Choice of Learning Environment
Choice of Learning Environment
This is a teacher
Training program for Maths teachers of grades 1 to 8 in a school in India. The
school is trying to turn from product centric approach to learner centric
approach for teachers. Our program is where “Teacher is
a gardener. The gardener does not make a
plant grow. The job of a gardener is to create optimal conditions.” (Ken
Robinson, 2010)
To bring
teachers to this understanding we use the 3 circles.
The
Three Circles
The teacher
training program is drawn from 3 circle by Bransford. (Bransford, 2000)
Learner Centric
We wish to get an
insight into the teachers. This is done by the building effective relationships
with them based on dialogue. Using the
principles of Andragogy, (Knowles, 2018) choice and freedom are the norm. When the
program is well structured around LC, each teacher is a self-directed designer
of his or her classroom. Certain
strategies are used for the same:
Teachers choose
how far they practice the best teaching strategies for maths that they are
exposed to. Goal setting is very sensitive and realistic. “Baby steps” (Taibbi,
2018) are encouraged. For example, after a training involving best practices,
if a teacher says, “I really want to try something new. But I am afraid”. The
trainer, being LC would say, “Start with something simple, doable.”. There are
clear and well-defined channels of communication between teachers and
management. We want the individualization of teachers to emerge. We do not want
them to attempt all that they are being exposed to randomly. But develop the
wisdom to judiciously use the right strategy at the right situation. This is the take-away learning for us in
this circle. There are sessions of self-reflection for teachers to
understand themselves and their conditioning. The learners also need to know
themselves!
Change
in schools’ mind-set: Consider teachers also
as a part of the community of learners and not the experts. The management is
trying to change.
Knowledge Centric
If the aim of
education is to develop “adaptive expertise” (Bransford p 133), then teachers
need to constantly be challenged with new thoughts and strategies in
education. The upgrading of knowledge would be at 3 levels: Subject knowledge; Approaches
to teaching; Human psychology
The implementation
strategies is as follows: We ask teachers to do 1 MOOC course or read a Maths
book during holidays and present it in the department meeting post the
holidays. We invite trainers from outside. We run analytical and reflective
exercises in our departmental meetings.
Change
in schools’ mind-set: Have a good budget for
teacher training and development.
Assessment Centric
Every effort to
growth needs to be examined for outcome. As James Clear reasons out in his article
on “Identity based Habits”. A teacher training program is no exclusion.
Assessment of the program helps take it forward or completely revamp it from
scratch. Hence, we also regularly assess our work. These are the assessment
tools: Relationships: Inter departmental, Teacher and students and Students and
subject. Improvement in grades: When students are exposed to learning in
multiple ways, they find some or another hook to connect to it. Their interest
grows and hence their grades. Reduced phobia of maths: Maths phobia is real. However,
the program would be successful if it helps eradicate the phobia and brings
about a general feel of ease with the subject. That is the learning take-away.
Change
in schools’ mind-set: Have a safety net for
teachers when they make an error. Especially when they are targeted by parents.
Unless assessment is compassionate to them, they may not make an effort to take
a risk.
Community Centric
We are nested in
our communities. Hence the training program is also keen on making teachers be
aware of the community that they are a part of at the local and global levels.
This is how we
attempt it:
a. Local
– In New Delhi the buildings of Mughal culture are paramount. These are
geometrically perfect. Every term we have 1 project designed that takes
students to any such building to study it from the point of view of Maths. We
discuss architecture, Muslims use of Geometry and History and students design a
multi-subject project presentation in groups. This brings students closer to
the multi religious society of New Delhi.
b. Global
– There are several countries who have done exemplary work in Maths teaching.
China for numbers, Japan for structured problem solving, Hungary for CPA and
Finland for project work. Teachers are exposed to the practices, using the
Experience, Reflect and Adapt model where they focus on implement ability of
the practices.
Change
in schools’ mind-set: Management is learning to
be open to allowing teacher exchange programs with other countries without
feeling afraid of losing the teachers.
If I were to teach now,
When I was teaching I created what I
thought a ‘perfect lesson’ based on flip the class model using a website called
www.aaamath.com
and asked students to work alone on their laptops. There was one student who
could not, and I assumed that is because he does not want to learn. Only when he
went on having issues that I explored the reason. And that turned out to be ‘he
was dyslexic’ and the website was very text heavy. Plus, there were too many
colours on the screen and he was completely confused and ended with a headache.
So for him I switched the method, asked him to work using the black and white
textbook and placed him next to my seat so he could clarify doubts. But
precious time was lost.
I would focus on
developing in myself the quality of "Give
learners reason" (Duckworth). I am very quick to form judgments. And that
affects my pedagogy.
References
1. Bransford,
J.D, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition.
Washington, C: The National Academies Press.
2. Clear, James. Retrieved from: https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits.
3. D'ambrosio, Beatriz and Kastberg, Signe, For the Learning of Mathematics, Vol. 32, No. 3 (November 2012), pp. 22-27. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23391970?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
4. Knowles, Malcolm: Andragogy,2018. https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.
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