Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Looking at Student Work to Improve my Practice
On Tuesday mornings, we have some time where the teachers look at student work. We're in groups of four teachers, of a variety of content areas, typically teachers who have some students in common. I'm grouped with an ELA (English Language Arts), a Science and a computer teacher. Today was my first time to share my own student work.
We have to bring a task (in this case a Problem of the Week, or POW), the rubric we use, and three samples of student work, typically a low, medium and high sample. In POWs, I require students not only to solve these problems, but also to make some analysis of the situation and to explain their thinking and their solution.
At the beginning of the year, I dedicated about three class days to working on POW "stuff" - we worked on POWs, then we used rubrics/check-lists to Peer Evaluate, revised our work, and resubmitted as necessary. I then gave them feedback and from some students, requested a second round of revisions.
This was their third POW, and some of the students are still struggling with their explanation (I find some write NO explanation, but then there are varying degrees of "correct" in the explanations, depending on the level of detail).
The three students whose work I brought really showed a good range of student work, while controlling for the gender factor (all three students were female). The low said "I used the table to find my answers" but gave no details about how she created the table (since it wasn't given), or how the table related to the context/questions. The medium student explained in more details about how to do the problem, but there was no real reasoning about why her answers made sense or why she selected her strategy - it was very procedural. "I subtracted, I divided, this gave me this answer" (paraphrasing her response).
The third student (the high level) gave such a great explanation, it was really great to read. Her explanation included answers to all of the questions on my checklist "What was the problem asking?" "How did you solve the problem?" "What steps did you take?" "What strategy did you use?" "Why did you choose this strategy?" "Why does your answer make sense/is reasonable?"
The other teachers in my group complimented me that my expectations were really clearly laid out for the students in the rubric, and the checklist was quite organized as well: it was clear that student C had internalized the structure of my checklist, since her explanation answered each question.
Then came the suggestions/critique:
1. They said it was clear that I had shared the rubric with the students, but how much had I actually modeled for them? They suggested sharing high level models with the students so they can see samples of what they are heading for. Since this was the first year of this curriculum, I didn't have any samples from last year, but this year, I'm going to scan some of my student explanations and erase the names so that next year, I can read some of their explanations in showing my new students how to write their POW explanations.
2. Although we had done a peer review, they had suggested that each student should "self-rate" on the rubric before I collect it to highlight to the students their own knowledge of how they had done on it. I really liked the idea of having students self-assess, especially to then counter-point it with my assessment, so they can check their own understanding of what's expected (in addition to checking their understanding of the problem).
3. The final suggestion from my colleagues was that for some students, the checklist and the rubric being on two pages might be a bit much, especially since there were lots of questions to read, and the rubric is a 5 x 5 grid with (with an addition row and column as headers) explaining a 5-pt rubric in 5 categories! So we discussed what to do to help students who were overwhelmed by it. And here's where I turn into a geek: the ELA teacher suggested giving the students "sentence starters." I wasn't sure how to do that (since I don't have any experience with it), but she pointed out that my checklist already has the questions I'm looking for them to answer in their explanations. For the students who are struggling to get started, she suggested using the sentence starters like "The question asked..." "I found my answer by..." "First I... Then I..." "I know my answer is right because..." "I know my answer is reasonable because..." "I chose my strategy because..." She suggested posting it on chart paper in the classroom, and also going over it for 15 minutes when I give out the next POW.
And this is where I feel like I chose the right profession. The level of excitement that I feel over the idea of sentence starters is ridiculous. I feel like I'm watching myself magically transform from the confused and overwhelmed first-year teacher struggling to stay afloat in the Bronx to an educator who is constantly learning new strategies to support all of the learners in his classroom. I feel very lucky that I work a job I love, and that learning new techniques genuinely excites me. I am mentally engaged with the task of thinking about other ways to present topics/skills to help struggling learners improve.
The next area I feel like I need to improve is how to challenge the gifted students in my class. I feel like I'm so used to teaching to the middle and to the bottom, I don't know how to "differentiate up." I'm guilty of the classic "here's some extra credit" or "read quietly until everyone is finished" or "begin working on your homework." I don't feel like any of these are sufficient, however, and I'm worried because I know that sometimes students who are very bright drop out of school because they get bored and frustrated. I'm looking for ideas next on how to differentiate up. What do I do for the student who has gotten 100% on pretty much everything we've done so far, has the POW explanation down pat (i.e. was the example student for the high), and has been using the equations to solve all of the problems algebraically already. How do I help her delve into this math at a deeper level?
Sunday, September 9, 2012
First Day of School
So this year, I tried something different on the first day. I had my students come in and sit down in their assigned seats (some of which changed, as the roster has already changed several times!). I had them fill out an information sheet, where I asked them for preferred names, technology access at home, plans for the future, favorite memory from last year, and any students who they couldn't work with or any that they worked well with. In addition, I gave them a section to let me know of anything else they wanted to tell me about: themselves, life, math, questions about me, etc. I had a couple students tell me important things that were going on in their lives outside of school, while others shared details about their passions.
Once we finished the info sheet, I told the students since this was math class, we were going to discuss some important numbers - numbers I found important, anyway! I then announced the first slide:
"Is the number 2 important because it is
a. the number of children Mr. G has.
b. the number of dogs Mr. G has.
c. the number of times Mr. G ate Chinese food last week."
The kids were instructed to circle the answer they thought was true on the handout in front of them (as they followed along on the slides). I then revealed the slide with the answer and two or three photos illustrating it. For example, on the answer to the above, it said, "Mr. G has 2 dogs: Margartia, who is a 14 year old Chihuahua and Stormy (short for Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) who is a 4 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
I had about 8 or 9 of these multiple choice questions, including facts like 5 summers spent at space camp as a camper, 3 nieces and nephews, 1 is my Softball Jersey number, 83 board games that I own, 42 episodes of Warehouse 13 that I watched this summer, and 118 hours of video games were played this summer by me (roughly).
I then gave them the chance to choose 3 numbers that were important to them and had them write about it. For homework, they chose one of those three numbers to create a poster, collage or diagram about. I learned about the number of siblings many of them had, how old they were when their grandma died, and/or how many countries they have visited.
I saved the rules and syllabus details for the second day, and let the students learn a bit more about ME on day 1. So far, it seems to have been a good idea, and I think I will use it again next year!
Once we finished the info sheet, I told the students since this was math class, we were going to discuss some important numbers - numbers I found important, anyway! I then announced the first slide:
"Is the number 2 important because it is
a. the number of children Mr. G has.
b. the number of dogs Mr. G has.
c. the number of times Mr. G ate Chinese food last week."
The kids were instructed to circle the answer they thought was true on the handout in front of them (as they followed along on the slides). I then revealed the slide with the answer and two or three photos illustrating it. For example, on the answer to the above, it said, "Mr. G has 2 dogs: Margartia, who is a 14 year old Chihuahua and Stormy (short for Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) who is a 4 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
I had about 8 or 9 of these multiple choice questions, including facts like 5 summers spent at space camp as a camper, 3 nieces and nephews, 1 is my Softball Jersey number, 83 board games that I own, 42 episodes of Warehouse 13 that I watched this summer, and 118 hours of video games were played this summer by me (roughly).
I then gave them the chance to choose 3 numbers that were important to them and had them write about it. For homework, they chose one of those three numbers to create a poster, collage or diagram about. I learned about the number of siblings many of them had, how old they were when their grandma died, and/or how many countries they have visited.
I saved the rules and syllabus details for the second day, and let the students learn a bit more about ME on day 1. So far, it seems to have been a good idea, and I think I will use it again next year!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Notebooks vs. Binders for Middle Schoolers
I'm trying to decide whether to do 2-inch binders with four or five dividers (one section for Class problem/HW, one section for handouts/notes, one section for journal entries, one section for vocabulary, and one section for quizzes/tests) OR to do Marble notebooks with Cornell Cues again like I did last year.
Certain aspects of my notebooking system worked really well last year.
First off, I spent a lot of time at the start of the year teaching the students how I wanted them to take their notes, so I could ease up somewhat as the year went on. I would make the first HW assignment or two to draw the line on the first 25 - 50 pages of their notebook, so that I didn't have to deal with the students getting out a ruler as they prepared to do that at the start of class.
Students knew how to keep a table of contents for their notebook, and look up the information. It was arranged by AIM, Date, and Page number, corresponding with the page in their notebooks.
Students indexed new words they learned and the first date that it appeared in their notebook. I think it's important for them to have an index, but perhaps this year, we'll also do a glossary (easier in some ways if it's in a binder).
Students engaged with their notes both in class (as they copied from the board, they had to write down the questions that the notes were answering), as well as outside of class (creating more questions and doing summaries for the lessons). I think that the summaries in the beginning of the year would be more effective if they were of the 3-2-1 variety (3 facts you learned today, 2 questions you still have, and 1 big idea).
On the other hand, students lost a lot of the beginning of class time from setting up their notebooks - with the slower writers, it took as many as 5 minutes or more just to get their notebooks set up! Secondly, some students didn't actually engage with the notebooks, and then it pulled down their grade when they weren't prepared with the notes taken properly.
If I do binders, I think I would still try the two-column notes, but I might explore a bit more outside just having the left side for questions that the notes answer...
I am worried about binders because the three rings can get broken pretty easily (especially inside a middle schooler's backpack), and the paper can get ripped out easily (again, especially in their bags). I know how sturdy the composition notebooks are, and last year, most of my kids (even the disorganized ones) had their notebooks well into the year...
As of right now, I'm still undecided about which option will be better in my classroom: notebooks or binders. I don't have much time left to decide!
Certain aspects of my notebooking system worked really well last year.
First off, I spent a lot of time at the start of the year teaching the students how I wanted them to take their notes, so I could ease up somewhat as the year went on. I would make the first HW assignment or two to draw the line on the first 25 - 50 pages of their notebook, so that I didn't have to deal with the students getting out a ruler as they prepared to do that at the start of class.
Students knew how to keep a table of contents for their notebook, and look up the information. It was arranged by AIM, Date, and Page number, corresponding with the page in their notebooks.
Students indexed new words they learned and the first date that it appeared in their notebook. I think it's important for them to have an index, but perhaps this year, we'll also do a glossary (easier in some ways if it's in a binder).
Students engaged with their notes both in class (as they copied from the board, they had to write down the questions that the notes were answering), as well as outside of class (creating more questions and doing summaries for the lessons). I think that the summaries in the beginning of the year would be more effective if they were of the 3-2-1 variety (3 facts you learned today, 2 questions you still have, and 1 big idea).
On the other hand, students lost a lot of the beginning of class time from setting up their notebooks - with the slower writers, it took as many as 5 minutes or more just to get their notebooks set up! Secondly, some students didn't actually engage with the notebooks, and then it pulled down their grade when they weren't prepared with the notes taken properly.
If I do binders, I think I would still try the two-column notes, but I might explore a bit more outside just having the left side for questions that the notes answer...
I am worried about binders because the three rings can get broken pretty easily (especially inside a middle schooler's backpack), and the paper can get ripped out easily (again, especially in their bags). I know how sturdy the composition notebooks are, and last year, most of my kids (even the disorganized ones) had their notebooks well into the year...
As of right now, I'm still undecided about which option will be better in my classroom: notebooks or binders. I don't have much time left to decide!
Start of the School Year
It's so hard for me to believe that year 3 is about to begin! In a week and a half, my new crop of 8th graders will be coming into my classroom for the first time this year.
I still have a lot to do before next week, in terms of getting both my classroom and my materials ready for the new students. I am determined to do some team-building activities in the opening of the school year, as well as routine teaching, introduction to me as a person (as well as a teacher), and procedure building.
I have certain decisions to make, still, but there are certain parts of my beginning of the year procedures that are already set.
For example:
1. I know that I prefer to give the students my already made rules, rather than "brainstorm" the rules with them. I do, however, believe that last year's lecture on the rules was ineffective, and I need to create a different method to teach them the rules this year. I saw one interactive idea, where it's got boxes with numbers and lines, so they can fill in the important information, and you can check to see that they are paying attention.
2. I know that I plan to spend at least 1 - 2 days on problem solving activities before getting started with the first unit. I don't know exactly how we'll implement the first unit - but I believe doing a couple of fun, math-related/problem solving activities are important, especially since this year's curriculum is much more heavily weighted on the problem-solving side.
3. I want to do two early quizzes: one about the rules, procedures, policies, and Mr. Golan and one about a topic that I teach them to be successful on very quickly, in the opening of the school year.
4. I will continue to use hand signals (non-verbal signs) for certain interruptions to a lesson: a raised R for rest room, a W at the throat for water, pinching the nose for a tissue, and holding a pencil up in the air for the sharpener. This will allow us to focus our attention on the math at hand, rather than these distractions.
5. I want to do some kind of activity where I get the students thinking about what math IS - beyond formulas, procedures, and calculations. I'm not sure how to get them to the realization that math is about recognizing patterns, about order (and chaos), and can be beautiful.
6. I know I want to go over the materials/supplies expectations with them. I also was thinking about doing either a classroom scavenger hunt and/OR a rules/expectations scavenger hunt. I also plan to do a textbook scavenger hunt to familiarize the kids with their new textbooks (which may be different from what they are used to).
7. I was thinking about doing a "Mr. G by the Numbers" ice-breaker, where I share with them 10 - 15 numbers that are important to me (or perhaps do it as a quiz where they have to match the numbers to the important facts). And then have them create their own and share out (and decorate it nicely to hang up?).
I still have a lot to do before next week, in terms of getting both my classroom and my materials ready for the new students. I am determined to do some team-building activities in the opening of the school year, as well as routine teaching, introduction to me as a person (as well as a teacher), and procedure building.
I have certain decisions to make, still, but there are certain parts of my beginning of the year procedures that are already set.
For example:
1. I know that I prefer to give the students my already made rules, rather than "brainstorm" the rules with them. I do, however, believe that last year's lecture on the rules was ineffective, and I need to create a different method to teach them the rules this year. I saw one interactive idea, where it's got boxes with numbers and lines, so they can fill in the important information, and you can check to see that they are paying attention.
2. I know that I plan to spend at least 1 - 2 days on problem solving activities before getting started with the first unit. I don't know exactly how we'll implement the first unit - but I believe doing a couple of fun, math-related/problem solving activities are important, especially since this year's curriculum is much more heavily weighted on the problem-solving side.
3. I want to do two early quizzes: one about the rules, procedures, policies, and Mr. Golan and one about a topic that I teach them to be successful on very quickly, in the opening of the school year.
4. I will continue to use hand signals (non-verbal signs) for certain interruptions to a lesson: a raised R for rest room, a W at the throat for water, pinching the nose for a tissue, and holding a pencil up in the air for the sharpener. This will allow us to focus our attention on the math at hand, rather than these distractions.
5. I want to do some kind of activity where I get the students thinking about what math IS - beyond formulas, procedures, and calculations. I'm not sure how to get them to the realization that math is about recognizing patterns, about order (and chaos), and can be beautiful.
6. I know I want to go over the materials/supplies expectations with them. I also was thinking about doing either a classroom scavenger hunt and/OR a rules/expectations scavenger hunt. I also plan to do a textbook scavenger hunt to familiarize the kids with their new textbooks (which may be different from what they are used to).
7. I was thinking about doing a "Mr. G by the Numbers" ice-breaker, where I share with them 10 - 15 numbers that are important to me (or perhaps do it as a quiz where they have to match the numbers to the important facts). And then have them create their own and share out (and decorate it nicely to hang up?).
Monday, May 21, 2012
An effective classroom is like a well oiled machine
An effective classroom is like a well oiled machine. Every procedure and process runs smoothly and efficiently, from passing out papers to checking HW. Figuring out the routines and planning them (and practicing them with the students) is what makes teachers more effective. When it becomes second nature for the class to do the "usual stuff," the teacher can dedicate their energy to doing the important stuff.
I've started compiling a list of routines and procedures - some I have, some I need to develop, some I need to optimize.
1. Procedure for handing out worksheets. (now that I had rows, I can hand out 6 papers to the "row leader" and they take one and pass it down)
2. Collecting papers (pass to the left, then the last column passes all the piles to the front). This could be streamlined a bit. #1: Having a responsible student sit in the back, pass all the papers to them, and that person is responsible for placing the papers in my mailboxes in the back of the classroom. #2: I also need to make sure there's no way for students' work to get lost along the way or copied.
3. Entry Procedure - I've vacillated between entry slips/quizzes, Do Nows (in the notebooks), and I think the kids don't always know what to expect. Next year, I'll train them early that it will always be one of those three.
4. Notebook set up: my kids' notebooks ROCK. This is one area that I've excelled this year. They know how to set up the table of contents, they know the summaries, Cornell Cues, indexing their vocab words, etc.
5. A routine for bathroom and water visits: I taught my kids some sign language at the start of the year, and they know to ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water by signing. We have school-wide policies about bathroom & drinks: kids are only allowed 3 visits per week during classes for ALL subjects, must sign in and out of class, and only 2 kids per class can leave.
6. Start & End of class: several of my classes STILL don't come in quietly and get right to work... Next year, I think I need to practice that more at the beginning of the year, so they do it consistently all year long. I also didn't emphasize that I dismiss the class, not the bell, so unless I say "freeze" to my kids, they start trying to pack up when the bell rings if I haven't already dismissed them.
7. Passes - I need to have a form pass that I can just fill out to give the kids - both for being late (from my class, or if I pull them aside in the hallway) and for lunch tutoring/detention.
8. Gum chewing policy - I've been so lax about it this year, and the undersides of my tables/chairs show it! I just haven't wanted to fight that battle all year long...
9. Absence policy: I have definitely had a hard time keeping track of students who've been late/absent from class and missed work. I've basically said, "it's up to you to find me and see what you missed." The good students do so; the weak students don't - and then risk failure. I need a better method that sets up the absent students to be more likely to check in with me.
10. Class jobs. I know I can delegate some of the responsibility for taking care of the classroom to the kids - and it will help us all! But I cannot figure out what the right jobs are or what those students do... Maybe next year, we'll work on a brainstorming session in homeroom about the jobs that are necessary to make the class run efficiently and smoothly.
11. Talking procedures & routines - how we talk as a whole group, how we talk in small groups, how we talk in partnerships... I didn't really get a chance to teach the students how to do this this year - they kind of got thrown into it. And I would say that it shows - some of my classes are much more effective than others at this skill.
12. Lining up vs. entering immediately upon class starting. I've wavered with my students about whether I want them to enter immediately and get started when they arrive or whether I want them to make two silent lines outside of my classroom when they arrive. There are benefits to both, and I think ultimately, I'm going to continue to make it a case-by-case basis.
13. Tardiness enforcement - I have not penalized kids for being late to my class yet - and I should... But I haven't figured out how yet or what would be appropriate.
14. A signal for their attention. I've used the count-down, "In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0" and then shortening it to "3, 2, 1, and 0." It worked effectively in the beginning of the year, where I then told them to "let me see your best slant." (Sit up straight, Lean forward, ask and answer questions, nod/note key points, and track the speaker) It works less effectively now, because I'm only doing the countdown. I also think I want to do something similar to SLANT, but call it "Star" (sit like a STAR - sit up, track the speaker, ask and answer questions, respect the class). I also heard from a colleague that he says something like, "800, eyes up." and if he has to say it 3 times, they know they've got detention. I know another teacher who uses a singing bowl to get the kids' attention.
15. A minor meditation/relaxing technique before each exam. I heard from a colleague of mine that they do this with their students, and I know how anxious the kids get before a test. I think it would be good to do a visualization and/or meditation/relaxation technique to help prevent test anxiety.
16. How to label their papers. I changed the heading format in the middle of the year, because I saw that the rest of the math department had a more efficient one. I do like my system of "A#s" though - the students get a number based on their place in the alphabetical order of their class, so I can alphabetize without thinking.
17. What do I do now? I need better procedures and routines for what the students should do when they finish the assignments. I have a lending library, I tell the kids to work on their notebooks, but I don't have any clear activities defined for them - and I should.
18. Get the students into a routine habit of copying down their homework from the board at the start of class (which requires me to be more sure about which assignment I'm going to give at the start of class!).
19. Folders and organization of their work. I want to manage all of the papers I give the students much better next year. To that end, I think a folder with one of those three-ring clips might help organize some of the reference materials for them, I think that having a glue stick or tape will help with being able to affix handouts directly to their notebook during class when I instruct them to. I also think that I need to get better about handing out their homework sooner, so that they can put it away before they're out the door leaving.
20. Self-assessment: how do students learn to assess where they are and ask for additional support or additional challenge?
21. What to do for kids who forget their materials: pencils, paper, rulers, etc. I have had too many lost, broken, and stolen materials. I need a pencil sherrif or something!
Any other routines, procedures, or policies that help make your class smooth? Or that you think are needed to make your class run more smoothly?
I've started compiling a list of routines and procedures - some I have, some I need to develop, some I need to optimize.
1. Procedure for handing out worksheets. (now that I had rows, I can hand out 6 papers to the "row leader" and they take one and pass it down)
2. Collecting papers (pass to the left, then the last column passes all the piles to the front). This could be streamlined a bit. #1: Having a responsible student sit in the back, pass all the papers to them, and that person is responsible for placing the papers in my mailboxes in the back of the classroom. #2: I also need to make sure there's no way for students' work to get lost along the way or copied.
3. Entry Procedure - I've vacillated between entry slips/quizzes, Do Nows (in the notebooks), and I think the kids don't always know what to expect. Next year, I'll train them early that it will always be one of those three.
4. Notebook set up: my kids' notebooks ROCK. This is one area that I've excelled this year. They know how to set up the table of contents, they know the summaries, Cornell Cues, indexing their vocab words, etc.
5. A routine for bathroom and water visits: I taught my kids some sign language at the start of the year, and they know to ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water by signing. We have school-wide policies about bathroom & drinks: kids are only allowed 3 visits per week during classes for ALL subjects, must sign in and out of class, and only 2 kids per class can leave.
6. Start & End of class: several of my classes STILL don't come in quietly and get right to work... Next year, I think I need to practice that more at the beginning of the year, so they do it consistently all year long. I also didn't emphasize that I dismiss the class, not the bell, so unless I say "freeze" to my kids, they start trying to pack up when the bell rings if I haven't already dismissed them.
7. Passes - I need to have a form pass that I can just fill out to give the kids - both for being late (from my class, or if I pull them aside in the hallway) and for lunch tutoring/detention.
8. Gum chewing policy - I've been so lax about it this year, and the undersides of my tables/chairs show it! I just haven't wanted to fight that battle all year long...
9. Absence policy: I have definitely had a hard time keeping track of students who've been late/absent from class and missed work. I've basically said, "it's up to you to find me and see what you missed." The good students do so; the weak students don't - and then risk failure. I need a better method that sets up the absent students to be more likely to check in with me.
10. Class jobs. I know I can delegate some of the responsibility for taking care of the classroom to the kids - and it will help us all! But I cannot figure out what the right jobs are or what those students do... Maybe next year, we'll work on a brainstorming session in homeroom about the jobs that are necessary to make the class run efficiently and smoothly.
11. Talking procedures & routines - how we talk as a whole group, how we talk in small groups, how we talk in partnerships... I didn't really get a chance to teach the students how to do this this year - they kind of got thrown into it. And I would say that it shows - some of my classes are much more effective than others at this skill.
12. Lining up vs. entering immediately upon class starting. I've wavered with my students about whether I want them to enter immediately and get started when they arrive or whether I want them to make two silent lines outside of my classroom when they arrive. There are benefits to both, and I think ultimately, I'm going to continue to make it a case-by-case basis.
13. Tardiness enforcement - I have not penalized kids for being late to my class yet - and I should... But I haven't figured out how yet or what would be appropriate.
14. A signal for their attention. I've used the count-down, "In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0" and then shortening it to "3, 2, 1, and 0." It worked effectively in the beginning of the year, where I then told them to "let me see your best slant." (Sit up straight, Lean forward, ask and answer questions, nod/note key points, and track the speaker) It works less effectively now, because I'm only doing the countdown. I also think I want to do something similar to SLANT, but call it "Star" (sit like a STAR - sit up, track the speaker, ask and answer questions, respect the class). I also heard from a colleague that he says something like, "800, eyes up." and if he has to say it 3 times, they know they've got detention. I know another teacher who uses a singing bowl to get the kids' attention.
15. A minor meditation/relaxing technique before each exam. I heard from a colleague of mine that they do this with their students, and I know how anxious the kids get before a test. I think it would be good to do a visualization and/or meditation/relaxation technique to help prevent test anxiety.
16. How to label their papers. I changed the heading format in the middle of the year, because I saw that the rest of the math department had a more efficient one. I do like my system of "A#s" though - the students get a number based on their place in the alphabetical order of their class, so I can alphabetize without thinking.
17. What do I do now? I need better procedures and routines for what the students should do when they finish the assignments. I have a lending library, I tell the kids to work on their notebooks, but I don't have any clear activities defined for them - and I should.
18. Get the students into a routine habit of copying down their homework from the board at the start of class (which requires me to be more sure about which assignment I'm going to give at the start of class!).
19. Folders and organization of their work. I want to manage all of the papers I give the students much better next year. To that end, I think a folder with one of those three-ring clips might help organize some of the reference materials for them, I think that having a glue stick or tape will help with being able to affix handouts directly to their notebook during class when I instruct them to. I also think that I need to get better about handing out their homework sooner, so that they can put it away before they're out the door leaving.
20. Self-assessment: how do students learn to assess where they are and ask for additional support or additional challenge?
21. What to do for kids who forget their materials: pencils, paper, rulers, etc. I have had too many lost, broken, and stolen materials. I need a pencil sherrif or something!
Any other routines, procedures, or policies that help make your class smooth? Or that you think are needed to make your class run more smoothly?
Sunday, May 20, 2012
As Year 2 draws to a close
As the second year of my full-time classroom teaching career draws to a close, I thought I would return to the blog-o-sphere to share my perspectives on what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and how I'm evolving. When I was in graduate school, they had us write weekly reflections about our student teaching placements, and I excelled at those. I haven't really kept up with them since starting my own classroom, as there is so much to keep up with.
My big thing right now is about student engagement. I have begun to develop classroom management skills (still fledgling), I have begun to get easy with the development of a "lecture lesson" - where I'm instructing the students (particularly if I'm helping them to notice a pattern that I'm developing for them). I'm gaining proficiency in creating quick quizzes and other short assessments that help me see if the students have the skills necessary for a given lesson (or have gained the skills after a lesson).
The biggest hurdle I find myself facing right now is the student engagement. I want to create lessons that excite my students about math, as much as, if not more than I was excited as a teenager. I want my students to get intrigued, to wonder, to ask "why?" and "how?" and "what's next?"
Instead, my kids are often asking, "But Mr. G, when will we ever use this?" "Do we really need to know this?" "This is boring!" "This is too hard." or "I already know this." In our current (and final unit), the first one, post-state exam (where the pressure has eased up), I have started to throw in "personal stories" and "launches" that have hooked my students much better than previously. For example, we are currently studying quadratic equations and parabolas (specifically their connection with projectile motion), so I'm using the example of me and my cousin throwing a ball around. I'm also using the example of my model rocket that I built in college. I'm trying to show the students, "Hey, Mr. G's a person too! He's pretty cool, so if he likes this math thing, there must be something to it..."
The other part of student engagement (that I'm still working on, especially for launching next year) is how to engage the kids in talking about math with each other without Mr. G hovering over the whole conversation. That requires building up a whole community of discourse - my task for the fall. Right now, I'm just hoping to get my kids intrigued by the math and say "I wonder what else we can do with it..."
My big thing right now is about student engagement. I have begun to develop classroom management skills (still fledgling), I have begun to get easy with the development of a "lecture lesson" - where I'm instructing the students (particularly if I'm helping them to notice a pattern that I'm developing for them). I'm gaining proficiency in creating quick quizzes and other short assessments that help me see if the students have the skills necessary for a given lesson (or have gained the skills after a lesson).
The biggest hurdle I find myself facing right now is the student engagement. I want to create lessons that excite my students about math, as much as, if not more than I was excited as a teenager. I want my students to get intrigued, to wonder, to ask "why?" and "how?" and "what's next?"
Instead, my kids are often asking, "But Mr. G, when will we ever use this?" "Do we really need to know this?" "This is boring!" "This is too hard." or "I already know this." In our current (and final unit), the first one, post-state exam (where the pressure has eased up), I have started to throw in "personal stories" and "launches" that have hooked my students much better than previously. For example, we are currently studying quadratic equations and parabolas (specifically their connection with projectile motion), so I'm using the example of me and my cousin throwing a ball around. I'm also using the example of my model rocket that I built in college. I'm trying to show the students, "Hey, Mr. G's a person too! He's pretty cool, so if he likes this math thing, there must be something to it..."
The other part of student engagement (that I'm still working on, especially for launching next year) is how to engage the kids in talking about math with each other without Mr. G hovering over the whole conversation. That requires building up a whole community of discourse - my task for the fall. Right now, I'm just hoping to get my kids intrigued by the math and say "I wonder what else we can do with it..."
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Integrating psychological theories to create educational practices
So I thought I'd start off my blogging by posting a paper I wrote last semester for my theories of development course, the foundational class for my Masters program. It's the only required course for ALL students and it's taught by the head of the program (who is also my don).
To give you some background:
It's a semester long seminar and we cover pretty much all of the developmental psychologists. We start with behaviorism (Watson and Thorndike and then Skinner), move into psychoanalysis (Frued, Erikson as well as object relations theory - Mahler, Winnicott, Chodorow; and attachment theory - Bowlby), and progress into cognitive developmental theory (Piaget, Donaldson, Werner, Vygotsky). She wraps up the semester by looking at critiques of developmentalism, new directions and "updated" version of the theories (of psychoanalysis and cognitive development), and discusses some educational implications. She concludes with a class on play - her particular topic of interest.
Now, you'll notice as I went through, I named some of the major theorists who are foundational to the theories attached (i.e. Frued and Erikson are THE psychoanalists; Skinner is THE behaviorist, Piaget is THE Cognitive Development, etc). My inclusion of them isn't just to reference who developed the theory - it's because we actually read their writings, in the original form (unless it's in another language, in which case, we read a translation of their work). We also read some secondary sources, but we started our discussion with the primary sources. The reasoning behind that was so that we could digest the psychologists ourselves and not get biased views. Because we had this primary source information, we even disagreed with one of our tertiary sources about what he said about one of the psychologists (Bowlby). She did this to empower us, and I think it was a really important part of our coursework.
Anyway, at the end of the semester, we studied the educational implications, one of which was the Developmental-Interactionist Approach, as done at Bank Street School by various people. This is my paper about the DI-Approach.
Integrating theories into an Educational Practice
The developmental-interaction approach is not a psychological theory in its own right, but rather an approach that incorporates several theories of development into an educational practice for the classroom. As long as there exists a “goodness of fit” between the theories, a variety of theories can be integrated into this approach. This is particularly seen in the evolving nature of the developmental-interaction approach as outlined by Shapiro and Nager (1999). As new theorists came to the attention of the developmental-interactionists (for example, Vygotsky), their theories were incorporated into the DI approach that initially utilized Piaget, Kohlberg, (Werner) and Erikson. Piaget's theories of cognitive development, Kohlberg's theories of moral development (based on Piagetian stages), and Erikson's ego psychology were integrated to create an understanding of all aspects of a child – affective-social and cognitive. Werner was integrated because his theory provided flexibility that Piaget's lacked. Later, Vygotsky's theories were easily integrated because they shared important characteristics with Werner's and Piaget's theory.
The fundamental principle of the developmental-interaction approach is “...that the growth of cognitive function... cannot be separated from the growth of personal and interpersonal processes” (Shapiro & Biber, 1972, p.61, as cited in Shapiro and Nager, p. 21). Thus, the integrated theories must explain not only cognitive, but also social and emotional development. To be cognizant of the interdependence between cognitive development and affective-social is vital in planning educational practices to reflect how children and people actually function (Franklin & Biber, p. 18). If an educational system only takes into account the cognitive development, and ignores the affective-social, then it places limits on understanding the child's actions and what the child has learned from their experiences. “Growth and development require conflict in both cognitive and affective domains,” (Shapiro and Nager, p. 21). The development of the affective-social and of cognitive processes are not merely parallel pathways where changes in one system always cause changes in the other. Rather, the two systems are interwoven in a path of interdependence. The truly interactionist view espoused by Franklin and Biber integrates the two systems in a fashion that allows for a back-and-forth between the two, sometimes one affecting the other and sometimes a third system affecting both (Franklin & Biber, p.18). “The interplay between the [child's] propensities and activities and that which impinges on him from the outside” (Franklin & Biber, p. 18) creates conflicts that drive a child's development forward. Interactions with other people and with their physical environment “provide the critical situation without which no growth or education is possible” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 23). Essentially, growth in any domain requires conflict. This conflict can come in many forms and can be driven by conflict in other domains.
If one starts from the concept that “One has to understand children in order to plan a school that was right for their development” (Mitchell, 1953, p. 273, as cited in Shapiro and Nager, p. 12), then the relation of psychological theory to educational planning (Franklin & Biber, p. 24) becomes obvious. The psychological theories can provide the conceptual grounding for understanding the goals of development and how to get there. If a teacher is grounded in a variety of theories of development, they are able to make an informed decision as to their ideal classroom goals. Even if they are unable to achieve their ideal goals due to real-world constraints, having a goal in mind allows them to guide all of their practices along a consistent path. Furthermore, just by understanding these theories, teachers are better able to articulate the reasons behind their practices. This allows them to justify why their particular practices are employed. For example, a teacher might explain that they have a large area dedicated to blocks in order to allow the space to be big enough for multiple children to engage simultaneously, which will facilitate the practice of social skills alongside cognitive skills gained from the block play itself. Additionally, in my fieldwork at the Early Childhood Center, the head teacher explained a situation in which one of the parents expressed concern that her child was not learning enough in the classroom because when asked what she had done at school, the child always said, “I played all day.” The teacher then explained to the parents the educational goals of the play. For example, in playing bingo (first with numbers and later with letters), one goal was to assess the children's ability to recognize letters and numbers and to expose them to those numbers and letters.
Furthermore, everyone operates using psychological theories; better to have them explicitly stated and understand the lens through which one sees children than to implicitly expect everyone to see the world in the same manner. This may help to identify when a psychological theory is being misused to constrain people rather than to liberate them. Although a theory may be misapplied or abused, that does not speak to inherent problems in the theory, merely the implementation. “What is the theory being used for?” is an important question that needs to be asked before a theory can be assessed. Is it being used to pathologize people and restrict them or to empower and liberate them?
A solid understanding of the theories of child development provide a teacher with a number of options for their educational practice. These theories do not come as “all or nothing” packages, but rather can be drawn from in a useful manner to create an approach that works. The question that has to be asked is “Is this a good theory to think with? Does this theory give you something to think about that helps you see/understand something you wouldn't have otherwise, without this theory?” If there is an aspect of a theory that proves useful, that part of the theory may be usable, even if other parts of the theory are not applicable. For instance, although Piaget's theories did not pay enough attention to the affect of the environment for the developmental-interactionist approach, several of his key ideas were compatible and incorporated into the approach. Piaget's theory operated from a constructivist point of view, which sees the learning process as involving an active learner who builds their own knowledge and understanding, with the appreciation for learning and development as separate, though related, processes. With Piaget's theories, his stages of development (sensory-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational) are a linear pathway that leads to the highest form of functioning. According to Piaget, the earlier pathways should be regarded as necessary steps to the higher forms of functioning, but once a higher form is achieved, the previous forms are discarded. Piaget's strict adherence to the developmental stages was too restrictive for the developmental-interactions, and thus they drew on Heinz Werner's theory instead. Werner's concept of development was not as a fixed achievement, but rather a process that reveals a range of abilities to deal with interactions between people and situations. There is an understanding that even when a child has moved into a later stage, they do not lose their previous abilities, but rather have expanded their crayon box to include more colors.
Based on Werner's conceptualization of optimal functioning, “...the movement from lesser to greater maturity is characterized by widening the range of developmentally different operations and thus making available different modes of structuring to be brought into play in any given situation” (Franklin & Biber, p. 28). The child with less maturity has a smaller crayon box of developmentally different operations to draw from. As the child matures, their crayon box is added to and expands, but they do not lose the crayons they started with; those crayons perhaps get used less as there are now more options. The current trend of accelerating children's acquisition of skills becomes unsatisfactory if the goal is to expand the child's crayon box of skills. Rather, widening the repertoire of abilities that a child possesses (and thus broadening their crayon box) should become the focus. Furthermore, within this approach, getting the child to transfer the crayons (skills) he already has to the new tasks should be an important goal.
Based on this model, the test procedures currently used to measure growth are inadequate. Standardized tests in particular focus too much on a snapshot of the child's knowledge, and very minimally even addresses their abilities. The evaluation procedure must become process-oriented rather than continuing to evaluate arbitrary end-points. The evaluations must occur in the learning environment and make observations of how the child's capacities are being utilized in a particular environment (Franklin & Biber, p. 28).
In enacting an educational philosophy, it is vital for the teachers to have an understanding of the “collateral learning” (Franklin & Biber, p. 19) that the child gains from learning under that system. “In Dewey's words (Dewey & Dewey, 1915): 'The greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only the particular thing he is studying at the time'” (Franklin & Biber, p. 20). While a person is studying a specific subject, they are also learning about how to learn and how to make decisions. This is why it is critical to examine what the side-effects of a teaching system is. For instance, the behavioristic learning system that employs didactic teaching methods, imbues the teacher (or authority figure) with all of the right answers (knowledge) and only by getting the same answer will a student be correct. Thus, the child learns that the authoritarian figure has all of the knowledge. In the Piagetian system, the learning is more active and child-constructed, which teaches a child that learning involves activity on their part with the ability to learn anything they are interested in. Additionally, the developmental-interactive approach prepares a child to participate in a democracy, as they are responsible for selecting and pursing their own education as well as resolving conflicts with other students.
In addition to side effects that tell a child about the values of learning, there may be emotional and social effects. Teachers must have a “...concern with the individual in context of community” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 24). For instance, if a block area of a classroom is set up with enough space for multiple children to build next to each other, this allows for many possibilities of social interaction. The social skills in children may be developed through block play in this area as a side effect of the children playing together with the same materials. Furthermore, if children are allowed to share personal experiences of the subject matter (for instance, a family member who builds bridges) with the class, that may serve to create an emotional involvement. By using something that the children are engaged in, they may learn better because they will be more motivated. Being engaged means caring or creating an emotional connection for the children by using relevant situations. Thus, the learning takes place in the context of meaningful activities and play. Additionally, by valuing and addressing emotional stresses, the teachers may understand better why a child isn't able to learn in a given situation. For instance, if the teacher knows that a student's parents are on a trip and the child is staying with grandparents, this may explain why the child's behavior is uncharacteristic. This child may be unable to focus on school work or may need to be drawn into a subject when they are normally a self-motivated child.
The Developmental-Interaction Approach can be implemented – if its importance is taken seriously enough. In order to effectively prepare teachers to enact this approach, teacher training requires a major overhaul. Groups of teachers must get together and talk about what is going on in their classrooms and the practices that they employ. The groups must then engage in critical reflections and enact changes based on that. The teachers need to have enough knowledge of other cultures and other ways to be open to other ways of being. Finally, although some might attempt to develop a formula for how to implement this approach, anything applied formulaically is antagonistic to this perspective.
According to the developmental-interaction approach, the goal of the schools should be to “strengthen the child's competence to deal effectively with the environment; encourage the development of autonomy and the construction of a sense of self; promote the integration of functions—that is, thought and feeling, feeling and action—and stimulate individuality and vigorous, creative response” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 22). This emphasis on social aspects and sense of self prepare students to be adults in the American democratic society. Furthermore, expanding the child's crayon box of skills is seen as the method by which teachers can help children be successful.
To give you some background:
It's a semester long seminar and we cover pretty much all of the developmental psychologists. We start with behaviorism (Watson and Thorndike and then Skinner), move into psychoanalysis (Frued, Erikson as well as object relations theory - Mahler, Winnicott, Chodorow; and attachment theory - Bowlby), and progress into cognitive developmental theory (Piaget, Donaldson, Werner, Vygotsky). She wraps up the semester by looking at critiques of developmentalism, new directions and "updated" version of the theories (of psychoanalysis and cognitive development), and discusses some educational implications. She concludes with a class on play - her particular topic of interest.
Now, you'll notice as I went through, I named some of the major theorists who are foundational to the theories attached (i.e. Frued and Erikson are THE psychoanalists; Skinner is THE behaviorist, Piaget is THE Cognitive Development, etc). My inclusion of them isn't just to reference who developed the theory - it's because we actually read their writings, in the original form (unless it's in another language, in which case, we read a translation of their work). We also read some secondary sources, but we started our discussion with the primary sources. The reasoning behind that was so that we could digest the psychologists ourselves and not get biased views. Because we had this primary source information, we even disagreed with one of our tertiary sources about what he said about one of the psychologists (Bowlby). She did this to empower us, and I think it was a really important part of our coursework.
Anyway, at the end of the semester, we studied the educational implications, one of which was the Developmental-Interactionist Approach, as done at Bank Street School by various people. This is my paper about the DI-Approach.
Integrating theories into an Educational Practice
The developmental-interaction approach is not a psychological theory in its own right, but rather an approach that incorporates several theories of development into an educational practice for the classroom. As long as there exists a “goodness of fit” between the theories, a variety of theories can be integrated into this approach. This is particularly seen in the evolving nature of the developmental-interaction approach as outlined by Shapiro and Nager (1999). As new theorists came to the attention of the developmental-interactionists (for example, Vygotsky), their theories were incorporated into the DI approach that initially utilized Piaget, Kohlberg, (Werner) and Erikson. Piaget's theories of cognitive development, Kohlberg's theories of moral development (based on Piagetian stages), and Erikson's ego psychology were integrated to create an understanding of all aspects of a child – affective-social and cognitive. Werner was integrated because his theory provided flexibility that Piaget's lacked. Later, Vygotsky's theories were easily integrated because they shared important characteristics with Werner's and Piaget's theory.
The fundamental principle of the developmental-interaction approach is “...that the growth of cognitive function... cannot be separated from the growth of personal and interpersonal processes” (Shapiro & Biber, 1972, p.61, as cited in Shapiro and Nager, p. 21). Thus, the integrated theories must explain not only cognitive, but also social and emotional development. To be cognizant of the interdependence between cognitive development and affective-social is vital in planning educational practices to reflect how children and people actually function (Franklin & Biber, p. 18). If an educational system only takes into account the cognitive development, and ignores the affective-social, then it places limits on understanding the child's actions and what the child has learned from their experiences. “Growth and development require conflict in both cognitive and affective domains,” (Shapiro and Nager, p. 21). The development of the affective-social and of cognitive processes are not merely parallel pathways where changes in one system always cause changes in the other. Rather, the two systems are interwoven in a path of interdependence. The truly interactionist view espoused by Franklin and Biber integrates the two systems in a fashion that allows for a back-and-forth between the two, sometimes one affecting the other and sometimes a third system affecting both (Franklin & Biber, p.18). “The interplay between the [child's] propensities and activities and that which impinges on him from the outside” (Franklin & Biber, p. 18) creates conflicts that drive a child's development forward. Interactions with other people and with their physical environment “provide the critical situation without which no growth or education is possible” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 23). Essentially, growth in any domain requires conflict. This conflict can come in many forms and can be driven by conflict in other domains.
If one starts from the concept that “One has to understand children in order to plan a school that was right for their development” (Mitchell, 1953, p. 273, as cited in Shapiro and Nager, p. 12), then the relation of psychological theory to educational planning (Franklin & Biber, p. 24) becomes obvious. The psychological theories can provide the conceptual grounding for understanding the goals of development and how to get there. If a teacher is grounded in a variety of theories of development, they are able to make an informed decision as to their ideal classroom goals. Even if they are unable to achieve their ideal goals due to real-world constraints, having a goal in mind allows them to guide all of their practices along a consistent path. Furthermore, just by understanding these theories, teachers are better able to articulate the reasons behind their practices. This allows them to justify why their particular practices are employed. For example, a teacher might explain that they have a large area dedicated to blocks in order to allow the space to be big enough for multiple children to engage simultaneously, which will facilitate the practice of social skills alongside cognitive skills gained from the block play itself. Additionally, in my fieldwork at the Early Childhood Center, the head teacher explained a situation in which one of the parents expressed concern that her child was not learning enough in the classroom because when asked what she had done at school, the child always said, “I played all day.” The teacher then explained to the parents the educational goals of the play. For example, in playing bingo (first with numbers and later with letters), one goal was to assess the children's ability to recognize letters and numbers and to expose them to those numbers and letters.
Furthermore, everyone operates using psychological theories; better to have them explicitly stated and understand the lens through which one sees children than to implicitly expect everyone to see the world in the same manner. This may help to identify when a psychological theory is being misused to constrain people rather than to liberate them. Although a theory may be misapplied or abused, that does not speak to inherent problems in the theory, merely the implementation. “What is the theory being used for?” is an important question that needs to be asked before a theory can be assessed. Is it being used to pathologize people and restrict them or to empower and liberate them?
A solid understanding of the theories of child development provide a teacher with a number of options for their educational practice. These theories do not come as “all or nothing” packages, but rather can be drawn from in a useful manner to create an approach that works. The question that has to be asked is “Is this a good theory to think with? Does this theory give you something to think about that helps you see/understand something you wouldn't have otherwise, without this theory?” If there is an aspect of a theory that proves useful, that part of the theory may be usable, even if other parts of the theory are not applicable. For instance, although Piaget's theories did not pay enough attention to the affect of the environment for the developmental-interactionist approach, several of his key ideas were compatible and incorporated into the approach. Piaget's theory operated from a constructivist point of view, which sees the learning process as involving an active learner who builds their own knowledge and understanding, with the appreciation for learning and development as separate, though related, processes. With Piaget's theories, his stages of development (sensory-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational) are a linear pathway that leads to the highest form of functioning. According to Piaget, the earlier pathways should be regarded as necessary steps to the higher forms of functioning, but once a higher form is achieved, the previous forms are discarded. Piaget's strict adherence to the developmental stages was too restrictive for the developmental-interactions, and thus they drew on Heinz Werner's theory instead. Werner's concept of development was not as a fixed achievement, but rather a process that reveals a range of abilities to deal with interactions between people and situations. There is an understanding that even when a child has moved into a later stage, they do not lose their previous abilities, but rather have expanded their crayon box to include more colors.
Based on Werner's conceptualization of optimal functioning, “...the movement from lesser to greater maturity is characterized by widening the range of developmentally different operations and thus making available different modes of structuring to be brought into play in any given situation” (Franklin & Biber, p. 28). The child with less maturity has a smaller crayon box of developmentally different operations to draw from. As the child matures, their crayon box is added to and expands, but they do not lose the crayons they started with; those crayons perhaps get used less as there are now more options. The current trend of accelerating children's acquisition of skills becomes unsatisfactory if the goal is to expand the child's crayon box of skills. Rather, widening the repertoire of abilities that a child possesses (and thus broadening their crayon box) should become the focus. Furthermore, within this approach, getting the child to transfer the crayons (skills) he already has to the new tasks should be an important goal.
Based on this model, the test procedures currently used to measure growth are inadequate. Standardized tests in particular focus too much on a snapshot of the child's knowledge, and very minimally even addresses their abilities. The evaluation procedure must become process-oriented rather than continuing to evaluate arbitrary end-points. The evaluations must occur in the learning environment and make observations of how the child's capacities are being utilized in a particular environment (Franklin & Biber, p. 28).
In enacting an educational philosophy, it is vital for the teachers to have an understanding of the “collateral learning” (Franklin & Biber, p. 19) that the child gains from learning under that system. “In Dewey's words (Dewey & Dewey, 1915): 'The greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only the particular thing he is studying at the time'” (Franklin & Biber, p. 20). While a person is studying a specific subject, they are also learning about how to learn and how to make decisions. This is why it is critical to examine what the side-effects of a teaching system is. For instance, the behavioristic learning system that employs didactic teaching methods, imbues the teacher (or authority figure) with all of the right answers (knowledge) and only by getting the same answer will a student be correct. Thus, the child learns that the authoritarian figure has all of the knowledge. In the Piagetian system, the learning is more active and child-constructed, which teaches a child that learning involves activity on their part with the ability to learn anything they are interested in. Additionally, the developmental-interactive approach prepares a child to participate in a democracy, as they are responsible for selecting and pursing their own education as well as resolving conflicts with other students.
In addition to side effects that tell a child about the values of learning, there may be emotional and social effects. Teachers must have a “...concern with the individual in context of community” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 24). For instance, if a block area of a classroom is set up with enough space for multiple children to build next to each other, this allows for many possibilities of social interaction. The social skills in children may be developed through block play in this area as a side effect of the children playing together with the same materials. Furthermore, if children are allowed to share personal experiences of the subject matter (for instance, a family member who builds bridges) with the class, that may serve to create an emotional involvement. By using something that the children are engaged in, they may learn better because they will be more motivated. Being engaged means caring or creating an emotional connection for the children by using relevant situations. Thus, the learning takes place in the context of meaningful activities and play. Additionally, by valuing and addressing emotional stresses, the teachers may understand better why a child isn't able to learn in a given situation. For instance, if the teacher knows that a student's parents are on a trip and the child is staying with grandparents, this may explain why the child's behavior is uncharacteristic. This child may be unable to focus on school work or may need to be drawn into a subject when they are normally a self-motivated child.
The Developmental-Interaction Approach can be implemented – if its importance is taken seriously enough. In order to effectively prepare teachers to enact this approach, teacher training requires a major overhaul. Groups of teachers must get together and talk about what is going on in their classrooms and the practices that they employ. The groups must then engage in critical reflections and enact changes based on that. The teachers need to have enough knowledge of other cultures and other ways to be open to other ways of being. Finally, although some might attempt to develop a formula for how to implement this approach, anything applied formulaically is antagonistic to this perspective.
According to the developmental-interaction approach, the goal of the schools should be to “strengthen the child's competence to deal effectively with the environment; encourage the development of autonomy and the construction of a sense of self; promote the integration of functions—that is, thought and feeling, feeling and action—and stimulate individuality and vigorous, creative response” (Shapiro & Nager, p. 22). This emphasis on social aspects and sense of self prepare students to be adults in the American democratic society. Furthermore, expanding the child's crayon box of skills is seen as the method by which teachers can help children be successful.
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