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Clarissa,
I am so glad that you were able to work things out with Tristan. It is always great knowing that you are able to help a student with their learning. I definitely agree with you on how much of a role teachers have in a classroom. If a teacher portrays a positive attitude, I believe that students would be more motivated to participate in class. Also, teachers can have an impact on student motivation. If the teacher is able to present the subject material in a way that is appealing to students, they would more likely be motivated to do it.
Sophia,
Your telling of how you tried to help Kelly and her just saying “yes” to everything resonated with me. As an MKO, I never know if a student truly understood what I just explained to them. Whenever I finish helping a student, I ask “Did that make sense?” I typically get yes as an answer (and I am always happy to help when the answer is no), but I always carry a sense of worry and doubt in the chance that a student didn’t truly understand and just wanted the answer from me. I want to make sure that they understood the material that they were confused about but I also don’t know how to get that information.
Hey Adam,
I think Challa was a great example of an MKO using their position to assist a student through the process and make sure that they understand. I also liked how you “handled” the student who was on his phone. There were clearly some things he was expecting you to do but you respected his boundaries and worked with him the way he wanted. By leaving him for 15 minutes, you were trusting him to go by his word and do what he said he would. Also, the situation with food. I never understood why food was seen as taboo in the classroom (at least, it was for me). You can only eat food during lunch, but in the classroom, it was seen as a distraction. But what if I’m hungry during the middle of my class because I had an early lunch?
I am also questioning the use of the students’ iPads in class. When the students are going to learn new content, Ms. Hebs has them download a presentation to follow along with her on the SmartBoard. Not only do they use their iPads to take notes, but they also use them as a calculator which makes it easier to solve fractions. I do see the benefits of using this technology (having access to the textbook without having to carry it, having your notes on you at all times, etc), but sometimes the students use them to distract themselves. I’ve even seen students play around with the camera, snapping photos of their classmates or taking selfies (I accidentally photo-bombed one). Adding on, since the iPads are personalized (as in students have changed the wallpaper), this makes it even easier for them to get distracted by them.
Anastasia, I have also noticed the separation of genders in my class as well. There is that one group that has a mix, but usually, there are male-identifying students who work in pairs together while the female-identifying students would work together in pairs themselves. I like your observation on how even though it may not seem gender-based, friend groups that are formed could be impacted by the gender identity of the students in those friend groups. Using this information, how could a teacher change up a classroom to encourage conversations between different genders without it seeming forced to their students? In my class, the teacher has assigned seats and at each table (which can hold 2 students), there is a boy/girl pair. But when it’s time to work on their worksheets, the students move to their friends who are likely to be of the same gender.
Molly, I agree with you about how the environment can limit chances for students to express themselves. I don’t understand how schools (admins? school boards?) expect teachers to properly teach their students the materials they need in only 45 minutes. Adding on, they are expected to complete assignment after assignment after assignment along with quizzes and tests. How can they properly develop their identities when they are pressured to continuously move from class to class and complete all their classwork?
Mr. DuBe sounds like such a cool teacher. The fact that 25 out of the 45 minutes (over half!) of the class on Friday is dedicated to free reading gives students a chance to cool down and rest from their usually hectic schedule. Ms. Hebs (the teacher whose class I’m tutoring) also asks her students to share about themselves (e.g. their weekend plans). Not only does she ask, but also she shares parts of her weekend and talks to them about theirs as the class gets situated. I personally think that through moments like these, both teachers are relaying to the students that what they do outside of class is important to them; they don’t just care about their academics.
I like how you have already developed a relationship with a student enough for them to consider you a “cool” MKO. Can you teach me your tricks? I tutor 8th graders so I am not sure if your methods would get the same reaction, but I want to be seen as “cool” and approachable.
Reading the last sentence of your response, I was reminded of the fights that happened during lunch back in high school. There would be shouting in the hallway and then hordes of students would run towards the fight, phones out to record the chaos. I never understood what was so interesting about fights. Why couldn’t the students just talk it out in a private setting? I am glad that your students are taking care of each other and checking up on one another. Good sportsmanship is always the way to go. (and so is conversation)
When I read about the mini-library in the back of the classroom, that made me think back to 6th grade where Mr. Dowdy had a few bookshelves in the back corner of his Language Arts class filled with books. When I was younger, I consumed books. I was reading all the time; whenever you saw me, there was a book by my side. I really appreciate Mr. DuBe for having this sort of structure in his classroom, because not only does it encourage reading, but it could become a safe space for a student who just wants to sit down and lose themselves in a book.
Speaking of 6th grade, it’s interesting just how each student could be at a different “level” inside a stage of development. I am tutoring 8th graders (in Algebra I) which would mean that, according to Piaget, they should also be at the Formal Operational stage. Yet, are they really? Algebra I has abstract concepts so the students should be able to understand them, but are they really understanding it or just going through the phases?
