Reflections from a Third-Grade Classroom

I have two ideas that I’m currently playing with as far as my iMovie is concerned.  This past year, I thought a lot about doing something that has something to do with the “fear of jumping,” so to speak.  Doing what is right for you instead of what is expected of you is incredibly difficult, and certainly not part of any curriculum.  How do we teach children to think for themselves and evaluate options?  How do we deal with the shock when they choose the opposite of what we expect and or want?

The second option is much less developed in my mind, as it just came in this past week.  I’ve been reading American Gods by the amazing Neil Gaiman, and he’s rekindled my love of mythology and belief structures and playing with questions of reality.  How do ideas grow, spread, and die?  How do we define what is real?  Is it only the things we can see, taste, hear, smell, or touch?  Are some things “more” real than others?  And finally, do different people have different realities?  Is my reality different than yours?  I believe this to be true.  So how do I show it?

Updates:

• Intersection between science and belief leads to innovation, but only if you stay true to your nature.

What did I learn about my students?

During my guided lead teaching, I learned that my students need to hear SOMETHING or else they will scream, talk, and yell.  This leads to arguments and fights.  If I played the story we were writing about, they were silent, and worked.  If I read the story aloud, they talked over me.  If I played a recording of myself reading the story, they were silent.  Bizarre.

I learned that they work great in small groups with an adult present.  Whole class activities are a great way to lose them, and they will begin talking during your teaching.

I learned that they LOVE computers and drawing, and that they will do just about anything to engage in these two forms of media.

I learned that they LOVE chapter books being read aloud.  I wish I had some time during our daily routine to begin reading chapter books regularly to my students.

I learned that given loose parameters, they will either surprise you or severely disappoint you.  Some children will shine, demonstrating creativity and humor.  Others will fail miserably, choosing to ignore your assignment all together.  Readers Theater was particularly interesting.

I learned that Fridays are a BAD day to try and get anything done.

What did I learn about myself?

I learned that I like to be in control, and that kids don’t allow you to do this.  When I prepared the kids well and then relinquished control, they did surprisingly well (or horribly bad…).

I learned that I don’t like having rigid plans for things, as every day shapes the next.  I like to build everything around what works for the kids, and that doesn’t always stay the same.  I like the freedom to explore tangents and have related side discussions about interesting topics.  I don’t like ever having to look at a lesson plan.

I learned that I’m a pretty damn good problem solver.  I talk well with kids and we work well deciding how to fix a mistake that the kid has made.

What did I learn about my teaching?

I learned that I may be a better teacher to older children.  I love having deep conversations with kids and having them question their own thinking.  I love independent learning and having kids do things like webquests and synthesis activities.  While they’re beginning to do these things in third grade, I think fourth and fifth grade may be a better fit for me.

There are four main kinds of status that seem to play a strong role in classroom encounters.  Group work seems especially affected by the roles that various children seem to fill.

• Expert status:  This refers to the ability of children to make fine distinctions among individuals to determine who is the “expert” in the chosen field.  Often, it is this person that will dominate the group.
• Academic status:  This often correlates to “reading status,”  as reading is often used as a gauge of  someone’s overall academic ability.  Research has shown that an academic status is often used to impart status distinctions where no academic status is needed.
• Peer status:  This refers to a student’s social standing within the classroom and is shown to have a strong correlation with participation and activity.  Often, members with a high peer status can dominate group work even if it is obvious that their ideas are not that great (or even wrong).
• Societal status:  This status makes distinctions about a persons status in the larger world.  Minority, low-income students are especially at risk.  Wealthy, white students often benefit from this.

The issues of status in the classroom are incredibly important for all teachers to investigate.  Sometimes, mapping social networks can be very helpful in identifying at-risk students.  Students of low status are less likely to become involved in school and take risks with their learning, putting them in danger of “slipping through the cracks.”  Furthermore, if status issues are not identified and addressed, school will serve only as a reinforcing tool of the prejudices and assumptions that the kids entered school with.  This will further perpetuate common societal injustices.

There are a number of ways teachers can address these issues.  First, it’s important to know HOW status affects your classroom.  Once that is identified, appropriate action can be taken.

1. Set up a situation where the low-status student is the expert.
2. Use “Expectation Training” where a low-status student becomes responsible for teaching and helping a high-status student grasp a particular concept.
3. Recognizing (and teaching your students to do so as well) that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and that no one person can be the be-all, end-all source of knowledge (even the teacher!)

My CT and I were discussing yesterday how impressed we were with our particular class.  We do not see very many issues with status in our classroom.  I’m not entirely sure why this is, but my guess is that ALL of our children are traditionally low-status children, and that has something to do with it.  I see a greater sense of cameraderie and support in this classroom that seems possible.

However, while my class doesn’t seem affected by status, they also don’t seem used to groupwork.  They never work together, never ask each other for help, nothing.  It’s very difficult!  I almost WANT to inject some status into our groups to facilitate leadership roles and get them used to trusting thier peers.

Great readers ask themselves questions continuously to monitor and assess their reading.  Some of these questions are:

• Is this making sense?
• What is the purpose of my reading?  What is the purpose of the text?
• How can I revise or repair my comprehension?  What difficulties am I having?
• What stance towards this text am I taking: as character, as book reviewer, or as a writer analyzing literary techniques?
• How to I manage this text and the information within it?
• What am I thinking as I read this text?  Can I think out loud?