By training children to “do school,” Steven Wolk claims that our nation’s educational system promotes boredom and destroys a child’s spirit to learn. His article, “Joy in School,” begs the reader to rethink the purpose of school, and to reevaluate pedagogy, assessment, and degree of student ownership in an effort to make education a more joyful and nurturing experience.
What barriers do you foresee in implementing Wolk’s recommendations for making school a more joyful experience?
How could these barriers be overcome?
How do you feel about the “Tinkering School” that Wolk mentions?
Do you feel that such a school, which is wholly student-centered, would produce well-rounded students that would meet current standards?
Prompted by John (sans tim)
4 comments:
After reading Palmer's chapter and this article, I thought about your last question-Do you feel that such a school (Tinker School), which is wholly student-centered, would produce well-rounded students that would meet current standards? Palmer writes, "When students are put at the center of the circle, teachers may yield too much of their leadership; it is difficult to confront ingnorance and bias in individuals or the group when students themselves comprise the plumb line." Palmer suggests perhaps instead of totally teacher or student centered, we think about creating classrooms that are subject centered. The subject then becomes the center of focus and the best features of both teacher and student centered approaches can be blended. I would agree that a totally student centered environment might have some difficulty meeting state standards.
For several years we did a lot of alternative summer educational programs. Over the course of two summers students decorated the learning center walls with Vermont inspired scenes. The oldest(10 yrs) and only one still taking place is our study of the Lake Champlain Basin. It is a two-part experience with students spending the first week studying the science of the local waterways in kayaks. The second week students look at the lake from a historical perspective, kayaking to Fort Ti from Orwell and then talking about the strategies both sides used during the Revolutionary War. The teacher who began the program says it is a time he thinks he does his best teaching and students all report having a great learning experience. We often talk about how we could incorporate the summer experience into a year long alternative classroom. We have built bits and pieces into our school year, students take weekly trips to the river to do water quality tests, and take field trips to water and sewage treatment facilities.
I thought the article offered some ideas that would not take much effort and would have few barriers. We have student murals (painted and ceramic)in our school thanks to the donation of materials from our PTA. The new entrance features a quilt depicting the school all sewn with third grade hands. Making the space more inviting and putting up student work doesn't cost much. The focus of our Literacy team over the past few years has been to get good books into the hands of our students. We have had tremendous support from the PTA who sponsors book fairs that provide classrooms with books. Most of our classrooms, primary especially, all have curtains, cozy reading corners, and student work hanging all around- on the walls and even hanging from the ceiling.
I agree that students should have plenty of creative outlets. I would invite everyone to take advantage of seeing one of our drama productions. We usually have anywhere from 30-40 students in a production. Students practice for months - most never missing a practice. Here is the kicker-practice is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:30AM. They do that so students who still want to participate in sports, chess, film or Scrabble can still do so. The students range in age from third graders to eighth graders.
I liked how the author of this article notes that teachers need help in finding the joy in teaching. Teaching is a demanding and tiring profession and we need to help each other find the joy in our work.
Although I don’t feel tense myself during the school day, I do feel like we have a rigorous schedule and we jump right from one task to the next without even taking a breath. I think that it’s equally important for teachers to find the joy in teachers as well as students to find the joy in learning. I hope that as teachers we are trying to incorporate joy into what we are doing even if we don’t agree with the education hoops that we sometimes have to jump through. I want my students to feel that there is joy in their school day and work hard to make that happen even given all that we are expected to accomplish!
I think there would be barriers in incorporating some of Wolk’s ideas into schools. First of all, it may be for many schools almost a total transformation in structure, and expectations that everyone – staff, administrators, schoolboard members, students, and parents would have to be on board with. Also, how would standardized testing work and would that still be a piece of the puzzle? What about funding? Walk spoke of increased time for art, music, etc. Those things require time and money.
I do agree that the more invested kids are in what they’re doing, the more they will learn and get out of the activity. I think that there are times when lessons or units lend themselves to letting kids make choices about their own learning. Education has taken some wrong turns, but it seems there can be some kind of balance between directed instruction and complete student centered learning.
Since I teach kindergarten, my perspective on school and learning is that of course school should be a joyful experience. Much of the kindergarten curriculum is active and hands-on. Also, we have a traditional choice time in my classroom so there is time set aside every day for students to make choices. I hope that I am giving my students a joyful experience. However in recent years, I believe it has become less joyful due to new mandates and raised standards.
I believe that some points in this article are possible at all grade levels. Hopefully we can all find pleasure in learning, show off student work, make school spaces inviting, have fun together and read good books. However I’m not sure that tinkering or getting outside would work for every subject in other grade levels. It was interesting to note that the Tinkering School mentioned in the article was really only a summer program. Perhaps that is a solution to finding ways to include this type of learning for some students.
Even in kindergarten, there are certain subjects that lend themselves to being more hands on and I would suspect this is true at every grade level. One of the biggest barriers to implementing Wolk’s recommendations is the amount of time in the school day and finding time.
I agree with Ceil that it is important for us to find the joy in teaching. Perhaps if we find this joy, we can pass it on to our students!
Joy in the Classroom
Having joy in the classroom helps me remember why I became a teacher. I leave the building feeling content when there has been joy in the classroom. Here are some instances:
1. Joy-- on the face of the little girl who says, "I love school!"
2. Creating--skits based on Eric Carle stories to put on for each other;
3. Showing Off--student artwork and math patterns displayed on the wall;
4. Choice Time--with students busy working and playing simultaneously;
5. Looking around--to observe what is new on display in the classroom at the start of a new theme;
6. Going outside--to get fresh air and run around;
7. Reading books--adding books to individual book bags;
8. Moving--by doing Brain Gym activities that make connections in the brain;
9. Assessing--using the Primary Observation Assessment to determine reading and writing levels;
10. Participating--by modeling learning with the students cheering you on.
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