Perhaps my favourite question in education is “And what do you mean by _____________?” Riffing off the Seymour Sarason book, I’ve posted other articles asking questions about educational jargon that needs further probing.

And What Do You Mean By Knowledge?

And What Do You Mean By…

And What Do You Mean By Failure?

Once a word becomes jargon, it runs the risk of losing its original and true meaning as well as inviting everyone to make up their definitions and use it for their purpose and it ends up either being something folks resent or something that allows people to act differently and create confusion.

Today it’s difficult to read an educational book or listen to an inspirational keynote or talk without a reference to some variation on the idea that “relationships are the key to everything”. It’s an idea that I think comes from a past where or perceived past where school was about content and grades and in some cases we lost a focus on the human connection. Fair enough.

I’m highly aware of and have advocated for a shift in priorities for teachers from a content or instructional focus to one that emphasizes caring for students … Read the rest