The children at Matt Glover‘s feet are unsurprisingly engrossed in the conversation. Matt is interesting and funny and he talks to them in an engaging and respectful way. This is the introduction to a lesson in which he models his approach, observed by teachers inquiring into how to improve the teaching of writing.
What strikes me is that it’s not just about writing workshop. Good practice can be applied across all learning areas….
What if teachers kept all ‘lessons’ to 5 minutes?
What if the learners were quickly released to get on with it?
What if the majority of learning time involved learners engaged in doing?
What if the teacher conferenced with individuals, not to correct, remind or tell, but to teach at point of need?
What if strengths were noticed, named, shared and built upon?
What if children were encouraged to see themselves as ‘insiders’ in the learning process?
What if learners modelled their own creations on authentic examples from the real world?
What if learners were encouraged to imagine and to innovate?
What if learners were encouraged to be the teachers in the room?
What if teachers trusted the learners and the process?
What if learners had agency over their learning?
What if successes were shared and celebrated?
What if classrooms were always filled with ‘real’ learning rather than ‘doing school’?
What Ed Said 
Loved the questions you posed!
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