CURRICULUM
In agreement with John Dewey (1859-1952), I firmly believe in building the curriculum to meet the needs and interest levels of the students. The "teachable moment" i.e. teaching subject matter when the interest level of a student is at its peak, is perhaps the very best time to impart knowledge to a student. For it is when the students' interests are stimulated that they begin to truly listen and understand. They then put the information in their long-term memory and rely on it as their own.
Practically speaking, one of the ways in which I put this theory into practice is by using a Reader's Interest Inventory at the beginning of every year. This form is filled out by each student in the class and asks such questions as:
What is your favorite book of all time?
What do you like to do in your free time? I read best when I _______________. I like reading when I _____________. Questions such as these help me, as a teacher, determine not only the reading habits of the students, but also their personal interests. Once I have established an idea of where the interests of the class lie, I can then begin to formulate the curriculum of the class, within the established guidelines of the school system, of course.
I can also establish some ways of doing some individual curriculum plans. I particularly like to follow Nancy Atwell's approach from In The Middle which describes some excellent ways of approaching reading and writing as individual activities. In her methodology, she strongly advises the use of journals to follow reading or writing, which is then viewed periodically by peers as well as the teacher. In this approach, students are given a lot of freedom to follow their own interests and ability levels.
Another way in which I can allow students to follow their own interest levels when proceeding in the learning process is by allowing the students to complete creative projects of their choice upon finishing a large reading such as The Odyssey or Romeo and Juliet. Upon completion of the reading, with guided assistance from the teacher differing depending on the ability level of the group, students are asked to spend the next ten days on a creative project. The guidelines of the project are very broad in the sense that the students are encouraged to choose an area of interest to them, related to the reading, and combine this interest with an interest of their own and create a presentation for the class demonstrating their knowledge.
For example, some possible projects following The Odyssey would be as follows:
- Research the costumes worn during Ancient Greece and create an illustrated catalog of these designs or actually create an imitation of one of these designs. The actual costume could be life-sized or doll-sized.
- Research the types of food eaten in Ancient Greece or Modern Greece and create a cookbook or bring in samples of these dishes to share with the class.
- Research the weapons at the time of the poem and create a book of weapons.
- Using paint, clay or another art medium, create a depiction of a scene from the poem or demonstrate various Greek gods/goddesses.
After a student chooses an area of interest, the classroom then becomes a research center for him/her to find ways of discovering information needed to complete his/her project. The student is then responsible for sharing the knowledge discovered with the class, both as an oral presentation and a tangible demonstration.
The possibilities are virtually limitless. Each student can explore an area of interest and then discover his or her own way to demonstrate the findings for the class. The classroom environment is one in which each student works individually at his/her own level of interest and own pace. The teacher's role is that of mentor/coach in assisting the students as they find information on their own. For example, the student may need the teacher to help him/her in locating the information needed.
The students in this environment are following an approach which is highly supported by John Dewey in the sense that the knowledge is student-guided and built on students' interests. It is also highly individualized. The students are able to build on prior knowledge, but are not restricted to it. Students may encounter problems or lists of questions regarding the area in which they are studying, but the students must then use their problem-solving abilities to research or solve those problems.
Another aspect which seems to be highly influential with regard to the building of a classroom relates to the interests and expertise of the teacher. While this area is secondary to the students' interests, it is noteworthy in the sense that as part of human nature, people accomplish things more eptly when they are enjoying what they are doing. This enthusiasm applies to teaching as well as other professions. For example. If I loved teaching Shakespeare, chances are high that I would be very good at teaching it. If I were good at teaching it, then I would show a lot of creativity and enthusiasm in my teaching methods and the students would enjoy it more. The more a student enjoys a subject matter, the higher their interest level would be and therefore the greater amount of learning would occur.
TEACHING/STUDENT ROLES
There are many different ways that students and teachers can relate to each other. The two primary relationships, however, are:
- Teacher as authoritarian and thus deliverer of information.
- Teacher as mentor/coach and thus assistant in finding information.
My particular preference with regard to student-teacher relationships is that of mentor/coach. In this type of relationship, the teacher is seen as one who is helping the student find information for himself/herself. The student uses more advanced levels of thinking by doing more problem-solving. These deeper thinking skills are far more valuable to a student in the long run.
Also, as a mentor/coach, the teacher is able to "empower" the students not only with knowledge or facts, but also with self-esteem. Students who learn things themselves feel proud of that fact and rightly so. Doing something successfully is the real way to self-esteem.
I also find that is this sort of role, where I am not viewed as the "all-knowing-authoritarian" but rather as the coach or assistant, the students feel less of an urge to test the authority and thus less discipline problems occur. At least this is true at the secondary level where many students feel that need to test authority. By not being the authoritarian, they feel less need to test you.
Lastly, the teacher in this situation can be more friendly and understanding towards the student as they relate on a more even level rather than in the authoritative position where the teacher is often viewed as less approachable by the students. A teacher that is a mentor/coach often is able to teach students about concepts outside of the formal subject area because students find them more approachable. In today's society, teachers need to be approachable even with regard to subjects outside of the classroom because so many students are in need of adult leadership and adult role models. Many students crave this sort of relationship because it is not available to them in other venues. Also, students who feel as though they are heard by their teacher and who develop a trustful relationship with that teacher tend to learn more.
LEARNING THEORY
My first priority in regard to a learning theory is that, as teachers and parents, one of our chief responsibilities is to teach our children to be life long learners. We should teach them how to be curious and how to find the answers to the things which make them curious. It is not enough for us to simply supply our students with answers or information for which they may or may not have a natural curiosity about, we must teach them to rely on themselves and become resourceful people who can find their own information and can be successful problem solvers.Secondly, it is important to realize that not every student learns things in the same way. Some students learn better in groups, while some learn better individually. Some people are visual learners or audio learners, while some learn better in a hands-on situation. I, for example, consider myself a visual learner. I learn the best when I see the information written down. However, when I am studying a mathematical concept, I learn better when a hands-on approach is taken. A good teacher understands this concept of different types of learning and employs a variety of methods when teaching a particular subject. The more ways a teacher can approach a subject, the more valuable he or she is to her classroom. By using several methods, the teacher reinforces the material while also attempting to reach a student who may not have completely understood the concept originally.
Thirdly, another valuable learning method is based on the theory of discovery learning. Any time a student can discover the answers that he/she is looking for, rather than be supplied the answers, the learning process will go to a higher level and therefore become more successful. It is not enough to know a concept, a person must truly understand it in order for it to become a part of long-term memory . It will also become applied knowledge and be more useful to the student.
Finally, I believe that all students are capable of learning at a high level. A good education is a balanced one which is composed of both practical information that is perhaps employment/technology related and the basics. While some may argue that in today's society, not everyone should be expected to complete a traditional education, there are still meritable aspects of this type of learning. By understanding our past and learning how to learn, we can accomplish a lot in the future. As teachers, we cannot teach every child everything he or she may need to know. What we can do, however, is teach the child how to learn.
SCHOOL/SOCIETAL RELATIONSHIPS
The purpose of an education is to prepare the students for society. As teachers, we are expected to teach students not only how to read, write and figure, but also to be able to succeed in society. Of course, we all have different points of view regarding what constitutes success, but for the general definition, we will assume that success means being able to survive in the world, i.e. accomplishing fulfillment of basic needs and also being able to abide by the laws of our nation.To elaborate on these points, first let me say that what I mean by fulfilling our basic needs is that each individual should be resourceful enough to provide him/herself with food, clothing and shelter. There are exceptions to this in the sense that there are obviously people who are unable to care for themselves due to a handicap, in which case the role for school is different for them. Schools must help students learn things in order to become individuals who can earn incomes so that these needs may be met. Individuals must be trainable and also must have a reasonable idea about how relationships work, so that he/she will know how to get along with his/her employers and fellow employees.
Secondly, while there are times when perhaps it is in some sense justifiable to break the laws of the nation, for the most part, maintaining a sense of civil obedience to the laws helps society progress successfully. As teachers, part of our role is to teach students the importance of concepts such as responsibility, civic duty, citizenship, etc.
Schools should be viewed as a sort of training ground for society. Concepts and values are taught in schools so that the students may progress well as part of society. Conversely, society should take an active role in the development of schools. It is important for industries to communicate with school boards regarding their needs and projected future goals. For example, if it is communicated to school boards that there will be a huge need in society for medical personnel within the next decade, then there may need to be some curriculum changes which would take this need into account. It is beneficial to both the schools and society for an open line of communication to occur between the two.
(treasurer@kcte.org)