Decisions teachers make, their impact, and what influences them
Teachers make many decisions daily, ranging from the minutia of day-to-day classroom to bigger picture items that can have an effect on children, their families and the community. The teacher makes decisions on the activities of the classroom. Teachers decide which activities are pursued over others and when and where these activities take place. The teacher takes into consideration many factors when making decisions. The most important factors she considers are about the needs of her particular students. She will consider the group (is the group typically loud or quiet? Strong readers? An interest in social justice) and she will also consider the individual learners in the classroom (is there one student who may need extra time? Are there a few students who do better when movement is involved?). Once the teacher has considered the needs of both the group and the individuals within the group she can tailor her activities to best suit her class.
Teachers consider
-Interests
-Group dynamic
-Teacher’s own confidence and needs
-Learning needs
-Abilities
-Physical resources
Vignette:
Mrs. N has chosen to take her class on a walk to the local pizza shop. She has made this decision considering all of the following.
- The students are studying fractions (interest and curriculum)
- She has an EA in her classroom and reliable parent volunteers (resources)
- The group typically lines up quickly and follows directions (group dynamics, teacher confidence)
- Parents in the classroom are willing to send $2 with their children for pizza lunch (resources)
- The location of the Pizza place is close enough for her students to walk there (resources)
- The neighborhood is safe enough to take a group of small children on foot without fear of cars (resources)
Mrs. N’s situation is ideal for this type of trip however
- IF the students were not studying fractions there is little justification to go
- IF there were no other adults to accompany her the administration would not approve the trip
- IF the group did not follow directions quickly it would be better to delay the trip until a point in time that they could
- IF the classroom was a low SES location it would be insensitive to ask parents to send money
- IF the pizza place was far away other transport would have to be arranged or the trip would be unsafe or inconvenient
- IF the neighborhood was in a high traffic area other transportation would need to be arranged
Conclusions: Teachers are responsible for making decisions that are deliberate and justifiable.