Teaching in 'Baby Steps' ....

The Ford's Theater team met last night and I was asked a question about how I felt I might be challenged by the National Oratory Fellowship. The facilitators referenced the Zone of Proximal Development and I have been thinking about off and on all day.

This video explains  the concept pretty well:

My takeaway from this is that my job is to capitalize on those moments when a student can 'nearly do it' and mentor them to success and away from quiting in frustration. I best serve my students when I earnestly fill my role as both a coach and a cheerleader.

I love it when a student tells me that they don't think they can master a skill (writing a thesis, explaining a historic event, reading a difficult text) but trusts the process and works through the frustration and now can.

I quote the  movie, What about Bob? and its Baby Steps Philosophy all the time. At the end of each year its fun to chart all the skills they'll have conquered and how ready they are for the next challenge (Upper School).

Its Friday and I have movies on my mind so here is something from What About Bob?