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We have to get past our old
mental models of the "good" classroom
During a discussion on the MiddleWeb listserv,
middle grades teacher Brenda Dyck reflected on a fellow teacher's comment
that "My idea of having success is when I can keep everyone seated!"
Part of our problem as educators is that way back in the recesses of our
own learning experience, we remember rows, quiet, everyone working, teacher
in control, knowing everything.
Whether that really happened (and because I was educated in the 1960s it
actually did, most of the time), that is usually our idea of an on-track
classroom. I struggle with the same mental models when I picture myself
as a mom and wife. What I see is warm cookies as I walked into the house
after school, laundry up to date, a clean orderly house, time to knit/sew
for my kids, relaxed enough to listen to my children's stories.
These mental models plague me because that is the era I grew up in -- this
describes my mom and my home. I have one foot in each generation and it's
often a slippery place to be. How do we reconcile our mental models with
the current reality of our profession and even our private roles as women?
First of all we must remember that the classroom of 1960 will not prepare
students for the world we are launching them into. Even if we'd feel more
comfortable there, we need to remember that we are developing a learning
culture that promotes questioning, exploration, and collaboration. Why?
Because our students will not just need to "know," they will need
to apply what they know. They will not just need to read about solutions,
they will be the ones to come up with the solutions and be able to work
with others as they do it.
Networking will be the name of the game. Teaching students how to function
in a collaborative environment won't happen in rows, or in silent, non-interactive
classrooms. Questioning and problem solving won't happen without dialogue,
and dialogue also doesn't happen in silent, teacher controlled classrooms.
Teachers are not the only knowledge imparters in today's classroom. They
are co-learners with the kids.
This type of culture doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in a vibrant,
moving, dynamic environment. This environment is sometimes noisy, messy,
slightly chaotic, and at times the teacher will even feel a little unsure
if she (or he) knows what is coming next. However, it is not disorganized,
out of control, or void of respect.
I need to do the same thing when I consider my parenting benchmarks. No,
there's not always cookies out of the oven or clean socks (as important
as that is); however, my children are co-participants in running the home.
Just like in the classroom, I'm not the only one that can clean the toilet,
or get dinner on the table. What will come out of this arrangement are kids
with skill sets for life, unlike me, who didn't know how to clean a bathroom
properly when she got married. Emphasis on communication in the family and
relationships will sometimes pre-empt knitting and sewing, but I now know
it is "talk-time" with their parents that shape our children into
what they are becoming.
Sincerely
Brenda Dyck
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