They are a very visual and hands-on group of people. One of the things that I really liked about the Learning and Sharing Connection Network is that a lot of my teachers, who before were very traditional, have made some real steps. Now I see teachers willing to allow children to work together, talk together and collaborate with each other and throw ideas back and forth. When teachers become more successful, the atmosphere of the classroom becomes much more inviting to children. When we are trying to keep a tight rein on kids, it is exhausting.
Teachers often feel that everyone has to be quiet and everyone has to be doing the same thing.
Teachers are allowing the children the opportunity to plan and think about how they are going to meet this goal. The children are walking around, sharing, getting resources. The teacher is moving about the room a little bit more, telling the student that there is not one right answer. Teachers are open to using more resources, rather than just the textbook, and allowing children to research and bring things into the classroom. When teachers begin to work this way, they feel better about their teaching.