I modeled a number talk for a kindergarten teacher the
other day and am really interested in a piece of her feedback and how it can
inform my coaching work with her as we move forward. “We will be working on
keeping the same level of excitement while maintaining a respectful listening
environment. Students were not as
engaged as they usually are -- well behaved but not as excited. Tricky balance!!” I wonder what engage in a
leaning environment looks and feels like to her. I am wondering if she would
feel the same way if she were teaching 3rd or 4th grade.
Would her expectations be different? What are her goals for her girls as
mathematicians? What does it mean to be a mathematician? What does a classroom
of mathematicians look like, sounds like, feel like? What is her role in this
classroom of mathematicians? What is the difference between engagement and
entertainment?
That is interesting... I think I would ask her exactly what she means by that. Like what do the girls usually do compared with what they did during your number talk. I also wonder what she considers engagement to look like.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I really think it’s powerful the way you relate everything to your question. That is a crucial understanding about action research. You seem to have mastered this aspect of engaging in action research.
ReplyDeleteI think all of the questions you’ve posed as a response to her feedback certainly address your question. I’d also be interested in knowing what an engaged learning environment looks like to her. What are the qualities of an engaged learning environment? And if they weren’t as engaged as usual, perhaps they were practicing listening…
This sounds like a chapter from Hiebert about creating the classroom culture…