Another class experience I had was in college. It was so hard, but I felt little connection to the teacher and students. I signed up for a tutor… which turned into regular meetings with a group of three students and a grad student tutor. Here, I felt known, loved, and challenged… even if it wasn’t by the teacher. There was accountability, but also acceptance if I was truly lost on a concept. So I busted my tail for that grade. Maybe accountability is the crucial factor? Does a warm teacher student relationship necessary? Is that just my personality? Do I have bad self-motivation? These questions worry me. I do not like vague wishy washy answers to questions with all kinds of disclaimers. Is this even research-worthy? Talk to me.
Friday, June 6, 2008
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6 comments:
Kristy, I think your topic "Ethics of Caring" will make for a rewarding research project. Nell Noddings' might be a good starting point. You can read a 2005 review of her book Happiness and Education by Gibbons in Contemporary Sociology. Jean Baker (UGA) conducted a teacher-student interaction study with Urban 5th grade students published in The Elementary School Journal in 1999. You could consider conducting a similar (smaller) study with high school science students. If you decide to pursue this topic and have difficulty finding these articles, I can email them to you. John
Hey Kristy,
I think that I get what you're saying. I'll work a lot harder for someone who cares about me, too. Maybe a starting place might be to compare the kind of teacher you like best (an openly caring, friendly teacher) to another teacher who is well-respected and known to be good, but has very different methods (maybe the "she's-tough-and-she-can-be-mean-but-she-taught-me-a -lot" teacher).
Kristy, this is an interesting topic idea. I think it is very relevant. I am not quite sure what to call it... is it belonging? You need to search ERIC and the thesaurus to find the terms. Apathy is is common problem in high school, and your study could suggest some means to improve student interest and attitude. Good beginning!!
Kristy, I love your thought process because I would wholeheartedly agree that students in any class, in any discipline, must feel connected to the teacher and to the group in order to feel "personally invested" in the class. I've experienced the same thing! I've had professors who took the time to get to know me, and as a result, I became intrinsically motivated to produce good work of which both I and the professor would be proud. Your study sounds like it would be a qualitative one and you'll collect very meaningful data through student interviews. You could possibly check into teacher involvement, group dynamics, and student attitude as a result of teacher involvement, etc. as you plow through the pile of literature at your disposal. Great idea!
And my hypothesis is... Students are definitely more motivated to work hard for a teacher who clearly invests in and cares about them. But, let's also consider that those of us commenting on here come from similar backgrounds. Is the same true of kids with lower SES? Does learned helplessness factor in or that be overcome? I think this is a really exciting thing to research and think about. Perhaps if you wanted some quantitave data, you could do a survey asking the students' opinions on the matter and follow up that with some interviews.
Kristy - great topic! You have hit on something I think everyone deals with in education. We cannot be a student's best friends but do not want to be totally distant. I have seen both extremes in the high school where I worked. They both have disadvantages. One thing I wanted to share with you is something that I had to deal with this school year. Each class has its own dynamics and sometimes teachers have to use different methods in individual classes. However, I do feel that students do best when they feel the teacher wants what is best for them.
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