Daniels & Zemelman Ch 7:
Building a Community of Learners
1. What was the chapter about?
This chapter focuses on the idea that teachers need to actively shape their classroom so that students feel safe, comfortable and welcome everyday. Teachers need to make sure that their students are actively engaged and encouraging one another to thoroughly engage in the learning experience. The authors do note that these strategies presented for the teachers can not be implemented during every single lesson but still stress the importance of implementing this strategies daily.
- Make the classroom a place where students trust the teacher and believe it's safe to take risks.
- Provide students with choices and opportunities to take responsibility in the classroom.
- Connect learning with students' lives and the larger issues around them.
- Organize learning so that students work together and help one another.
- Read aloud from engaging and powerful writing in their fields.
2. What does this chapter tell you about teaching students?
This chapter tells me that one of the most important things about teaching students is to really get to know them and make them feel welcome in your classroom. Recognize their interests and conduct your teaching instruction in a way that sparks meaning and engages your students. Allowing them the opportunity to conduct their own learning is also crucial when teaching students because this responsibility gives meaning to the learning process and engages them at a higher level.
3. Can this chapter be applied in your content area?
Yes, this chapter can be applied in my content area of mathematics. For example, the Best Practice High School Geometry teacher regularly combined textbook reading, questioning, and conferencing organically. She let her students explore the material first, then work on practice problems with group, followed by having the students put their work on the board, which generated lots of classroom discussion and questioning. I love how she let her students conduct their own learning, but also gave them that sense of comfort if they needed it. I think this is a great way to implement of the importance of reading in a math classroom.
Jenna! I love how you tied this reading specifically to your field of mathematics. I would never think that students could actually explore material on their own in the math class prior to teacher instruction. For me, the crucial aspect of this format is the teacher remaining present throughout the period of self-instruction and remaining available to help students and guide their questioning.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of classroom climate, I agree that this chapter focuses on creating a welcoming environment for them to learn. Knowing your students and having the ability to cater your lessons and materials to their specific interests can help create a meaningful and personal connection to the text or activity for the day. In turn, students feel empowered and tied to their academics. This, in combination with providing student autonomy (no matter how minor a choice is given) can really help a student to empower themselves to achieve success within any classroom.