Noticing Blog-Moskowitz

This week I have noticed that students like reassurance. They are always asking if what they are doing is correct and they repeat directions constantly to check if they are going to do the right thing. I think this is in part because of confidence. I don't think many students are confident that they will do the correct thing and are concerned that if they do not do the exact correct thing, they will get punished some how. I believe that there are too many restrictions and guidelines for students now a days. Whether that is due to high stakes standardized tests, or teacher job vulnerability increasing, or the ease that accompanies providing the same instruction for all students, whatever it may be, it needs to stop. Students need to be able to explore while learning. They need to develop strategies for themselves and struggle in order to learn, but more important, not be afraid if and when they struggle or when they stray away from the teacher's modeled instruction. Teaching is not about the teachers; it is about the students. Therefore, students are the people that need to be able to hold onto their own reins while learning. They need to guide themselves. If I'm playing along with the analogy here, then I could say the teacher provides the horse, the information, and the student needs to be able to understand it in their own way if they do not understand it the way the teacher instructs or models it. Students must think for themselves, for higher thinking and higher education requires such tasks.