The tightrope walker needs to maintain a strong sense of balance when walking high up in the sky. When leaning a little too far to the left, he must push his body to the right. His push and the pull of gravity are diametrically opposed and related.
It is this way with many things in life. This is that equal and opposite reaction. One of the paired extremes we see in classrooms is the sense of student independence and teacher control. It's important to reflect on the balancing act between these two powerful forces in our classroom, so that we can make the right choices in our own classrooms, so that kids' view of school and learning can remain positive through their whole lives.
If we think about the earlier post on this site about choice and voice in teaching and learning, choice is critical for kids to feel the continued sense of exploration in their education...leading to a lifelong excitement and enthusiasm for new learning in their lives.
In order to look at where we stand on in this balancing act, there are some areas that we can reflect on in our classrooms to decide what we can do to keep ourselves giving ample levels of independence for our kids.
It is this way with many things in life. This is that equal and opposite reaction. One of the paired extremes we see in classrooms is the sense of student independence and teacher control. It's important to reflect on the balancing act between these two powerful forces in our classroom, so that we can make the right choices in our own classrooms, so that kids' view of school and learning can remain positive through their whole lives.
If we think about the earlier post on this site about choice and voice in teaching and learning, choice is critical for kids to feel the continued sense of exploration in their education...leading to a lifelong excitement and enthusiasm for new learning in their lives.
In order to look at where we stand on in this balancing act, there are some areas that we can reflect on in our classrooms to decide what we can do to keep ourselves giving ample levels of independence for our kids.
1. Classroom Management. What levels of independence do we allow our students to have in managing themselves and the classroom. Are they allowed out of their seats? Do they need permission to sharpen pencils, to get tissues, to speak?
It's important for teachers to engage in something called value-added discourse. This means that the speaking we do should be something a teacher is needed for. The more percentage of the time we speak that is devoted to something instructional, the more effective we are.
If we can relinquish some of the control over classroom management onto our students, it leaves more of a percentage of our talk to value-added discourse. It trains our students to really listen in when the teacher is saying something, because it must be important. This is every teacher's decision and there are extenuating circumstances, but as a rule of thumb, the more power we give students over their own movement, the more power we have as instructors.
It's important for teachers to engage in something called value-added discourse. This means that the speaking we do should be something a teacher is needed for. The more percentage of the time we speak that is devoted to something instructional, the more effective we are.
If we can relinquish some of the control over classroom management onto our students, it leaves more of a percentage of our talk to value-added discourse. It trains our students to really listen in when the teacher is saying something, because it must be important. This is every teacher's decision and there are extenuating circumstances, but as a rule of thumb, the more power we give students over their own movement, the more power we have as instructors.
2. Instructional choices. There are times when the teacher must decide the work that a student must do. However, when teaching writing, choice is an important factor. The single greatest factor that improves student writing is being given lots of time to write to create great volume of writing. We can provide the time, but we can't provide the engagement to write a lot. Chris Lehman says, "Engagement isn't just a thing. It's the only thing!" Kids will naturally want to write more if they are able to write about what interests them. If we have smart conferences with them about the large volume of writing that's created through their choice, they're able to grow as writers. We do set parameters about genre and structure within a unit, but the topic of each piece of writing should be chosen by each student. We can teach skills to write narrative, informational, or opinion pieces no matter what the content, as long as the structure fits. The same is true in reading. Students should be allowed to independently choose their books within a genre and a level so that we boost engagement, so that we boost volume.
This idea of instructional choice also means that we have to ensure that Tuesday's minilesson isn't Tuesday's assignment. We can actually hold students to a much higher level of accountability if we teach them to decide when to use new strategies. Also, if Tuesday's minilesson is Tuesday's assignment, but a student really needs to use Monday's strategy, because it fits better with where she is in her writing that day, then Tuesday's assignment is really in the way! The opposite is sometimes true, too. Tuesday's minilesson may not fit Tuesday's work in an independent book or piece of writing. Why make a child do something that just doesn't make sense? Independence in instructional choice is key here!
This idea of instructional choice also means that we have to ensure that Tuesday's minilesson isn't Tuesday's assignment. We can actually hold students to a much higher level of accountability if we teach them to decide when to use new strategies. Also, if Tuesday's minilesson is Tuesday's assignment, but a student really needs to use Monday's strategy, because it fits better with where she is in her writing that day, then Tuesday's assignment is really in the way! The opposite is sometimes true, too. Tuesday's minilesson may not fit Tuesday's work in an independent book or piece of writing. Why make a child do something that just doesn't make sense? Independence in instructional choice is key here!
3. Writing about reading. Writing about reading is an important task, as writing can be a critical tool in comprehension. However, we need to ensure that students have independence in how it is used. Yes, we need to teach them the contexts for which a Venn Diagram, a T-chart, a two-part post-it, character cards, or change arrows can be used, but when we make the writing about reading into a teacher-driven assignment, these contexts are no longer real, as different kids are on different parts within their reading.
For example, having students write long about a prediction might not make sense for a student who has already predicted, or is near the end of a book. Assigning a Venn Diagram needs the context of comparison and contrasting, but if a student is in the midst of theory development or tracking change across time, this context isn't really there, and the assignment can actually get the student off track!
If we insist upon this type of assignment, it can give the wrong message...one that says the writing is done for the teacher, not for the student and the reading and the thinking. It's another thing that makes reading into an artificial experience that students won't want to replicate on their own in life. It will also give students the message that they need the teacher to make decisions in their reading for them, enabling them to be dependent on the teacher. Shouldn't good teaching do just the opposite? Shouldn't it enable students to be independent so that they can always read, even when the shots aren't being called by the teacher?
For example, having students write long about a prediction might not make sense for a student who has already predicted, or is near the end of a book. Assigning a Venn Diagram needs the context of comparison and contrasting, but if a student is in the midst of theory development or tracking change across time, this context isn't really there, and the assignment can actually get the student off track!
If we insist upon this type of assignment, it can give the wrong message...one that says the writing is done for the teacher, not for the student and the reading and the thinking. It's another thing that makes reading into an artificial experience that students won't want to replicate on their own in life. It will also give students the message that they need the teacher to make decisions in their reading for them, enabling them to be dependent on the teacher. Shouldn't good teaching do just the opposite? Shouldn't it enable students to be independent so that they can always read, even when the shots aren't being called by the teacher?
| researching_our_schools_independence.pdf |
There are many other ways that illustrate the balancing act between student independence and teacher control. You can use the document found above to reflect on your own if you'd like. It's a Likert scale that ranks some of the other ways in which you find the right balance in your life as a teacher. But a great way to see how you're doing with this is to ask questions like, "Are my instructions helping students learn, or just getting in the way of what they could do on their own?" or "If I didn't tell them to do this, what would they be doing?" or "How much of this work today could be done without me?"
Independence should always be a goal for our students. If you're not fostering independence, you might actually be masking a need to control too much of what your students are doing, which actually will hold them back in the long run!
Independence should always be a goal for our students. If you're not fostering independence, you might actually be masking a need to control too much of what your students are doing, which actually will hold them back in the long run!
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