2021 Utah Rural School Conference

The best teachers love their students, and they love their content. This appreciation develops naturally as the instructor grows to fully understand both. There is a depth of understanding and enjoyment at which a group of simple, overarching truths becomes so prominent that little can stop the diligent professional from teaching joyfully and well — not distracting students —not convoluted curriculum.

The Simple Keys that Drive Deep Understanding are the subject of this session. They are keys to educational pleasure and success for students and their teachers, and you don't have to teach for twenty years to find and use them. Respect of student and content is the first. The rest vary by discipline. They can be found in Reading, Math, Science, and every area. As lovers of our various disciplines, we often forget that newcomers (most of our students) need some kind of a meaningful framework on which to hang the many facts and skills our (very possibly) boring subjects involve.

The instructor will give participants examples of, and help them build, such useful, interesting, memorable and effective frameworks. Attendees will receive copies of Mark's own "Simple Keys to Deep Understanding" Reading framework and a worksheet for creating their own frameworks.