My classroom ideas

I'm becoming plagued with this notion of what kind of teacher I want to be. After 10 weeks in education classes this summer, I still don't really have an answer to that question. Perhaps because I figure it will change once I'm actually in a classroom, or because teaching involves so much that it becomes hard to describe everything I plan to do in a few paragraphs. That being said, I really want to be an active and involved teacher that gets my students excited about learning in all forms. I want to help my students grow and think about the world around them. I want them to think about their future and why learning is important.
I do have some concrete ideas about things I want to do in my classroom:
-- Meditation has been shown to decrease stress, increase immunity and concentration. I like the idea of having my students meditate for a few minutes at the beginning or end of class. I think this could be especially helpful in a math class where so many students have anxiety about the subject matter, but regardless it would be a useful skill that my students could take with them through life.
-- I've already written about the benefits of Goal setting and the profound effects it can have on everyone.
-- I also think students would benefit from positivity. At a time in their lives when many students struggle with self identity, it would be great to ask them to think about positive things about themselves and maybe their classmates.
So these are my hippie dippy ideas I want to incorporate into my classroom on occasion. I hope my students gain from them.

History, Activism, and Goal Setting aka summer readings

My favorite articles about education that I have read this summer were (in no particular order:

"Progressivism, schools, and schools of education" by D. Labaree. This was a look at the history of teaching philosophies. It detailed the divergence of "administrative progressives" and "paedagogical progressives." It explained how the administrative types essentially won and now control most schools. It also told the story of hot the pedagogical types live on in many teaching colleges and continue to espouse their idealism. I enjoyed it because I have a weakness for history and romance. 

I also enjoyed "A letter to a young teacher" by Joseph Featherstone. I like that he uses the article to encourage the young teacher to be an activist for education. 

I think my favorite article was one on NPR's education blog by Anya Kamenetz. It detailed research about writing goals. It explained that the simple act of goal setting by students helped pretty much all students achieve those goals, and nearly erased gender and ethnic achievement gaps according to one study. I was amazed by this idea. I hope to implement written goal setting in my future classroom. I like the idea of giving my students a few minutes at the end of the day once in a while to organize their thoughts and think about their goals. From this and other research I've seen lately, it can have a profound effect.

Utilitarianism in teaching

In Gert Biesta's book, The Beautiful Risk of Education, he takes a unique approach to discuss the theories of teaching and learning. He views teaching as a utilitarian pursuit. We can teach all of our students the same things, and some will excel, some will understand, and some may never understand, no matter how hard we try. In this, I think, he is probably correct. While I hope to make a connection and have an effect on every student I come into contact with, the reality is that I may not reach some students. I have high expectations for myself as a teacher and not reaching every student is something I will struggle with.

Biesta has some ideas that I really like. He espouses that we treat our students as "subjects of action and responsibility" instead of as passive objects. I value my students, so I agree with him that they should not be treated as objects. However, he also writes that constructivism is "the end of teaching." He argues that constructivism is a learning theory not a teaching theory, which takes away from the need for teachers. I'm torn because I see his points, but I also like the ideas behind things like constructivism. Perhaps if he weren't so negative in his writing he would be easier to agree with.

The risk in education

A few months ago I had a coworker state that (and I'm paraphrasing here) it should not be society's job to educate everyone. Instead of listening to his argument, I immediately jumped into the discussion with arguments about how those without an education are far less likely to contribute to society and are more likely to be a drain on society. I also went off about how we do not know at the onset of a child's life how much they are able to accomplish. I really believe that every child should be educated to the best of his/her ability. The question of what those children will do with their state required education is up to her or him as an individual. That is the great risk in education. Even though we as a society require kids to be in school, and pay taxes to support those schools, some students may choose not to learn. They may choose to not actively participate in the learning process, or they may choose to drop out of school entirely. OR they might choose to read the textbook, gain understanding from those around them, and really participate in the learning process. And that to me, ladies and gentlemen, is a beautiful thing.

The Liberationist approach to teaching

According to Gary Fenstermacher and Jonas Soltis's Approach to Teaching, the liberationist teacher is one who wants their students to grow and become wonderful parts of the society in which they live. In my subject area of Social Studies, I hope to create in my students a life long interest in the subject matter. If I teach government, I want them to be active in learning about candidates, always remember to vote, and be able to talk to people about their political views. If I teach history, I want them to appreciate where they came from and maybe pick up a historical novel as an adult. If I teach economics, I want to instill in them an awareness of how the economy can affect them, and what they can do to encourage good economic policies in their nation or community.

The challenge of the liberationist approach is that not every student will be as excited about my subject as I would hope. There may also be push back from administrators, parents, and students who want a more traditional style of teaching. There may be some students who fall behind because they do not see a value in studying.Additionally, this style may not produce the highest scores possible on standardized tests.

The benefit of the liberationist is the betterment of society because I will encourage future generations to be more actively engaged in their communities. They will be excited about learning and hopefully want to continue learning after leaving formal education.

To Teach or Facilitate Learning?

In Approaches to Teaching, Gary Fenstermacher and Jonas Soltis discuss what they call the facilitator approach to teaching. A facilitator values the knowledge that students bring to the classroom. They care less about following a strict curriculum and more about helping students grow. A facilitator would need to be very patient and open minded. 

A facilitators dream classroom might be set up very differently than other classrooms. They would probably hope everyone could sit around on bean bags, but since that is unlikely to be allowed, they would probably put students in groups that can easily discuss things. 

In today's classroom, a completely facilitator approach would be difficult to implement. Teachers today have to deal with strict curriculum designs, high stakes testing, and students with an array of behavioral problems. A loving class where students learn and grow seems almost too idealistic. 

While in theory I would love to be a facilitator, I don't think it is realistic in today's schools. I do hope, however, to care about and use my student's opinions and make my students active participants in the classroom.

Teachers as Executives

In today’s classroom the executive teaching style is still the most widely used. Many of my teachers have used this approach. They stand at the front of the room and lecture. There are readings from the textbook. Tests are taken at regular intervals. Papers are assigned, graded, and returned. Memorization is important, critical thinking may, or may not be a part of the everyday classroom. The assembly line of students continues year in and year out.

This is not to say that this style doesn’t have benefits. In fact, part of why it is so popular is because it is an effective method of conveying information to students. Another benefit is that students are used to this type of teacher. By the time they reach high school, they are comfortable with the structure of an executive style teacher.

Now, if only we could pay our teachers on par with executives who manage 150 employees daily. And who deal with consumers and upper management constantly pressuring them to perform at higher and higher levels.  

Teaching Role Models

As I look back on my own educational journey, I remember being inspired to learn by many different types of teachers. I've realized lately that my favorite teachers inspired me to go into Political Science and International Studies in College. I was born and raised in Idaho. I've never left the United States. Yet, I have this passion for learning about other cultures, people, forms of government, history, places I've never been. So here is the list of who I blame for creating such a juxtaposition in my life.

7th Grade Geography Teacher
This is where my passion for all things international really began. He was such an amazing teacher partly because I don't remember "learning" anything in his class. I remember a few projects and I'm sure there were tests, but this class was all about excitement and opening our minds to the plethora of cultures to discover. He wanted us to become students of the world and, for me, it happened. He taught us to care about other people in the world and want to be cartographers, photographers, historians, and work for the State Department.

12th Grade Government Teacher
While this teacher's style was dramatically different, he still was able to instill an interest in government in me. This class was much more structured. We could anticipate what would happen in the classroom and when. Aside from traditional book learning, essays, and tests, we followed current events by watching CNN for a few minutes each day. We could count on the "Friday Speech" to be given at the end of class every Friday. Even though this speech was really a lecture on behaving over the weekend, it was nice to know he cared (years later I learned that his daughter had died while in high school, which brought a new understanding about why he wanted us to avoid reckless behavior). If, someday, I'm lucky enough to teach government, it will be all his fault if my class is very structured.

College Professor
I had many professors I really enjoyed in college, but one in particular comes to mind as far as inspiring me politically. He was a retired history professor and political activist. He taught fun classes like "Political Primaries 2004" and "Idaho Politics and Politicians." His classes were usually full, and while there were some lectures, he pulled ideas from his students on a regular basis. If a student was older, he would ask them about old politicians that 20 year old students had only read about. If a student was from another region of Idaho or the country, he would ask about the politicians in their area. The books for his classes were never textbooks. They were usually essays on current events, newspaper articles, or non-fiction books written about Idaho. As students were encouraged to bring topics/articles/news that interested us to class. Ideas and discussions were always welcome in his classes.

It is very interesting to look back at my teachers from this new perspective of how I want to be as a teacher. While there were many wonderful teachers I had over the years, I definitely look back on these three as great examples of how to inspire students to love the subject you teach. 
Maybe I shouldn't blame them for sparking such an interest in social studies in me- even though it serves little purpose in Idaho. Maybe finding a passion in social studies would have happened anyway. Either way, it's too late, I love it!

Why teach?

For the past six years I have been teaching in a GED program. It was incredibly rewarding to help many individuals with such a life changing event. When students returned from passing tests, the feeling of elation after all their hard work and stress was exhilarating. This caused me to realize I have a passion for teaching, and that I’m very good at it.

I have been thinking a lot recently about my future classroom and the things I value within education.

I value inclusion – I never want one or a few students to be left out on learning. I was a pretty quick learner in school, but the time I spent with GED students showed me that everyone deserves a shot at learning.

I also value positivity. I never want my students (and all people) to feel bad- especially about who they are and what they think/feel/believe. Many studies show that positive people are more successful in life. I hope to instill in my students a feeling that they can accomplish their goals and follow their dreams to wherever they want to go.

Because I have seen the struggles people go through without a high school diploma, I hope to motivate my students to finish school. While there are many reasons students leave school, I hope to be one reason they might stay.

I have a passion for government and hope to teach my students why it is important in their lives. If I’m lucky enough to teach government, I want to help my students find their own political beliefs. I value their individuality and want them to reach their own decisions on government and politics.