There’s a lot more to teaching than
just simply relaying information and teaching skills. Teaching is about making
real learning happen, learning that endures and serves the learner for the rest
of his or her life. There is a marked difference between teaching skills and
information and getting learners to retain and process information that is
useful and significant, but it is sometimes difficult to know how to make the
jump from the former to the latter.
In Chapter 11 of Subjects Matter, Daniels and Zemelman
stress the establishment of genuine and supportive relationships between
teacher and student, specifically in the context of reading. Unfortunately,
many students struggle with reading, which is perhaps the most basic skill
associated with learning any subject. As a result, we must be especially
supportive and encouraging when it comes to dealing with students who struggle
with reading. Simply portraying ourselves as human beings who make mistakes and
struggle with things and not as all-knowing god-teachers will go a long way to
making students feel more at ease and more willing to put in the effort to improve
their reading or any number of other skills.
And that is how we make the jump;
not only in the context of reading, but in teaching in general. Building
supportive relationships with our students in which we show that we are truly
invested in their learning and improvement will ensure that what we teach
sticks with our students for a long time to come. The other techniques for
helping struggling readers that Daniels and Zemelman outline can also be
applied to teaching as a whole. Modeling how good readers read can be
transferred to mathematics, (modeling how good mathematicians solve problems)
or history (modeling how good historians think), or any number of other content
areas. Making materials accessible and building engagement with the material
are also not just reading specific strategies. They can be applied in a larger
sense to what we are teaching in our schools, regardless of content area, grade
level, or curriculum.
I think that, at times, it may be
very easy for teacher candidates or new teachers to fall into the trap of
thinking that all of their students will be engaged and have no difficulties
with the material that they’re presented. The reality, however, is that there
will be students in every class that struggle with one thing or another, be it
reading, writing, critical thinking, or less academic issues such as paying
attention or time management. How do we help these students? It all comes back
to building relationships, and not just the typical teacher-student,
delegator-delegatee ones. Instead, we must strive to establish meaningful and
genuine relationships with our students. Take an interest in their hobbies or
their life outside of school. Support them when they struggle in school, and
let them know that you are there to encourage and help them however you can and
that you believe in them and are rooting for them. That all sounds very trite,
but it really is a pivotal component of getting students interested in and
excited about learning. Knowing that you are an ally rather than an
unapproachable authority figure will put students more at ease in your
classroom, and will ultimately make them more successful in their academic careers.
I found this really excellent TED Talk about building relationships with students. Take the eight minutes to watch it, it's worth it.
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