Sunday, February 1, 2009
Reading Analysis - The One-Caring as Teacher
We, as teachers, have some responsibility in showing our students not only what we expect of them but also what the world expects of them. By being examples and role models, we can teach them how to be productive and respected citizens in our society today. The teacher's role is of the one-caring accepting the other completely and with respect. When a teacher asks a question she or he is really just happy the student answered and is paying attention to why the student answered the way they did instead of whether or not the answer was right. The students wants to attain competence but not by ridicule and criticism for wrong answers. It’s the teachers role and responsibility to serve as a model and give guidance without being overly critical. This could cause the students to withdraw from discussions in class. Teachers have to help students reach this level of competence and show them what options are out there for them or what doors they have the ability to open. Teachers must teach the students by practicing what they preach as far as ethical ideals are concerned. Also, you can punish a student without an explanation but did they learn anything from that? It’s possible they don’t even know to the full extent what they did wrong. The punishment is not important. What you teach them is what matters so that they can make good informed decisions when it comes time for them to exercise their own ethical judgments. As important as it is for you to be the one-caring teacher, it’s just as important you get the feedback from the students or the ones cared for. If you are constantly giving without a response, then eventually you will give up. In order to have this full circle of the one-caring and the cared-for some have suggested that schools and teaching be changed. One idea that caught my eye was that of teachers keeping the same students for 3 years straight instead of just one. The idea is that the better you know your students, the better you will be able to guide him or her. In some subjects I think that could be possible. For example if you teach a few different levels of a subject then it’s possible you could have a student for more than a year but that would not be true across the board. It seems to me that we as teachers need to be able to provide an atmosphere where students feel free to respond without the fear of being judged and ridiculed out loud. We can not make students respond and participate but we can encourage them to. If they are coming in and sitting at the back of the class, never speaking and never giving the feedback (or taking the “cared-for” role) then we can’t effectively guide them and teach them. So isn’t effective communication with your students the essential element here to begin this cycle?
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2 comments:
I totally agree with your statement: "We, as teachers, have some responsibility in showing our students not only what we expect of them but also what the world expects of them." With the experience that I have had in the high school classroom over a 4 year time, sometimes that can be easier said than done. Actually, it depends on the student/classes that you end up teaching no matter what level. Numerous times, in the different high schools that I have served, I have told countless students that my expectations of them are not much different that what they will find out in the real world. Hopefully, they listened!
As for asking questions to see whether or not the student is paying attention or how they answer the question, it is a joy to discover. However, it has been my experience that adolescents are often embarrassed to answer simply because they are asking themselves: "What is the right answer?" While it can be ridiculing or embrassing to get the answer wrong, sometimes there is no right or wrong answer.
It can cause some to withdraw and keep silent from further participation in class, teachers truly have to help students reach this level of competence and show them what options are out there for them or what doors they have the ability to open. The one lesson that I learned and had the chance to implement in the numerous classes that I subbed for, over time, is that yes we do need to provide an atmosphere where the student is never judged for what answers they give in response to a question. It's like what someone once told me, "The last thing that you want to do is embrass the adolescent/child in front of their peers".
I think that effective communication is a huge part of the learning environment. Creating an environment where students feel comfortable participating in class will help them to feel more involved in the lessons and help them to stay focused. In high school I had a teacher who had a poster at the front of the classroom that said "There are no wrong answers". She called on students to answer in class discussion as opposed to having students raise their hands. This system allowed all students the opportunity to participate in the lessons and prevented the discussions from being dominated by certain students. If students were unsure of how to respond,she would pose another question and allow them to think about it. I always felt we had the best discussions in this class. Even though sometimes you were unsure of how to respond, she would always pose another question that you could answer, and would move the discussion forward. I hope to be able to create an environment like this in my classroom. I like to think as long as I can ask thought provoking questions, students will be able to feel engaged and interested in class discussions. Hopefully this will result in a meaningful learning experience for all students.
I also think that Noddings makes valid points about smaller schools and allowing for teachers to work with students for more than one year. I attended Omni Montessori in Charlotte for fifth and sixth grade. This school opened my eyes and allowed me to develop a love and thirst for learning. The school was setup so that first, second and third grades were taught by the same instructor. Then students moved to the "upper elementary" for fourth, fifth and sixth grades, where they would have another instructor for all three years. The type of relationship you develop with your instructor is very influential to your learning. They get to know you and can challenge you on the appropriate level, or provide the extra assistance you need. These classrooms were also very small, only 25-30 students total in all three grades. We would have group lessons some days, but most days we worked on projects that we would choose, as long as they fit into our weekly and monthly goals (that were set by the instructor). We filled out weekly logs showing how much time we spent on each subject and which lessons we attended. So we were self motivated to learn, while receiving some formal guidance. I hope to be able to form relationships with my students that will motivate them to learn, while supporting their individual needs.
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