Teaching With Humor That HealsQuotes From Page 153"Is it possible that a portion of our current discipline problems stems from a serious, heavily regulated approach to the learning process?"
"When a classroom is a lively , creative environment where laughter abounds, students of every age have a natural outlet where their curious minds can flourish. In our experience, a laughing classroom evokes delightful forms of play in the learner, while a tight-reigned classroom evokes devious forms of play (a blend of creativity mixed with rebellion)."
Page 155 The Up-Tight Test--See How You Do
Please Reply To the Following Question:
What is the greatest gift you can give your students?
The misconception that a only a quiet classroom is a good learning environment is very true. Although there are circumstances when the learning environment needs to be more controlled, I believe the most successful classroom is one where there is a balance between control and creativity. A great teacher is not afraid to loosen the reins on the students or to even hand over the reins. Students who are given the opportunity to expand their minds and take on more responsibility for their learning will become more independent explorers. We cannot expect the students to grow in a stoic environment that stifles the mind. They need to interact with one another and their surroundings to stimulate their thirst for knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest gift I can give my students is confidence. I want them to have confidence in themselves and in their abilities. Confidence that they are of value and their opinion is important to me. I want them to have enough confidence in themselves that when they fail it is all right because then they know they are just one step closer to success. I want them to have the confidence to laugh at themselves and the ability to cry for their neighbor.
The greatest gift I can give my students is to teach them is to provide them with a classroom atmosphere where they are at ease and feel free to be themselves and express themselves. During class discussions, it can often get very noisy in my classroom with all the students wanting to share a story or an experience or background knowledge they may have with the subject matter. I sometimes struggle with this. I want the students to feel free to share but I also worry that it can get “out of control”. I have to remind myself that it is our classroom not my classroom and I have to allow periods of time that are less structured. When students come back to the visit these are the times that they talk about, the stories that were told by myself or a fellow student.
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