The “art” of teaching students is a complex system in which
both teachers and students are involved a constant learning about each other as
well as about themselves. From a teacher’s standpoint, our deemed “perfect”
lesson plans and curriculums will fail if we don’t’ take into account the
individual and group needs of our students. As argued by all of the assigned
readings, teachers must be open to being responsive to the students’ academic,
social, and cultural needs; which ultimately means that in order to be
“effective” teachers, one needs to be flexible in their teaching techniques.
From the readings, the following ideas have related well
with me. Chapters 2 and 4 from the textbook place an emphasis on teachers
gaining a deeper understanding of their students through a variety of different
ways. Creating strong teacher-to-student relations is key towards achieving
both the respect of students and towards the best utilization of teaching
strategies. Each and every classroom will be different and understanding them
will help us as teachers to choose the most appropriate techniques to guide students
towards achieving their personal best. Though this will require a lot of
front-loading from the teacher’s side, the results will be worthwhile in the
end. Several strategies are offered within the text to gain a better
understanding of ones’ students and I’m curious to see which ones are you (the
reader of this blog) most familiar with, have experience with, or are willing
to implement within your own instruction in the near future.
Lastly, I’m going to very briefly talk about the last
assigned reading which connected to the two chapters through an interesting lens
being culture. In the article about Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, the author
sums up the techniques on how to better understand our future students and adds
the idea of becoming “culturally synchronized” with the students. Though it
seems to be obvious that in order to be effective in teaching the ability to utilizing
the students’ strengths, culture, and interests is the key towards effective
instruction. However, as the textbook mentions, very few teachers actually
translate this into their classrooms. This
is something which I am quite worried about myself. Will I be a teacher who
will be all too worried about maintaining discipline in my classroom or will I
gain confidence in giving students autonomy within a community of learners from
which I can learn from the students themselves how to best teach them and to be
culturally and academically responsive to their needs.
In short, teachers will need to be flexible in the creation
of their curriculum and lesson plans in order to better fit to a particular
student or classroom. For this to be effective, teachers need to be aware of
their diverse learners by gaining a deeper understanding of their own academic
progress, their culture, and their community at large. Thus teaching is a two
way street in which both teachers and students learn from each other in order
to achieve academic success.
Pawel, I really like your analogy of the classroom being a two-way street. One in which the teachers is as much of a learner as his/her students. I think many times new teaches become afraid of loosing legitimacy with their students if they do not know the answer to a question. However, if the goal is to create a community of learners the teacher should be part of that and be open to learning from his/her students (culturally and educationally) as much as they will hopefully learn from us. Making sure your students realize that no one knows all the answers not even you, means its okay to not know but even more important to try and find out, research, and learn the answer.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I’ve heard the term “cultural synchronization.” I did some searching, and I found this nice article that focuses on the student-teacher dynamic, and how this CS affects the teacher’s classroom management skills. Good read if you have some time:
ReplyDeletehttp://drcarlamonroe.com/uploads/JTE.pdf
Also, how well attuned we are to our friends’ “academic progress, culture, and community” will be a good index of what we can expect with our own students. I’ve read and heard about the importance of empathy and fostering this type of growth, not just in ourselves, but in our students as well, for quite some time, but little has been said about how to actually achieve this type of connection. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’ve never had the acute mindfulness that is described in these chapters, then don’t expect to acquire it with the same speed as flipping a light switch. It’ll take some effort.
If you’re interested in the topic of “empathy” and want to further pursuit it, I would recommend you check out an essay entitled “This Is Water” by David Foster Wallace. It is also available on youtube if you’d rather listen to the actual speech. It offers great insight into the purpose of higher education and how it relates to our perceptions of others.
This Is Water by David Foster Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s&index=1&list=PLaQxlafPRdgWs3GmIdW3iJxrdeM-qmiLw
Pawel,
ReplyDeleteYou have brought up some really great points regarding student-teacher connections within the classroom. I have to say that I, too, have found myself worrying about how I am going to implement effective classroom management strategies while also giving equal attention to the way that my students learn and work withing the classroom. Of course, these are things I would expect all of us as pre-service teachers to worry about. However, just as you stated, it's important for each of us to keep in mind that we must be flexible in our planning while also keeping an open mind to what our students can contribute to the classroom. What you have said about teaching being a two-way street is absolutely true, because in order for the classroom to run effectively, teachers and students must be able to work and learn together so that they are able to reach their highest potential as class altogether.
Chapter four suggests that teachers make opportunities to communicate individually with students. In order to accomplish this, teachers should hold mini conferences with students. Instead of writing lengthy comments on papers and assignments, the teacher should write “see me.” This would allow for the student and the teacher to have a personal conversation about his work and progress. This would also be beneficial since a conversation is two-sided, rather than the student not having the opportunity to respond or discuss the matter. This conversation will allow the teacher to gain first-hand insight on the student's work. Once a student is involved in the discussion, he would be more inclined to ask questions. Also, during such a conversation, it will be possible to identify the needs of the student and “check in” with him and see how his day-to-day life is going. Talking to a student one-on-one allows a teacher to learn more about the student beyond the classroom. Some students may be more comfortable in this setting, and the teacher is able to address the skills and needs specific to that student. After these mini conferences teachers should have a better idea of how his students' learn and how to make classroom material connect to the students' lives.
ReplyDeletePawel,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the authors of this week's readings, and those who have thus far posted replies to your entry that it is absolutely essential that educators take care to create in their classrooms learning environments in which both teacher and student alike work together to promote academic success and maximize satisfactory educational outcomes. To be sure, as educators we will find it not only beneficial, but necessary as well, to consider the individual needs of each of our students when designing curricula and developing our approaches to instruction. It is critical, however, that we acknowledge the difficulty that necessarily attends an enterprise as significant as reaching a meaningful understanding of the needs of a diverse body of students. The extent to which we are successful in refining this ability to remain mindful of the diverse needs of our students will in part determine whether or not we prove successful as educators.
I think in teaching History and not only, context is vital. I find it almost impossible to ignore the cultural context of peers, teachers, and future students. That being said acknowledging it is not enough, we as future students need to incorporate it in our curriculum and everyday interactions with students. This, like everything else about teaching. will get better with time and practice.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Oana, vis a vis the aspect of 'context", especially in a field such as history, which is almost defined by context. Two particular suggestions from the book resonated with me in particular. From Ch2. the suggestion for regular use of informal assessments. This strikes me as common sense and is already widely employed based on my previous observations within CPS schools. From Ch4. the expansion of instructional strategies and a curricular stress on deep disciplinary understanding (which also strikes me as common sense). The book even subheads a paragraph at the end of Ch4. titled "The Common Sense of it All"
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ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with the statement that teaching is a two way street. Students teach teachers as much as we teach them. Will I be able to show my students this? The reason why I ask is most students come into the classroom believing that teachers are perfect and they are to teach the students. As a teacher I want my students to see that they teach me as much as I teach them. Another thing I struggle with is will I be able to teach in a diverse classroom? Even thought I went to a CPS school I think it will be a different perspective from the teacher. I struggle with the question of will I be an effective teacher in a culturally diverse classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree; flexibility might be one of the most difficult aspects of the teaching profession because of the compromising we as teachers will need to do, as well as our students. Students should be the main focus without needing to write it. Why else would we spend so much time educating ourselves in order to educate them? Students are accompanied by their own experiences, own cultures, and own contexts. I believe we can't teach one student to the best of our ability without incorporatig a bit of themselves into our lessons.
DeleteOn the other hand, I think it's a challenge because I don't think that I can personally relate to every single one of my students. And, if I cannot do that, how can I design an environement that includes everyone? Also, to what extent do we focus on their contexts versus the material and standards we are held to as teachiners?
Pawel,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more that teaching is a two way street. I remember one of my professors saying she constructed a 'perfect' lesson plan and the day before she presented the lesson she gave the students a pre test. To her suprise the students aced it and she had to change her lesson to match her student's level. I think this example shows we need to understand our students levels and their interests, before we put our heart and soul into a lesson that is not adaptable to our students. I believe it takes many years to master a 'perfect' lesson, or if a 'perfect' lesson is even possible because each individual views things differently.
I, too, agree with the idea of teaching as a two way street and think it is important for us (aspiring teachers) to go into the classroom with a plan, but as well as room for individuality (such as class period, students, etc). Vet teachers speak all the time about curve balls they face such as low attendance, after lunch fatigue, assemblies, etc. I don't think we plan "to the T" because of selfish reasons, I believe we do because we want to create the best lesson/classroom experience we can for our students. But in reality sometimes that can take away from what is possible. Having a plan, especially in our field, is essentail, but a flexible plan is most effective. It allows for the individuality each class period and student brings. One of my education books spoke of a teacher who offered a great perspective! She said: that instead of always going into the classroom thinking: what can i teach my students today, she instead asked herself: what do my students need/want to know/learn today. And an easy change of mindset helped her classroom.
ReplyDeleteBecause as Andrea challenged, it will sometimes get hard to personally relate to every single student, but if we open a classroom where they can even just relate to one another, it'll have great take away. We are all a team and it is not only up to us to make the connections, but help foster student to student connections, character to student connections, etc. Allowing students to bring/offer their insight and ideas will open to an environment that includes everyone. As teachers, we dont have to do it all, students have so much to offer and can bring so much to the table we can't.
Pawel,
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to your concern about not being able to translate current culture into your classroom, especially when it comes to being a new teacher. I feel that most new teachers are more concerned with maintaining discipline and being good employees in the eyes of their administrators than keeping all of the content they teach culturally synchronized. I think one way to gain autonomy with your community of learners is by doing some sort of questionnaire activity like we did in class yesterday, as well as building a syllabus together to create a feeling of responsibility in the classroom. You also hit the nail on the head when you said that above all else, teachers need to be flexible in their lesson plans and curriculum.
Austin
Pawl, I do agree that it is very important for teachers to be flexible. All students are not the same; They are not simply a number in a classroom. For this reason, teachers must be flexible and get to know their students on more than simply an academic level. If a teacher gets to know a student, then they can help make that student successful without lowering their expectations for them. For example, a student may not do well with just sitting there and reading a book like "The Scarlet Letter" and may respond better to visual stimuli, such as pictures. If you talk to that student and get to know them, then you may find out that they like comic books. In which case, have the student read the comic book version of "The Scarlet Letter" (It's a real thing!). Just by finding out things that interest students, you can get to know what you can do to reach them in a different way.
ReplyDelete