Sam Intrator offers us somewhat of an ethnographic study from his 130 day shadowing experience in a CA high school. Think back to your high school days while you construct a response for this reading. Would you say your HS time was engaged or disengaged? What were characteristics of the classroom environment? Were some teachers "stand outs"? What made them so? How did some teachers bring energy into the classroom? Is this a "current issue"? How might you use this information professionally?
When I think back to my highschool classes and teachers, I would have to say that most of my experiences as far as in the classroom were disengaged. The teaching styles didn’t seem to vary much and consisted mostly of lectures where students were expected to take notes, and using an overhead to provide examples of work that we were doing. Although I don’t think I realized it at the time most of my teachers did not offer much of themselves in the classroom or in the ways that they presented the material. The couple of teachers that I can think of that stood out certainly offered more of themselves to us and did things that seemed kind of outlandish at the time in order to get our attention (I remember one teacher yelling at the top of his lungs about the subject matter, not in an angry way but sort of as a shock value to us.) This particular teacher also used to dress in ways that made him stand out. I can’t really remember a time where a teacher tried to make our learning relevant to us and our lives, even when there could have been possible connections.
ReplyDeleteIt’s important to think about this now as the teacher, sometimes I do wonder to myself why kids can’t “just sit and listen” for a short period of time. I don’t mean hours of lecturing, but just brief periods of time to absorb some information. Then I think of myself even as an adult learner, if I am not actively engaged in what is going on I tend to start thinking about everything that I have to do, what went on at school that day, what I need at the grocery store, and the list goes on. Of course this applies to most learners, and I try to keep that in the front of my mind when doing my planning. The gains of student engagement in a class are huge, and not just for younger students. Teenagers have so many other priorities that unless they feel connected to the teacher in some way, and are engaged in the lesson, or at least parts of it, they will probably view the class as boring and a waste of time.
Will inspirational teachers become extinct? I sure hope not, but I fear they may! I will describe a little of my high school experience and then state why I fear teachers are threatened.
ReplyDeleteI went to Rutland High School when it was on Library Avenue (present day Intermediate School.) It was old, decrepit, ugly. However, I was engaged (except for a few months in 10th grade!) I had some favorite high school teachers--two English teachers, a French teacher, and the Yearbook Advisor. I realize two characterists of these Great Ones--they got excited about the subject matter and made us get involved in it. My French teacher was outstanding. Madame Fagan. She presented the subject matter with gusto! At times she would laugh outloud! We read Waiting for Godot and acted it out. We had French first period and every so often, we would meet in the "home ec" room and make Croque Monsieur (Ham and eggs) to start the day off. When I think of myself as an inspirational teacher, I try to model myself after her. She taught us through a variety of modalities and addressed our varied interests.
Why do I fear such teachers are a threatened species? These days, we can not get through a week of school without discussing standardized testing, meeting the standards, intervention. Granted, we want students to achieve; however, will today's high school student be able to rattle off fond memories as I described thanks to Madame Fagan? Or will the student be programmed to read and respond in order to pass a proficiency test? Today's teachers need to cultivate engaged learners. I hope they do not get too stressed to be sure the students pass the test and forget to be humane and interesting teachers.
When I think back to my high school days I was disengaged. So much of our days were spent listening to lectures, or at least trying to focus on what the teachers were saying. It seemed as though all the material was presented the the same way. If I think back to the classes that I remember the most from it would have to be my science classes. This is because they were more interactive and I enjoyed that part of the class. I also had one science teacher who was great and really made his students feel like he cared. We could see how much he loved teaching and from that most of us loved going to his class.
ReplyDeleteKeeping my students engaged is always on my mind. I feel like we are in a time when we have to get through so much in a day and forget that our students, or at least my students, are only seven years old. I try so hard to do the extra stuff, the stuff that the kids will remember, but then I feel the pressure of meeting all the goal I need to meet.
I would say that this is a "current issue". We are in a time where teaching to the test is taking over the classrooms. I feel that we as educators have to feel comfortable with straying from what is being pushed on us in order to engaged our students. It's always important to keep in mind our students, the material we are teaching, and what is the most effective way to teach our group of students.
I had to take a trip in my “Way Back Machine” this week to remember my high school experience. I would say that for the most part, my time there was engaged and many of my teachers were “stand out” and passionate about what they were doing. I can only remember several teachers who I would consider dispassionate about their topic. One was physics. To this day I don’t think I could pass a test on electrical circuitry. I can remember activities like designing a Christmas card that characters from a Dickens classic might have sent with the winners receiving a half penny. I also remember in Civics class writing letters weekly to Congressmen and Senators. We not only had to be engaged in the classroom but participate in a state or local government process for that class. Like Linda mentioned, we also acted out plays and skits as part of the classroom experience. We had to write our own plays in Spanish class and perform them with our classmates. I can remember how several of my Math teachers always seemed to keep humor a part of the learning process. While teachers did spend time lecturing, much more time was spent in discussion, application, or experimentation. And we wrote and reflected- a lot-especially in our Language Arts and Social Studies classes!
ReplyDeleteI guess what I remember most is that my teachers all knew me and my classmates and genuinely cared about us. They not only taught us lessons in the general disciplines but life lessons as well. These were all incorporated into the discipline to be sure…but they were there. I can still hear my Spanish teacher cautioning me, “Cecelia, you must learn to control your emotions”. They also knew what you were capable of and encouraged you to do your best. More than once teachers let me know that I was capable of doing better!
Intrator reports finding many of today’s students more disengaged than engaged. Teachers find themselves constantly assessing whether or not students are on task or listening and we even hear kindergarteners tell us that “this is boring!” You ask if it is a current issue and I would agree that it is current, but not necessarily new. Teachers have struggled over the past two decades with making learning meaningful and keeping students engaged, while at the same time trying to fit in a growing number of standards and extracurricular activities. It has not been easy to balance it all and it takes lots of trial and error!
I agree with Intrator that we must win both students’ hearts and minds to help them discover meaning and see the relevance of how to apply what they learn to real life experience. If we are to believe that the jobs our students will have do not yet exist, then it is vital that we make sure that our students learn how to learn and become passionate about it.
The first part of this article describing the “flavors of disengagement” was discouraging but I believe rings the truth. I base this on conversations I’ve had with my own children and their friends about high school classrooms. And although this article was referring to high school, I also feel that there are disengaged classrooms at every grade level. I thought a key quote in the article was when Intrator, describing teachers in engaged classrooms said, “these teachers fought fiercely to hold their students’ attention.” I feel any teacher can attest to that fact – you need to work hard to make the learners want to be there and learn. This is also true at any grade level. This generation of teens really are looking to be entertained. I see it at the kindergarten level as well. While teaching, I see the difference in my kindergartener’s attention to a story when I read it with expression. I also see their interest increase when I act excited about something. I also agree about students' low threshold to boredom.
ReplyDeleteMy own college aged daughter has a favorite high school teacher who I thought of while reading this article. Although she frequently referred to him as “weird” she always raved about the fun things he did in class like getting dressed up in period costumes, did big, hands-on projects, took them on rare high school field trips and made their learning fun. He obviously worked hard to engage his students and he has been successful. In fact, my daughter will still refer to his class on occasion.
Keeping students engaged has become a harder task now that our school district relies heavily on prescribed curriculums. I feel like I have to cram a lot of stuff into a short time and it leaves little wiggle room for the fun, engaging types of learning. This article is a good reminder of how important it is to make that time.
I definately think that high school was an engaging learning experience for me! I would go back to it in a heartbeat! A lot of my classes were interesting and intriguing. For example, science teachers took us outside to learn about the natural environment. We disected fetal pigs!!! We had snakes and spiders in our rooms. The math teachers were hilarious! They made class so much fun that I would forget that I was in Geometry but I learned a tremendous amount. Psychology was one of my favorite courses because we learned a lot about ourselves as individuals. We also took courses such as photography, child development, fashion and design, and ethnic foods.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of teachers who stood out, I would have to say that it was definately those teachers who cared about me. When my grandfather passed away my junior year, teachers sent cards and flowers. They came to the funeral. I knew then, that they really cared about me. Also, my senior year, my boyfriend passed away and again, I received a lot of support from the teachers in the building. It was nice to know that even though they acted "annoyed" when all we would talk about in class was our "young love lives", that they did in fact know who each one of us was as an individual and reached out to help me when I needed some support.
I definately think that disengagement is a current issue in our schools. I struggled with it more as a middle school teacher than I do as an elementary teacher though!!! That's not to say that fifth graders arent disengaged though. I can tell when they have had enough or when something just isnt grabbing their attention. I couldnt agree more with Intrator when he wrote, "nothing deflates a teacher more than bored students." I hate leaving school knowing that my students didnt have an exciting day.
When I was reading about "slow time", it made me nervous because I feel as though a lot of my day is predictable. After reading this, I will try to be more aware when I am planning so that even when we follow a routine schedule, the activities and teaching strategies differ.
I was one of the many disengaged students in high school. I do remember a few teachers who stood out, but not because of what they taught me about Geography or Science, but because of how they treated the students. My Geography teacher was the nicest man. I remember one day getting bad news at school about a family member passing away and he told me to just go to the back of the room and put my head down for the rest of the period. He frequently checked in on me during the next few weeks. He showed that he cared about his students’ lives outside of school. There were also a few teachers who stood out because they were just out right RUDE. I could never understand why they taught high school if they didn’t like teenagers.
ReplyDeleteI can identify with the statement that students feel bored, self-conscious, and are spending too much time worrying about romantic spats. Staying focused is difficult for a teenager (or child or adult for that matter) when they have a million other things on their mind – and most do. There were 7 minutes between periods in my high school and so much can go on in that 7 minutes. Someone could make fun of your outfit, you could find out that your boyfriend was cheating on you, your best friend might be mad at you, or you could realize you forgot your homework at home. So many things affect high schoolers including their home life.
I definitely think this is a current issue and would like to see more high schoolers “engaged”. I think it takes a creative teacher who actually cares about the kids to make it work – and I know there are many out there!!
Overall, my time in high school was definitely disengaged. There were a few classes here and there that really caught my interest and “made” me want to try hard, but for the most part, I felt l wasn’t a part of the whole system. Math was just impossible for me, and I remember one particular teacher calling my mother and telling her that I was just stupid. The year I took geometry, however, was a little better as my teacher incorporated a lot of himself into every lesson and made us laugh-can you imagine that, in math class?! Looking back on it, I really do think I had a disability, but during the mid-70’s, that wasn’t addressed.
ReplyDeleteArt classes were definitely engaging, for two reasons. The first being that anything that had a remote connection to art was going to intrigue me; it was a passion of mine. The second reason was that my teacher recognized my passion and supported me, challenged me; she went the extra mile, looking for schools for me that would combine my love for art and my interest in medicine. She connected to ME. That’s the secret-how is all of this going to affect ME?
My biology and then A&P teacher took a similar interest in ME. He encouraged me to come in after classes, before school, and even after I graduated to talk with him, and he talked to me like an adult. He had patience with my questions, and he always had a plethora of answers for me to choose from.
There was one other teacher who I felt like I had a connection to, and she was an English teacher. You’d think to look at her, she’d be “old school” (traditional), but she knew her students and how to capture their attention. I remember seeing her in her office one day for a question on an assignment. She’d answered the question, and then we found ourselves just visiting. Smoke curled around her head as she dragged on a cigarette. “Karon, you can be whatever you want to be, and don’t you let anyone tell you otherwise.”
All of the teachers I’ve written about (with the exception of the first one who said I was stupid) had open door policies, invited us in when we needed them or just wanted to talk (like “real” people), and always had conversations in class, not just lectures. Talking with as opposed to talking at. Anything that made us feel like we were a part of things was good.
I think that’s why I’m sort of known as the “project queen” at my school. The students and I will explore several skills, then they get rolled into a project that connects the skills with their individuality and “real” life. If they don’t feel like what they’re doing makes a difference, they will shut down. Instead of writing a simple procedure piece, my students have investigated, made on their own, and shared with classmates their family food favorites, then wrote and compiled a Class Favorite Cookbook that was shared with everyone. Another class was reading The Wave when 9/11 happened. We talked about how one person can change everything and everyone, one person or group can make a difference (good or bad), When the country lowered their flags in mourning for those who were lost to terrorism, my class realized our school didn’t have a flag of their own, took the lessons they’d learned from our discussions, and raised enough money on their own to purchase and install the flagpole we have now. I know they’ll never forget those lessons because of their involvement.
I most definitely think that this is a current issue in education, but apparently it’s not an old one. It’s tiring, even exhausting, to try to connect like this with students all the time, especially when you have so many students as I do or as high school teachers do. Not everyone has the time, some say they aren’t “creative” enough, and there are still those strictly traditional teachers who “don’t see the point.”
Thinking back to my high school years, I sadly had a very hard time remembering any of my general education teachers. I went to a very large school where there were a number of teachers teaching the same subject. I never had the same teacher twice in my general education classes. The two teachers that I remember are in subjects that I had a personal interest in: art and physical education.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious to me now, why I thought so highly of my two favorite teachers. It was not just my personal interest in the subject areas, but also that they were passionate about their subject areas. They were very open and shared personal experiences such as travel, personal slide shows of art seen first hand, and planned great field trips. They made me look forward to their classes and also feel like I was apart of their lives.
Engaging students is a current issue. Elissa Moses stated in the article that “This generation is constantly looking for new thrills that entertain”. Walking the halls in the high school you see IPODS and the hand held PS2. Students are still trying to texting in classrooms regardless of the cell phone policy. They are driven by technology and want and sometime need to be entertained to be engaged.
Reading this article is a friendly reminder to keep things fresh and to bring new ideas to my units.
While reading Sam Intrator’s article “The Engaged Classroom” I often reflected on my own personal experiences in high school. I have to honestly say that aside from a few teachers who provided engaging activities, most of my high school years were spent writing notes to friends in class, writing my name using my boyfriend’s last name, making to do lists, and doing other homework. I’d say I was disengaged about 95% of the time. Other times I would take notes, but only know what was discussed in class because I studied later after not listening to a word the teacher said in class.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers who stood out for me in high school had 2 passions; 1-the subject they were teaching, and 2- teaching. I had an experience with a math teacher my junior year of high school who knew the subject so well, had a nice personality, but absolutely could not teach it. It was almost too easy for him, that he was unable to dissect the concepts enough to properly teach it. Another teacher I had did stand out, because we often had open debates about real subjects including abortion, the death penalty, politics, etc. All this teacher had to do what provide an argument, then he stepped aside and listened as the class debated, allowing us to express out beliefs and arguments offering questions and insights when he felt it was necessary. We were treated like adults, and our options mattered to him, which felt good in a high school when students are often reprimanded for having original beliefs.
Like the information Intrator found in his 130 days shadowing high school students, the activities that engaged me involved real issues that I was experiencing. For example, one of my teachers asked us to write a sequel chapter to the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. This assignment allowed us to be creative and imaginative, and I remember writing continuously enjoying every minute of the sequel I had created. The assignment was personal as well as insightful.
This information could be used professionally to show the importance of originality of students. It also provides evidence that the extra effort to get to know your students individually encourages them to engage in activities and shows a sense of dedication and respect. When my high school principal wrote me a letter of recommendation for college that included information that I didn’t even tell him, knowledge he gained about me over the seven years I knew him, made me feel respected and showed his dedication as my teacher in middle school, and principal in high school. It is the small things that teachers go out of their way to do that make the biggest difference in the lives of students.
When I think back to my high school days, which keep in mind, was over 30 years ago, it was mostly disengaged. Most of the teaching styles were lecture. I remember in history, sitting there for, it seemed like hours, not engaged in the instruction. I didn’t absorb anything. Needless to say, my grades reflected my involvement in the class. I could not relate to the content and memorize dates and names. The teacher never made any connections with the world as it was at that time.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the history teacher in high school that I work with at Castleton, I would have been successful. He really engages the students by relating history to our society today. He makes it interesting by incorporating technology, videos and even inviting Samuel De Champlain into the classroom to talk to the students.
I also remember my English class and listening to the discussion about the book we were reading and how boring it was. Again, English class would have been more interesting if I had a teacher like one of my colleagues at Castleton, (Karon). She makes learning fun and interesting. She wants the students to be engaged in their own learning. She uses fun projects to keep the student’s interest such as, writing and publishing books, using modern music that students enjoy, and using the smart board in her classroom to make connections to the students’ lives. I think that overall, that the teachers that I work with care about their students and provide various strategies to promote learning. Although, I do feel that as the years have passed there is more emphasis on standardized testing. This may have a negative impact on some teaching strategies and may force some teachers into a more formal style of teaching.