In Grant Wiggin’s article he discusses the insight he gained from shadowing two students for two days. What he learned was invaluable and he wished he had tried this experiment years earlier. It would have certainly altered the way he taught from that point forward.
After walking a mile in 2 students’ shoes, Wiggin’s walked away with a new perspective and a list of things he hopes that future teachers will incorporate into their teaching.
To promote alertness and mitigate the likelihood of students falling asleep, I would encourage them to bring in a refillable water bottle to keep them hydrated, and have them get up in the middle of class for a brief exercise. Depending on school rules, I would also allow them to eat in class.
The second thing that Wiggin’s observed was that for most of the day students are being “talked at,” and not being engaged in the lesson. A solution to this problem is something that my master teacher does, which is to split up the period into 3 activities, with a lot of group interaction. She also has an egg timer, so she stays on track. The activities involve having the students do something that checks for understanding of the lesson.
The third thing that he found was students sometimes are afraid to speak up if they do not feel a connection with the teacher. To bridge this gap I would want to spend a lot of time in the beginning of school to promote community building, emphasizing the idea that our classroom is a safe space, and getting to know my students better. One thing in particular that my master teacher did was to have the students write out on an index card 3 things about themselves. The first was something general (I like the Chargers). The second was something a little more specific (I have 3 sisters). The third was something they believed was unique to them (I can sing). What we noticed was when we read off all 3 things and the students kept singing down until that person was left standing, other students realized they shared a lot in common with that person.
Wiggins, G. (2014, October, 10). A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days- a sobering lesson learned. Wordpress.
https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/a-veteran-teacher-turned-coach-shadows-2-students-for-2-days-a-sobering-lesson-learned/
After walking a mile in 2 students’ shoes, Wiggin’s walked away with a new perspective and a list of things he hopes that future teachers will incorporate into their teaching.
To promote alertness and mitigate the likelihood of students falling asleep, I would encourage them to bring in a refillable water bottle to keep them hydrated, and have them get up in the middle of class for a brief exercise. Depending on school rules, I would also allow them to eat in class.
The second thing that Wiggin’s observed was that for most of the day students are being “talked at,” and not being engaged in the lesson. A solution to this problem is something that my master teacher does, which is to split up the period into 3 activities, with a lot of group interaction. She also has an egg timer, so she stays on track. The activities involve having the students do something that checks for understanding of the lesson.
The third thing that he found was students sometimes are afraid to speak up if they do not feel a connection with the teacher. To bridge this gap I would want to spend a lot of time in the beginning of school to promote community building, emphasizing the idea that our classroom is a safe space, and getting to know my students better. One thing in particular that my master teacher did was to have the students write out on an index card 3 things about themselves. The first was something general (I like the Chargers). The second was something a little more specific (I have 3 sisters). The third was something they believed was unique to them (I can sing). What we noticed was when we read off all 3 things and the students kept singing down until that person was left standing, other students realized they shared a lot in common with that person.
Wiggins, G. (2014, October, 10). A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days- a sobering lesson learned. Wordpress.
https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/a-veteran-teacher-turned-coach-shadows-2-students-for-2-days-a-sobering-lesson-learned/