Chapters 12, 14, and 15 of Woolfolk this week are important and essential in every classroom. The chapters focused on the needs of our students and how to effectively teach with our students at the forefront. It in the day and age of standardized teaching it is good to be reminded of the purpose of teaching and remembering to see our students as individuals.
In chapter 12 Woolfolk addresses Maslow's hierarchy of needs (pg. 381) and looking at the whole student. I believe that his theory holds a lot of truth because in order for a student to perform to their full potential then all of their needs must be met first. For example a student coming to school hungry everyday is not going to be able to concentrate in school which may result in behavioral problems or isolation. Knowing Maslow's hierarchy of needs allows for teachers to be more attentive to their students and addressing their needs first. I believe that the reason some schools might have more behavioral issues then other schools revolves around whether or not the students needs are being met; in a more affluent neighborhood the students might be better behaved compared to a lower income neighborhood due to whether or not the students needs are being met. Often time kids don't know how to express themselves and are ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help therefore they take out their emotions in unhealthy ways which generally negatively effects others.
My teacher told me about the home background of one of my students and it explained a lot to me about how she is in the classroom. I'm learning to be patient with her and encourage her when she is doing her work but also reminding her that she needs to respect authority. The concept of learned helplessness is one that is difficult to understand and as a teacher can be frustrating at times. I was at a 3rd grade placement about one year ago and one of the students became so frustrated whenever it was time for math. She didn't attempt a math problem and instead she would lay her head down and cry. This was difficult for me to watch because I knew that she could do it but she had to try first. I would help her and encourage her but then the next step is for to grab the reigns and believe in her abilities.
As Woolfolk says in chapter 14 it is very important to teach every student. Know the needs of each of ones students as well as knowing their academic needs. One of my teachers made mention of this last week about the importance of knowing her students and changing the lessons each year because her students are different and have different needs. This was great to hear because it let me know that my teacher is attentive and cares for her students; she doesn't just reuse lessons year after year but she reflects on her students and their needs. We learn a lot at Trinity about differentiation which is so essential to the classroom. I saw differentiation a lot last year in my 5th grade placement; I think it really shows an attentiveness to one's students.
In terms of classroom assessment differentiation plays a large role in this because teachers must differentiate how they assess their students. We want to see the gifts and talents of each student shine as well as make learning enjoyable.
Gabrielle, I appreciate your comments about getting to know one's students and learning about their needs in order to best reach them. You're so right that if a student is hungry (or experiencing abuse at home, or dealing with an addicted parent, or coming home to an empty house with no electricity...) that student will not care to much about learning math or reading. It's not easy though to get to know all this about each of your students. Ideally you could do a home visit for every one of your students. In real life, this is quite difficult. I know one kindergarten teacher who did just that, but it took her most of the summer.
ReplyDelete