Module 1: Teaching, Developing, and Identity

MODULE ONE: Teaching, Developing, Identity

CONCEPT ONE: “Good Teaching”

Summary:

Woolfolk starts out his book strong with the first chapter of the textbook talking broadly about teaching and specifically discusses what makes a teacher “good”. On page ten, Woolfolk states that “[t]eachers must be both knowledgeable and inventive. They must be able to use a range of strategies, and they must also be capable of inventing new strategies. They must have some basic research-based routines for managing classes, but they must also be willing and able to break from the routine when the situation calls for change.” But the list of criteria to be met for a “good teacher” does not stop there. In fact, there are so many ideas and opinions for good teaching that it is difficult to decide which one to follow. In chapter one, Woolfolk describes a few different frameworks for teaching that many professionals have created to identify what works in teaching and how to identify those ideas. From this, there have been many different models created for teaching and teacher evaluation systems. Chapter one reviews some of those models, including “Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, the high-leverage practices identified by TeachingWorks at the University of Michigan, and the Measures of Effective Teaching project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” (Woolfolk 10). But above all, the author notes that teaching is complex and can not be mastered without much trial and error.

Reflection:

In my Introduction to Education class that ended a little more than a week ago, we often talked about this idea of what makes a teacher “good” and who should decide that. We discussed that it is often so complicated to decipher a good teacher from a bad teacher because that question is way too vague to be answered. In one instance, it depends completely on who you ask. Students, parents, teachers, even principals are likely to be biased (either in favor of or against) a particular teacher. The question, when you speak broadly, is who do you ask about who is a good teacher? Do you ask the students? They are the ones interacting with the teacher each day, and yet, how can we know they are a fair judge? How many high schoolers would provide positive feedback for a teacher who may be failing them, but in the end, they are the one who did not do the work and interact with the teachers the most? Do you ask another coworker of the teacher? Perhaps a teacher who is known to do well with the students? It would make sense for a teacher to decide how another teacher is performing, but even then, we can not ignore the biases that can occur. As I was reading through the frameworks and models for expert teaching that the book described, I was excited to see such concrete and standard ways of reviewing teaching, but a little overwhelmed by all the criteria that had to be met. The book notes how important good teaching is, stating the impacts of students having a bad teacher. The cost of poor teaching is high, Woolfolk states that, “better teaching in a later grade could partially make up for less effective teaching in earlier grades but could not erase all the deficits traced to poor teachers” (8). So a student in a classroom that does not achieve grade-level work, will face those consequences for years down the line.

I don’t quite know what makes a teacher “good” if I am being honest. When I reflect back on my elementary and high school years, the teachers that stick out to me the most are the ones who taught passionately, loved us hard, made learning fun, and treated us like real people. The ones that seemed to really care about us, often taught us the best material. When I think back to my teachers who were not as great, I remember they often gave us an overwhelming amount of work, yelled at us often, had strict rules, and did not teach the material in a way that helped us learn.

In my placement first semester, my cooperating teacher was amazing. She had a large group of students who spoke different languages, had so many different needs, and were a wild group of fourth graders. And yet, she taught them well, cared about them, and tried her best to help them succeed, and they respected and loved her. One day she was at a meeting and had a substitute for the school day, she told me that I could still come in if I wanted and I decided that I knew the class pretty well (it was towards the end of the semester) and figured I could help out the sub if she needed it. The kids walked in that day from lunch and I noticed immediately that they were a lot louder and less organized than usual. The sub, however, began screaming at them and telling them to sit down, be quiet, and read their books. When the students were called for bathroom breaks, several of the girls came back to the report an incident in the bathroom. Instead of addressing the situation privately with the student, the teacher called out the student (and the class) loudly in front of everyone. As the girl sat there crying, I could not believe that she yelled at the student, in front of everyone, without knowing what had actually happened. That particular girl very bright and always kind and I was shocked that that was all happening. The rest of the afternoon was kind of a mess too, the substitute did not explain the worksheets very well and many of the students were lost and I had to step in to explain what the instructions were many times (definitely not complaining, just should not have to happen really..). I remember leaving my placement that day and taking down a lot of notes of how I would not to run a classroom, but also, how I would. 

CONCEPT TWO: Cognitive Development

Summary:

In chapter two, Woolfolk discussed cognitive development and the impact it has on students. Woolfolk discussed the functions of the brain and the changes that occur in development. Additionally, she discusses what influences cognitive development and the parts of the brain that impact thinking, learning, and developing. She addresses two popular theories of cognitive development by Piaget and Vygotsky that can be studied and used in order to make decisions in the classroom. When I took Life Span Development last year, we discussed these theories in great detail. It is important to have an understanding of cognitive development in studies in order to know how to best teach our students.

Reflection:

In chapter two, Woolfolk talks largely about cognitive development and how that impacts students. In each stage of development, students are growing and their understanding and needs in the world are changing. I believe that it is important to address and understand cognitive development in different stages in order to understand your students. Children change and develop constantly, and understanding what happens at each particular stage can help to understand what may happen in a classroom.

Last summer I worked at a summer camp for my town’s park district. During training, one of the activities we did was break into groups based off the age group that we would be working with. I was placed in kinder camp, which was the youngest age group for kids going into kindergarten that fall. Once we were in our groups, we were given a large sheet of paper and asked to write down how children in our age group are developing and what is going on for them. On our paper we identified that this is likely the first time away from home for some of our campers, that often times they do not know how to communicate their needs, that they have not yet been to school full time yet, that their abilities are different than the abilities of the older campers, and a lot more

This was a very important activity for us. From it, we gained a new perspective and understanding of how to best interact with our campers. We focused a lot on the cognitive development of the campers (who ranged from entering kindergarten to entering eighth grade) and what that meant to use as their counselors.

As a future teacher, I think it is important to recognize the developmental needs of our students and to see things from their level (both physically and mentally). When we have a better understanding of cognitive development, we can better understand how to implement these ideas into a classroom. Another concept that the book talked about was the “problem of the match”. Woolfolk explains that “students must be neither bored by work that is too simple nor left behind by teaching they cannot understand” (68).

By pushing students to grow and to learn, but not pushing them so hard that they are frustrated and want to quit, we can best create an environment that encourages growth. In middle school I had many teachers that were an example of this. In sixth grade my reading teacher allowed us to choose from a selection of books based on our lexile number. My lexile number was pretty high (I’m not bragging man, although I definitely did in sixth grade…) and so I chose a book that ended up being pretty difficult for me to read. Instead of letting me pick a different, easier book, Mrs. Dubois encouraged me to keep going and allowed me to write down any questions I might have and we would work through them. She did not allow me to be bored by reading that would be too easy for me, but knew that I could understand the work with a little bit of a push. As a future teacher, I believe it is important to know and understand your students and push them to challenge themselves.

CONCEPT THREE: Identity

Summary:

While chapter two discussed cognitive development, chapter three discussed social and moral development and “the self”. Woolfolk also discusses the topic of identity. On page 99, identity is described as “the first time that a conscious effort is made to answer the now-pressing question: “Who am I?”’. Discovering the individual that you want to become is complicated, and teachers are encouraged to guide their students in answering the question “who am I?”. On page 101, Woolfolk describes many different ways teachers can support their students in forming their identity. I think it is important to think about what teachers can do to assist and support students in identity formation.

Reflection:

So many of my education classes this past school year have focused on the importance of a student’s cultural identity, religion, background, and individual needs. Most prominently we discussed cultural identity and what that means for a student and how we can help foster a positive relationship and appreciation of differences in culture inside (and outside) the classroom.

In my Children’s Literature class this semester, we discussed just how important it is for students to have an identity and to see themselves in the classroom. In that class, we talked specifically about how we can use children’s books to show a positive image of cultures in a general sense and of individuals of all cultures. In literature, it is important to have books that do not just contain stories of one culture, family, or identity. Having a large range of books with different cultures and character is important so that students can see themselves in the classroom. We talked about how so many of the books read in the classroom contain white characters with a middle class, traditional family. By having books of different characters, families, and cultures, students will either be able to learn about others, or see themselves in what they are reading. Both of these are important for students.

On page 103, Woolfolk states that “having strong positive feelings about your own ethnic group seems to be important for good mental health as well as engagement and success in school”. One of the ways the textbook says we can support identity formation is by giving students models for career choice and other roles. Specifically, it points to positive role models in literature and history and to inviting guest speakers who are positive models into the classroom. Having and seeing individuals who are a positive role model are so important in forming a positive identity.

As a future teacher, I believe it is so important that students feel appreciated and loved by their peers and that they develop a positive view and identity for themselves. I think there are many ways that this idea can be supported: by having representation in the classroom; fostering honest conversations about different people, cultures, and identities; and encouraging students to think about who they are and who they want to become in society.

In my placement first semester, the school was very diverse, and many cultures and different people were represented. The school worked hard so that all of the students felt welcome. For example, on the doors, there were signs in three different languages so that many of the young students who were not fluent in English could understand, and learn English. As teachers we can do a lot to help students feel comfortable in the classroom and to develop an identity that will help them succeed inside and outside of the classroom.