AEP Social Studies: 2012

My Favorite Teacher Contest

Deadline: March 1, 2012
Barnes & Noble

$10,000 for teachers and schools whose students produce a winning essay describing their favorite teacher.

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The Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest calls for students in grades 1-12 to write an essay, poem, or thank-you letter (500 words or less) that describes how a teacher has influenced their life. Participating schools will collect the essays and provide them to their local Barnes & Noble store representative. Students who author the winning essays, poems, or thank-you letters will receive a certificate of recognition and be honored at their local store during a ceremony for the winning teachers.

The winning teachers will be recognized at a special event at their local Barnes & Noble store and will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement. They will also receive a selection of Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics series (for high school teachers) or a set of 5 Classic Starts series (for grades 1-8 teachers). The 6 regional winners will each receive a NOOK eBook Reader and a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card. The winner of the Barnes & Noble Teacher of the Year Award will receive $5,000 and his or her school will receive an additional $5,000.

Flipping Increases Student Interaction

One of the greatest benefits of flipping is that overall interaction increases: Teacher to student and student to student. Since the role of the teacher has changed from presenter of content to learning coach, we spend our time talking to kids. We are answering questions, working with small groups, and guiding the learning of each student individually.

When students are working on an assignment and we notice a group of students who are struggling with the same thing, we automatically organize the students into a tutorial group. We often conduct mini-lectures with groups of students who are struggling with the same content. The beauty of these mini-lectures is we are delivering "just in time" instruction when the students are ready for learning.

Since the role of the teacher has changed, to more of a tutor than a deliverer of content, we have the privilege of observing students interact with each other. As we roam around the class, we notice the students developing their own collaborative groups. Students are helping each other learn instead of relying on the teacher as the sole disseminator of knowledge. It truly is magical to observe. We are often in awe of how well our students work together and learn from each other.

Some might ask how we developed a culture of learning. We think the key is for students to identify learning as their goal, instead of striving for the completion of assignments. We have purposely tried to make our classes places where students carry out meaningful activities instead of completing busy work. When we respect our students in this way, they usually respond. They begin to realize, and for some it takes time, that we are here to guide them in their learning instead of being the authoritative pedagogue. Our goal is for them to be the best learner possible, and to truly understand the content in our classes. When our students grasp the concept that we are on their side, they respond by doing their best.