There are two basic types of resources: information students need, and materials students need. As educators, we frequently view ourselves as the supplier of these resources. A good teacher is prepared, correct? But spending our time locating the resources students need, and gathering materials for them is really taking away from their authentic experience. Even the youngest students can come up with ideas on how to find information and materials needed. And if the whole point of authentic learning is to get children ready for a future that we can’t even imagine, then they need to be able to find the resources they need, and put those resources to use.
That doesn’t mean a good teacher isn’t prepared. A good teacher is like the manager in a store. You make sure your store is fully stocked. You know what is in the store and where everything is at. You know what you want to sell. You train your staff how to function in your store. You set the tone for the staff (working together, helping each other). You provide direction. You have very specific goals. And then you let the staff do their jobs in the store.
When I started to write the above analogy, I was using a salesperson and a customer in the store. However, I realized that students are really more like staff, if you are functioning authentically. A good store manager wants to make it easy for the buyer to purchase something. That is not the goal of authentic teaching. The goal is that each staff member learns, grows, has great ideas to improve the store, owns their job…and someday takes over the store – so the manager can retire and move to Fiji!
The Educational Journey 