How Can a Teacher Foster Self-Esteem?

Not too long ago my preschool-aged son made a comment about his required vegetable intake, and his comment included a word not allowed on network television. That word rhymes with "it." Of course, I was mortified. My husband was mortified. We would like to consider ourselves polite people who do not talk like sailors at the dinner table...or ever! But somewhere along the way, our kid heard that word and decided it would be a good time to use it. It was a low parenting moment, and frankly we were relieved that no one else heard it. (Now that I'm admitting it on the internet...hmmm.)

But the truth is, it was probably just a textbook example of social cognitive theory at work in the world. What you see (or hear, in his case) is what you learn. 

I appreciated Dr. Scheuermann's reminder of this principle in the context of literacy--showing kids how we re-read, stop to consider facts vs. opinions, and picking out main ideas in the text all jump starts a process they might not initiate naturally (Scheuermann, 2016). 

Modeling a positive environment is another essential component of a teacher's work, and the same social effect takes place when we show kids how to be kind at school. By observing uplifting, positive behaviors in the classroom, good self esteem takes deep roots. This means the spirit of the learning community must be one that is encouraging rather than shaming, forgiving rather than begrudging, hopeful rather than bleak, and restorative rather than destructive. 

Carl Rogers' research supports this idea: "For students identified as having learning difficulties, the teacher’s level of interpersonal facilitation was the single most important contributor to the amount of gain on all outcome measures" (Rogers, n.d.). Getting yelled at makes anyone feel crummy, whether you are a second grader struggling with fractions or a corporate lawyer on a conference call. If teachers can cultivate a sense of safety and personal care, then every student will be honored and feel safe enough to take the risks necessary to do the hard work of learning. It's not surprise a student who feels he belongs, no matter his learning needs, will be more successful.

It's not realistic for any teacher to have a perfect 10 on the communication scale every day, but by making the tone of one's teaching a main priority, kids will observe not just the academic skills they need to develop to be successful in school, but the social and emotional maturity they need to be healthy members of society. 

Rogers sums it up beautifully: "The research evidence clearly indicates that when students’ feelings are responded to, when they are regarded as worthwhile human beings capable of self-direction, and when their teacher relates to them in a person-to-person manner, good things happen" (Rogers, n.d.).  

References

Rogers, C. (No date). Teacher Effects Research on Student Self-Concept. Retrieved via R. Scheuermann's EDU 6526 Session 8: Albert Bandura and Social-Cognitive Learning. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129497-dt-content-rid-2467018_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS%20Session%208%20Reading%20%28Rogers%29.pdf

Scheuermann, R. (2016). Session 8: Albert Bandura and Social-Cognitive Learning. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129496-dt-content-rid-2467017_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS.%20Session%208%20Outline%20%28Social-Cognition%29.pdf

Promoting Citizenship in the Classroom

In Classroom Instruction That Works, the authors advocate for the use of nonlinguistic representations in teaching (Dean, 63-76). Many of these strategies could complement direct lessons on citizenship, and I can recall one exercise from high school, which I now know was a popular kinesthetic activity, that is still crystal clear for me.

Students began standing, lined up shoulder to shoulder. As our teacher asked us questions, we stepped forward if we agreed, and stayed in place if not. The questions centered on our experiences of discrimination, and soon it became obvious which of our classmates had endured more than their share of suffering. The lines shifted before our eyes. I don't remember all the questions asked of us, but I remember seeing the effect of racism in front of me, probably for the first time in my extremely sheltered life. 

The discussions that followed the exercise were challenging, mostly because in a majority white school in a wealthy Denver suburb, students of color were marginalized even by being asked to speak on behalf of their own races. I'm not sure what those students would say when reflecting on the same exercise--it might be a painful memory for some of them, but I do know that my awareness of my own privilege grew tremendously that day. I'm grateful my classmates were willing to teach me more about citizenship through their own honesty, their own hard stories.

As I enter the classroom in the coming years, I look forward to applying the idea that the purpose of education is to make people good (Scheuermann, 2016). I will wholly embrace the charge to make my students sensitive to one another's heartaches, eager to contribute to the good of society, and willing to sacrifice on behalf of someone in need. These values are in line with my personal faith, so even if it sounds like a Pollyanna dream to teach like this, I think they will remain my priority because they are so connected with who I want to be as a Christian. 

The so-called architecture of civil education inspires me as a collection of basic human rights, both as a teacher and as a mother, writer, and citizen of humanity. I was so inspired, I created a nonlinguistic representation! I'm looking forward to discovering all the ways I can teach my students just how essential these truths are.

References

Dean, C., et. al. (2012.) Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Scheuerman, R. (2016). Session 6 Transcript: Citizenship and Moral Education. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_1129490_1&course_id=_89800_1

If Knowledge Is Socially Constructed, How Does That Happen?

I strongly believe in the importance of play at school--especially for very young children, there is no better way to discover how to make friends, learn about injustice, cope with frustrations, and make connections from the classroom to everyday life. (But really, those same lessons apply to students nearing high school graduation too!) Constructivism in education espouses the importance of learning through experience, and play-based learning fits the definition perfectly. The theory says that knowledge doesn't take root simply by listening to the facts, it's a process built on collaboration, communication, and connections.

John Dewey advocates teaching students how to "float on their own" in order to keep learning from their experiences for the rest of their lives. It's a style of teaching that requires careful observation and finesse from teachers because it gives students a large amount of independence.

As Dewey says, "To prepare him [a student] for future life means to give him command of himself; it means to train him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capacities; that his eye and ear and hand may be able of grasping the conditions under which it has to work, and the executive forces be trained to act economically and efficiently" (Dewey, 1897). This independent learning, experiencing the world and the people in it, takes every scrap of information a child absorbs and connects it to deep, sustained knowledge for life.

Dewey's emphasis on the integration of home and school is fascinating as well, and in an age when teachers, especially public school teachers in the US, are painfully aware of difficult family situations at home, I am curious how implementing such a practice would work across the board. What if the values in the home do not complement the values taught in school? What if a child does not feel safe and secure in his or her home environment? And since there are so many ways to parent children, I suppose the best a teacher could do is provide a nurturing, respectful, loving school environment where a child knows he will always be welcome, always belong. It certainly couldn't hurt! 

References

Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed. The School Journal. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129485-dt-content-rid-2467010_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS%20Session%205%20Reading%20%28Dewey%29.pdf

The Practical Use of Advance Organizers

Last week I learned a new term in education: AppSmashing. It's the concept of using multiple apps to create some sort of spectacular project or product, and it's a popular idea with teachers integrating technology in the classroom. 

Advance organizers are the old school yin to 21st century learning's yang. David Ausubel's concept, which can be a little abstract (but that's part of the appeal), gives students a baseline for their learning, frequently being paired with more traditional methods such as lectures and readings. Advance organizers can be a visual tool like a Venn diagram or an oral prompt--anything that helps students begin to activate their knowledge bank so they can keep building on it.

Because the definition of advance organizers is broad, they are useful in many different settings: "Across all ages and ability levels, readers use their knowledge base as a filter to interpret and construct meaning from text passages" (Scheuerman, 2016). An elementary school teacher might use the classic KWL chart, seen below, to help students feel grounded in their base knowledge and ready to keep learning. KWL charts also come to life through class discussions prompted by the same questions, so the tool isn't restricted to a written format. 

As I researched more about advance organizers, I found a lot of practical tools that could be used to the same effect as the KWL chart (most were visual but could be used in tandem with another strategy). ReadWriteThink is a fantastic resource, supported by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, which I recommend mining for further resource treasure. 

I think it's refreshing to continue to see appreciation and respect for some of the more classic teaching strategies--if we get too wrapped up in iPads and BrainPop videos, we risk missing simpler opportunities to help our students solidify their learning. And while I want to create a joyous, creative classroom environment, there will still be times that it just comes down to less exciting tasks: conjugating verbs in Spanish, memorizing certain essential algebraic equations, and learning the difference between their, there, and they're. It might not be the most dazzling moment of their day, but students will be so much more successful in the long run if the bricks have been laid.

References

Scheuerman, R. (2016). Session 4 Transcript: Advanced Organizers and Strategy Instruction. 

Concepts and Facts: What Is Their Relationship?

In a kindergarten classroom, arguably the most important work of the students is to begin to read. Of course, reading fluency begins in such small bites that it doesn't look or sound fluid for many students, but the baselines are established. Jerome Bruner's idea, that a child should be equipped with facts and prepared to connect those facts to build concept attainment, applies perfectly to the early reader. 

Bruner asks a powerful question: "How do you arrange learning in such a way that the child recognizes that when he has information he can go beyond it, that there is connectedness between the facts he has learned with other data and situations" (Bruner, 1996).

For example, when a five-year-old can identify letters and their sounds, she can then begin to see how they work together: their relationship. Although I am still in the early stages of learning to teach, it is clear that letter-sound relationships are a huge step in learning to read. If students practice games and songs that reinforce those letters and sounds, they can connect the dots with words they encounter in every other moment of their day. 

A teacher might lead an all-class chant of the alphabet's sounds in a warmup activity, and then when students continue to reader's and writer's workshops, those hard facts will assist them as they sound out letters in interesting books, start to write sentences in their own books, and even read street signs as they ride home on the bus. Concepts begin to solidify as they apply and synthesize their basic knowledge.

Bruner also emphasizes the importance of helping kids realize that they can and should be looking out for ways to connect all the things they learn in a day. This is critical thinking, and they can take ownership in it. I can picture the faces of happy, empowered little learners when they make such discoveries--such joy!

Using their newly-established language into math games, or writing their own signs for a play restaurant, or gathering friends into a group and then making a plan for a new version of tag on the playground--it's all the fruit of factual learning blooming into essential kindergarten concepts. The best part is watching it come to life. 

Check out the educator resources at Seussville.com

References

Bruner, J. (1996). The Culture of Education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Joyce, B., et. al. (2014). Models of Teaching, 9th Ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Induction: A Broadening Teaching Strategy

Is questioning a teaching strategy? Most definitely, and it's one that more and more educators are exercising in 21st century learning. 

The Mountain Light School Project's excellent guide to asking questions shows the inductive process at work for students (Scheuerman, 2015). Knowledge based questions such as, "What color is it?" or "How long did it last?" establish basic facts around a subject. One level of sophistication beyond those questions offers challenging comprehension questions such as, "How is this organized?" or "Why did this happen?" Learners reach the final stage of inductive teaching when faced with questions such as "Is this useful, meaningful, beautiful, or right?"  

Charlotte Mason's emphasis on using original source material for teaching history struck a chord for me, mostly because I still feel true, human stories are the most powerful way to learn (2015). When Humans of New York ran story after story on Syrian refugees a few months ago, the sense of connection and humanity was incredibly strong--much stronger than my experience through the dozens of articles I'd already read about the crisis. I can picture a high school class using these stories to think more broadly about their political, social, and cultural perspectives--experiencing induction through the challenging conversations surrounding current events like this one.

Taking a subject as complex and divisive as war, and first of all making it human, and then asking questions about the journalism used to deliver the stories means students will quickly find themselves answering difficult questions about morality and values. I believe that the incredible storytelling made possible through web journalism makes for a great exercise in inductive teaching, and I am hopeful for a chance to practice with my own students someday soon.

This man's story from Humans of New York caught the attention of the White House.

References

Scheuerman, R. (2015). Session 2: Strategy and Induction. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129472-dt-content-rid-2467028_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS.%20Session%202%20Outline%20%28Induction%29.pdf