When I teach my students about reading critically, I use a driving analogy. We can read with no specific direction in mind, like driving for fun and indeed the entertainment aspect of a joyride is sometimes the point to a reading exercise (cue: basically every novel ever written!). But in contrast, we can drive with the intention of getting somewhere - a place of understanding that requires deliberate attention and control. This means we look at a map beforehand, plan our route out, look for road signs, and check where we are regularly to ensure we are on track. It is only when we have the destination in mind that we really have any chance of getting where we want to.
So it follows that we ought to consider, with anything we do, exactly where we want to end up so our efforts are targeted and not in vain. And where I want to end up with regard to my teaching style is in a place where discussion reigns supreme. Where feedback is largely (though not entirely) an organic product of meaningful dialogue; where all members of the class are making the most of the collaborative face-to-face environment and not spending the time doing something they could do online or in the comfort of their own space; where higher order thinking skills are engaged not through a structured progression of activities but through the natural deepening of thought in conversation; a place where teaching is sustainable.
In my experience with dialogical discussion and socratic seminars I have not only found more engagement with content and ideas but with each other, and let us not forget that a big part of what we are teaching our students is, in fact, how to interact with our fellow man. So as well as seeing my students more engaged, and being more engaged myself, conversation helps me to better understand my students, and them each other. So more exciting than the idea of less paper from planning, activities, and marking, a discussion-centric classroom environment excites me for the way in which learning can be fluid, adaptive, overt, and collaborative.
The question I pose as the heading to this post is, therefore, to myself. Like many questions, we often ask them of others without stopping to ask them of ourselves - choosing instead to perpetuate the assumptions we have about knowing ourselves and what makes us tick. So my response to this question is the concretisation of my goal for a classroom environment - a place where discussion is a central medium for learning. Does it mean I want every lesson to be 100% socratic discussion and strip my students of opportunities to develop skills like writing and independent reading? Not at all. Does this mean that I want to be actively considering how to better incorporate socratic discussion into my teaching so that it is a foundation rather than an addition? Absolutely.
It is my intention that by surfacing this and externalising it into words, I will have a clearer idea of exactly where I am driving myself and thus become more aware of spotting ways to make sure I am on the right track.
Thanks @MarisaEThompson and @cultofpedagogy for the inspiration! https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/tqe-method/