As I've begun shifting from the role of student to the role of teacher, I've noticed just how different the world of education looks from the teacher's standpoint. As a student in grade school, I was fairly oblivious to all of the effort teachers put in on a daily basis. I failed to see just how hard some teachers work to make their lessons effective. I'm seeing education from a very different lens now, which is why I was surprised after reading the post on Grant Wiggins' blog, "A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days - a sobering lesson learned". I've been so focused on my new perspective of school as a teacher, I'm neglecting to think what school was like from the perspective of a student.
This post on Wiggins' blog tells of the lessons a veteran teacher learned after shadowing a 10th grade student and a 12th grade student for an entire school day. The teacher not only shadowed both students but also completed the same tasks and assignments that the student was given. The teacher's main findings were that being a student and sitting in a desk all day is extremely exhausting. She says that, "By the end of the day, I could not stop yawning and I was desperate to move or stretch." At this point in the article, a lightbulb came on over my head. I realized I had the same exact experience in high school where it seemed the longer I sat, the more tired and disengaged I became. And, while I try to create student-based interactive lesson plans, some students are still clearly fatigued from sitting in a desk all day. My first class of the day seems far more alert than my last class of the day. After this eye-opening experiment, the teacher highlighted some strategies she would implement immediately such as a mandatory stretch session halfway through class and more hands-on activities that would require students to move around. She also recognized through this experience that students are sitting and listening passively for the vast majority of their day and they can be made to feel like a nuisance when they miss directions or have to be told what to do more than once. To change this situation, she suggests more activities that allow for student interaction and for teachers to refrain from using sarcasm or sass with students and to "dig deep" for more patience when they have to explain directions multiple times. I completely agree with this teachers' findings and think Wiggins' blog post serves as a valuable lesson and a profound insight into the lives of our students. Going forward, I will be more mindful of the student experience and hopefully get students out of their seats and moving a little more often. Wiggins, G. (2014, October 10). A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days - a sobering lesson learned. [Web log]. Retrieved from https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/a-veteran-teacher-turned-coach-shadows-2-students-for-2-days-a-sobering-lesson-learned/
1 Comment
11/17/2015 11:54:26 am
This is very true, I fear that one day I will forget to look at education as a student now that we are making the transititon to the "other side." I think the teacher you mentioned has the right idea, keeping the students expereinces in mind lets get them excited and engaged to learn all school day long. How would we want to spend the day at school? It is probably safe to assume that the way we would want to spend the day learning is very similar if not the same as our students. Thank you for sharing this Mr. Snavely.
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AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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