family members in exhibitions, in classrooms, and as guest speakers. We can also share best practices in professional development, on social media, and when chatting with someone we bump into at the grocery store. What we do all day isn't copy-written material. If we don't share out and bring in new ideas and information, we remain disjointed and unequal. Every teacher and every school has things they are doing well and areas in which they could improve. We all owe it to our students to practice transparency in our classrooms, in our practices, and as professionals.

Note: Copies of PBL's, rubrics, digital fabrication badging, and other materials used at STEM School Chattanooga can be found here!