“…most of the problems of education are problems of motivation, as teachers try to rush things”
---Rousseau's view (1762)
---Rousseau's view (1762)
This claim certainly cannot be made against Elizabeth Hale. Both her style of writing and her style of instruction favor small, incremental, but essential steps to crafting writers. I am absolutely in favor of recognizing authentic strengths. Children are quite capable of recognizing the difference between a deserved compliment, based on fact and an invented one. Also, having children verbalize a strength makes it more real. However, I found much of chapter 10 repetitious, but I have to admit that the value of recognizing and teaching a strength, that is a genuine strength, is deeply embedded in my mind. Hale counsels that recognizing an existing skill is a wonderful confidence builder and an effective springboard for suggesting improvements. One of the principal reasons for which I decided to become a teacher comes from experiences where I have been able to help motivate learning. I recognize that this does not originate within me, but rather inside the individual. My job as teacher is truly that of facilitator. Sure, I present the materials and instruction, but as a student I know that this is only part of the equation. My job as a teacher has to include helping children discover their abilities and the intrinsic value of learning something new.
In Chapter 11 Hale offers some organizational and instructional techniques that help overcome time constraints. While group conferring cannot replace one-on-one conferencing, it can be a very effective use of time when more than one student is working on the same “next step.” Also, chapter 12 explains how rubrics can also be used as timesavers. I can see the value in having a master template and tailoring individual rubrics as needed.
“…most of the problems of education are problems of motivation, as teachers try to rush things”
ReplyDelete---Rousseau's view (1762)
What a great way to sum up modern day teaching! As the push for meeting academic standards increases I am afraid that many teachers will feel that rush and not give all of the students the time they need to master skills they need so that they can take that next step.
I appreciate your desire to motivate students and your approach to teaching.
"My job as a teacher has to include helping children discover their abilities and the intrinsic value of learning something new." Good line! Yes, after weeks of being told to be sure to praise all, I'm glad that you pointed out again the importance of not giving empty praise. To instill that intrinsic motivation, I agree that we have to be specific in helping kids realize exactly what it is that they have done that displays their knowledge. Oh, yeah - I thought the craft writing tips are good, too (really, I do), but it seems that many of us are more inspired by the tips about how to inspire than about the skills themselves. Although, the learning of the skills leads to more inspiration with which to motivate to learn more skills . . .(like the cycle description in the "Final Thoughts".)
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