This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Acknowledgement of Individuality
I made several inaccurate assumptions about my eighth grade students when I began teaching. My initial impression was that these students, in general, felt they were too cool for school. After a few weeks of teaching, I began to think they were just bored with the content and my method of teaching. I increased the difficulty of the material being presented, only to discover the lack of engagement was not a result of boredom. I am just now beginning to understand that level of maturity and intellectual development of students within an eighth grade class is vast. As I rotate through a new group of eighth grade students every nine week period, I observe increased student engagement when activities incorporate multiple opportunities for students to express their individuality. This observation has changed my perspective about creating lesson plans for eighth grade students. Allowing for creative methods of self-expression and providing consistent, respectful acknowledgement of each expression, has increased student participation.
Thanks for this post! I understand your struggles with this transition group. Our school's entry level is at 9th grade. I have found that many of the students are STRUGGLING with organization. Our school has more periods than most in the county (7). I guess the assumption of most would be that the 9th graders are the students experiencing the greatest challenges. I have found that I am seeing an equal struggle and some times even more substantial with the 11th graders. The 11th graders are a bit different from the 9th graders because they have had the opportunity to experience a different high school environment. That environment often had fewer classes, no uniform requirements, not a s much rigor and a spirit of apathy. I have a couple of 11th graders that are simply brilliant but their struggle with organization has been one of difficult means. Much like you, I have instituted methods to improve student organization and overall success. I hear students say that my class is their favorite class although they may be struggling academically. Beyond a shadow of doubt, creativity and an environment that promotes self expression helps to shape the success of the student over the long run. That's my 2cents.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!