To describe the aspects of my own teaching I need to retain within my classroom, I must first think about what I need to let go of. With that being said the following blog will discuss two aspects that I feel I need to retain within the classroom, open space and confidence, and two aspects of my teaching that I need to let go of, fear and authority.
When I refer to open space as a an aspect of teaching that I am determinded to keep in my classroom I am refering to a daily allocation of free time for the students to share. I feel that as a science teacher we feel so much pressure to fill the students with information that only a small handful of them will use to pursue a career. School for me is not just a place of lecture, but an environment in which people can share with each other, affording the opportunity for true learning. By allowing students at the secondary level free time to talk about what they saw in the media or on the internet I am not only providing an opportunity for the students to learn from each other, but to introduce each other to new forms of media and literacies that they may be unfamiliar with. From Richardsons article on pg. 129 we are aware that the internet is becoming, ‘the most comprehensive source of information in history. There is no doubt that the ability of our teachers and students to use that knowledge effectively is of the highest importance.” If this holds true and it is that important for teachers and students to have a solid knowledge base regarding the internet than who better to learn from than each other.
I would also like to hold onto not just my confidence that teachers are essential to students understanding. Mackey on pg. 339 touches on the accomplishments of multi-literate youth, “the development of defiance and defensiveness in teenagers and of a negative despair in many adults that may actually prevent them from seeing the real accomplishments of multi-literate young people.” I know that as teachers we should embrace what our multi-literate students are capable of produce without us, through engaging in the internet and mass-media, and praise them for this accomplishment. While doing this I feel that as a teacher I cannot forget that even though they can do so much on their own that I am a vital part of their education to help them understanding these new forms of literacies and texts in which they are creating, interpreting and engaging in.
In addition to the above paragaraph my ability to maintain confidence in the imporatnce of teachers is controlled by the degree to which I can let go of my fear of new technology. Everytime I feel like I have finally got up to speed with the advances in technology something new pops out. I have to realise that part of my job as a teacher today is to keep up with new technology, realize I will not master all of it, but at a minimum be aware of what is out there. The fear of technology can be detrimental to a teacher as it can limit our students learning opportunities. As Richardson says on page 130, “teachers are employing Weblogs and wikis and the like in ways that are transforming the curriculum and allowing learning to continue long after the class ends.”
Last, but not least I need to let go of the need to be the sole authority in my classroom. I tend to forget that students are the best teachers when I am standing at the front of the classroom. With the world wide web students also have millions of other teachers out there who they can also learn from. Richardson says on pg. 132, “As our access to content increases, so does our access to other teachers.” This is a revolutionary time for students to have access to some many variety of teachers through various mediums. I need to let go of my fear of losing my authority and embrace all the opportunities my students have in front of them and remain confident in the importance I hold as part of their educational journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment