Writing about my convictions of what a good teacher should be, made me think of myself. I realize that being a good teacher requires my conscious awareness of how to deal with students to ensure that they benefit from my instruction. I know that I will have to focus on the emotions that the students come to class with. I am now aware I am not just educating their mind but also their heart. How I present myself models my attitude and perceptions towards learning which affects my students’ emotions as well.
Today, another scaffolding activity was carried in relation to T2P. Focusing on the area of student’s weakness and re-teaching it provides an opportunity for the student to understand better. The students could also reconstruct what they have learnt and make connections. Also, getting the peers to provide good examples on the activity consolidates student’s understanding. Re-doing the activity is very beneficial to ensure students are on the right track. I find this method of instruction useful to direct students’ learning to the right path. Another interesting that occurred during this activity is the use of scaffold. This time the scaffold is not as intense as in the previous lesson and it relates to Vygotsky’s theory of learning on gradual withdrawal of scaffolds. Once mastery occurs scaffolds should be withdrawn and in this instance, since there was one area that required guidance, scaffold was limited.
Making connections is what I would like to think of this activity. Comparing the theories of learning and making connections from one to the other provides a broad understanding of the whole concept. Likewise, when teaching in the classroom, the teacher has to make connections from previous lessons to the current to ensure that students have a flow of thought and are able to make connections. This will provide meaningful learning and students will be engaged.
If students experience success overtime and it is reinforced then students would be able to take control of their learning because students would be able to manage their emotions and behaviors. In this way, according to Mitra, Noddings and Siemens students would be able to engage in meaningful learning and become autonomous learner and would be confident and competent in progressing on their own. They would be able to venture on their own because they will be motivated and will be willing to try alternative paths to acquire new information. Functional fixedness will no longer limit students’ creativity and learning would be viewed as fun. In other words, students would have developed intrinsic motivation to embark on learning.
2 comments:
TJ,
You wrote:
They would be able to venture on their own because they will be motivated and will be willing to try alternative paths to acquire new information.
And I want to know more ... always my question is why. Why is it important that student are able to venture on their own? Your response to that question will evidence the moral implications of your observation(s).
Keep pressing!
GNA
When students are involved in their own learning process, they would then be able to make meaningful connections with the world outside the classroom. They would no longer need to rely on their teachers to do the thinking for them.
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