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
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
