This past week, I was encouraged through my masters program to change a few minor things in my classroom routine. These minor adjustments were the product of an article we just read out of the book "Creating and Sustaining a Constructivist Classroom," by B. A. Marlowe & M. L. Page. One area I wanted to work on was my student/teacher role. To often, I feel like I am a knowledge dispenser. If my students ask me a question about a topic, I tend to tell them the answer. But, in the correct setting, that pattern needs to change. I want my students to be responsible for finding their own knowledge on topics they have questions on.
So, this past week, I had the opportunity to put my plans into action. We were studying space with our reading series and one student had a question about whether or not the sun was a planet. The old "me" would have said, "No, it is a star." The new me, took a moment and asked, "where could we find an answer to this question?" We decided that the plethora of space books on our reading table must have some answers for us! So, we set off on a knowledge hunt.
About 5 minutes later, another student shouted out that the sun was indeed a STAR! We found this statement in about 5 more books before we stopped searching. In the end, this turned into a great lesson on proving facts, searching out your questions, and topics regarding various space questions. The students felt responsible for their work and I fel like a facilitator instead of a knowledge dispenser. These are the lessons that we strive for as teachers.
I hope to continue giving my students the opportunity to search out their own answers and conclusions, instead of relying on me for mine.
1 comment:
Mike,
What a fun blog entry for me to read and most likely for you to write! I love these AHA! moments we are discovering as a result of the many theories and philosophies SCB2 is requiring us to consider. Congratulations to you for applying yourself in this moment when it would have been so natural and easy to take another route. As I read your blog I could picture you in your classroom surrounded by first graders uncovering and investigating this thought provoking question. What an amazing teaching opportunity and picture! I love that you were learning alongside your students. Thank you for sharing about your experience, you continue to inspire me!
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