Monday, April 6, 2015
One of my most favorite moments from observing this semester is when the students started asking questions about the book they were reading (My Brother's Voice). The book is more of a memoir about the holocaust. The students either really enjoyed it or they hated it. Yet every class meeting the students were asking the teacher questions and engaging in a tuff topic. After reading VanDe Weghe's article I noticed that the teacher asked questions that were engaging and authentic. She asked questions that were challenging as well. I was surprised at the level of maturity for the 9th grade class. The students were open with their feelings, telling what they liked and didn't like and why. Most of the time the teacher didn't have to start asking questions, the students just jumped in, so to speak, and started the discussion. This was an awesome class to observe and the students were amazing in their level of understanding. I'm hoping I can achieve this level of communication in my classes in the future.
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That is so great that the teacher was willing to push her kids to discuss tough topics. I think teachers have such a responsibility to develop critical thinking skills and discussing tough topics is a great way to do so. I too hope to have a high level of communication in my classes!
ReplyDeleteKristi, it has been my experience that when a teacher shows a genuine interest in what students have to say, students feel safe and encouraged to share what they are thinking and feeling. In my opinion, having open discussions that are comprised primarily of students' responses to texts is the best way for students to gain real understanding about literature. In several cases, I have believed that I had no real understanding or opinion about a book or poem, but as I discussed them with others, I found that I did have very specific ideas about the text. There's nothing like a good discussion to get the blood flowing, as well as the ideas:) I am glad that you had such a great experience in your clinicals.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristy...there was much I liked about this posting, but the aspect that I wanted to comment on was that you said you were surprised by the level of complexity that ninth-graders were able to have in their discussions. That is such an important insight! I did my doctoral work in sixth-grade classrooms, I was so impressed at how even sixth-graders were able to hold complex discussions surrounding race when they read "Maniac Magee." It's amazing what students can do when the classroom conditions are right.
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