Some of the things in this chapter were very obvious - report abuse, don't be sexually inappropriate with students, don't be BFF with your students, etc. Then there is this issue of "breaking the rules" that I'm going to leave for the boys to battle out in the post below.
So for here, I want to address what Christenbury talked about at the beginning of the chapter. As English teachers, we are going to be having a lot of conversations with our students about things that don't necessarily have a right/wrong answer. Much of what we read will delve into the topics of racism, religion, justice, decision making, honesty, etc. and we will want for our students to actively explore these issues. Chances are good that as adults, most of us have already figured out how we feel about these issues and have made our own determinations about what is "right." The tricky part is going to be allowing our students to explore these issues without trying to convince them of our idea of "right" and being okay if they come up with something other than what we believe. And then there is the need to facilitate discussions fairly, which I think will be harder than we initially want to believe.
So maybe not the most thought-provoking chapter, but still some good things to think about and consider.
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6 comments:
I say just throw out the basics for those essential questions like rasism, freedom, equality, etc. and watch the class take the discussion to a whole new level. Students teach teachers more than teachers teach students so this is a great way to learn.
P.S. there's only about 6 guys in our class, so if you want to battle the issues of breaking the rules with us boys, feel free. It's good to know how everyone feels on an issue that concerns us all.
Yeah Kendra. It's a discussion board. Don't you have an opinion? Or are you going to sit by and watch other teachers in your department and wait for the result without your feedback? Seems suspect...
~Stan
I say don't throw out the basics for essential questions. Essential questions can lead to all sorts of different thinking from our students and ourselves. I fully believe in letting our students discuss and be free to learn things apart from what I can give them (because lets be honest, that is the way it should be and they can bring to light things that we have never even considered), but essential questions are a great starting ground for any unit - especially for those students who need a place to start from and need something to get their minds thinking deeper.
I also agree, Kendra, that it will be hard to respect different perspectives or "right" and "wrongs" without pulling for our own views. I was thinking what everyone else thought though...what if you were discussing racism and one student was more discriminating towards blacks? How do we effectively manage the classroom discussion without losing this student and having him feel as though we thought he was wrong or having him be attacked by the whole class?
How do you monitor the conversation you start with these topics? If you begin discussing racism with the class where do you create boundaries, if any? Topics like this can get pretty heated which isn't a bad thing but how do you keep from having students going home to their parents and complaining about being offended?
I know the discussions might get heated at times also, regarding some of these topics. It will also involve some good management skills in communication. I think it will be fun to hear the different oppinions about the topics though.
I think discussion is the best way to learn about your students and it really lets them get to know each other. Yes- there were things in this chapter that were obvious, but knowing what is plausible to discuss in a classroom is important.
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