Blog 6 - Chapter 5
Creative Connector:
"Encouraging these kinds of conversations is a message to students that the classroom belongs to them also because they are places where meaningful dialogue can occur around issues that are central to students' lives. And when students feel that the classrooms belong to them as well as the teachers, they are free to learn." p. 146
I thought this was an interesting concept discussed in the reading. Teachers may feel certain topics are very touchy to discuss in the classroom but some should be talked about as students are dealing with it throughout their day. This reminded me of a class lesson on bullying in fourth grade. This was an emerging issue at the time in my school and pretending like it hadn't been happening or correcting a few students would not fix the problem. We talked about how it affects those who are being bullied, what is bullying and why people may result to bullying others. This was an effective manner which created a closer community in the classroom. Connecting the daily lives of the students to their academic learning is necessary.
"Although the "family roots" activity is always informative and engaging , it's purpose is not to delve voyeuristically into the private lives of course participants. Rather, it is to use this experience of uncovering and revealing their own identities to think about how their students' identities are constructed, negotiated, and reflected, or not, in schools." p. 140
Getting to know yourself and how you build your own identity, will help understand how many students' develop their own cultural identities. In one of my graduate classes we had begun our first day by participating in different activities which divided us on our strengths and weaknesses based on our experiences, what we like to do in our spare time and other aspects about ourselves. This ice-breaking activity helped me understand and see how to build classroom community through concepts of affirmation, contribution, power etc.
"Viewing multicultural education critically complicates the question of pedagogy and curriculum; it encourages teachers who are interested in trans formative education to rethink what and how they teach, and to constantly question their decisions." p.135
This I thought was interesting, I feel this is very important as a teacher. The teacher's role is to meet the needs of the students not just merely teach content. Being self-reflective is a crucial behavior that allows teachers to see what had happened in the classroom, what worked and what did not. Teachers must not blame students for issue in the classroom but reflect on how certain strategies had been used and if they had been executed effectively. I am constantly reflecting on what I can do next time in order to improve my lessons because every lesson can be tweaked.
Essence Extractor:
Actively engaging students in content and connecting to their daily lives should be a goal for all teachers.
Christina, I am glad you incorporated the quote about teacher self-reflection. It is relevant, especially to our recent class discussions about over-classification of students, particularly boys, and the newly implemented RTI plans in NYS. When teachers fail to recognize that their styles may be negatively impacting student success, or if they refuse to incorporate strategies and methods that fall under "best practice," because they've "always taught this way," our students suffer. -Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteI also have strong feelings toward self-reflection. We as teachers need to take the time to look back and reflect on how a lesson went and make the necessary changes in order to meet the learning needs of the students. It's critical that we take the time to look back and evaluate our lesson and teaching strategies because it is essential to the understanding and learning needs of our students.
ReplyDeleteShawne