Wednesday, September 9, 2009
"How can learning be best effectuated by a teacher?" Week Three
As I was reading this article this week I was wondering how I might effect students as a teacher. I can totally turn a student off by how I handle a behavior problem in my class. I had a girl that wasn't doing what I wanted her to do by taking notes and so forth. I was frustrated and I made a mistake and called her out in front of the class. I had a talk with an administrator and the parent and discussed the wrong doing on my part. This girl was an average math student. After our situation I could see that she completely shut down in my class. I believe I'm right in saying this that I believe I destroyed her confidence in math for the rest of her life. I made a mistake and it might have crippled her " math career." Teachers have a very important part in learning besides just teaching. Their interaction with students needs to be in a way that works for the student instead of against it. I now make sure to talk to students more one on one and not in front of the class.
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Don't be so hard on yourself. There isn't a teacher out there, who has taught for any length of time, who hasn't done this. If she was that fragile, the shutdown was going to happen sometime, somewhere, no matter what. Teenagers are really very resilient IF they choose to be. It is really her choice. Plus there is plenty of time this year for repair. If you feel you did some damage, then you have the ability and the responsibility to repair it. Don't doubt that you can repair it.
ReplyDeleteThink of yourself as a positive coach of learning. Let some time go by, then quietly and occasionally give her some positive reinforcement when she does anything good. Let her know you care, but don't do it in a strong, over-the-top way. Be consistent. You may be surprised to find out that she will become a favorite student and you will become her favorite teacher this way.
I agree with Lorna...it is better to not single out students in front of all their friends to correct their behavior, but teachers are human. Could any of the learning theories we have covered so far help you think of another way to deal with the situation?
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