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Aron Boros's avatar

We all know that athletes and performers get better through deliberate practice, and I think a lot about what that would look like for me as a teacher. Your idea is a useful contribution to that inquiry! It's hard to figure out what what deliberate practice looks like for professional jobs generally and teaching specifically.

Other ideas for deliberate practice:

>> public speaking exercises (e.g. https://www.toastmasters.org/Magazine/Articles/Table-Topics-Workout)

>> content exercises (memorize the standards for your grade level? learn new math? learn new pedagogy?)

>> relationship building (gather and memorize information about your students; connect with parents systematically)

>> expand your equity world (https://arbitrarilyclose.com/mathematician-project/)

>> observe other teachers (ideally with an observation rubric to focus your attention and gather data)

>> technical practice (digital boards, scientific calculators, desmos and geogebra, scripting languages)

see: https://perell.com/essay/learn-like-an-athlete/ and Tyler Cowen's reflections on the same: https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2019/07/how-i-practice-at-what-i-do.html

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Colin Matheson's avatar

I would say instructional coaching/peer observation/co-teaching/lesson study is the closest. That reflective conversation is so powerful and job embedded. Sadly most systems don't have coaching available and teachers often don't engage with coaching due to time. Maybe to make it more easy access have a "Instructional Coach in Your Pocket" at a set time you get a text from your coach, engage in some reflective conversation, maybe get sent a quick resource from the coach, and then off you go. Like online therapy but for teaching.

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