Seeing the Student

TEP 128AJanuary 24, 2006

“But teaching is easy!”The “everyone’s been to 4th grade problem”

Teaching Learning

– Knowledge of content (subject matter)– Knowledge of children (human

development)– Knowledge of teaching (pedagogy)

Learning from and about your students

Developing insight into your own and others’ assumptions about teaching and learning

Beyond labels:stereotypingreaching hasty conclusionsovergeneralizingconfounding correlation and causation

Today

“The Animal School” Strategies for getting to know all our

students– Autobiographical poem– Three-column exercise

Project 1 Q & A

Autobiographical poem

I am Martincourageous non-violent warriorI love all peopleI hate oppressionI am afraid of ignoranceI wish for freedom

King

Write a “Biopoem”Ayres, p. 26

Your first namethree words that describe you to your selfsomething you lovesomething you hatesomething you fearsomething you wish for

Your last name

Discuss

Share your “biopoem” with your partner.

How might you use this activity with elementary school students? What would be the benefits? Potential problems?

Three-column exerciseGraves, p. 19 in reader

Write down as many of the children’s names as you can remember in left column

In the center column, record what you know about each child’s experiences and interests

See if you are able to confirm your impressions and verify in column three

Teacher as Learning HistorianProject 1

Teacher as– One part detective– One part researcher– One part world-class puzzle master

Learning about children– Finding out who they are– Finding out about their experiences– Finding out what they learn– (Really) finding out what they know

Next week

How do teachers decide what to teach and how to teach it?– The case of science– Standards and frameworks– Teaching for understanding– Introduction to lesson planning– Guest speaker: Rusty Bresser, UCSD

Education Studies Program