Category Archives: Pedagogy

To what extent should teachers impose their knowledge on their students and how much should they leave for the students to interpret? And how just is it for the education system to decide on what is appropriate knowledge for all students to learn? Does the one-size-fits-all curriculum best for all students?

I realize that students come to school from different backgrounds and perspectives. They may have different methods and different ways of thinking that may be just as right as any course that a teacher proposes. The way a teacher proposes the subject matter is inherently biased. Just as the course material has a selective bias, the choice of content focus is as well. This surely can’t be in the best interest of all students.
While being in this teacher education program, the courses have forced me to question my own biases that I was not cognizant of. I try my best to take in different knowledge, continue to explore different ways of thinking and be open to different perspectives that students may bring to the classroom. I see this as a life-long process to always improve.

Resource

Osborne, K. (2008). Education and schooling: A relationship that can never be taken for granted. In D. Coulter & J.R. Wiens (Eds.), Why do we educate? Renewing the conversation (vol. 1, pp. 21-41). Boston: Blackwell. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7984.2008.00128.x

Osborne states in this paper that schools have traditionally promoted youth to be exactly like one another. Schools did little to education and more to train the youth into social norms. They were designed to socialize, train, and even indoctrinate the young. However, in the modern age of liberal education, the goal should not be to give students the answers but to lead them to the question, inquire and discover on their own. Education is to expand students’ horizons and reveal new experiences to them.

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Should teachers step back from guiding students in their learning and allow them to inquire and discovery for themselves? A recent report by the C.D. Howe Institute called discovery-based teaching methods ineffective as Canadian test scores have been falling. Does this method of instruction promote or hinder student learning?

I think we can all relate to having a faint memory on what we learned during our high school education. When most reflect on our high school education, we rarely remember what we learned. There may be some instances where a teacher was successful in imprinting some knowledge on us but overall we loose what we learned. From my own experience in high school, I was a very passive student and simply regurgitated what my teachers were teaching me. I was never genuinely learning independently. The teachers were doing all the thinking for me.

Through discovery-based (or inquiry-based) learning, students are in the drivers seat. They are more active in their learning. They are forced to think critically and are engaged in the material. They are producing a product that is their own that will hopefully be a lasting memory in their knowledge. This pedagogy also stresses the processes involved in acquiring the knowledge, which in turn will promote life-long learning.

A source that I suggest is Jo Boaler’s work. Jo Boaler, who focuses her work within the field of Mathematics, has studied the brain plasticity in her research. In one of her papers, “Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education,” she explains recent discoveries of the brain plasticity and how deeper learning happens when students stress their thinking. When students a passively learning with the teacher doing all the thinking, students do not make strong synapses in their brain. But when they are forced to discover and think on their own, they build stronger pathways. Under this pedagogy, students will be able to remember what they learned longer and understand at a deeper level.

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Should teachers avoid making accommodations for their ELL students to promote student English learning? How much should teachers accommodate for their ELL students? ELL students are encouraged to learn English and accommodations may undermine this initiative. As a teacher of a certain subject, do we assess their knowledge of that subject exclusively or do we allow their English capabilities affect their performance

During my practicum, I was faced with an ethical dilemma. I was teaching mathematics and assessing my students on their mathematical knowledge and I noticed that my ELL students struggled with word problems. It was clear they understood the mathematics behind the problem but simply did not understand what the word questions were asking. I discussed with the schools ELL teacher and he informed me that the test is part of their learning of the English language and that I should not make any accommodation for them. I argued that I am testing them on their math knowledge not their English skills. Inevitably, I retested these students with a verbal and rephrasing of the question to help them understand what the question was asking. As a result, those higher achieving students were successful and those who still did not understand. I believe the action I chose was the correct one that result in a fair and valid assessment of the students’ content knowledge of mathematics.

Resource to consider

Mihai, N. E. P. S. F. (2006). Assessing English language learners’ content knowledge in middle school classrooms. Middle School Journal.

In this paper, the authors express that not every test for ESL (ELL) needs to be a language or literacy test. Some teachers do not consider testing adaptations and accommodations “fair’ to their native English-speakers. In reality, any test given in English automatically constitutes as unequal testing environment for linguistically diverse students. It is critical to understand the English language proficiency of ELLs to properly assess their content knowledge. Otherwise too much adaptations may result in unfair advantages.

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