Thematic Commonality Thus Far ~ Post 4!

In order to better condense and organize my thoughts regarding the readings and content of this course so far, I want to break my blog down into two keywords that I believe have been integral: community and introspection. 

     I'm using community as a blanket statement to cover a lot of aspects we've looked at, particularly culture, power dynamics and interactions with students within the classroom. There are so many different opinions and ideas that focus on the classroom and the community at large, it can be overwhelming and difficult to come up with your own philosophy on the subject. A classroom should feel like a community. Particularly focusing on what we've learned this week, community-style classrooms have numerous learning benefits for both the students and teachers. Students have a much greater engagement in their own learning; it gives them a much greater access to resources than they would normally have in that they can discuss and work with their peers.

     This also speaks to the idea of power dynamics within the class. While I believe the classroom setting should involve a community dynamic, I also believe that the teacher needs to represent a figure who commands authority. Authority and power is something we have explored in depth, and I maintain my notion that teachers need to be assertive in their authority (but not aggressively so). It ties into the notions we have looked at before regarding teachers having a 'friendship' with their students. While this has benefits, it often results in too casual a relationship with the teacher, and can create a power vacuum in which no one really listens to anyone. Personally, I believe the relationship needs to be 50/50 at the most. While you should try and be friendly with your students and make them comfortable with you, they need to be aware that you are a figure of authority to be respected.

     Introspection is the other key word I think represents this course so far, and it represents the idea of knowing yourself. I've already touched in this lightly, in that I know what I believe the power dynamic in a classroom should be. Expanding on introspection, it largely encompasses the ideas of knowing what you believe about the classroom and knowing what you believe a classroom should look like. Ultimately, there is no definitive best way to teach. There is simply a best way for you, and it is important you stay true to this. Ultimately, teaching students in a way which makes you uncomfortable is going to make them uncomfortable. Students, regardless of age, are more than capable of reading you and drawing conclusions. If you don't believe in how you are teaching, why should they? This is why I believe introspection is so important, because in order to teach you need to know who you are as a teacher.

     This is further reinforced by our discussions surrounding reflection. Being able to look back on your teaching practice (and life experience in general) in tremendously important to improving your capability as a teacher. Be able to look at your lessons objectively: why did this work? Why didn't it? Look at it from your students perspective. Know what assumptions you go into the classroom with. Address them! Examining yourself is one of the most surefire ways to improve your classroom practice, and this course has helped to reassert that notion in my mind so far.

Thanks for reading,
Cheers!