Garrett's (2008) article suggests that the philosophy we adopt in our teaching should align with the philosophy we embrace in our management - but, many teachers who believe in student-centered learning struggle to give up teacher-centered management. What do you think about Garrett's premise? Why do you think teachers struggle with this?
I think that teachers struggle with aligning their philosophy with their management because they might think that is the best way for students to learn, but are confident in how to be able to the achieve the environment this style can strive in. Especially for first year teachers the idea of inquiry can be scary because they have never managed a classroom before, so they don’t know how to handle situations as well. When behavioral problems arise in the classroom, I feel like most teachers default to teacher centered because it is easier to have control of the room and not feel overwhelmed when things don’t go as planned. Often when teachers are using the curriculum it limits what the students are able to do and the skills they need. Majority of the classroom students can be seen on their computers completing task, but they are engaging with their peers or having the opportunities to be of a group or community. Even the written curriculum is heavily geared towards a teacher centered classroom. Typically, the most student-centered activity will be think pair share or a class discussion.
Gus shared his "sweet-spot" on the continuum. Where is your "sweet-spot?" Why do you believe that location is the best fit for you?
I feel like I’m probably more towards collaborative, especially with where I am at in mentor class. Right now, I notice that I have some teacher centered views, but I think it is because that is what I’m used to seeing from my teachers and my mentor teacher. For me it can seem difficult to find my voice in the classroom and to gain the same respect that my teacher has. I have notice how different I am when working with students 1 on 1 I tend to use inquiry techniques and question the students about their thinking by getting them to explain their ideas. I have found during these times is when I’m able to build relationships with my students and get them to open up to me on a more personal level. Having those conversations and being able to discuss in the classroom rather than just being answer driven is what I want me classroom to be. If students are given the option to be part of the classroom in various ways, then the classroom can feel more like a community. Students should have a say and choice, I know this is something I need to work on and letting go of control has been a struggle for me. My goal sweet spot would be collaborative with a leaning towards student centered.
Hi Mary! I really enjoyed reading through your blog post this week! Like you, I leaned more towards the collaborative side then Gus did. While I want to create a student-centered classroom, I think that in order to be effective it needs to have some collaboration between the teacher and students. I really like that you were able to discuss your experiences with your mentor teacher, while I am not placed I see myself having similar issues because you have to stick with the methods of your mentor teacher. Since you mentioned struggling to create relationships with students as a whole class, what is one thing you can do to work on this? Are there any strategies you can implement with the whole class? Overall, thanks for sharing! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYes its kind of hard to drift very far from how they run the classroom. I typically find myself following the routines of my mentor teacher. My mentor teacher is very supportive and has been a great resource. I think for it can be hard as a whole class because at times I feel like I'm trying to be mentor teacher, with each lesson that I'm teaching I feel like I am starting to see my identity and views when teaching.
DeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteI've noticed the same thing about myself, the more I get into practicum, the more I notice that my views and teaching philosophy changed and I form different views. Overall I still believe that a good relationship with students can make a big difference in their education, but small things like sitting students out and behavior charts changes. whats the biggest changes you've notices in your views when it comes to teaching and management? the biggest change I've noticed is my view on students who seem to need a little more attention, I've noticed that there's sometimes just not enough time in the school da to sit down with them and make sure they're behaving so sometimes its better to just ignore it until it can be delt with.
Yes relationships are so important and getting to know your students inside and out of the classroom is important. I feel like everyone's opinion on how to manage behavior is different my mentor teacher uses tickets and drawings as positive feedback. At first it can be very overwhelming to build relationships with students especially because when I first started they were online, so it harder to make personal connections. However, with in person learning it has become easier.
ReplyDeleteMary, I enjoyed reading your blog post. I think that we all will have some teacher-centered thoughts because that is more of what we have seen going through our pre-college classrooms. I also think that I would be towards a collaborative theory teaching. Good job on this!
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