Teachable Moments?
Anyone who has spent more than a year or two in the classroom has probably heard the phrase "teachable moment." Loosely speaking, that's when something unexpected, often even negative, is turned by a teacher into a spontaneous mini-lesson. Teachable moments can be so small that they're hardly noticed, they can be built around bad behaviors or local tragedies, or they can be the product of extemporaneous discussions about national or global events. Their efficacy lies in the teacher's recognition of the opportunity as well as his/her willingness to deviate, at least for the moment, from a structured lesson plan in favor of a broader notion of what teachers do to educate their students (nearly always in areas that are not testable by standardized exam).
A wonderful story in the NY Times City Room blog on Tuesday (2/8) and appearing in the Times print edition today (2/11) presents the case that PEP student representative Lizabeth