Message From Dr. Reilly
Dear Teachers and Staff,
A few of us in Teaching and Learning are reading Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom by Pamela Seda and Kendall Brown. Early in the text the authors write:
“Traditional classrooms reinforce the idea that the teacher is the arbiter of knowledge who dispenses to those who dutifully follow their instructions. The culturally relevant teacher, however, does not view knowledge as static, but rather continuously re-created and shared by both teacher and student. In this approach, teachers should look for opportunities where they can play the dual roles of student and co-teacher. One way of making a class less teacher-centered is by striving to never say anything kids can say for themselves. That means allowing students to ask and answer their own questions, to respond to classmates’ questions, and to repeat and revoice others’ thinking in their own words. Teachers redirect questions asked of them to other students” (p. 29).
How are you amplifying student voices in your classroom? Seda and Brown provide three ways to get started:
- Never say anything students can say for themselves.
- Allow students to ask and answer their own questions.
- Redirect questions posed to you to other students.
Let me know how you do implementing one or more of these suggestions in your classroom as it makes sense to you.
Dr. Reilly |
|
