Learning Log 6 - Students & Sense of Self
- hodginsjustin
- Jan 19, 2018
- 2 min read
Happy New(ish) year, readers!
For this week, we were asked about how a teacher can positively impact the way students see themselves.
As a teacher, you are given charge of one of the rooms in which students inhabit for at least an hour every day, if not more. It comes as no surprise, then, that teachers are responsible for creating a learning environment in which students feel ready to participate and interact to better themselves. Teachers are responsible not only for providing students with a number of skills they will need to get through the remainder of their non-academic life, but also for developing a student’s personality and sense of self. However, a teacher is faced with the challenge they often face when designing their curriculum: dealing with deeply diverse individuals. Thus, a teacher must set their sights towards adjusting their efforts to working with the students, rather than for or against.
One of the things a teacher is capable of doing to foster a better sense of self is by creating a positive learning environment, where the iterative process is employed. Thus, a teacher should not punish students for having an incorrect answer, but rather provide them with the necessary guidance in the right direction and provide them with the necessary time to take multiple attempts at the question. In this way, the students are able to see themselves as a learner, rather than a static reservoir of knowledge. Additionally, the students can better understand the content and take pride in how they manage to navigate tough questions that they will face later in life.
Additionally, as mentioned before, teachers do not work against their students. Rather, they should employ methods that incorporate the students’ voices into the lessons and implementation of the curriculum. This is far easier said than done, however, and it falls upon the adult in the room to do the balancing act of determining how to best modify the curriculum frameworks. When students understand that their voices are being heard (metaphorically and literally), they feel that they are being taken seriously and take the time to learn the material. In this way, the students can understand that they are an individual, through and through, with opinions that often deserve an audience. On top of it all, by taking the time to listen to their students, a teacher is able to treat each of their students they way they deserve to be treated: like humans.
