Fall 2021 Week 6 Investment

Questions From This Week's Readings

For My Future Students

What do you want to learn?

In the reading this specific quote stuck out to me "Ask a kid what they want for their birthday, and they'll tell you 10 things. Ask them what they want to learn? They don't know, because they've never been asked. They've been taught to follow the rules and jump through prescribed hoops set by authoritarians who know what's good for them". This quote very bluntly described the educational experience most children participate in. For most students, none of their teachers have ever taken a moment to ask their students what they want to learn. Obviously as an educator, I realize there are things I must teach regardless of student interest. However, I still think its important to incorporate their interests as much as possible. By providing greater relevancy to my students I not only better engage my students but I better serve them as an educator. 

For My Cooperating Teacher

How do you "tweak your teach"?

As one of the main concepts in one of our assigned weekly readings, I'm curious how you tweak your teaching. As an seasoned educator, I'm sure you've found things that work and things that don't when it come to your classroom. How do you change your classes from year to year/ lesson to lesson to best meet the needs of your students. How do you decide something in a class needs to be changed? As a young teacher I envision myself making so many mistakes; meaning tweaking my teaching is implicit. But how does an experienced teacher achieve this?

For My Cohort

What impact does your specific teacher talk have in a classroom?

Reading the "Small Shifts in Teacher Talk can Make a Big Difference" article, I kept thinking of all the different ways members of our cohort interact with a classroom. The article focused on phrasing things to promote student motivation and enthusiasm for class material but I'm curious more so about how you say something. In class last week we each shared ways we demonstrate enthusiasm in our classrooms. Similarly, I'm curious about what teacher talk each of my cohort members use and how that might influence their students. Further, do you think these small word changes have a measurable impact on students?