February 17th 2017
Something new that I have learned about my inquiry process, is that it can interfere with classroom management. In the process of building a strong teacher-student relationship, the teacher needs to allot individual meeting time with each student (preferably at the beginning of the year to set learning goals, and then throughout the year to follow up on achievements and setbacks, as well as just to touch base.) I find that during my weekly practicum visits, it can be tough to keep the rapport with students, and in the process of trying to engage one student; the teacher can quickly loose the attention of the others. I have also learned that it is not possible to have a top-notch teacher-student relationship with all your students, all the time.
One way I feel that I may have lost the trust of some of the students at my practicum is by giving an easy-going vibe on first impression. I went into the practicum wanting to be liked by everyone, and this may have been misinterpreted as me wanting to be friends with everyone. Although I think it is importantly to have a relationship where your students can approach you with no hesitation, I also think that once you give a “laid-back” impression, that it confuses the students when you do want them to take you seriously. Starting of stern to set healthy boundaries, and then eventually softening up is better from the perspective of good classroom management. This way the students wont feel fooled by my behaviours.
Another way to tackle issues related to classroom management could be to build a stronger classroom community! If the teacher can build camaraderie among the students, they will be more engaged with one another and better at managing themselves. A good example of this is when the teacher prompts inquiry on one main topic, then divides the class into groups that have their specialized question within the class inquiry. The students need to work together as a team to find the answer to their question, and then come together as a class to complete the larger picture.
The next step to think about for my inquiry would be the balance of classroom management with building of teacher-student relationships.
February 10th 2017
What are the benefits of teacher Inquiry?
The direct and obvious benefits of teacher inquiry are that teachers will cultivate their inner truths, which will inevitably lead them to authentic discoveries about themselves, and therefore they can undergo a deep reflection process on how to become better educators. If teachers can conduct their personal inquiries throughout the year and in front of their students, they will be able to model for students how to carry out their own personal inquiries. This inquiry modelling could allow students to see growth first hand. If teachers are living their inquiry openly in their classrooms, they can better serve their students.
What new ideas have you learned about your question/topic?
Something new I have learned via my formal observation this week is that I cannot prioritize my inquiry during formal observations. The focus on building trustworthy teacher-student relationships may jeopardize my ability to manage the entire class. At times during my lesson, I found that a lot of students were enjoying themselves and calling out their answers, some even trying to have one-on-one conversations with me. This type of energy in a classroom connects directly to the concept of having an ongoing dialogue (another important component of my inquiry.) At times like these however, the introverted students get left out. How can I build stronger teacher-student relationships with those students? If I shun the out-spoken students from getting excited about their learning experiences, am I not breaking ties with them as well? Which students get my attention when?
How is this connected to what you already knew?
I have received numerous feedback that I need to have “more of a teacher presence,” a better grasp of the whole class, and to work on my classroom management skills. It is not surprising that my inquiry is butting heads with this particular skill that I need to hone in on. My inner desires are conflicting with an aspect of teaching that I must possess.
What challenges to your thinking have developed?
Does the concept of managing a whole class go against the concepts embedded in my inquiry? Are the concepts of other’s ideas on classroom management the same as my ideas of classroom management?
The inability to manage my classroom well at this point in my practicum has lead me to believe that it is not possible to have a flaw-less teacher-student identity with each student. At some point the teacher will have to call the shots so to speak, and decide what is in the best interest of the whole class.
What if the student being shunned is the one who is more at risk? Should teachers make exceptions for certain students with special needs? (i.e. ELLs, “gifted” students, the ones who usually don’t speak up, etc.)
Reflections Feb 3rd
- Where do you see Inquiry in your practicum classrooms/schools? Or not?
The influence of teacher-student relationships on students’ development is an ever-present inquiry in all schools/classrooms. The extent to which it is analyzed and measured however, is not overtly seen. - What have you learned about your question/topic?
So far I have learned that there is a correlation between primary teacher-student relationship and students’ academic and social development. If kindergarten to second grade teachers can create better relationships with children at risk of academic of social success at school, it can have a significant impact on their learning. - What resources have been the most useful?
The most useful resource for my inquiry thus far, has been the article “Early teacher–child relationships and the trajectory of children’s school outcomes through eighth grade.” This in depth study on the correlation between teacher-student relationships and their student’s successes well into 8th grade has illuminated the exact kind of evidence I was looking for. However, this inquiry is somewhat irrelevant to middle school teacher-student relationships, and does suggest a further inquiry be done with older student’s feedback. - Describe your inquiry process. What challenges have you experienced? How has your thinking evolved? How did you overcome them?
My inquiry process has been somewhat confusing, and the corresponding research has been difficult to find. The main reason for this I believe is because the concept of teacher-student relationship is not that easy to measure. After all, how can something as fluid as a relationship be quantified? Relationships are always changing and evolving. This is why I am running into some confusion on how to measure my relationship with my students. At the end of my practicum, if there is an overlap between my perception and the students’ perception on the quality of our student-teacher relationship, it will contribute towards one factor of this inquiry. The second factor will be measuring students’ success in various subject matters. In order to start measuring the quality of my student-teacher relationships, I plan to integrate visual journaling on a weekly basis. As well as keeping personal notes on the quality of dialogue happening between students and myself. - Implications – What does this mean for you as an educator, and possibly other educators?
If there is a strong correlation between the quality of student-teacher relationships and students’ success, this would imply that educators need to focus on their interactions with each student, incorporate a social-emotion approach to teaching, and a greater attention on classroom dialogues, assessment and feedback. - What are your next steps?
Due to the lack of research on accounting for older students’ perception of their relationship to their teachers, one of my next steps will be to conducted methods of collecting students perceptions on their relationship to their teacher (myself.) I plan on finding ways to successfully measure my student’s perceptions of their relationship with me via an expressionist portrait art project, weekly visual journals, and possibly a personal inquiry project.I will also be reading more on the ideas that have come up during the conversation with my inquiry group. Such as the importance of an ongoing dialogue, art assessment and work-in-progress critiques, SEL teaching methods, and integrating students’ inquiries. - What new questions do you have?
- How can students be more in touch with their true-selves, and discover their personal inquiries?
- How can I show my students the importance of being in touch with their artistic selves?