Week 3: Everyone can do something
4. Being observant, flexible and focusing on self-esteem
Being observant, flexible and focusing on self-esteem, you will now think about other ways of supporting learning for all and involving all. Some of these are not as easy to spot as active teaching because they are about teacher attitudes towards learners
and teacher skills. Do you know teachers who are:
Figure 1 Three skills to look out for in an active teacher
Observant
Effective teachers are observant, perceptive and sensitive; they notice changes in their students. If you are observant, you will notice when a student does something well, when they need help and how they relate to others. For example, you might notice a change in a student’s mood which could be because of home problems, or you might notice a new pupil is having difficulty concentrating or listening because of language or hearing problems. There is always a reason for a student’s behaviour. Involving all requires that you notice your students on a daily basis, paying particular attention to students who may feel marginalised or unable to participate. In the following example notice how Rachel creates opportunities to observe Martha so that she can work out how to help her.
|
Examples from practice Social studies teacher Rachel took on a new Form 6 class at the beginning of the school year. After a few days, she noticed that Martha often gave strange, sometimes irrelevant answers to questions and that the other children laughed at her. She asked some of the other teachers about Martha and they told her that she was ‘mad and badly behaved’. Rachel set pair work and group work for her class so that she could observe Martha and talk to her while she was working. Rachel noticed that Martha was often excluded when in a group but worked very well with Joseph and Precious in a pair. She realised that Martha had a speech impediment and found it difficult to formulate sentences before she spoke. She asked Martha which activities she enjoyed the most and discovered that she was very talented in music and dancing. Rachel created an opportunity for her class to prepare a dance to illustrate a historical event. Martha had a starring role and her confidence improved. As she became more relaxed and earned the respect of her peers, her speech began to improve as well. |
Flexible
Inclusive teachers are flexible and responsive. They notice things that aren’t working in their classrooms for specific students, groups or individuals, and they are prepared to change their teaching style or even stop a specific activity if necessary. Flexible teachers build variety into their teaching because they recognise that students learn in different ways: some by reading and writing, some through talking about their ideas, others learn by drawing. A flexible teacher offers choices and different ways to learn and achieve. You can even use everyday examples from your students’ lives to give them a feeling of personal involvement in their own learning and help keep them interested.
Raising self esteem
Inclusive teachers also show respect for the children in their care and focus on making the student feel valued and cared for. You have the power to build or destroy the self-esteem of every student you teach. Self-esteem is what helps students build positive relationships and become comfortable with themselves.
In the next activity you will see examples of all three inclusive teaching approaches in action
Activity 3.3 ‘Involving All’ in actionAllow approximately 30 minutes for this activity. Watch one of the the video clips and record examples for these three principles in action, or any other ways in which the teacher involves all students. Record your ideas on the Week 3 forum and comment on two other posts. Shows a lower primary maths lesson Shows a secondary English lesson |