Acknowledge, acknowledge and acknowledge your learners!

I believe that a good pedagogue is a teacher who can teach learners in such a way that they don't even have to study and still pass their test with a good mark. I had a teacher in high school that gave class in such a way that I hardly ever studies, because there was simply no need for me to figure it out on my own. And the first question I asked myself is: How on earth did she get it right?

She was actively involved in our lives! Thats how! She did not only engaged with us on an academical level but also on a social and emotional level. The fact that she acknowledges the fact that I had a personal life beyond school gates allowed me to reconnect with her in class. And strangely the fact that she acknowledged my personal life made me enjoy her subject even more because there was a better sense of understanding. Not only did she give ear to my personal life and interests, but also my worries I had as a learner. She cared for my well-being as a learner and try to be available and accessible as possible.

This leads me to the Foley YouTube video that also stresses the importance of teachers as the pastoral carer of a classroom. Quite a hectic responsibility, hey? But we as pedagogues can only achieve this well-being of children if we are actively involved. And I don’t mean go and question the parents’ attitudes or way of parenting at home, but look out for learners on the playground, in a test or in class. For example when there are bullied find creative methods to solve a problem in school boundaries or when a learner struggle with a certain topic be helpful and support the learners. This will make them feel “hey, there is someone looking out for me” you know and this create a sense of belonging and being worthy of attention.

So what I am trying to say is, we as pedagogues has the responsibility to support our learners academically, socially and emotionally. Don’t let them only be a person with a name in your classroom, but let them be their own little universe where they can feel save and express themselves. But one must keep in mind that this type of environment can only be created if you has teacher understand your learners and know who and what they are.

Humans don't fit into boxes! 

No one human is born to fit into a box! If only the education system could grasp this idea, if only every learner could run free and become creative and critical thinkers and I can go on forever with the "what ifs". The point is that no one is made to fit into a box and we as critical pedagogues need to change this one side view.

The Independent project is a whole new (and cool) way to look at teaching. It is a system where learners can become themselves and learn in an environment where they can experiment with a different ways of thinking and being creative. Some of the learners even enjoyed subjects they never had understanding of simply because they had freedom to study in a way they feel comfortable with.

This Independent project made me thought teaching and me being a teacher. I know they said it is not impossible to start a school like this, but we still have to be realistic. Not all people will enjoy that much freedom; some people simply don’t have that type of commitment and responsibility to keep them going all independently. Don’t get me wrong I love the whole independent idea. But some learners are in need of boundaries and teachers to guiding them. So I thought what if teachers in ‘normal schools’ allow learners to be creative and independent in their own way in the classroom, teachers can still be the guides making sure learners don’t get lost along the way.

Therefore the teacher must adapt to the learners’ desires and needs. Teachers must allow children to have their own ideas and creativities. Teachers must listen to what the leaner would like to learn and how he/she would like to learn. I know you are thinking yeah right in a class of 30, 40, 50 children how on earth will you, as teacher, adapted and nurture their desires for how they would like to be learned.

This brings me to the S. Hamilton reading that teachers must break this idea of the silent culture. Teachers must interact with their learners and build relationships. This will enable teachers to understand and know the needs and desires of their learners. It will also learn them to be independent in their own way because they will move away form the idea that the teacher is the one with all the knowledge. But they as learners are able to use their own way of critical thinking to come to the conclusions. This will allow learners to create their own ideas, ways of learning and understanding of their work.

Thus teachers must become critical pedagogues. They must move away from the conservative route of teaching. Teachers must rather reach out to the needs of their learners and create spaces where learners can have critical and creative thoughts and to express them in a way that it will enhance their learning experience and understanding of the work.

Yeah baby bring it to the classroom

As I was reading Davis's (2014) blog entry I made a mind shift concerning technology in the classroom. Before, I did not really  thought about using any form of social media in my classroom. But then I came to a very surprising conclusion and that is: Social media is another resource in the classroom and that one cannot simply ignore the fact that we are technological world.

I have a brother (17) who loves computers and technology and I know (because he told me this himself) that he spends most of his time on his phone or Ipad during classes. Not for working but for social media (and gaming). And before I read this article I thought I would not allow technology into my classroom unless I am able to control it and as long it does not interfere with me giving class. And before I read this article I thought technology is a problem, but then it made me wonder: what will happen if I do allow technology into the classroom and seeing it as a resource and not as a problem? How will I use it? I would like to elaborate on Davis’s idea of Social media as another tool that you can use to make your classroom more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse.

I would love to teach history and since I have created a twitter handle I start following all of these History pages. And they are so interesting so I will definitely bring twitter into the classroom and allow students to follow these History pages and use them as sources for group discussions or to bring some interesting facts to school. If a whole class follows the same pages they can engage with one another about what they think is important or interesting. 

Blogging, I will definitely incorporate into my subject. If I weren’t so limited by the CAPS curriculum I would allow my learners to choose an interesting topic they came across on a twitter pages and write an essay regarding the topic on twitter, incorporated with their own research and ideas. But realistically I will still use blogging as a platform where they can write essays (informal ones) and comment one each other’s work. Blogging is also a great place for a teacher to comment on the progress of students writing, before handing it in.

I would like to use social media to hear the learners’ opinions regarding historical events. How they feel about certain events and if we are still able to see the effects of the these historical events in South Africa for example Apartheid or the Cold war. This will help them to create their own voice and it will allow me to understand how my learners think and if they understood the work discussed in class. It will also help them to engage with different ideas and opinions.

Davis  refers to global classroom projects where learners from other schools or seperate classrooms (in the same school) can connect and share ideas. I would love to use this in my subject. Not only will it allow learners and teachers to see if they are on the same level, but it will allow them to engage with a diverse group and not only with their fellow peers in class or in school, but to come in contact with different peoples.

All I would like to say is that technology is not a problem but a resource. Use it wise and learners will have a successful learning experience, inside and outside the classroom.