Teacher Response-Put It In Play Part 2

 

     In part one of Teacher Response-put it in play I discussed how three items in which teachers are able to meet student needs in the classroom.  The three elements were classroom environment, communication in the classroom, and guidelines for classroom operations.  All critical elements to assist teachers in giving students what they seek.  The three characteristics covered in this post are just as critical to delivering the goods to the students.  The three items I will cover in this post are classroom routines, support systems, and hared responsibility in the classroom.

     Classroom routines can often be the difference between a highly organized classroom and a classroom bordering on chaos.  Also, routines teach critical skills that students must learn in order to obtain that which the seek.  Classroom that have solid routines run much smoother, because students know what is coming and how to react when it does come.  Classroom that have routines let students develop autonomy.  Autonomy is important to helping students feel a sense of power and purpose, challenged and contribution, and affirmation.  The text shares very strong feelings on autonomy.  It says "Failure to ensure that students become progressively more independent learners constitutes educational malpractice.  I concur, responsibility for movement and actions in the classroom should be taught at every grade level with students becoming more and more independent as the age.  With independence comes responsibility and accountability. A classroom that gives students ownership promotes a much better environment to learn in as well as giving the students the elements they are seeking.  Just like any skill, we should model, scaffold, and eventually let the students operate independently.

     Support Systems are a must in the classroom if we want students to learn.  You would not decide one day that you wanted to walk a tight rope and the next day walk that tight rope a crossed the Grand Canyon.  You can learn how to walk that tight rope, but it would take time and training.  You would begin by walking on a thick rope close to the ground, then move to a smaller rope with a net under you, and finally once the skill is mastered and you feel confident you could take on higher risks and bigger pay-off challenges.  Students entering the classroom want to walk that tight rope.  In all skills, knowledge, and abilities that we hope to teach we must give them challenges that are just outside of their reach and then give them the supports to reach that goal that at one time was unreachable.  We must never give students challenges that are impossible to reach for if we do we destroy all that we were working to give them.

     The sixth of the six elements of delivering the elements of what students are seeking is shares responsibility in the classroom.  This is a characteristic that I firmly believe in.  In my writing of this blog I became aware that I was saying "my classroom".  The last several posts I have worked to say "our classroom.  Students spend almost as much time in it as I do and it becomes a home away from home.  I have referred to pride in ownership a couple of times in this blog and I think that it is important. When any of us feel ownership in something we treat it better and try to improve it, because it becomes a reflection of us.  This classroom community will only reach full potential if everyone buys in to making it better.  This can be all students pitching in to complete assigned classroom roles and responsibilities as well as they can.  Students need to have a voice in the classroom where they can express their concern and feelings.  I, as the teacher, am ultimately responsible for the classroom, but all will feel more welcome when they can say this is our classroom.