Your Module 2 Thought Provoker Comment ...
We have covered a bit of ground over the last six pages. Write a comment in response to your takeaways from some of the following:
- The importance of presenting mathematics in ways that foster student agency.
- The six Typical Classroom Scenarios:
- Learned helplessness
- Nice kids hold the fort
- I am my students' target practice
- Close enough is good enough
- Just show me the rule!
- At war with the opposition
- Thought Provoker Two: Student Behaviour
- Learning to be yourself with a challenging class - The role that the teacher plays in cultivating an exceptional learning environment.
Some past comments ...
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Ange Neale
Showing students that everyone can learn: I feel being an authentic teacher is crucial to the culture in the classroom. It is often the 'unsaid' things that portray to our students how we truly feel about them. They know when I am invested in their education and when I believe they can learn. I remember as a young teacher I wasted so many hours of learning time trying to connect with my students. Now, the learning time is too valuable and it is through finding my authentic style that has allowed me to connect with my students through what they are learning, not through things that are not relevant to their learning. I find we have more time to celebrate growth, discuss how they learn and investigate different strategies they could use to learn. Being more deliberate with our learning time and having more personal conversations outside of the classroom has created students who to 'want to get on with it', who are driven to learn and who want to be better today than they were yesterday. Richard Yes to all of this Ange. Keep these pearls coming! Michelle Millar
I've learnt you need to show you care and are willing to go beyond just 'chalk and talk'. Having a sense of humour helps get the kids on side. Then they'll do anything for you. Richard A sense of humour? hang on, aren't you a maths teacher? Haha, I jest. The trick is to maintain your sense of humour with the classes that make it most difficult with which to have a sense of humour!! Gaby Conroy
I think I have experience all of these classes at some point, or at least aspects of them. It can feel like it is impossible to change things but it is possible but does take a large amount of effort and acceptance of new ideas and ways of doing things. Richard Ahh, well, as a word of encouragement, Gaby ... it might seem impossible, but it's not as difficult as you think. You just need to be sufficiently frustrated by your current situation and be open to change. (I wish I had a PD like this a few decades ago!) |
Deb Morton
Getting students on board with WANTING to learn! I've found that the more challenging the students/class, the more you need to show each student that you know them, are invested in them and their learning, you know their strengths and weakness and you care enough about them to help them develop these. I've also found it more difficult to engage students in, and to foster, student agency when their apathy towards maths has been built from years of feeling like "doing" mathematics was impossible and from consistent past failure. Richard Yes to all of this Deb. And, yes ... showing 'each student that you know them, are invested in them and their learning, you know their strengths and weakness and you care enough about them to help them' ... is so powerful as a student management approach. Thomas Sowden
Minestroni soup I feel like in my classroom experience I have seen a mix of these behaviours in classes, hence the soup. In the past I have definitely cherished the assumption that 'quiet working students = engaged students' . Compliance is nice, but doesn't necessarily mean engagement. Being explicit with exactly what you are expecting of students in a given moment is crucial. Students need clarity, its a good thing to keep asking yourself 'are my students clear on what is expected in every part of the lesson'. When your personal charisma is shining through, that probably equates with a teacher in control and leading well. Im guessing that when students see teachers like that, they are more likely to jump on board with learning. Richard All excellent points, Tom! |
