As Vygotsky observed, children learn and build on their knowledge through social interactions. These interactions model their world view. Hence the teacher's relationship with his/her students is important not only in imparting information and knowledge, but also in developing healthy attitudes, building self-esteem and healthy relationships with peers. Glasser also recognises 'safety, security, survival' as one of 5 main drives in children's behaviour - for no child can function properly if they feel threatened or insecure. It is therefore very important to create a positive, healthy classroom climate, in which the students feel cared for and secure - and this again relates back to positive relationships between the students and with their teacher.
Through these relationships, children may also learn Emotional Intelligence, that is the ability to step back from their feeling life and manage it through looking at situations from a more objective angle.
Tapping into where children are at in their lives and development (hear, mind and spirit), helps to create the Zone of proximal development as described by Vygotsky. This looks at past and present knowledge/experiences that can be built on for the next stage of learning. It is important to have an understanding of the children's current lives so these next steps may be planned, as well as keeping a certain amount of sensitivity to their emotional wellbeing - i.e. if the students are particularly vulnerable at times of personal crisis/family circumstances, or simply within their stage of development.
Wholistic approach, Steiner: looks at every aspect of the child, therefore also heart and soul.
2)
Vygotsky pointed out that children/students learn more through guided learning, then they would by themselves, or by simply being 'told' knowledge. It is through experiencing and coming to their own conclusions/deductions, that knowledge is truly their own. In that sense, teachers are simply guides to point out the next idea or object that will help them on their path of discovery, and to attain a higher level of understanding within a subject area.
This guidance is sometimes best given in the form of a question, i.e. "would your theory still work under these circumstances", thereby offering a new scenario in which the theory might not work, leading the student to further questioning and researching a better, more appropriate solution.
Bloom's Taxonomy defines six different levels of thinking. The most basic of these simply requires the students to remember facts, while the higher levels require a much deeper understanding so the information may be assessed, analysed and synthesized, in order to create new ideas and hypotheses. All the different levels of thinking build upon one another as demonstrated in the following pyramid:
Extensive tables have been written up with lists of questions that would lead to the various levels of thinking - whether through tasks such sorting, describing etc, or thinking qualities such as analysing. Critical thinking is asking the students to assess and thereby question everything and make the information their own through the different levels of thinking. How can these be taught if not through questions?!
Throughout the various stages of thinking, it is important that encouragement is given to the students, so as to keep their motivation alive. For if the student is told at every step that s/he does not have the right answer, they will quickly lose their enthusiasm for their search and might start feeling like a failure. As described both by Dreikurs and Glasser, children long to belong, i.e. to be recognised, acknowledged and accepted. This support needs to be shown throughout the students' work.
It is also important that work is presented in small, achievable steps. This way students can see themselves succeed and this gives them the momentum to get involved in the task. If the task is too big it may simply seem too overwhelming, and it is important to remember this same principle when leading students' work through questions.
Student trust and confidence in seeking/answering answers: by staying positive and giving encouragement
3)
When it comes to our way of communicating with students, it is important to remember the students' drives, as pointed out by Glasser:
- to belong
- to be loved and valued
- to have power
- to have freedom
- to have fun and learning
By approaching students with love, care and respect, and treating them as an equal, we are setting up a space where they may feel like they belong, are loved and valued, and have the opportunity to speak up and have their say. This last point is especially important in satisfying the needs of power and freedom. This can be done through having class discussions where ideas can be shared, even in relation to appropriate behaviour in the classroom.
Fun and learning is to be looked at within lesson content and the way it is presented. Yet again, having a light-hearted approach and being able to have fun with the students (as long as the work still gets done!), contributes and is expressed through our communication.
4)
By starting with the softest method of classroom management - non-directive intervention -, the teacher shows faith in the children knowing how to behave - and thereby encourages it - and the students are given the opportunity to behave appropriately. In that time, by staying positive and encouraging, disruptive students are given the opportunity to revert back to appropriate behaviour. If the disruptive behaviour persists, it then requires looking at the child in pain and at the drives behind the disruptive behaviour.
Generally it is ideal to stay within the middle area: 50/50, teacher control/student autonomy. Skinner's approach of assertive discipline is nowadays considered too dry, and a constantly authoritarian approach can create resentment within the students, who may end up seeking revenge.
Positive classroom is best approached with a relaxed, friendly nature and by relating with students as worthy individuals, rather than coming from a hierarchical or authoritative approach. That certainly does not mean that work does not need to be done, clear boundaries can be expressed and put into place. However, by meeting the students with trust, respect, care and understanding, we favour the same qualities in return and lay the foundation for healthy, trusting relationships. This usually allows the teacher to stay within the friendlier leadership models of discipline. Without this respect between the students and teacher, students will not value the teacher or lesson as much, and will feel more inclined to being disruptive.
5) Assessment
Norm - referenced assessment works by comparing the students' work to each other. This is often associated with the bell shaped, where there is a set percentage of students that are to fit in every category: fail, pass, credit, distinction and high distinction. This means that even when all the students in the class have presented excellent work, some of them will have to fail to fit this criteria. Similarly, if all students did poorly, some of them will still get excellent grades. While this ensures that there is always a certain amount of success, it does not seem to clearly reflect the quality of work handed in and is also not fair in the case of the whole class presenting excellent work.
Criterion - referenced assessment. This is where students' work is against a set of predetermined criteria, therefore giving a clearer, fairer idea of the students' work. In that case, when all students have presented good work, all will also get good marks. The only case where this may not clearly reflect students work, is where students are assessed in a similar fashion across different institutions/universities where the teaching may have been different. Some classes may have been taught very thoroughly, while others may still be lacking information by the time exams come around. In that case, comparing students' work from both classes will not clearly reflect the students' effort in studying and learning, but rather, it will be a reflection of what they have been taught and what they have been able to do with that information - i.e. processing it and taking it to new levels.
No comments:
Post a Comment