A Bit of Coaching

The following is an exchange of emails between me and a math coach I met from a professional development session.

Hello Joe,
I teach my first lesson today and was wondering what you thought of it regarding the discussion we had.

Thanks

Tom

Tom
I think you have a lot here for one class. There's a lot of information and a lot of thought that goes with it. I think the students will get lost and frustrated. I think the folding activity is good.
Activity I had used were:

Having the class show exponential growth.
Shake one students hand..... Instruct them to shake Two more students hands and so on. Record the # of students who have shaken hands after each event.... That way the students see exponential growth in the class.......

You could do the same with passing along a secret to two students, they pass to two and so on......

If the class creates an activity then you should have an opportunity to dialogue with the students about what is happening. Let the students write what they think is happening and then guess what will happen after 5 events, 10 events etc....

It is when you can get the students voices going and dialogue about the work happening that the students will really understand the concept. If you get caught up in lecturing and giving out factoids you will lose them, they'll sleep or try to do what you ask like good students but they won't get it....

Authentic classes thrive on democratic dialogue. That is what you want to create. Always allow learning to be open to debate. Students need vigorous discussion in the class for education to be active and challenging. Teacher talk depresses students. Teacher monologue limits their speech and development.

Teacher talk will also depress you. Teachers thrive on responses to their labors, and silent classes weaken our moral. Without lively student participation, we risk declining into burnout.

Be bold and challenging. The students have been conditioned into cogs so getting them to participate is difficult.... don't give up though...

1) I sent an e mail to two students. Each student then sent an e mail to two other students

How many e mails were sent after this happened 2xs, 4xs, 10xs,,,, 20xs.....
Try to let the students discover the equations.... I'm sure that what you are working towards with the folded paper..

To make the activity even more authentic tell the students a secret... or pass along a hand shake. These get the class really involved in the process and students can see the process of exponential growth.
Joe

Joe
I would love to do these activities but they don't want it. Wherever I try to do something clever or engaging they look at me like I'm stupid. They wouldn't even fold the paper let alone actually shake hands. Students scoff at me when I give them critical thinking problems. They have confused looks when I relate it to real world situations. A typical educator would just tell me that I must be doing it wrong but I have yet to see it work in a typical inner city high school.

This could be because they aren't used to these types of activities and due to the fact that I am a stranger in the classroom. Also, I am still not convinced that there is enough time in the curriculum. Everything I did today was outlined in the guidelines book. I would love to be able to expand it and go into much greater depth but it seems to be completely unrealistic.

Thanks for all your comments. With your permission I would like to post your email in my online student teaching blog. And I will keep trying different things.

Tom

Tom
These kids are only responding to you in the only language they know. We have conditioned them to do what they are doing. You are now seeing what American educational systems are doing. As a student teacher you are experiencing the normative behavior of the class, teacher talk, student listen. The kids want you to talk while they sit and do little or nothing.

Yes our institutions discourage experimenting and may even punish teachers who rock the boat. Teacher talk can be the path of least resistance. This is not unique to the urban school. It happens everywhere. Most teachers talk and students listen. Dialogue is discouraged.

You are receiving on the job training, burdened with class size, poor recourses, restrictions of required test, texts, and syllabi. You lack any power at all. Only the students have less power than you. It's all run from the top down.

Creating authentic is dangerous, but it is also the greatest thing that has happened to my teaching. It has rejuvenated me and my calling. Today I believe from the bottom of my soul that the only true education happens when authentic dialogue happens in the classroom.

So where to go from here. I would suggest that you tell the students how you feel about the activity that you did. Let them know you are disappointed with the outcomes and that request that they tell you honestly what they felt. You might want them to write it first and share it with one another to get it going. A lot of times this gets them started talking. You must be prepared for honest answers though that may hurt your ego. If you do allow them to speak honestly, without insulting or embarrassing them. They will rise. Your class will rise.

If you can create dialogue in your class you will be able to teach them anything.... but the dialogue must come first.
Joe