Student Dialogue
For these reflections, I used the questions to lead a discussion with a group of students (my son's friends), rather than interview just one. Group members ranged in age from 15 to 17, included girls and boys, and represented different cultures and racial/ethnic backgrounds.
I asked first about power. They immediately responded that leadership opportunities, such as acting as a camp counselor, or an officer in a music group were situations in which they had power. In the classroom, they said, getting good grades and excelling in other ways (such as in a music group) gives them a sense of power. They named classroom discussions as an activity in which they felt powerful. They stipulated, however, that they only feel powerful in well-directed discussions in which everybody is given the chance to participate. I asked whether they felt like students had very much power in classrooms and they said no--the teacher has about 95% of the power, but they thought that was fine, however.
From their answers I would say that good ways to provide power to students in a classroom would be, 1) give opportunities for leadership, 2) provide lots of chances to achieve and excel, 3) include classroom discussions often, 4) use discussion techniques that give everyone a chance to speak.
When I asked what made them feel free, one immediately responded, “Driving!” They also mentioned summer vacation, video games, cell phones, and getting older. They thought situations where there were no rules would probably make them feel free, but assured me that rules are very necessary in the classroom. In a classroom setting, they said that being given choices of assignments and activities made them feel more free. They said that the strict course of study they take as IB students restricts their freedom to choose other classes that they wish they could take. The realized that their commitment to music takes up a lot of their time and limits their freedom also.
For freedom, a teacher could 1) provide choices among assignments, 2) allow alternate activities, 3) limit restrictions and have fewer rules as students get older, 4) build a classroom environment that lets them communicate with their friends. They all thought a class in which they could blog the answers to discussion questions and could comment on the blogs of their classmates would be intriguing.
When I asked them what activities they thought were fun outside of school, they responded loudly with “Music!” They also mentioned sports, parties, hanging out with their friends and video games. Fun in school included music (again) and clubs. When I narrowed them to fun in the classroom, they mentioned discussions (even those who don’t participate said they like to listen), competitive activities, competition with classmates, eccentric teachers, interesting topics variety in activities. They said doing the same thing all the time is NOT fun and they like to have the classroom routine broken up with different activities. Those who attended charter schools said they missed the many activities they participated in when they were in middle school--such as field trips, group activities.
To bring fun to the classroom, a teacher could 1) vary instruction styles, 2) make the curriculum interesting, 3) spend more time in discussions, 4) vary the routine, 5) get out of the classroom when possible.
They were less animated when I asked them when they had a sense of belonging. Once again, they mentioned their music groups and music classes immediately. They said they felt they belonged when they were with their friends--either in or out of school. They said they had a sense of belonging in clubs and other groups where they shared interests with other members. They didn’t mention families, churches or sports teams.
To help kids feel like they belong, 1) teachers and those who organize classes and curricula should take care that scheduling doesn’t separate students from their friends, 2) teachers should be aware of friendships when small groups are formed in classes, 3) the bonds students have with other students should be encouraged, 4) students who share interests should be encouraged to do things together.
Finally, I asked them what I could learn that would make me a fantastic teacher. They said I should learn 1) lots of instruction techniques so they didn’t have the same thing in class all the time, 2) how to give students more choices in class, 3) how to teach so that content was related to “right now” and “real life”--but not in a contrived way (like some math and problem-solving questions). They don’t like being given a bunch of information and being told to put it together without being directed by questions or directions.
A few thoughts: They want structure--but not routine. They like to be with friends. Achievement makes them feel powerful. Freedom is part of growing up.
Reflections 2.8 and 2.9
It’s nice you had an interesting group of kids handy to interview! I wonder if they would like to have more power in the classroom or they are just used to be in situations in which the teacher has the power or if they really feel that it is better for the teacher to have the power in the classroom...that it serves them well educationally. Interesting that they seem to have a solid sense of the compromises they make in their lives regarding freedom or power issues. I’ll bet a non-IB group might have pretty different answers. I appreciate how you translate each aspect of the interview into points you can use as a teacher. It’s neat that female student is excited to share ideas with her family. On the other hand, it seems like she is very comfortable with others making decisions for her and not necessarily ready to think on her own. I appreciate the sense of achievement you describe as needing some sense of challenge to feel like you have accomplished something and that achievement alone is not as satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you analyzed these responses and came up with some ideas for your own classroom that would empower students, give them a sense of freedom, help them get a sense of belonging, and let them have fun. It would be interesting to hear what ideas you come up with for the "how" part of those ideas. (I may have to borrow some!) I also really appreciated your summation at the end. I think that we often mistake structure for routine and fun for chaos. We can easily get caught up in our own rigidity and forget that giving students freedom does not mean letting them control the classroom. We can help them explore and make connections to life while providing them structure and foundation.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was really interesting to hear how kids described their power. I would have to agree with everything they were saying. When I was in high school I can remember thinking much of the same things. Driving was a major freedom of mine. Go where you please. I also remember thinking that my classroom needed rules. Without some structure it would be chaos. Hopefully though, my own classroom will give more power to the students. We need to get them engaged in learning and what better way than to give them more 'adult' power within our classrooms.
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