As a career educator, I have the opportunity to appreciate little by little the factors which support successful instruction. It is my goal to constantly reflect upon my practice, and to continue to improve as I develop in the teaching profession. The views I held when I was a neophyte are in some cases very similar to the views I hold now, but in other cases, they are radically different.
As I have aged in the profession, I have come to appreciate more and more the importance of the interpersonal relationship (IR) between the teacher and the student. The IR is at the heart of every other dynamic which occurs in the classroom, and either supports or injures all attempts at learning. If the IR is strong, vigorous, trusting, and nurturing, it supports and underpins a successful learning experience. On the other hand, if the IR is weak, ailing, destructive, or combative, it works directly against successful classroom instruction.
All interactions between the teacher and the students occur through the mechanism of the interpersonal relationship. Therefore, its quality is of the utmost importance in permitting successful instruction.
Most importantly, the positive IR between teacher and students creates a safe, trusting space where students feel secure enough to take risks. These are not physical risks, but rather emotional and intellectual risks. If a student is unwilling to take the risk of being wrong, then there is no opportunity to correct errant thinking. In order to feel comfortable enough to do so, it is crucial that the teacher create and maintain a safe, supportive emotional environment in which ALL students feel valued and defended. This is not easy to do, and requires perhaps 2-3 years of experience at the minimum before the average teacher is able to achieve and sustain such conditions in the classroom. It requires effective but positive classroom management, and even beyond that depends on the personality of the teacher and students involved. It is absolutely NOT necessary that every classroom look identical in this respect, but there will be certain hallmarks of expression, both on the part of the teacher and students, which indicate that it has been achieved.
Some signs that a positive, safe, trusting culture has been achieved include:
-The teacher is respectful of students.
-Students are respectful of the teacher and of their peers.
-There is a sense of calm and productivity in the classroom.
-Students are productively engaged, but also comfortable, relaxed, and happy.
-In discussion or group work, students feel safe seeking support and assistance from their peers as well as the teacher.
As I mentioned previously, achieving this balance and dynamic is NOT easy, and is often the sign of a very well progressed teacher. To be sure, teachers often have a knack for creating the social conditions which are supportive of learning, but actually doing so, year in and year out, even considering different student personalities, abilities, and inclinations, is the sign of a very well developed teacher. This sort of ability cannot be achieved in one or two years, which is yet another reason I take issue with the very alarming trend of populating our most vulnerable classrooms with what are effectively short-term teachers (see post on Teach For America).
There is another very important outcome of a positive interpersonal relationship between the teacher and students. When the teacher does her best to create and maintain positive interactions with each student, it reduces the occurrence of behavioral issues. In any classroom where several students come together, from so many diverse backgrounds and upbringings- some which stress education and others which might even see it as a hindrance- there is the potential for a clash of cultural values which threatens to upend the positive social culture which is necessary for successful learning. It is the teacher's responsibility to be sensitive to all cultures, but also to work tirelessly towards the establishment and maintenance of a positive, supportive, trusting classroom culture which furthers the task of education. As you can imagine, this is no small task, and goes back to why it takes several years at the minimum to master this aspect of teaching.
In a sense, many of the relationship dynamics which describe a healthy parent-child relationship also apply in the classroom, though the parameters and boundaries of the teacher-student relationship are obviously different and distinct. Just as a healthy parent is one who is seen as an authority, but not authoritarian, neither too strict nor too permissive, so this "sweet spot" applies in the classroom as well. A teacher who is too permissive quickly and in some cases irrevocably loses control of her classroom, while one who is too strict loses the interest, care, concern, and regard of her students, turning all interactions into arguments and differences of opinion. Much as with the successful parent, it is the teacher who toes the middle line, being authoritative, but not authoritarian who manages to successfully establish and maintain a positive classroom culture.
Once a positive classroom culture has been created, a shift takes place which I have never seen described in the textbooks. At this point, while it is crucial to maintain the overall positivity and safety of the classroom, it is NECESSARY for the effective teacher to at times challenge thoughts, statements, or behaviors which the teacher views as injurious to the educational process. That is, again as in the case of a successful parenting relationship, a great parent doesn't simply permit their child to say or do whatever they want, but does their best, according to their own beliefs, values, and experiences, to guide their child towards positive behaviors and away from negative ones. As an example, if I am circulating around the room, and I find one of my students off task, it is my job as an educator to confront that behavior (as politely and positively as possible, of course) because in the long run not completing their work will damage their educational performance. Likewise, if I overhear a negative interaction between two students, it is my job to step in and assure that both students have a chance to get their opinions across, but that they do so in respectful language. Not effectively managing a classroom is a sign of an underdeveloped teacher, and can quickly lead to the devolution of the classroom environment, such that the learning environment is impeded.
There are of course many other aspects and uses of the IR between the teacher and student, but I hope this post helps to illuminate some. Even a seasoned teacher will suffer injuries and blows when trying to maintain this positive classroom culture, but perhaps the more important point is the effort towards re-establishing the classroom equilibrium as quickly and as effectively as possible, for it is within this positive classroom culture that students learn best, and that teachers are most successful.
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