Surprisingly, group dynamics play a huge role in determining the success of the class discussion. I battled with how I would approach the group discussion today. I decided that at the end of the day, the kids would be more comfortable with their group of friends. For one, many refuse to get out of their bums to move and secondly, they are more likely to talk to people they are comfortable with. The problem here however, is that certain groups of friends are generally more talkative or less talkative than others. I encountered this very problem today when I reached the group of ELL students. I knew they always sat together and I knew they were not big talkers. They did not pay attention most of the time in class either. I think their greatest fear is that they don’t think they could speak English. However, judging from their writing, their comprehension of the language seems fine. Granted, it is more difficult to speak sometimes than it is to write. I do understand that part in learning a new language.
Despite this, I continued to pressure this group to give an answer. I remember what it was like to be in that situation. I hated it. I hated it because I was often too shy to speak. Not because I didn’t know the answer. I was also too afraid to say the wrong answer or say something stupid. I do feel badly for the students who are struggling in class due to language barriers, but I am really trying to find a way to help them. I know that their understanding of English is far from perfect, but it is adequate. Adequate enough to participate in a class discussion and to complete the concept worksheet. I don’t want to come off as a teacher that is insensitive to my students. I attempted to mix in a native English speaker to their groups many times and this native English speaker always ends up being the talker. I don’t even know if the group even talked at all! This is the frustrating part about class engagement. Do I continue to push for entire class participation at the expense of precious time I could be using to teach new material? At this point in my practicum and my career, I feel like I need to find a balance. I must get through my material but I also must address the issue of class engagement. I realize now that many students in my art classes are there because they were forced into it. Many also sign up for this class to “slack off”. I don’t appreciate this and they certainly don’t appreciate me trying to make it academic. But this is my job and my true intentions as a teacher. I don’t want art class to be the “easy” class. I do want it to be enjoyable and educational at the same time. If I let a couple things slide, it would look bad on me during an observation. If I tried to catch everything that goes wrong during class, I would be unable to teach anything. So what is it then? What must I focus my attention on? I think that truthfully, I will be unable to catch all of the students who aren’t paying attention, no matter how interesting the subject is. I have come to accept that I need to find a fine balance between WHAT I have to deliver that day and WHO must absolutely pay attention to the material that I am teaching. Walking around the class certainly helps. They tend to put down their phones and start to “look up” once you have graced their presence.
