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Angela,
I love that you compared the superstar celebration to the Paul Hollywood Handshake (I love the Great British Baking Show!) I was definitely one of the skeptics that would have said that this strategy of reinforcement would do more to shame a middle school student than bring the kind of excitement that it does in Mrs. Talbot’s classroom. It is clear that Mrs. Talbot has gained the respect and admiration of her students and has cemented that this is a prize to be gained rather than a chance to be ridiculed in front of the class. Since the students respond so positively to this reinforcement, I am inclined to believe that they do see it as a positive experience rather than embarrassing. It is refreshing to hear stories of middle schoolers behaving their age rather than like teenagers already!
Anastasia,
I think that a lot of the points you bring up in this post are incredibly important and interesting, especially the part about the staff being all-white. I wonder if part of the reason that students enjoy working independently is because they do not feel comfortable working with the white teachers or if it is more that they just prefer this way of working. I think that the point you brought about them internalizing the fact that they have no models who are BIPOC and this contributing to the perceptions of their own success is incredibly important and sadly a reality for many students of color. I wonder what the solutions to this would be. Could the SSC hire more people of color or encourage more of the volunteers to be people of color? Even bringing in community members of color who can talk about their success in their line of work I can imagine would be beneficial. Thank you for your perspectives on this issue!
Chisom,
I am very intrigued at the class structure that you describe here. It is interesting to me the ways in which certain subjects have to have more rigid structure, such as high school math classes or science classes. It is interesting that you said that Ms. Heb’s class is both loose and structured at the same time. I would think that the structure is inherent in a math class where students are generally there to memorize facts and reproduce them. In contrast, the elementary school classroom I work in is incredibly loose. Molly has a schedule on the wall that outlines their day, but they rarely stick to that schedule. If Molly notices that her students are not interested in what she is teaching then she changes the subject and has them doing something that is more captivating for them. I can see how this would be hard in an hour-long math class where you have little flexibility in what you need to teach and the time in which you have to teach it.
Logan,
It is interesting that you bring up that there is an age-appropriate level of behaviorism in the classroom. I can imagine that elementary school classrooms utilize behaviorism much more blatantly than college classrooms. I can also see that different types of schools may be more behaviorism oriented than cognitive. It seems that the Northfield public schools (and my experience in high school) are particularly rich in behaviorism and the use of positive/negative reinforcement and rewards/punishment. At Prairie Creek, there are not as many examples of behaviorism especially not super blatant ones. Kids are expected to have intrinsic motivation to learn especially since the curriculum is largely driven by the student’s interests. I think that this is a very interesting point that you brought up and allowed me to think about deeper!Sophia,
Your comments about observing the differences in behavior between boys and girls in your classroom is very interesting. I definitely had similar experiences in my elementary school where all the girls were considered well-behaved because they sat quietly in their chairs and did their work while the boys were much more unruly. I have not really noticed this in my classroom at prairie creek. Perhaps this is because all of the students are out and about a lot of the time working on different things that it does not place attention on just one student or just one group of students. I think maturity is an interesting concept in elementary school because a lot of boys are excused for their behavior because they are seen as less mature than the girls. I don’t think this is true I just think they mature in a different way. School was not made for young boys and so they do not behave like they belong there. Molly gives her students a lot of active breaks where she allows them to go run around and rest their minds so that when they come back to the classroom they are able to focus for a longer period. This method works really well in her classroom, but I can see how it may deter some learning as well because of all the breaks.
Hi Allegra,
The ramble that you went on with your class sounds like such a fulfilling and engaging activity. It is definitely on trend with the other activities I have observed and been a part of in my time at Prairie Creek. I have noticed that all the teachers at prairie creek really value student independence and initiative. They all take the time to make sure that every student is benefitting from the activities that they are giving which is so important for making sure students feel successful in school. I also loved being able to observe the students during “social skills” with Michelle. One of the teachers in my classroom explained that Michelle is one of the special education teachers and works with all the special needs students on their social skills but that she felt it was also important for the development of all students in the 2/3 classes. I think that this program is great for encouraging students to get to know each other and also themselves. It definitely helps in their identity development as they are learning more about how to navigate the world through their social relationships.
Hi Arlo,
It is so great that you have such a strong memory of a time in which an MKO helped you learn something within your ZPD. It is especially cool that you went on to become an MKO in this setting. I feel like this is the model that Prairie Creek is going for in their mixed-grade classes. If a 2nd grader benefits from a 3rd grade MKO, they will then gain the knowledge to be able to become an MKO for the 2nd graders once they get to 3rd grade.
I also relate to your comment about not getting the chance to fully explore your role as an MKO. At Prairie Creek, the children are very independent and encouraged to do their work in collaboration with their peers, but independently of adults. It is very cool to watch the students be MKOs to each other and I have taken more of an observational role in the classroom. This has also given me the opportunity to talk to Molly (the teacher) about her specific teaching methods and philosophies without interrupting the class. I hope that in your classroom the students will become more open to your help, especially because it would be beneficial to their learning.
Molly, I find your experience at Northfield High School very similar to the high school experience that I had, with the distracted teens on their phones and the PA system always disrupting the teachers. I also can’t help but compare your tutoring experience to the one I had at Prairie Creek. I found that the students at prairie creek were engaged in the lesson that was being taught because they were being taught in a creative and engaging manner. I did a lot of worksheets in my non-AP high school classes and remember how boring they were and how little I learned from them. I always loved that my upper-level teachers engaged us in discussions and group projects rather than worksheets and online programs because it made the curriculum more interesting. I am interested to see how more of these lessons in Mr. DuBe’s class go and if the student’s engagement level changes based on the way the lesson is taught.
