Respond to this quote:
"Thus, we hoped to shift the teacher paradigm from 'If I can change the students, they can improve,' to 'The students can improve, and therefore I must change.'"
p. 46 from "Building on Success: Changing Our Practice to Better Serve African American Students" by Pirette McKamey
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Change is very hard for me because it makes me feel uncomfortable, but sometimes it is in those moments that I learn the most.
ReplyDeleteWe have been reading novels in my 1st period math class for 30 minutes every day. I love to read, so I approached this with enthusiasim. I was shocked the students did not love my books! For my change, I've started letting them pick for the class and we (the students and I) are having a BALL!!! When the bell rings they groan! They ask for a pass to be late so that they can keep reading!!!
ReplyDeleteYou've discovered that the secret to student engagement is relevancy! Tatum discusses this a lot in his text. Watch for it.
ReplyDeleteI attended a Summit for Call Me Mister, and a professor yielded a career changing quote the somewhat paraphrases this quote: If you can't learn by the way I teach, I will teach the way you learn. This statement is student centered and self(teacher) reflective.
ReplyDeleteLast year I learned first-hand the importance of flexibility and willingness to change. I had to change my expectations, which were based on high school students, and make allowances for the different needs of middle school learners.
ReplyDeleteLike Amanda, I have found that making these changes is challenging yet rewarding. One of the greatest benefits is the increased communcation with students. Sometimes, after I try something new, I ask students to write down what they liked or didn't like about the method. They appreciate the chance to express their opinions, and their feedback allows me to become a better, more student-oriented teacher.