Survey of Instructional Strategies: What I'll Carry With Me

I've really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about educational philosophies this quarter in our class, Survey of Instructional Strategies. In many ways, it feels like the "greatest hits" of education, and it has whet my appetite to dive deeper into some big ideas I want to understand more. 

As I reflect on the figureheads we studied and the writings I found most compelling, I'm seeing a trend: The ideas that pull on the heartstrings are my favorite. I look forward to implementing inquiry-based learning and advance organizers in my classroom, absolutely. I am going to get down to nitty gritty teaching techniques! Yes!

Except...I am still chipping away at prerequisite courses and the realities of life (a new baby is due in June, which means my student teaching is still a long way off). And the practical applications feel far away. So the spirit of teaching, and the heart of education? Those warm and fuzzy elements keep me dreaming in the mean time. 

Citizenship in the classroom is especially important to me. Perhaps watching the American election season from a long distance across the ocean has made this feel even more essential, but if we do not prioritize civility and respect in the classroom, we are going to have more and more candidates (and voters!) who act like homegrown terrorists. 

Cultural literacy goes hand in hand with citizenship, but goes a step further to explicitly require students to respectfully acknowledge that the entire nation will not always eat the same food, enjoy the same sports, play the same music, or worship the same god. 

Learner-centered approaches touched a nerve for me as well, knowing how many students suffer the effects of a system designed for one kind of learning mind. Although I am not pursuing a special education endorsement, the message of equality and respect for uniquely gifted children resonated greatly and will certainly shape my personal educational philosophy. 

Our final reading this week by Mortimer Adler also inspired me, especially this bold statement: "We have two fundamental goals in view. One is equipping all the children of this country to earn a good living for themselves. The other is enabling them to lead good human lives" (Adler, n.d.).

It will be a real challenge to distill all this brilliant vision into my personal "takeaways" as a final reflection for the course. But at the very least, it will be an inspirational project (if still a little overwhelming)!

...How I hope kids will feel in my classroom!

References

Adler, M. (n.d.) The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto. Retrieved via R. Scheuermann's EDU 6526 Session 9 course readings: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129501-dt-content-rid-2467020_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS%20Session%209%20Reading%20%28Adler%29.pdf

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

Scheuerman, R. (2016). Session 7: Learner Centered Approaches. Retrieved from: https://bbweb03.spu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1129492-dt-content-rid-2467014_1/courses/EDU6526_27922_201562/SIS.%20Session%207%20Outline%20%28Learner-Centered.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