I found the comment from the principal on page 95 especially interesting, “I’ll come back when you’re teaching”. I think the common stereotype for teachers is that we have to constantly be helping or teaching with control. There is little responsibility given to the students. Independent reading and writing can be seen as the students not doing anything. I believe the students are learning more when they have the opportunity to read and write and not be told what to think. By allowing this independent time we are creating lifelong learners.
I agree! At first in my placements I felt like if I wasn't standing in front "teaching" then I wasn't doing my job. I walked in with that very stereotype that we have to be helping or teaching, but now I try to give much more responsibility to my students. I try each day to give my students the opportunity to own the material and uncover the concepts for themselves. This is working very well in my fourth block class. They have said many times they feel better when they realize it for themselves.
Exactly! So often if the teacher isn't lecturing, they aren't seen as teaching. But so much of how students learn is through their own personal interaction. I truly think that we need to help the students gain more access to what they are learning through giving them a personal connection to it and allowing them to be creative, active, and social learners. We have to be willing to give them some sort of autonomy to make what they are doing something that is theirs, not just an assignment from the teacher.
That certainly is a great quote! Atwell admitted that in the beginning she enjoyed "tending" her lessons and being behind her grand desk. I'm sure she gets a nice chuckle when people are introduced to her style of teaching. Just this week my 6th grade students were faced with a question that made them have to consider an overall text we had read and to make a deduction from it. They bucked and whined for much longer than it would have taken to just think for a few minutes about what had been asked. Maybe, they just were not paying attention to what we were reading. I think they are so accustomed to regurgitating facts that they have been given that they simply have forgotten how to think for themselves.
I agree that coming out from behind the desk is the best way to show students that you are there to help them. I don't like standing in front of the class lecturing, so when I have to "dispense expert information" I like to sit on a desk in amongst the students. They seem to like my mingling with them.
I'm right there with you! So often teachers who have total authoritarian control are the ones who are viewed as the 'good teachers.' I have seen this first hand in one of my field placements. Administration and other teachers constantly told me how much of a great teacher my host teacher is. However, whenever I was in the classroom, the students seemed kind of shut down and oppressed. I absolutely think that the most learning occurs with a little 'organized chaos.'
Maybe administrators should come in to see the students rather than the teachers. What are the STUDENTS doing? If they are engaged and doing wonderful things, you can pretty much assume it is the result of great teaching.
I think that would make a world of difference. How would the administrators know if what the teachers are doing is beneficial for the students if they don't know who the students are as individuals? They are more than test scores. They are people who are learning and need the proper support.
Our administration is scheduled to have classroom visits many times throughout the year. What they are looking for is what the student are doing and whether they know the reason for doing it. It is more important for the student to be able to tell the admin what's going on in the lesson rather than simply watching to see what the teacher does. if the student can answer the admin's questions then the teacher has done an appropriate level of teaching. I think this approach is much more successful to the value of teaching. As many of you have said it is not what the teacher does but what the student learns that is of utmost importance..
It is very difficult to judge how well the teacher teaches writing by only looking at what the teacher does in front of class. it must be judged by what the student can produce. I love the way she models her writing for the students. Even with my high school students i often find they do not know how to write. to show them how it works for the teacher is very powerful and gives them an idea of what might work for them too.
Starting on page 110, Atwell writes about setting expectations for students. As a teacher, I have found that (admittedly) this is one detail I have been guilty of looking over from time to time. Too often, instructors simply expect students to be motivated to do the best they can as well as know what is expected of them. When it comes down to it, middle and high school students are kids. While I am all for students learning on their own terms, boundaries and expectations need to be set in order for a classroom to run as smoothly as possible. For example, I cannot simply tell a students to write a narrative about a time in which she or he was very happy. These instructions will more often than not produce fairly fruitless submissions from students. They need to first be taught all of the elements of a narrative and then told that these are the elements you will be looking for as you grade. They need to be shown a good example and a bad example of a narrative so they know what to reach for. Students are not mind readers, but they will (most of the time) reach for goals that are set for them.
I found the comment from the principal on page 95 especially interesting, “I’ll come back when you’re teaching”. I think the common stereotype for teachers is that we have to constantly be helping or teaching with control. There is little responsibility given to the students. Independent reading and writing can be seen as the students not doing anything. I believe the students are learning more when they have the opportunity to read and write and not be told what to think. By allowing this independent time we are creating lifelong learners.
ReplyDeleteI agree! At first in my placements I felt like if I wasn't standing in front "teaching" then I wasn't doing my job. I walked in with that very stereotype that we have to be helping or teaching, but now I try to give much more responsibility to my students. I try each day to give my students the opportunity to own the material and uncover the concepts for themselves. This is working very well in my fourth block class. They have said many times they feel better when they realize it for themselves.
DeleteExactly! So often if the teacher isn't lecturing, they aren't seen as teaching. But so much of how students learn is through their own personal interaction. I truly think that we need to help the students gain more access to what they are learning through giving them a personal connection to it and allowing them to be creative, active, and social learners. We have to be willing to give them some sort of autonomy to make what they are doing something that is theirs, not just an assignment from the teacher.
DeleteThat certainly is a great quote! Atwell admitted that in the beginning she enjoyed "tending" her lessons and being behind her grand desk. I'm sure she gets a nice chuckle when people are introduced to her style of teaching. Just this week my 6th grade students were faced with a question that made them have to consider an overall text we had read and to make a deduction from it. They bucked and whined for much longer than it would have taken to just think for a few minutes about what had been asked. Maybe, they just were not paying attention to what we were reading. I think they are so accustomed to regurgitating facts that they have been given that they simply have forgotten how to think for themselves.
DeleteI agree that coming out from behind the desk is the best way to show students that you are there to help them. I don't like standing in front of the class lecturing, so when I have to "dispense expert information" I like to sit on a desk in amongst the students. They seem to like my mingling with them.
DeleteI'm right there with you! So often teachers who have total authoritarian control are the ones who are viewed as the 'good teachers.' I have seen this first hand in one of my field placements. Administration and other teachers constantly told me how much of a great teacher my host teacher is. However, whenever I was in the classroom, the students seemed kind of shut down and oppressed. I absolutely think that the most learning occurs with a little 'organized chaos.'
DeleteMaybe administrators should come in to see the students rather than the teachers. What are the STUDENTS doing? If they are engaged and doing wonderful things, you can pretty much assume it is the result of great teaching.
ReplyDeleteI think that would make a world of difference. How would the administrators know if what the teachers are doing is beneficial for the students if they don't know who the students are as individuals? They are more than test scores. They are people who are learning and need the proper support.
DeletePREACH!!! You can tell how a classroom is managed and if/what kind of learning is going on by observing the students, not the teacher!
DeleteOur administration is scheduled to have classroom visits many times throughout the year. What they are looking for is what the student are doing and whether they know the reason for doing it. It is more important for the student to be able to tell the admin what's going on in the lesson rather than simply watching to see what the teacher does. if the student can answer the admin's questions then the teacher has done an appropriate level of teaching. I think this approach is much more successful to the value of teaching. As many of you have said it is not what the teacher does but what the student learns that is of utmost importance..
DeleteIt is very difficult to judge how well the teacher teaches writing by only looking at what the teacher does in front of class. it must be judged by what the student can produce. I love the way she models her writing for the students. Even with my high school students i often find they do not know how to write. to show them how it works for the teacher is very powerful and gives them an idea of what might work for them too.
ReplyDeleteStarting on page 110, Atwell writes about setting expectations for students. As a teacher, I have found that (admittedly) this is one detail I have been guilty of looking over from time to time. Too often, instructors simply expect students to be motivated to do the best they can as well as know what is expected of them. When it comes down to it, middle and high school students are kids. While I am all for students learning on their own terms, boundaries and expectations need to be set in order for a classroom to run as smoothly as possible. For example, I cannot simply tell a students to write a narrative about a time in which she or he was very happy. These instructions will more often than not produce fairly fruitless submissions from students. They need to first be taught all of the elements of a narrative and then told that these are the elements you will be looking for as you grade. They need to be shown a good example and a bad example of a narrative so they know what to reach for. Students are not mind readers, but they will (most of the time) reach for goals that are set for them.
ReplyDelete