"Last I Checked, Compliance Isn't a Learning Standard"- Great article about reflecting on your teaching and expectations!
"How to Talk to a 'Problem Student' Without Them Tuning You Out- excellent strategies
"Check This Box If You Are A Good Person"- the power of being kind
"Creating an Inclusive Classroom"- how and why to be open when talking about race
"10 Ways to Build Relationships With Students This Year"
"Politics in the Classroom: How Much is Too Much?"
"Helping Kids Deal With Bullies"
"Homework vs. No Homework is the Wrong Question"
How to Overcome Your Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them." (TED Talk)
"How to Talk to a 'Problem Student' Without Them Tuning You Out- excellent strategies
"Check This Box If You Are A Good Person"- the power of being kind
"Creating an Inclusive Classroom"- how and why to be open when talking about race
"10 Ways to Build Relationships With Students This Year"
"Politics in the Classroom: How Much is Too Much?"
"Helping Kids Deal With Bullies"
"Homework vs. No Homework is the Wrong Question"
How to Overcome Your Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them." (TED Talk)
"Last I Checked, Compliance Isn't a Learning Standard"
ReplyDeleteThree things I agree with:
1. Compliance does not equate to learning!
2. Change is necessary. It doesn't necessarily make what was done in the past "bad"; it means YOU are learning and putting the new information into action.
3. Reading logs will not foster a love of reading. They will probably be more likely to disinterest the kid because the reading needs to be done to a certain point before they have finished and "succeeded" with the assignment.
Two questions I have:
1. Why hasn't there been a change in our education system?? I would honestly like to know why the system does not adjust quickly and/or willingly to change.
2. Is hand raising a bad thing? Personally, I like that because I am soft spoken and hand raising gives me the opportunity to participate.
One "aha" moment:
As soon as I started reading this, I thought about a TED talk I watched earlier today! It made me wonder if this article had to do with that talk because of the mastery topic. Overall, the compliance vs. learning topic is fascinating.
Great thoughts and excellent questions!
ReplyDelete1. I don't know why there has not been a change. It is one of the most frustrating things in my entire world! All educators can do is be the best they personally can be and effect as many kids positively as possible while we are here.
2. I think hand raising is something that should stay intact. I have actually tried to do the no hand raising thing and it was pretty chaotic. Even adults raise their hands to speak, I don't see that as a negative.
Three things I agreed with:
ReplyDelete1. You need to have some idea of what success for your students should look like - otherwise, how will they know when they are successful learners?
2. I, too, find myself doing things by rote simply because I have always done things that way. Reading this and taking this class have helped me to expand my teaching tools.
3. There should be more thought put into how to ensure students are improving their reading skills.
Two questions I have:
1. Do teachers ever instruct parents on how to help their children read at home? I think this would be a good idea, since most reading practice takes place at home. I think it would help to reassure them not to panic if the child isn't doing well, that they usually just need more practice.
2. Where do we draw the line between testing to make sure that students are learning and testing simply because that's all we can do? Personally I like to see a little feedback or else I don't know if I'm being effective as a teacher - sometimes they're not paying attention or not doing the work they should, but I usually think it's on me if they don't understand.
One "a-ha" moment: I was just thinking about this the other day because two of my students are in elementary school and they have a reading log. It is good for them to practice writing answers to questions but one of them simply tries to read the same easy books every week (the Hungry Caterpillar, Hop on Pop) rather than challenging himself because he just wants to finish his homework. So I can totally relate to this teacher's problem with reading logs.
How to Talk to a "Problem Student" Without Them Turning You Out
ReplyDeleteThings I agree with:
* Actually talking with students causing problems is much more successful than repeated warnings or disciplinary actions.
* Start the conversation by thanking the student. The fact that they showed up to meet with you means that they are probably willing to try and actually do want to succeed so acknowledging that goes a long way towards creating a good relationship and bond with them.
* Most often we tend to focus on the problems students create instead of the causes and that doesn't help in the long run towards changing behaviors.
Questions
* How do you react if a student responds with hostility to this type of approach? What if they are non-responsive?
* If the behavior continues after this type of conversation, what is the next step?
A-ha Moment
* As someone who has trouble coming up with the right words to talk to students about behavior, this gave me a great place to start conversations. It's really helpful to have a set of guidelines that can be modified for individual students. Starting with acknowledging them and relating everything back to their own success instead of to the whole class situation is great.
I'm not even finished with the "Last I checked..." post but it's already hitting home. I've seen countless teachers talk above students or have expectations that don't align with the students knowledge or their understanding of the purpose of the lesson.
ReplyDeleteAgrees:
1) "Imagine if I were simply to ask to get in your car and drive; at some unspecified time, I will let you know when you have successfully arrived (if you arrive at all). For too many students, this is what learning feels like." I feel this in my bones. And I agree this is what learning can feel like sometimes for anyone, adults or children.
2) The seemingly uselessness, but more so the misalignment with assignments and goals, specifically the reading logs in this article. Busy work is all too much a thing, and can easily be adjusted to be constructive.
3) The overall idea that we too often go with what has been done in the past, or what the rest of the crowd is doing, instead of challenging or critically analyzing what we're really doing.
Questions:
1) A bit of an unrealistic question to ask, but how many teachers are just going through the motions that know better but don't want to put in the extra effort that lucrative assignments take?
2) What are some of the more useless assignment types and how can they be adjusted?
Ah-Ha!:
1) This is an issue, and I want to combat it.