I am finding it takes an enormous amount of self restraint as a teacher, to not jump in and provide an answer for a student. This is definitely a teaching technique that takes practice, lots of practice. I understand the value of allowing students the opportunity to struggle with the process of learning something new. I know that I learn better when I am given the chance to figure something out for myself. Yet, I still have to resist the urge to provide an answer that is within the reach of my student if they are simply given the ample time and opportunity to figure it out.
Instant gratification is a component of our society and we will have students that ask us to just give them the answer, but it is our duty to those students, to all students, to let them figure it out for themselves.
It is helpful to hear someone outline what I'm thinking. Thank you! Our math teacher has provided a lot of insight on letting students struggle, because that is when learning happens. However, I too need to work on my wait time. It's difficult; I want them to understand the lesson, so I want to provide the correct answer. I often spend more time thinking of how to encourage them to think on their own. This is difficult in the current second grade classroom where I work, since most students seem bent on instant feedback in all subjects.
ReplyDeleteIt's that whole teaching them to fish bit, isn't it? We could never teach all of the answers, but we could teach an awful lot of skills. Still, I struggle with this as well.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that this, like many areas of teaching, will get stronger with practice over time. Some students will need more encouragement in this area than others. If a child is reprimanded or belittled outside of class for giving the wrong answer, they will be less likely to take problem-solving upon themselves in a classroom setting. These are the students who will need the most support when asked to think about something they are unsure about. Again, it always comes back to paying close attention and observing students in order to help them as much as possible...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that our first inclination as teachers has often been to give the answers when asked, but I am noticing that I now hesitate more often when asked a question by a student and find myself sometimes choosing an inquiry type of response. I think it is because we are having our professors model for us ways to help our students think critically, and in doing so, we find ourselves thinking more critically.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with this too. I keep catching myself answering the questions, and the doing a Homer Simpson "Doh!" in my head, because I realize I should have answered with a question that would guide them in the right direction instead of just feeding them the answer. Automatically answering questions is going to be a hard habit for me to break.
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