The
statement "Teaching with a lot of control is easy. Handing control
over to the students, and planning for every possible outcome, adapting
instruction where they take it, is extremely difficult, but worth it," is
one that all teachers should learn and live by. While teaching is mostly
in the teachers' hands, there are aspects that are completely controlled by the
students, whether the teacher likes it or not. Teachers have control over
what lessons will be taught and how to teach them, but their students are the
ones that control how the lesson actually goes. Depending on whether they
understand the content material, whether they are motivated, and whether they
are enjoying the way that the lesson is being taught, for instance, a lesson
can quickly need adjustments. This is why a teacher needs to be
completely prepared for every possible outcome. He or she needs back up
plans, in case the first method of teaching the material isn't the most
effective for the students. When the teacher has these alternative plans,
this also allows for the students to have control, which is the best way for
learning to happen because it ensures that they are gaining the information
that they need.
One way
that I saw my teacher both being in charge and letting her students take
control. She is in control of teaching all of the material in math class,
but then she does math stations to reiterate what they are learning. To
decide what station that each student goes to, she looks at what area they need
the most practice in and then makes the decisions based on that. This is
where the students are in control. Depending on the pace that they are
learning, they control where they go and how they spend their time, with the
help of their teacher.
For a
student-centered classroom to work, the students must be motivated to learn.
If they have no motivation to learn, then the classroom won't run
smoothly because they will be controlling it in a way that learning is not a
priority. In this case, the classroom would have to become teacher
controlled to get learning done.
I think your last point about student-centered classrooms may not always be efficient if the students aren't motivated to learn. It is a two-sided coin: if students have control they might be more interested in their learning, but on the other hand they can also abuse that power. It is important for teachers to recognize when students are abusing their control like you mentioned in your post.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought up the point that student-centered classrooms are not always beneficial. Teachers have to be really careful when letting students take control in the classroom, because it places a huge amount of trust on the students. Giving students control can make them intrinsically motivated and engaged in what they are learning. But if students do not feel like learning, they can become easily distracted and stray off-task if the teacher gives them control. Teachers should still make some aspects in the classroom student-centered, but they should be sure that students are actually benefiting from the student-centered activities.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if the students are not motivated to learn that the classroom will not run smoothly. If the students do not want to learn period they will not want to even when they are in control. This is when the teacher will just have to be in control.
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