Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Blog 13, Week 4
On pages 466-467 and figure 8.6 discuss "Dimensions of Parenting Styles". This discussion is not just important for parents to know, for insert teacher in the place of parent and it could apply just as well. It is true that, "Parents are children's first teachers", however, educators fill in as a surrogate parent during a child's school years (p. 445). Therefore, educators must no only concern themselves with teaching students a subject, they must also assume the traits of a "good" parent. As such, an educator striving for excellence must assume an authoritative teaching style. Not only do educators who ascribe to this have control of their classroom, they also receive the respect of students. My focus within education in at the secondary level, thus students are entering into a phase in which they seek more freedoms and explanations. I realize that students are going to sometimes act in a less than desirable manner; however, when I do have to reprimand a student I stand a better chance getting through if explain my actions. Students hear the authoritarian response of, "Because I said so" or no real explanation of why they are being punished ("Go to your room for what you did") quite often. Adolescent students are not only more mobile in their explorations, they are also beginning to possess the understanding of how the world works. Telling an adolescent student to go to the office because of their undesirable actions does not achieve much. A more effective response to negative actions would be to take the student outside the classroom and talk to them to try and find out the source of their action. Within the American educational system, educators cannot expect to use unquestioning control with their classes since American society deems this behavior as unacceptable (American Revolution). Controlling students is not about winning or losing, because educators that possess this mindset only lose. Educators will enjoy much less headaches if they "set appropriate and clear standards for behavior..., provide rationals for rules and [show] respect for their [student's] rights and opinions" (p. 466) A flexible, confident and caring educator will not only have control of their class, they will also be respected, and thus receive willful compliance.
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Blog #14
ReplyDeleteIn response to Chris,
You brought up a lot of good points the one that caught my eyes was when you talked about how all students hear is, "because I said so" As a teacher I will do my best to never say that. Event hough I am planning on teaching in the primary grades I feel that it is just as important to be specific and have an answer for your action. For example, if you are wanting to get a student to do something and they are refusing to do it you should have a reason in why you are wanting them to do it. Everything you do in your classroom should have a purpose.
Blog # 14 Response to Chris
ReplyDeleteChris you brought to light many important points to me as a future teacher. I agree with your points about teacher acting as a surrogate parent during the day because they have the children for most of the day. I think as educators the best thing we can do is have effective classroom management and strategies to support our students and help them to learn from undesirable behaviors when in our classroom. I am firm believer of positive motivation and feedback and being very specific in helping students understand their actions. I like how you discussed pulling students out or talking to them on a personal level in private to not embarrass or reprimand students in front of other students. In order for students to truly learn they must be a part of their re-directing and it is so important to keep open communication with students. I like your ideas and am glad you will implement things in a positive light.
While reading chapter 8 and the Hoy article I was able to pick up a few new concepts that I found to be quit interesting. During my readings of the Hoy article I found this article interesting when the author discussed how important Erikson study on “child rearing practices” with different cultures was. He concluded that “all humans have the same basic needs that each society must provide in some way for those needs.” (page 121 Hoy) I found this study to be true because I believe that every society that people live in a crossed our country has their pure differences. These differences/needs are provided in different ways which helps form our children’s identity. With this said, it is clear to me that just by making simple observations of where a school may be located with in a community; we as teachers should know and understand by these observations what will be the basic needs of our students. For example I was placed in a elementary school in the city of Phoenix. Just by making observations based on the surrounding environment/low income area, I knew that these students would spastically have more academic problems. This piece of information that was discussed by Erikson’s study is just a small piece of information that I found very important while learning more about how important it is for adolescences to have positive enforcement.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to chapter 8 I found that variations in family structure and how much of an impacted family influences can have when children develop. Through these stages of development, we as teachers will learn and grow from our experiences that we experience when teaching students. The most interesting and important piece to chapter 8 discussed was how variations in family structure can play on a child’s development. First hand I have lived and experienced what it is like to live with several different families and travel around to many different schools. I thank god for helping me become who I am today, but nether less I strongly believe that a student that does not have a steady family structure will normally suffer the most when it comes to identity, social growth and academic development. It is our job as teachers to recognize these students needs and help them the best way possible. With the past help of my teachers, I know that it has helped me present myself towards the right direction. Overall this chapter did discuss a few key ideas that we as teachers will benefit from. Learning the effects of child care, divorce and how important family involvement is in a students live plays a vital role. I believe these readings were an important step when better understanding students challenges and needs.
In response to Sandra Laura,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when talking about how your classroom structure will be supported. Having a legitimate answer for your action and or enforcements will provide positive feedback and understanding when practicing these skills. I feel that when a teacher says “because I said so” it not only doesn’t provide the student with positive feedback, but I believe it dissipates any positive relationship that you may have with your students. Being in charge is one thing but bossing students around or telling them what to do, is a very inefficient way to teach students. I am glad you discussed your thoughts and feelings about this topic.
Chris, I totally agree with your point that "...[c]ontrolling students is not about winning or losing, because educators that possess this mindset only lose." In my semester working with elementary school teachers, I noticed quite a lot of them seemed to have this attitude. I noticed it right away, and the kids, of course, noticed it - and reacted poorly to it. They didn't want to be treated like trained animals, they wanted to be treated almost like equals (I tried to treat 8th graders like equals, but it didn't work out well for me - better to just treat them with deep respect for what they say, and they'll give it right back).
ReplyDeleteBlog 14
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, Keith. Your suggestion of an alternative to power struggles caught my attention:
"Telling an adolescent student to go to the office because of their undesirable actions does not achieve much. A more effective response to negative actions would be to take the student outside the classroom and talk to them to try and find out the source of their action".
This solution is a lot less authoritarian than sending a student to the office or engaging in an argument about why the student did something wrong. Having said that, it seems as though leaving the rest of the class unattended in order to talk something out with a student(s) in the hall could turn into an equally significant problem as the remaining students are left unattended. The flow of the lesson and students' focus could be disrupted with this tactic and the teacher would need to employ some teacher tricks to get everyone back on task and focused when it all is resolved. This seems like a good way to handle repeat offenders, a major issue or something of a more sensitive nature. To deal with all students who exhibit unacceptable behaviors; however, may not be such a good tactic since other students' learning will be disrupted and behavioral problems may happen in the room when the teacher is out in the hall.
For general disciplinary problems, I would advocate addressing the behavior either as it happens or at a later opportunity in a matter of fact (vs confrontational) manner. This is where a code of conduct (created by the class) is valuable, because the teacher can refer to the class code and hold people accountable without looking like a dictator. It seems like this method, if done tactfully, is democratic because there is no "I'm right and you're wrong" power exchange. The teacher is pointing out a code of conduct that the entire class agreed upon.
I would be interested in any other ideas for dealing with this kind of situation, since it can be an issue in the band and orchestra setting... ensembles easily reach 50+ students.