July 3, 2007
The term Letting Go has been used by Van de Walle and in our classrooms to represent how teachers teach THROUGH problems. Where are you on this at this point? Examing the teaching stations, and your own ideas. Key- When should the mathematics teacher let go and when do you believe it is best to do otherwise?
Teachers are used to being the center of student learning. Students look to us for direction, clarification and affirmation. After all, we are the authority and cannot possible be wrong. Letting go means allowing student-centered learning. The student is given the problem and he/she reasons through it, make connections, construct ideas, direct themselves, explain their strategies and thinking and affirm themselves. I love the idea. I am excited about the idea. I believe it works. I'm using family members to experiement with this great new thing. I have reservations about using it in my classroom (although I will give it a try) because it is so far removed from what they have been doing for years until I have concerns about introducing them to the new "journey".
Some of the students will not adapt and will have no concept of how you do this. Some won't even try because they don't want to think or take responsibility for their learning. For these students, you have to let go very slowly, that is, build to the letting go stage.
2 comments:
Yes, it is all good in theory. I am curious to see who bites (the bait) and how many. Do they ever talk about what to do with students who don't respond to student centered learning/teaching. Worksheets?
I totally agree. I can see this working for some students, but for others, they've been coddled and helped so much up until this point, that it will be hard to completely let go to begin with.
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