What?
The one thing that really got me thinking
was Ms. N leading the students towards the desired outcome through questioning.
She took in their input and pushed on so they can think about what they were
saying and come to a different conclusion. Ms. N basically facilitated their
thinking. She questioned why they were thinking they way they were and
challenged them. It was great to see the way she handled the student’s answers
and lead them towards knowledge.
So what?
I think the way Ms. N
poses questions to the students is great. I was very impressed because it wasn’t
“this is the way it is or that is wrong”. She didn’t shut down any of the
student’s answers. She shaped their thoughts with questions! I thought: “Wow, I want to be able to do that
too.”
To say, “No, this is the way it is.” is completely different
than to question and get to the desired result. I’ve only been pushed in Dr.
Kraus’ and Dr. Horwitz's class and I’m glad they’ve pushed me to think. You might
have to take a second to put your ideas together, but it is more beneficial than
a yes or no answer from the educator.
Now what?
In the future I need to be prepared to question my
students. There will be times when they answer fast without thinking things through
or fully grasping an idea. It can also be possible that they have everything in
their head in a way which makes sense to them but they need guidance to put it
into words. So it is my job to facilitate their thinking. The questioning has
helped me a lot in my SED 406 and SED 407 courses. It is that little push that
has helped me ties ideas, sparks new ideas and has pushed me to find new ways
in which I can express my thoughts. I
know what that little push can do for me and I want to be able to do the same
for my students. I will be sure to take in my student’s input and guide them
through their thinking.
Hi Adrian,
ReplyDeleteI think that guiding the students to help them establish their thoughts is a great idea. During a group discussion there usually is an ultimate goal or understanding that the teacher wants the students to get to by the end of the discussion. A teacher has to be prepared with lots of questions to allow for this guiding to happen. Or they at least need to be well versed on the discussion topic to help the students look at concepts in a different, and more in depth way. A teacher should not shut down a student’s idea, but rather help it grow into a better understanding or thought. I think that teachers can help students in this way. I’m glad that you had the opportunity to observe this happening in a classroom!
I think it is a great strategy for a teacher to come up with a list of questions that will guide student thinking and discussion. A lot of the time, it is hard to come up with the "good " questions that we really want an answer to or that can really spark a discussion. A lot of teachers, even myself, underestimate the types and difficulty of questions that students can answer or discuss. We may want to guide discussion in a certain direction, but if it goes off on a thriving tangent, don't be afraid to let the students take the wheel, because they can be smarter than you think.
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