In the article "Great Teaching Means Letting Go" by Grant Wiggins, the author discusses that he observes too much "scaffolded and prompted" teaching. I find myself guilty of this. Trying not to jump in and help students when they are having trouble is difficult. When I do step back and don't offer help or give them time to try to figure it out, I find students do not have the skills to problem solve on their own in a middle school classroom. Our educational system has largely conditioned them to be rescued when they can't figure out something on their own. Students need the opportunity to show what they know without teacher interference. I think Wiggins recommendation to "get students to scrimmage more often, requiring more and more integration of their repertoire of skills and integration of concepts" is a big missing piece from education today.
I think technology lays a great foundation for students to have that practice in a more game like situation. Students can take control of their own learning in terms of how they learn it, what they learn, and how they show/apply what they've learned. Lehman made the point in his webinar "Inquiry: The First Step in the Process of Learning" that students need to be taught metacognitive strategies that enable them to understand how they learn. If we can teach students how they learn, we can put them in control of their own content. This will enable them to learn as much as they want about a subject rather than me teaching them what I know about a subject. This will lead to more inquisitive learners with a stronger sense of how to apply what they have learned and be able to use it in game situations.
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I, too, am guilty of helping students too much in my class. We just finished the school year, but next year I plan letting go! I have given my students challenging problems, but when they can't figure the answer out I help them solve it. I should provide them with more strategies so they can solve it themselves instead. I agree with Lehman's webinar. As educators I think we should be prepared to teach the content, but also teach the students how to think and make decisions.
ReplyDeleteI also find myself guilty of scaffolding or helping too much. As an elementary school teacher, I feel like I really need to instill in my students the confidence, stamina, and drive to search for their own answers and not just expect it to be given to them. If we teach them these things in elementary school, then by the time they get to you in middle school they should be able to expand on their learning instead of still expect the teacher to help them find the answers. I am going to put my focus on this for next year.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with helping my students when I see them struggle. I think independence is a skill we need to start teaching our students as soon as they enter school, even though they are so young. In the long run, it will benefit our students!
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