Resocializing
I loved this Roundup section. My question is this: How ready are most teachers to make a mind shift, espcially where technology is concerned?
Resocializing is the key to creating a vital, constructivist classroom. The elements of resocializing revolve around two major concepts. The first is Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy, reminding us that our students are not just brains to be jammed with facts, but people, young people with a host of needs that must be respected for them to develop the courage to be independent and active learners. Students need to feel valued, just like you do.
The second concept is meta-awareness, which is crucial to having your students jump on board with you. Meta-awareness incorporates appreciation of the teachers and student roles in a constructivist learning experience and the importance of questioning, along with the setting. To aid the process of building meta-awareness, modeling social and learning behaviors—demonstrating how they are bound up with each other—gives the students a clear picture of what you expect from them.
Along with your students, you need to resocialize yourself. For you yourself may be a product of teacher-dominated instruction and are holding on to that schema with the best of intentions. If that worked for you when you were a student, perhaps you were among those who were motivated to achieve within a traditional school setting, with others supporting your efforts. Many, if not most, of your students may not fall into that category for various reasons: They may be poor test-takers, they may have low self-esteem as a result of being low-tracked, they may not have adequate support at home, the subject may not be taught in a way that engages their interest. But they have the ability to excel, whatever they have achieved, or have not achieved, in a setting that reawakens their natural curiosity and love of learning. The nature of your response can either discourage your students from taking necessary risks in learning or encourage your students to reach beyond their grasp. Will you be the innovative teacher who makes a difference?
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