My task as a teacher is not only to find the most appropriate pedagogical methods, but to win students by building trust. After eleven years of teaching, the challenge of establishing a trusting, effective work relationship with a student is still my most difficult task. With experience, things have gotten easier, but finding the right balance between being highly authoritative and highly compassionate is a daily challenge. A student learns when a positive relationship is built with the teacher.
I’ve learned to see my task as making deposits into a trust account. As an outsider, as a white person, as a “rich” person with a good salary, my students have no reason to automatically trust me. There is no reason for them to obey my instructions or positively collaborate in the classroom. The burden is on me. I have to prove myself; I have to make deposits into the trust account. How? By demonstrating that I truly believe that they can succeed and that I am there to show them how and guide them in the process. They also know that I won’t do it for them or make the tasks easier; that I’m not going to feel sorry for them. By enjoying working with them, by acknowledging the ways I have learned from them, by seeking out and acknowledging their strengths, by watching them in their after-school activities, by respecting their parents, I build trust.
I directly acknowledge racism. As a white person, I use the word white as well as black, along with Latino, Asian, Native American, Arabs, amongst others, to show that even though race is a biological fiction, racism is a structural and social reality. Along with classism, sexism, heterosexism, and religious discrimination, racism is something my students must daily encounter. If I ignore talking about race because it makes me feel uncomfortable, then I do my students a disservice. I don’t shy away out of fear of being accused of being a racist. I know I can’t see or understand the world outside of my white privilege, but I make my best efforts to listen to and validate other people’s experiences. For me to build trust as a white teacher, I have to acknowledge my student’s feelings and validate their experiences of the everyday microaggressions of racism.
I am successful when my students learn not only how to access information, but how to critically evaluate it, apply it, and present it. They have to learn how to formulate questions and answer them. They become life-long, self-directed, critically-thinking learners. My class is based on five elements: 1) research projects; 2) discussions; 3) group presentations; 4) reading/writing workshop; and 5) word work.
The varied skills involved in the research project allow for all students to capitalize on their strengths, while being challenged to develop new ones. Allowing students to be creative, think analytically, and explore their interests is essential for all students, and arguably, even more so for those who experience frustration and failure in more traditional, lecture-based class formats. In weekly structured discussions, students come prepared by having read the same text. In a Paideia Seminar format, the students learn to listen and to build on each other’s knowledge. Placing students in flexible cooperative learning groups is essential. The heterogeneity should not be based solely on proficiency levels based on test scores, but on other forms of knowledge, experience, and character traits.
I structure my classes in blocks, modeled closely on the Reading and Writing Workshop. Students access textbooks and fiction that are slightly above grade level through teacher read-alouds that highlight comprehension strategies. The teacher also models writing. In another block, students are paired up to read and to draft, revise, and edit writing. This is a good opportunity to pair up lower and higher performing students. More proficient students benefit from this interaction because the most efficient learning occurs when people have to explain and teach. Individual reading and writing time is essential so that the teacher can individually conference with students and formulate and assess goals and progress.
Emphasizing vocabulary is essential for all students. A weekly block is devoted to word work where meanings are predicted and discussed; analogies are created; roots and affixes are identified; and words are related. Words are written on the class walls and kept in flipbooks. Pictures and graphics are employed. Students (and the teacher) are encouraged to use the words in different contexts. Review games are played before the weekly quiz.
I’ve learned to see my task as making deposits into a trust account. As an outsider, as a white person, as a “rich” person with a good salary, my students have no reason to automatically trust me. There is no reason for them to obey my instructions or positively collaborate in the classroom. The burden is on me. I have to prove myself; I have to make deposits into the trust account. How? By demonstrating that I truly believe that they can succeed and that I am there to show them how and guide them in the process. They also know that I won’t do it for them or make the tasks easier; that I’m not going to feel sorry for them. By enjoying working with them, by acknowledging the ways I have learned from them, by seeking out and acknowledging their strengths, by watching them in their after-school activities, by respecting their parents, I build trust.
I directly acknowledge racism. As a white person, I use the word white as well as black, along with Latino, Asian, Native American, Arabs, amongst others, to show that even though race is a biological fiction, racism is a structural and social reality. Along with classism, sexism, heterosexism, and religious discrimination, racism is something my students must daily encounter. If I ignore talking about race because it makes me feel uncomfortable, then I do my students a disservice. I don’t shy away out of fear of being accused of being a racist. I know I can’t see or understand the world outside of my white privilege, but I make my best efforts to listen to and validate other people’s experiences. For me to build trust as a white teacher, I have to acknowledge my student’s feelings and validate their experiences of the everyday microaggressions of racism.
I am successful when my students learn not only how to access information, but how to critically evaluate it, apply it, and present it. They have to learn how to formulate questions and answer them. They become life-long, self-directed, critically-thinking learners. My class is based on five elements: 1) research projects; 2) discussions; 3) group presentations; 4) reading/writing workshop; and 5) word work.
The varied skills involved in the research project allow for all students to capitalize on their strengths, while being challenged to develop new ones. Allowing students to be creative, think analytically, and explore their interests is essential for all students, and arguably, even more so for those who experience frustration and failure in more traditional, lecture-based class formats. In weekly structured discussions, students come prepared by having read the same text. In a Paideia Seminar format, the students learn to listen and to build on each other’s knowledge. Placing students in flexible cooperative learning groups is essential. The heterogeneity should not be based solely on proficiency levels based on test scores, but on other forms of knowledge, experience, and character traits.
I structure my classes in blocks, modeled closely on the Reading and Writing Workshop. Students access textbooks and fiction that are slightly above grade level through teacher read-alouds that highlight comprehension strategies. The teacher also models writing. In another block, students are paired up to read and to draft, revise, and edit writing. This is a good opportunity to pair up lower and higher performing students. More proficient students benefit from this interaction because the most efficient learning occurs when people have to explain and teach. Individual reading and writing time is essential so that the teacher can individually conference with students and formulate and assess goals and progress.
Emphasizing vocabulary is essential for all students. A weekly block is devoted to word work where meanings are predicted and discussed; analogies are created; roots and affixes are identified; and words are related. Words are written on the class walls and kept in flipbooks. Pictures and graphics are employed. Students (and the teacher) are encouraged to use the words in different contexts. Review games are played before the weekly quiz.
