(OverArching Question)
The research question that I posed for Term III was "How can I provide students with opportunities to make their own choices that encourage them to demonstrate their creativity, strengths, and multiple intelligences?" By multiple intelligences, I am referring to Howard Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences, which includes: musical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, verbal-linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence.
(Story of My Question)
During my portrait of a learner observations, I noticed that the attention that Stephen generally received was mostly negative and usually had to do with his behavior. Since I was focusing on every aspect of Stephen as a student and as a child- his schoolwork, his behavior, his interests, his actions, etc., I was able to closely examine his work and have multiple conversations with him. Over the course of these observations I realized that there was so much more to Stephen than what was being recognized by the teacher. Stephen seems like an incredibly artistic child who cares very much about equality, compromising, and pleasing others.
Although Stephen did not always listen to instructions or comply with the teacher’s wishes, it seemed like these instances did not stem from a desire to cause trouble. One time during a math lesson, the class was instructed to draw a plate with seven vegetables on it. The students were told to illustrate the different possible combinations of peas and carrots that equal seven. Ms. Anita told the class multiple times to draw circles for the peas and triangles for the carrots. She specifically told them not to spend much time on their illustrations, because she didn’t care about their pictures. She said that she cared about the math. When I walked over to Stephen’s desk I noticed that he had much more than a circle plate with circle peas and triangle carrots on his paper. Stephen had created an entire scene in a grocery store. His drawing showed him with a shopping cart with peas and carrots inside. Instead of drawing a second plate, Stephen chose to draw his dad pushing another shopping cart with peas and carrots. I was so impressed with his illustration and the story that he created from the math problem. I thought about how I would not have learned about Stephen's artistic ability and imagination if he hadn’t been given a certain amount of choice and independence in representing his number combinations.
While working with other students besides Stephen, I have come to realize that students can surprise you if you provide them with opportunities to surprise you. For example, during another math lesson, the students were asked to come up with different equations that equaled the number seven. They were told to write the equations that they came up with on the back of a piece of paper while I walked around the room doing individual conferences. When I looked over the slips of paper, it seemed like Jose realized that there was a pattern to the equations. When he increased one number, he decreased the other number. What surprised me was that he applied the concept of changing one addend and then changing the other appropriately, to subtraction, even though we had only covered addition in class. He started with 8 – 1 = 7, 9 – 2 = 7, and 10 – 3 = 7 and went all the way up to 20 – 13 = 7. By allowing students to come up with their own equations and giving them plenty of time to do so, I discovered that Michael has a high mathematical-logical intelligence.
Although Stephen did not always listen to instructions or comply with the teacher’s wishes, it seemed like these instances did not stem from a desire to cause trouble. One time during a math lesson, the class was instructed to draw a plate with seven vegetables on it. The students were told to illustrate the different possible combinations of peas and carrots that equal seven. Ms. Anita told the class multiple times to draw circles for the peas and triangles for the carrots. She specifically told them not to spend much time on their illustrations, because she didn’t care about their pictures. She said that she cared about the math. When I walked over to Stephen’s desk I noticed that he had much more than a circle plate with circle peas and triangle carrots on his paper. Stephen had created an entire scene in a grocery store. His drawing showed him with a shopping cart with peas and carrots inside. Instead of drawing a second plate, Stephen chose to draw his dad pushing another shopping cart with peas and carrots. I was so impressed with his illustration and the story that he created from the math problem. I thought about how I would not have learned about Stephen's artistic ability and imagination if he hadn’t been given a certain amount of choice and independence in representing his number combinations.
While working with other students besides Stephen, I have come to realize that students can surprise you if you provide them with opportunities to surprise you. For example, during another math lesson, the students were asked to come up with different equations that equaled the number seven. They were told to write the equations that they came up with on the back of a piece of paper while I walked around the room doing individual conferences. When I looked over the slips of paper, it seemed like Jose realized that there was a pattern to the equations. When he increased one number, he decreased the other number. What surprised me was that he applied the concept of changing one addend and then changing the other appropriately, to subtraction, even though we had only covered addition in class. He started with 8 – 1 = 7, 9 – 2 = 7, and 10 – 3 = 7 and went all the way up to 20 – 13 = 7. By allowing students to come up with their own equations and giving them plenty of time to do so, I discovered that Michael has a high mathematical-logical intelligence.
(Current Beliefs Regarding the Question)
This question is important to me because it brings up two key beliefs that I have regarding who I want to be as a teacher. First, one of the many ideas that has stuck with me is the fact that children are more likely to be engaged in their learning if they are given opportunities to make choices (Weinstein, 2011). I would like to encourage my students to work toward our objectives in ways that are interesting to them. I do not like the idea of creating cookie cutter assignments or students. Instead of being afraid or intimidated by giving students freedom to make their own choices, I would like to create an environment where the students feel like I trust them to make their own choices.
Second, I want to emphasize the fact that my classroom consists of individuals who are all unique. I want uniqueness to be something that we collectively value and celebrate. Getting to know each child’s strengths is very important to me because I believe it will help our classroom develop into a community. Not only do I want to discover my students’ strengths, but I also believe that it is important for each student to see that they have special strengths as do each of their classmates. Since I want to show students that I value their differences, I think it is important to provide opportunities for them to utilize and display their various strengths. I want to create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable engaging in the activities in their own ways without fearing that they might get in trouble with the teacher.
I also feel that teachers who value their students’ differences are more likely to have a positive impact on their students’ development. This belief stems from my account of an opposite experience that I reflected on and wrote about a few months ago. One day, one of the little boys in my class, Billy, was put on yellow for his behavior grade. I could honestly not say why he was on yellow. My teacher explained that he was on yellow because "he was playful all day”. Another student was crying hysterically because his behavior grade was a red. Billy leaned over to comfort his classmate and his teacher said, “See, Billy, this is exactly why you’re on yellow. Stop worrying about him. You worry about you.”
I took Billy aside when we got outside for dismissal and I told him how I know he's a good kid and that he is also goofy and playful and really silly. I told him that I think it’s great that he cares about his classmates and always tries to comfort others. His response was, "Yeah, but I can't be who I am. I have to change myself." My heart broke. I told my teacher and the Principal intern what he said and they laughed at me. They told me I only care about it and worry because I'm a student teacher. They told me by the middle of the year I won't think anything of students who say things like that. To me, that was equally upsetting. I wanted to tell them that I don’t care because I’m “just a student teacher”. I care because I know how school, teachers, and even individual moments can shape people's lives for the better or for the worst. I care because I don't want to just teach students content. I also want to watch them and help them develop into caring, compassionate, loving people like Billy. I care because I want students to be themselves and I want their uniqueness to be valued. I hope that I will never reach the point where I don't care about how my actions and words impact the development and identity of children.
It is with this story in mind that I thought about how I can provide opportunities for my students to express themselves in different ways and give them a certain amount of choice in the lessons that we would be doing together.
Second, I want to emphasize the fact that my classroom consists of individuals who are all unique. I want uniqueness to be something that we collectively value and celebrate. Getting to know each child’s strengths is very important to me because I believe it will help our classroom develop into a community. Not only do I want to discover my students’ strengths, but I also believe that it is important for each student to see that they have special strengths as do each of their classmates. Since I want to show students that I value their differences, I think it is important to provide opportunities for them to utilize and display their various strengths. I want to create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable engaging in the activities in their own ways without fearing that they might get in trouble with the teacher.
I also feel that teachers who value their students’ differences are more likely to have a positive impact on their students’ development. This belief stems from my account of an opposite experience that I reflected on and wrote about a few months ago. One day, one of the little boys in my class, Billy, was put on yellow for his behavior grade. I could honestly not say why he was on yellow. My teacher explained that he was on yellow because "he was playful all day”. Another student was crying hysterically because his behavior grade was a red. Billy leaned over to comfort his classmate and his teacher said, “See, Billy, this is exactly why you’re on yellow. Stop worrying about him. You worry about you.”
I took Billy aside when we got outside for dismissal and I told him how I know he's a good kid and that he is also goofy and playful and really silly. I told him that I think it’s great that he cares about his classmates and always tries to comfort others. His response was, "Yeah, but I can't be who I am. I have to change myself." My heart broke. I told my teacher and the Principal intern what he said and they laughed at me. They told me I only care about it and worry because I'm a student teacher. They told me by the middle of the year I won't think anything of students who say things like that. To me, that was equally upsetting. I wanted to tell them that I don’t care because I’m “just a student teacher”. I care because I know how school, teachers, and even individual moments can shape people's lives for the better or for the worst. I care because I don't want to just teach students content. I also want to watch them and help them develop into caring, compassionate, loving people like Billy. I care because I want students to be themselves and I want their uniqueness to be valued. I hope that I will never reach the point where I don't care about how my actions and words impact the development and identity of children.
It is with this story in mind that I thought about how I can provide opportunities for my students to express themselves in different ways and give them a certain amount of choice in the lessons that we would be doing together.