Friday, May 13, 2011
Your teaching metaphor goes here!! By Wednesday, please!
What metaphor would you use to describe your own approach to teaching? Please offer specific examples or a vignette of how your teaching reflects this metaphor! Chapter 4 of Zeichner, especially pages 34 - 37 will provide helpful detail before you write!
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My approach to teaching is that of a Gardener. As the gardener I plant the seed (the student) which already contains all of the potential for what that seed can grow/develop into. The student will only grow and flourish if I provide him/her with the best nourishment (educational experiences) possible: enriched soil (great content), the right amount of sunlight (differentiation), and the correct amount and times for watering (well-designed, ongoing assessments). During my Student Teaching semester I was able to design and deliver an inquiry-based unit of study on Animals. The first-graders in my class worked in mixed-ability groups to research animals from the five classification systems. They learned how to perform research, created and answered research questions, integrated technology into their work, and taught their peers (both in the classroom and their second-grade buddies) about their particular animal. Most assessments were performance assessments and were reviewed quite frequently so as to guide this six-week project.
ReplyDeleteMy teaching philosophy and approach can be associated with that of a coach or a sports team. As a teacher, I am a member of a team (teacher, students and parents) of collaborative efforts. Each member of the team is responsible for his or her role: teachers are responsible for providing guidance, encouragement, and instruction in a safe, respectful environment; students are responsible for their own participation, practice and learning; parents are to provide support and encouragement. As a coach, I am responsible for defining and setting high expectations while creating an engaging, safe, and structured learning environment that allows the athletes (students) to develop their unique skills and knowledge they need to play or learn successfully, collaboratively, and continue to grow in their love of the game (learning). Together, with the proper guidance, mentorship (teacher), activities (instruction) and support (parents) we will achieve our goal of personal and academic growth and success. During my student teaching, I created and instructed a unit on vertebrate animal classifications. I developed and implemented cross-curricular activities including hands-on technology activities, science experiments, and art projects. Students were placed into groups and pairs of mixed abilities and collaborated daily during guided and independent practice. Students supported each other’s learning as well as their own.
ReplyDeleteMy metaphor for education is that of a football team’s offense. In order for our team to score (understand the lesson), we all need to be able to work together in our individual positions. I would quarterback the team since the calls (or curriculum) would be given by the coach (district) to follow based on the owners (state standards) recommendations. I would need to call the plays for the offense within my set playbook (units), but there is always room for audibles (differentiation) depending on the setup of the defense (obstacles). Each player (student) needs to be responsible for their own position. The running backs would be the leaders of the class who take the discussions and run with it. The receivers would be the quick students who simply catch (understand) the material. The blockers are the foundation of the class who occasionally let the Defensive line (confusion) slip past to go after the quarterback. A good quarterback in that situation would need to think quickly and adapt to be able to keep the play going. Consistent scoring would allow the team to win the game (learn and grow) and will lead to success.
ReplyDeleteTeaching Metaphor by Heather Fairchild
ReplyDeleteI am the lighthouse. I guide my students, but I do not chart their course for them, rather I show them where the shore is and assist them in finding their own way to it.
I believe students should have the freedom to chart their own course and have ownership of their learning and life experiences. I am a guide, that lights multiple ways to reach the shore, and never stops shining on my students.
The downside to the metaphor is that a lighthouse only lights the way, it cannot rescue a sinking ship. However I do see myself as a teacher rescuing those sinking ships the best I can, but in the end you cannot save someone that is not willing to save themselves.
The metaphor I would use to describe my own approach to teaching is similiar to that of a bridge. In my teaching practice, I act as a structure providing passage from where a student is developmentally and cognitively, over various obstacles, to where he or she needs to be academically. These obstacles can be a plethora of things, e.g. language acquisition, learning disabilities, behavior issues, below grade level in the content areas, etc. Providing passage is the art and act of teaching. The focus, or direction of the bridge, lies with each child’s zone of proximal development and subsequently differentiating the instruction (a custom built bridge!). I see myself as a sturdy bridge, i.e., strong relationships and bonds with students ensure a safe journey to the other side.
ReplyDeleteDearest Classmembers,
ReplyDeleteI will post my metaphor blog late tonight, as I am heading out to work just now.
Thanks for your understanding.
--TIM
My art classroom is a museum. In both an art museum and my art studio students look at and discuss works of art. They use their skills of observation, analysis, and questioning to make personal meaning from works of art that span time and cultures. Even though the artwork in the classroom is not the “real thing,” students’ show excitement and interest nonetheless. I try to re-create the authentic museum experience in the art room through stories, slideshows, videos, and art-making. Students are actively engaged in hands-on projects, just as more and more museums involve visitors in hands-on activities. My art projects are relevant and meaningful. A visit to a museum involves exploring subjects of interest. The art studio is a place where students explore an array of materials, techniques, and artists from past and present.
ReplyDeleteEvery block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
ReplyDeleteMichelangelo
Teaching is like creating a piece of art. Before an artist touches their chisel to the marble, they have their skills, knowledge, and experiences to go from. They’ve seen masterpieces, modern works of art, and have a plan of how they want that particular piece to look. As the artist chisels the block, they may hit an air pocket or hit a fault line that chips off too much. The artist must then reconsider their original design and change it to accommodate the new form. As the artist continues, their idea evolves, and the sculpture takes on a life of its own.
This is similar to how I approach teaching in the fact that as a teacher, I’ve obtained the knowledge, skills, and techniques of successful teaching. I have a plan outlined as to how the classroom should flow and how the lessons should unfold. Although, half of the time things don’t go as planned; there are unexpected fault lines. I adapt to whatever occurs with the knowledge that there are numerous possibilities and definitions of success. On the outside each student is a block of marble, waiting to reach its potential. However, each block is unique just like each student; the same techniques are not going to work with every student. I can plan everything down to the details but I need to prepared for the unexpected and treat students as unique individuals in order for them to be as successful as possible.
My metaphor for teacher is – don’t laugh – an A.I.-based tour guide. A.I. stands for artificial intelligence, or a man-made collection of information. It is also a type of computer, only better. Not that I am so smart or anything, but part of my job is to KNOW THE CONTENT. I hate NOT knowing the content. When I prepared my Colorado Work Sample on Earth Science, half the struggle (and half the fun) was learning and relearning stuff about our incredible planet.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, it has always struck me that the French word for computer is L’ordinateur – like “coordinator” without the “co” (L’ in French just means “the”). So this implies that I am not only the “organizer” of the information the students need (the curriculum presenter) but I am on my own – if I drop the ball or forget to present something, *I* take the fall; *I* take the blame – there is no “co”-ordinateur to fall back on – not after student teaching! (This is becoming increasingly true as the U.S. continues its foray into education accountability).
Now, since I am a “modern machine”, I am programmable. If the School District or School Administration wants me to teach something different, I must access my hard drive and “save” that new information to it, or, at least, find the correct file to switch to. Same thing regarding the needs of individual students: if Billy needs a different file (learning style), my super-fast processor will access the correct file to spit out the information visually, tactilely, at a different rate, or more quietly, or at a different time, or in a different room.
Remember, though, that I am a computerized TOUR GUIDE. I can be taken along in the students’ backpacks like a really good, flexible, sturdy, laptop computer, occasionally warning students of an upcoming obstacle or turn in the winding road. Since I am A.I., and not just a regular computer, I can also sense when my master (the student) needs encouragement.
However, remember on Star Trek when Spock or Captain Kirk were really troubled or at an impasse? They would ask, for instance, “Computer, why do the Romulans want to attack us?” Often the computer only gave a hint as to the answer, or would give a partial answer. The computer couldn’t solve everything for the Enterprise crew -- only give them suggestions, hints, and ideas of where to look. Same with me, the A.I. Tour Guide. The student must “get off the beaten track” occasionally to really learn something fully – they must be engaged in the journey. They must do the exploring. I’m only the advisor in their backpack.
As a teacher, I see myself as a kaleidoscope. Kaleidoscopes are all about discovering relationships, finding patterns, making connections, and gaining new perspectives in an ever-changing world. A kaleidoscope fosters curiosity and creativity and encourages and guides inquiry and discovery. A kaleidoscope operates on the principle of multiple reflection.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite lessons are those that encourage students to make connections to their own lives and allow them to do some self-discovery in the process.
Whoops-little late posting my metaphor, my apologies, thought this was due by Thursday!
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher I am the stage that holds a student up. Made out of wood, I am dependable and reliable to always uphold that student (being prepared, knowing the content, being "there" when the student needs me). As a stage, it is my responsibility to give the student their time in the limelight of their academic success. When you're at a play or the theater you never really take notice of the neutral stage, but for every play, it's always there. As a teacher, my focus is to be the dependable, fair figure who supports that student and helps them find their "limelight".
I would analyze my teaching as having a role as a baseball batting coach.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the season, as batters do not have as many at-bats, their batting average changes dramatically with only one hit or an out. However, towards the end of the season, the batting average does not fluctuate as much as the players have had a lot of at-bats.
I believe in guiding students to achieve highly before it is too late to do that. Although stellar batting average (learning outcome) does not occur overnight, I'm surely there are key turning points and I want to be their coach (teacher) who is able to pick them up at their turning point and prevent them from slacking off durign their learning process with me.