I have been reading Urban Meyer's book Above the Line. In this book he talks about the culture of Ohio State and what he expects from everyone of his athletes when they step onto the playing field. It triggered a thought what I should expect from everyone of my students when they enter the classroom. Here are my thoughts which I am going to share and hopefully get some feedback before implementing this above the line approach in the class.
1. All students should be engaged with the class material. They should be focused on the discussion that is occurring in the classroom. In this respect they should have their cell phones off and out of sight.
2. Be the best you can be. When I say that I want you to be the best that you can be on that day. I understand that sometimes people are sick, did not get a good nights sleep but you still can put your best foot forward. It might not be your best effort but it is the best effort you can muster that day.
3. Do not complain. When I look around our school their is a culture of complaining that starts from the administration through the teachers and down to the students. I do not want complaining in our class room from either the students or the teacher.
4. Integrity-No cheating, do not take the easy way out of things. Work hard on each problem without asking for help before you gave it your best. (see number 2). Remember when you think you gave it your best you still have much more in the tank. Learning is a struggle and we need to push ourselves to struggle before giving in.
5- Caring for others-Trying your hardest to take care of the person to your left or your right. Worrying about did they understand the concepts. Helping them become better students. Making them feel comfortable asking questions.
No matter what we decide on we are going to need to be critical coaches of each other. If you see a student with a phone out you need to tell them to put it away. If a student is cheating you need to tell them we do not do that in this class. If the teacher is not following the above behaviors you need to call him out on it. As a team we can make the last couple of months one where we all push each other to be the best we can be.
So is there anything on this that you disagree with? Anything I need to add? Pushback as hard as you want. Let us make this something we can all live with.
I don't think asking people not to complain is the solution to the problem. People need to focus not on problems, but on solutions. If I see an issue, I will raise it, but nothing is more frustrating than when people point out all of the things you do wrong, but never suggest a way to do better. So instead of saying, "Don't Complain" we should instead say "Find Solutions no Problems" or "Don't whine, fix it" it's incredibly productive to say "wouldn't _______ be a better way to do it" it's not productive to say "man _____ is really stupid"
ReplyDeletegreat point just the type of feedback that I wanted.
ReplyDeleteComing with the help we need to give to and get from each other, I believe that there needs to be a sense of accountability. I don't mean that someone doesn't deserve help if they don't understand, because peer assistance can be much less daunting than asking the teacher in front of the entire class. I mean that some students shouldn't have to help others that don't do their work, because it's extremely distracting from the lesson at hand when you have to essentially teach someone the material that they should've read in the textbook. I personally enjoy helping others and receiving help in class, but get frustrated when someone expects assistance after they haven't put forth their maximum effort as an individual. If we hold each other accountable to read and keep up with the coursework so that we are all as well versed in the subject matter as we can be, then I feel we may be able to have a better peer assistance network in and out of class.
ReplyDeleteHannah, thanks for taking the time to respond. I think your statement goes with being the best you can be. I also think that helping the person to your left and right is also about trying to motivate them in a positive fashion. Help get them on track to read the book and come to class prepared which might be a part of the culture of the class. This type of feedback and pushback is helping me rethink some things
ReplyDeleteThe first sentence of the first point addresses one of the most important variables that leads to students being successful in the classroom. "All students should be engaged with the class material." Engaged students would obviously be successful- if they pay attention to everything addressed in class, they will ask questions about things they don't understand and, in theory, they will understand everything taught in class by the time they walk out the door. But then there is this: in order to be engaged, you must first disengage. How is a student supposed to focus on the class if they're still thinking about other things in their life? I have struggled with classes, and I have been successful in classes. One of the differences I have noticed is the classes I have been successful in versus classes I have not been successful in is how I weigh the information I'm learning in my head. Not in terms of 'how can I use this in real life', but in terms of 'to what degree do I need to learn this to achieve the level of success I want to get out of this class'. This is decided by a number of factors: how much do I enjoy the subject, how much do I care about the material, how vigorous is the coursework, how much do I value the teacher and how will that influence me to want to be successful in their class, and so on'. To understand the rest of the points you brought up in the blog, I think it starts with the engagement of the student and all of what that includes at the next level. Classrooms that help a student forget what is going on in their life and gets them focused on the subject for 85 minutes, are classrooms with the most successful students- not in terms of a grade, but more in terms of understanding, interest, and a sense of community between the students. By engaging students, the rest of the points fall into place. Being engaged leads to students putting their best foot forward in any situation (2) because they are caring about the class and will want to understand the work for themselves and in order to better understand the next topic coming up. Instead of complaining about the work, students would be motivated by their struggling to ask questions and better understand the work for their own benefit. (3) No one would want to cheat because then they wouldn't know how to improve or if they needed to improve. Students wouldn't have to cheat because they are interested in understanding the material and are prepared for the exam they're taking. (4) People love explaining things they understand, and the more students understand, the more able they are to help each other. Also being a part of a group that is excited about the same things are supportive of one another. (5)
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, disengaging students from themselves and engaging them in the environment and material being taught in the classroom leads students to being more successful.
thanks for a very well thought out response. I do think that all of us bring baggage into every class. I need to disengage from my personal life just like you need to from yours.
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