Consistency is one of the most crucial elements of teaching.
Dear Educator,
Consistency is, in many ways, one of the most crucial elements of teaching. It is at the heart of trust, dependability and interaction.
If your curriculum is chaotic, your learners won’t stand a chance of digesting the information you are presenting. If it goes in wrong, it will surely come out worse.
But the curriculum is only one aspect of consistency. Timeliness, such as start and end times, returning marks or providing feedback, is another form of consistency. The approach is yet another. Do you often ask questions? Do you provide feedback in a positive manner that offers guidance but rarely says something was “wrong”? How you run your class/course matters and will either support your learners on their journey or cause them to feel lost.
Even if you have those elements, there is always a risk of “falling off the rails.” For example, a lecture goes long, and you need to cut into a work period, you then choose to skip an activity altogether, and BAM, you are freefalling. While the class has been lost, what you as an educator do next will dictate if consistency is in question.
If you continue to play catch-up, change how you answer questions, and adjust your general pace/tone over the following days, you have impacted the structure you built over the weeks or months leading up to that unfortunate class. Like a tree being cut down, it may only take a class or two to lose all consistency. Then, you may spiral as the carefully built framework falls apart around you and your students.
But all is not lost.
It may sound trite, but by doing a complete stop, assessing the situation, acknowledging the fact that “I’m totally out of my lane here,” and having the willingness to swallow a bit of pride (as well as do a bit of quick reprioritization) you can get back on track.
I often think of consistency when I’m on my daily train commute. While I see the same buildings, fields and people, I enjoy that we arrive on time and don’t jump the tracks. But even when there is a moment, I understand that a full stop is better than the train going entirely out of control, hitting those buildings on the left or right side.
Until next time, I hope you continue to inspire minds and shape the future.
josh
