The Dreamkeepers "Education, like electricity, needs a conduit, a teacher, through which to transmit its power- i.e., the discovery and continuity of information, knowledge, wisdom, experience, and culture. Through the stories and experiences of eight successful teacher-transmitters, The DreamKeepers keeps hope alive for educating young African Americans."
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Creative Connector: Ch. 5 (S. Fess)
The text says, “Some of the smartest youngsters I’ve worked with have been right here in this community, but a lot of time they don’t believe in themselves. School saps the life out of them." (pg. 96) This reminds me that as a teacher, I need to remind my students that they are in charge of their own destiny. Some students are naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need a teacher to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them. I believe that effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability to maintain the interest that brought student to the classroom in the first place. Whatever level of motivation my students bring to my classroom will be transformed, for better or worse, by what happens in my classroom.
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Acknowledging some of a students gifts can be a good confidence boost. SOmetimes, having a student look at all the things the can do well helps them when they need to work on something they don't do as well. I liked the example in the book where it talked about the student teacher who wasn't teaching effectively because he wasn't starting with what the students did know. He started off with all the stuff they didn't know, and they couldn't connect the dots and gave up, leading to behavior problems.
ReplyDeleteMany smart students don't even realize how smart they are...maybe because they are not told enough or because other things in their lives (problems) take center stage over what really important. As teachers it is our job to point out the good qualities in each students... even though one who's positive qualities are not so easy to find:)
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