Impact

I was thinking that at the start of the year students, teachers, and parents are expecting some sort of growth from each class that they participate in.  That since you are in the class for almost a year that you should get a year's worth of growth. 

When we talk about good teachers can we visibly demonstrate the growth students had in their class rooms.  Can students and parents provide evidence to say this teacher had a greater impact on my child than another teacher?

So think about good teachers you have had, what evidence would you show to demonstrate the impact that they have had on you?  Now mind you that this impact does not only have to do with academics, it can be social, emotional, dance, sports etc.

I know that it is against the social norms to respond to blogs but I truly would like to hear your opinion on this. 

Social Norms

Social Norms are unwritten rules about how to behave. They provide us with an expected idea of how to behave in a particular social group or culture.  In talking with a former student they brought up the fact that the social norm in school is for students not to really raise their hands.

So I started to think when does this social norm occur.  You can go into a kindergarten class, and you will often see kids raising their hands enthusiastically, hoping that the teacher calls on them.  There are times in kindergarten where you might see ten or twelve hands up at the same time.  However, when you go to most high school classes, you get a couple of hands up at a time.  Often if a student asks a lot of questions you might hear other students muttering under their breath.  What changed?

Now I realize that teachers are responsible for some of the changes.  We often in a rush to cover all the curriculum and are not receptive to encouraging or taking questions in class.  However, I think that the problem goes beyond the teacher and again just spills into the unwritten social norm that seems to pervade most high school classes.

If we change this social norm more students will leave the class room with an understanding of the topic.  Instead of just sitting in the class confused they will ask questions that will help them understand.  Students will also take risks when answering questions which will help them learn from their mistakes.  I have no doubt that the learning will truly increase in the class room if we could just break down this social norm.

So the purpose of the blog is not to provide an answer to this problem but rather seek from you the reader solutions to the problem.  I would like to break this social norm in my class next year.  I want when I ask are their any questions for hands to fly up, when I ask a question that twenty students know the answer that they raise their hands, that the social norm becomes you need to raise your hand in this class.

If I think of most of the things that I do in class that work they were suggested to me by students.  So please take the time to answer the question and provide me with feedback to change the class room environment and break down this social norm.