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Revisiting the value of informal teaching beyond planned instruction.
Wayside teaching was first introduced in the May 1987 "As I See It" column in the Middle School Journal-30 years ago. Here is a slightly modified version of it, particularly for all those educators who came to the middle school more recently.
Formal, organized instruction is a well-established component in the educational process. The important place that planned instruction has in the school day is clear; bells often signal the beginning and the end of the time allotted for for structured instruction.
While recognizing the proper place of formal teaching in the educational enterprise, I believe there is so much more to teaching than organized instruction. The more influential aspect of middle school teaching is what I have come to call wayside teaching.
By wayside teaching I mean the teaching that is done in dozens of one-on-one encounters during class time-subtle reminders, probing questions,...