With only three weeks left, you each developed some sophisticated areas of inquiry, no doubt a result of your growing professionalism! Now it's time to develop a systemic way of addressing your question(s). That does not mean you will find an answer, in fact, you might come up with even more questions. This is fine. My objective here is not that you find an answer, but that you hone your curiosities and become more targeted and specific about what you want to know, and why it matters.
Here are my notes from our class (feel free to revise or change as you see fit):
Joey: How do I know what I taught them? What are students taking away from my lessons?
Amanda: How can I make first and last period better learning experiences? What makes students share personal events in some contexts and not in others?
Jess: How is classroom management different in middle school versus high school?
Cindy: How does a teacher work through bureaucracies in order to have a positive career?
Matthew: What are some ways to facilitate discussion in order to get deeper, higher-order answers? What are some ways to develop student-centered lessons? How do teachers maintain physical, emotional, and mental wellness?
Danielle: Why do some activities work in some classes and not in others? How do I know if a student isn't "getting it"? What kind of teacher did I come in, and how am I different now?
As you look at your own questions, what comes to mind? Where did these questions come from? If you have more than one, what's most important to you at this moment? What are some ways to find answers?
For my first two questions, I want to really observe my students. In the upcoming weeks, my cooperating teacher will start to transition back into the classroom as their teacher while I slowly transition out. This is a good opportunity to observe my students; see what it is they "get" in my lesson and what they are NOT getting. I can observe how my classes react to the same lesson even at different times of the day. While I observed heavily in August and September, now I have a focus, and some experience, to observe those same students in a different light.
ReplyDeleteI can also look over my journal entries and see where I had trouble keeping student’s focus or where they struggled. I can see where their strengths were and how they reacted to each lesson I taught.
As for my final question, that may be something I have to spend time thinking on. I need to look over my journal entries, maybe even ask my students directly. I can even ask my cooperating teacher or the teachers who are also in the school. I may be asking myself more questions to get that answer. Not to mention that question will apply every single time I teach. It’s a question that is difficult to respond to at first, but certainly one worth reflecting and asking.
Having more questions instead of answers is just fine, Danielle. It shows growth when you move from one place to another. I like that you are using observation time to go deeper into these important issues.
DeleteHow does a teacher work through bureaucracies to have a positive career? Here is the list I have created:
ReplyDelete1. Figure out where the gossip begins, and stay clear of these areas.
2. Follow the mantras of Patriots Coach Bill Belichick: a. It is what it is (meaning accept difficult situations that are clearly out of your control) and b. Do your job. If you are doing your job, you do not have time to worry or gossip.
3. Figure out where the positive people are, and spend time with them when you are not doing individual work or teaching. Share ideas with them freely and ask them for ideas when your own well of ideas is dry.
4. Take time for yourself. It will put the more difficult qualities of others in better perspective.
5. Observe teachers teaching when possible, and don’t just stick to your own content area. I plan to continue doing this throughout my years as a teacher. My CT still does this and believes it should be ongoing.
I hope to remember I wrote this list for many years to come! I personally give each of you permission to remind me if you catch me complaining. I thank you all for reading this blog entry!
This is a fantastic list! I hope you have been able to do/remember these things over the past couple of weeks.
DeleteAs I look at my first question I realize that this is something that may never get answered. I’m certain that many veteran teachers also feel that these two periods of the day are sometimes very tough for student engagement. I have asked several different teachers and have observed a few classes within these time periods, and the students act the same. I think that first period is just too early for high school students. I have always said that high school times should swap with elementary school times! Student engagement in the morning is just plain tough. I feel that by realizing that and accepting that I can move forward and just try to make these periods as engaging and creative as I can. The more creative a lesson is the more engagement I will get.
ReplyDeleteI will probably never get an answer to my second question. While I accept that some students will never share their personal information, I also accept that any little bit that they do share is awesome. I hope that students always feel comfortable in sharing lives within my classroom and with me, but I also want to keep the material appropriate for peers and the school setting. I’m not entirely sure how I will handle it when a student does share something inappropriate. I would probably just say “That is inappropriate”. As far as students sharing things with a classroom that just shock me or are way too personal, who am I to say they shouldn’t share something they feel necessary to share. I hope to never shut a student down, I want them to share whatever they feel comfortable. I think that I will learn more about guiding student sharing through practice.
Another thing I have noticed I am questioning a lot lately is balancing students getting comfortable and sometimes too comfortable. Students are at the point where they are super comfortable with me and I love it! At points though they are getting too comfortable with me and they are testing my boundaries. I always stay professional and appropriate with students, but I can tell that certain students think that they can get away with things because they have a good relationship with me. I stay consistent with students across the board and I find that is helping me with the students who feel too comfortable. I have asked a few teachers their take on the situation and they all tell me the same thing—that students like rules and consistency.
Amanda-I'm glad you reflected on the time of day we expect students to engage their brains! I hope that this will remind me to make adjustments to my first-of-the-day classes. I don't want to change the expectations I have for these classes/students, but I will be open to making changes that are subtly more engaging.
DeleteYou bring up a lot of issues here, but comfort/boundaries is the one I'll address. It's the idea of letting students know they can trust you, but that you also can't let them get away with things just because of a mutually caring and respectful relationship. Students will test you in different ways, and there's nothing prescriptive about what to do as a result. I just love that you recognize this and are thinking about it.
DeleteI have been working diligently on my first two questions. Discussion looms as the “activity du jour” for the following weeks, as we work on the new novel, and start to dissect things even more closely, as longer fiction is wont to force on classes.
ReplyDeleteI have watched my host teacher closely this last week or two, looking to draw on his experience to make things go more smoothly for me in my own teaching. I want to prompt them to dig deeper, to think about the things we are discussing, but I also want to put less of myself into discussions. This dynamic is something I am working on, and will continue to work on over these next few weeks.
The last one is something that I am not sure will ever have “the answer,” but is something that I have a feeling will be felt out on an individual, case-by-case basis. It is important, but I am not sure there will ever be a formula to use when determining how to maintain “wellness.” You just need to keep adjusting as you go, until things go ‘well.’
Some things that I feel are important are:
Take time for yourself (thank you Cindy), which is really the most important thing. If you need to unwind, or relax, or even just stop straining yourself for a few minutes, then do not refuse yourself indefinitely. There is a lot of pressure in the world, and sometimes you need to have some relived, or else it will keep pressing down on you in greater and greater strength.
Communication can also reduce the pressures, as other brains have other ideas, and people can offer much-needed things, like ideas, support, sounding-board-ness, etc. It can make a difference just to be able to talk to a couple of people once a week.
And that is what I have progressed on this week.
I like how you're thinking, Matt. Letting the kids do the work, and trusting them to get there, goes against what we've been taught, right? Kids must answer correctly! Ryan is a good model for this. I also like your emphasis on communication and sharing as one way to deal with stresses.
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