* Is this method of role-playing a legitimate way to learn what are some
of the important issues related to student learning and accountability?
I feel that role-playing is an excellent teaching strategy. The only issue is that before the role-playing takes place, the students participating must have, at least, a foundational background of information pertaining to the subject that is being role-played.
* What would have been the advantages/disadvantages of using a more
direct/lecture approach related to teaching and learning and school
improvement efforts?
In this situation, I do not believe a direct lecture would have been much more effective. However, one advantage that is present in a direct lecture format is the guarantee that a lecturer can present all the details they feel need to be presented. All these "necessary" details are not guaranteed to come up in a role playing scenario.
* What is your reaction to the common belief that before students are
asked to engage in complex learning tasks they need to have a solid grasp
of basic skills (i.e. they need to have a careful look at the information
about No Child Left Behind legislation)?
I believe this is completely true. Understanding the topic being role-played is essential and this knowledge enhances learning exponentially. Students are applying what they have learned, and are building from a foundation, not learning as they go.
* How important is some level of emotional engagement in the learning
process?
I believe that a level of emotional engagement is a must. It can be as simple as being "interested" in the topic at hand or as complicated as feeling "frustration".
* Do we tend to pay closer attention and to listen to higher achieving
students, their parents, and to other influential people in the community
before others?
Absolutely, excuse the clique but, "Money Talks!" Yes, this is the whole idea of lobbyists, interest groups, and PAC's. Our society tends to favor the "successful", "powerful", and "influential" long before it considers others, often times even the "intelligent".
As a side note, I thought the role-playing activity was quite interesting. It was fascinating to see how fast emotions raised in just a role-playing scenario when one group was passed over because of who they represented withing a community. It was fun to both watch the events as well as participate.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Passion
This one is easy!
I will never forget my high school biology teacher and her passion and drive for her subject.
I will admit that at the beginning of the year I was not at all looking forward to taking a biology class. In fact, I was dreading it as something that would be terribly boring and dull and have ridiculous assignments. I had picked up this bias from middle school where I had a terrible teacher for "Life Sciences" (i.e. Biology).
Well the school year began as any other did, with the first day of biology spent going over the rules and expectations, and let me tell you this lady was strict and demanding. I began to fear the worst. Fortunately, during the following weeks I noticed two things: 1. My biology teacher was as strict and as demanding as I had feared, and 2. She so passionate and excited about biology (especially in her lecturing) that I began getting excited about biology too. In fact, I began to look forward to the class.
Anyway, over the course of the year, I had a fantastic experience in Biology, I was actually interested in the labs and the research projects, and I consistently participated in lectures and review games. Needless to say, I have to accredit my own excitement and learning in high school biology to my teacher. Had she been a boring lecturer and taken little care in trying to make the class interesting, I imagine that I would have been very turned off by the course and probably would not have learned, or at least retained, much biological information. Instead the opposite occurred, and I felt I learned not only about biology, but I learned to appreciate the science itself. To this, I, once again, have one very strict, demanding, and passionate high school biology teacher to thank.
I will never forget my high school biology teacher and her passion and drive for her subject.
I will admit that at the beginning of the year I was not at all looking forward to taking a biology class. In fact, I was dreading it as something that would be terribly boring and dull and have ridiculous assignments. I had picked up this bias from middle school where I had a terrible teacher for "Life Sciences" (i.e. Biology).
Well the school year began as any other did, with the first day of biology spent going over the rules and expectations, and let me tell you this lady was strict and demanding. I began to fear the worst. Fortunately, during the following weeks I noticed two things: 1. My biology teacher was as strict and as demanding as I had feared, and 2. She so passionate and excited about biology (especially in her lecturing) that I began getting excited about biology too. In fact, I began to look forward to the class.
Anyway, over the course of the year, I had a fantastic experience in Biology, I was actually interested in the labs and the research projects, and I consistently participated in lectures and review games. Needless to say, I have to accredit my own excitement and learning in high school biology to my teacher. Had she been a boring lecturer and taken little care in trying to make the class interesting, I imagine that I would have been very turned off by the course and probably would not have learned, or at least retained, much biological information. Instead the opposite occurred, and I felt I learned not only about biology, but I learned to appreciate the science itself. To this, I, once again, have one very strict, demanding, and passionate high school biology teacher to thank.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Authenticity
Fortunately or unfortunately, students are quick to perceive their instructors true feelings and opinions on a subject or in a situation. This makes the genuineness of one's authenticity quintessential in an educational setting.
“How do you know where your limits are for expressing authenticity?”
The answer requires honesty with oneself. People have to do a self-evaluation and ask the question: "How do I react when someone says something I do not agree with?” Some people may frown, give a sarcastic or facetious remark, ignore the comment entirely, or even change the subject. Regardless of the self-evaluated reaction, teachers have to actually do something with this new information. Teachers then need to become aware of how often they make this reaction. If they only make the reaction when students say or do something that requires a teacher’s attention and possible reprimand, then I would say you have a good balance. However, if a teacher has no patience and provides a negative reaction for everything students say, do, or ask, then that teacher needs to re-evaluate the limits of their authenticity.
“How do students tell if a teacher is not authentic?”
Students are quite aware of their teachers’ actions and reactions. Sarcasm, excessive praise, inconsideration towards learning, ignoring certain types of questions or remarks, complete lack of enthusiasm, no care for standards, and body language (i.e. glares, stares, facial expressions, crossed arms, hands on hips, sighs etc) are all among the countless other little tics that easily give away whether a teacher is being authentic or not. Putting up a façade is not a good way to hide one being inauthentic. I have found that many students know when their teacher is being fake.
If a teacher is seen as being fake or inauthentic, I strongly believe that learning slows or even shuts down. One of the biggest factors of this has to do with the lack of enthusiasm the teacher is showing. This causes a lack of motivation among students. Only a few students will truly be enthusiastic about something that their teacher shows absolutely no enthusiasm for at all.
Despite all this, I think it is important to remember that the idea of educators becoming masters of putting up facades is not a good technique for showing authenticity. Instead, I would argue that instructors have to be honest with their opinions but remember to always be professional and politically correct. Sometimes the best reaction is no reaction at all.
“How do you know where your limits are for expressing authenticity?”
The answer requires honesty with oneself. People have to do a self-evaluation and ask the question: "How do I react when someone says something I do not agree with?” Some people may frown, give a sarcastic or facetious remark, ignore the comment entirely, or even change the subject. Regardless of the self-evaluated reaction, teachers have to actually do something with this new information. Teachers then need to become aware of how often they make this reaction. If they only make the reaction when students say or do something that requires a teacher’s attention and possible reprimand, then I would say you have a good balance. However, if a teacher has no patience and provides a negative reaction for everything students say, do, or ask, then that teacher needs to re-evaluate the limits of their authenticity.
“How do students tell if a teacher is not authentic?”
Students are quite aware of their teachers’ actions and reactions. Sarcasm, excessive praise, inconsideration towards learning, ignoring certain types of questions or remarks, complete lack of enthusiasm, no care for standards, and body language (i.e. glares, stares, facial expressions, crossed arms, hands on hips, sighs etc) are all among the countless other little tics that easily give away whether a teacher is being authentic or not. Putting up a façade is not a good way to hide one being inauthentic. I have found that many students know when their teacher is being fake.
If a teacher is seen as being fake or inauthentic, I strongly believe that learning slows or even shuts down. One of the biggest factors of this has to do with the lack of enthusiasm the teacher is showing. This causes a lack of motivation among students. Only a few students will truly be enthusiastic about something that their teacher shows absolutely no enthusiasm for at all.
Despite all this, I think it is important to remember that the idea of educators becoming masters of putting up facades is not a good technique for showing authenticity. Instead, I would argue that instructors have to be honest with their opinions but remember to always be professional and politically correct. Sometimes the best reaction is no reaction at all.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Compassion of a Teacher
It was funny when I read the question: "When did the compassion of a teacher make a difference in your life or in the life of your classmate?", because I have an experience that covers both.
When I was in high school, a new kid moved to town about mid-year and joined the high school band, where he played trombone. I paid little attention to the new kid as I had been in the high school band for several years and already had an established friend group.
Band class continued as it always did and nothing seem out of the ordinary, until one day when my band director ask several of my friends, including myself, to talk with him in his office. Now, I had never considered my band director to be a person that had any compassion towards any of his students, but I was quickly corrected. As soon as my friends and I were in his office and the door was closed, my band director began to explain how the new trombone player did not have any friends and would eat his lunch alone in the band room. He did not ask us to become friends with the new kid, but did ask us to leave his office as if everything was normal, get our lunches, decide for a change of pace that we would eat in the band room, and include the lone trombone player in our conversations.
The covert plan proved successful. Though we did not ever become good friends with the lone trombone player, we did bring him out of his shell, convince him that he should come eat with us in the lounge (with everyone else), and introduced him to several of his, now, good friends. Though my band director's compassion did not directly affect me, it certainly did the lone trombone player, and I learned that showing a little concern for a student's well-being can have a large impact on their lives.
When I was in high school, a new kid moved to town about mid-year and joined the high school band, where he played trombone. I paid little attention to the new kid as I had been in the high school band for several years and already had an established friend group.
Band class continued as it always did and nothing seem out of the ordinary, until one day when my band director ask several of my friends, including myself, to talk with him in his office. Now, I had never considered my band director to be a person that had any compassion towards any of his students, but I was quickly corrected. As soon as my friends and I were in his office and the door was closed, my band director began to explain how the new trombone player did not have any friends and would eat his lunch alone in the band room. He did not ask us to become friends with the new kid, but did ask us to leave his office as if everything was normal, get our lunches, decide for a change of pace that we would eat in the band room, and include the lone trombone player in our conversations.
The covert plan proved successful. Though we did not ever become good friends with the lone trombone player, we did bring him out of his shell, convince him that he should come eat with us in the lounge (with everyone else), and introduced him to several of his, now, good friends. Though my band director's compassion did not directly affect me, it certainly did the lone trombone player, and I learned that showing a little concern for a student's well-being can have a large impact on their lives.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Respect
Respect:
Webster's dictionary defines respect with the words--honor, esteem, consideration, and regard; and I would have to agree that the above words do help define respect. I would go a step further and continue to define respect as a privilege, something that is earned, something that takes hard work and effort to build and can be, unfortunately, easily destroyed. Needless to say, I do believe lost respect can be regained. Respect is very complex. One can respect someone or something completely or just respect parts of someone or something, for various reasons. Though is is not a good answer to the question--"What is respect?" I think that it is part of the beauty of respect, as it is a concept that means something a little different to everyone.
As for respect in the classroom, I think it looks a little something like this. The room is controlled. When students work, they work quietly. When the teacher talks, students are engaged and participate when necessary. There is an understanding between the students and the teacher. The teacher is in charge of the classroom and the students in the classroom are here to learn. This is not to say there is no room for fun in the classroom. The teacher should have a decent rapport with their students. This is to say that when something funny happens, for example, whether by accident or on purpose, the laughter and humor is shared by both the teacher and the students. However, with respect, the focus of the class is not lost in such an event, and the lesson can resume in a timely manner. Besides classroom control, I feel respect runs much deeper. Respect must be somehow establish. This is not an easy task, and probably is achieved in more ways then I can think of. However, students have to be empowered by their teacher to take pride in their work. How does a teacher do this? A teacher must be knowledgeable in their area of expertise, they have to be passionate about their subject, they have to be inspiring, they should make their classes interesting and worthwhile, and the teacher needs to be demanding. If a teacher sets high standards, they need to empower and help their students reach those standards. This will help students take pride in their work. Teachers must also be strict. They cannot tolerate unruly behavior. This is not to say that teachers should be authoritarian, just that they should expect that their students will respect both them and each other. On the other hand, teachers must give respect to students who deserve it.
In the end, respect is a necessity in the classroom. With it, learning can be accomplished more efficiently and both students and teachers alike will benefit from the respect and learn more then just about the subject being taught. In a classroom without respect, however, students will not learn the life lessons that can be gleaned from a classroom or the academic lessons being taught. It is as simple as that, students and teachers need to be respected, and the teaching learning process will be that much more successful.
Webster's dictionary defines respect with the words--honor, esteem, consideration, and regard; and I would have to agree that the above words do help define respect. I would go a step further and continue to define respect as a privilege, something that is earned, something that takes hard work and effort to build and can be, unfortunately, easily destroyed. Needless to say, I do believe lost respect can be regained. Respect is very complex. One can respect someone or something completely or just respect parts of someone or something, for various reasons. Though is is not a good answer to the question--"What is respect?" I think that it is part of the beauty of respect, as it is a concept that means something a little different to everyone.
As for respect in the classroom, I think it looks a little something like this. The room is controlled. When students work, they work quietly. When the teacher talks, students are engaged and participate when necessary. There is an understanding between the students and the teacher. The teacher is in charge of the classroom and the students in the classroom are here to learn. This is not to say there is no room for fun in the classroom. The teacher should have a decent rapport with their students. This is to say that when something funny happens, for example, whether by accident or on purpose, the laughter and humor is shared by both the teacher and the students. However, with respect, the focus of the class is not lost in such an event, and the lesson can resume in a timely manner. Besides classroom control, I feel respect runs much deeper. Respect must be somehow establish. This is not an easy task, and probably is achieved in more ways then I can think of. However, students have to be empowered by their teacher to take pride in their work. How does a teacher do this? A teacher must be knowledgeable in their area of expertise, they have to be passionate about their subject, they have to be inspiring, they should make their classes interesting and worthwhile, and the teacher needs to be demanding. If a teacher sets high standards, they need to empower and help their students reach those standards. This will help students take pride in their work. Teachers must also be strict. They cannot tolerate unruly behavior. This is not to say that teachers should be authoritarian, just that they should expect that their students will respect both them and each other. On the other hand, teachers must give respect to students who deserve it.
In the end, respect is a necessity in the classroom. With it, learning can be accomplished more efficiently and both students and teachers alike will benefit from the respect and learn more then just about the subject being taught. In a classroom without respect, however, students will not learn the life lessons that can be gleaned from a classroom or the academic lessons being taught. It is as simple as that, students and teachers need to be respected, and the teaching learning process will be that much more successful.
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