INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Part III: Creating Change in the Classrrom

Taking risks in the classroom is an intimidating prospect. Even when things are not working, it is difficult to let go of a routine and try something new. During Jennifer’s last year of teaching she was struggling with behavior problems in the classroom: her fourth grade students were constantly fighting with each other and it was significantly disrupting her instruction. Jennifer was intent on improving the dynamic in her classroom and knew she had to take some drastic measures in order to do so.

She mulled over the situation for some time until she realized that she needed to change the culture of her classroom in order to change student behavior. One weekend in February she went into school and set about changing the physical space of her room. “I tore down everything – all the posters, all the rules. And then I changed the seats to a circle instead of lines,” Jennifer recalled. Jennifer knew that changing something as fundamental as the physical space was the foundation for where she wanted to go with her classroom.

When her students came to class on Monday they were greeted by a transformed space and a rejuvenated teacher. Jennifer initiated a conversation about the problems her students were having in the classroom and the issues they faced in school. She did not reprimand or punish them; instead she asked them what made them upset, what motivated them, what they wanted to work on, and what goals they had for the year. They placed these guidelines and goals on the classroom walls and thus began refashioning the classroom to represent their individual and collective voices.

Immediately Jennifer noticed that giving her students a voice in creating the culture, structure, and focus of the classroom resulted in increased engagement and investment. She noticed that right away ‘things turned around. My students came in ready to learn and with less attitude. They liked having choices and having a say so. It was better when I was there to make things run smoothly but not to dictate the class.”

Over the next few months Jennifer continued to involve her students in making guidelines for classroom culture and directing lesson plans. She noticed that her students were getting along better with each other and she built upon this by instituting “The Mystery Star” system. She had her students write their name on a star and at the end of the day she would randomly select a ‘star of the day’ and the rest of her students clapped for the star and made positive statements about their classroom contribution that day. Activities like these fostered a culture of celebrating students and built community amongst the once divided group.

“I learned a lot from that experience. When you want to make a change in your classroom you have to step back and ask yourself what you are doing that is not working and what you can do to make it better.” While Jennifer was initially overwhelmed by the behavior problems in her classroom she was resolute that she could make a difference and did not shy away from making significant changes in order to do so. Being enthusiastic and reflective about instituting change in the classroom empowered Jennifer to create a dynamic and cohesive culture amongst her students. And being able to view her teaching techniques and classroom management as part of the problem and solution, enabled Jennifer to realize the change she desired.

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Part II: Being Approachable in the Classroom

Young teachers are often overwhelmed by the challenge of commanding respect in the classroom. Fearing that their age may make them particularly vulnerable to misbehavior and disrespect, they tend to compensate for this by distancing themselves from students and playing the role of know-it-all, no-nonsense adult.

When Jennifer first started teaching, she felt she had to act ‘very grown-up’ in the classroom or her students would not take her seriously. When she realized her ‘grown-up’ attitude was not translating to a dynamic and engaging classroom, she sought the advice of fellow teachers. “The best advice I got was to keep myself approachable. Be firm but be approachable.”

Being approachable to students does not undermine a teacher’s role in the classroom. As Jennifer noted, “Kids need to know you’re a human being. Showing yourself as untouchable throws kids off. They don’t want to feel like you’re so different from them.”

Jennifer’s classroom dynamic changed significantly after she embraced this philosophy. As Jennifer was more of herself in the classroom, students too became more personally involved in their lessons. Being approachable enabled Jennifer to have productive discussions with her students and promoted an atmosphere of collaboration in the classroom.

While Jennifer used to fear that being approachable meant she would have to ‘know all the answers’ and show her students how knowledgeable she was, she realized that being approachable actually meant guiding students to come to their own conclusions. After all, it is not the end of the world to make a mistake or not know an answer. Teaching students how to think critically, evaluate information, and find answers or formulate conclusions is far more important than being the source of all their knowledge.

Being open in the classroom enabled Jennifer to have a more engaging and meaningful relationship with her students. Jennifer no longer focused on knowing all the answers, instead she worked with her students to discover them. Doing this gave her the confidence to view her relationship to her students as that of a co-conspirator.

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

July Feature: Jennifer Jackson

This month Jennifer Jackson will be talking about her experiences in the classroom, her ideas on teaching and education research, and her philosophy for embracing change. Jennifer just joined Center for Inspired Teaching as a Research Associate after four years in the classroom and a Master’s degree in Urban School Psychology. She has devoted her career to enhancing education opportunities for students and continues to employ her professional experience and academic background to inspiring change in the classroom.

Part I: The Importance of Teacher Networks

Jennifer’s introduction to teaching was rocky: she was so frustrated with her experience at her first school that she quit mid-year. “It was difficult. Very difficult. There were a lot of students who were only two or three years younger than me. My first year, I quit because I was so frustrated.”

Jennifer didn’t give up though. She started her second teaching job the next year and resolved to do things differently. Quickly, she realized that one of the most important resources available to her as a teacher, especially a new teacher, was the advice, perspective, and institutional knowledge of other teachers in the school.

Throughout the year Jennifer worked with other teachers in her school to create lesson plans, share classroom management strategies, and discuss student progress. The community of teachers collaborating and supporting each other empowered Jennifer; she no longer felt isolated in her classroom but part of a larger effort to educate her students. Jennifer recounts, “It made a big difference. Before that I was not able to build strong relationships with my students. Having that support stopped me from feeling like ‘I’m a first year teacher, this is my classroom, you handle yours.’ That collective attitude helped me out.”

In addition to gaining useful advice from her colleagues, Jennifer felt supported by a community of like-minded and compassionate educators. She discovered that many of the frustrations and challenges she experienced were common to other teachers. As such, she no longer had to work through her struggles alone but instead could work within a supportive group that motivated her to succeed.

Creating a teacher network within or outside a school community is a valuable resource for educators. As Jennifer learned, “You may not have all the answers. To be connected to someone else is really important.”

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Nine Lives in the Classroom

Judy smiles when she recounts the time she was a new teacher who had never been in a classroom.

"Oh my gosh, I was so terrified. Any minute I thought they're [her students] going to figure out I don't know how to do this. But I figured it out...I got it. You ask questions and value the moment to moment reality and your experience flows seamlessly. I drew on all my previous experience as a writer, director, actor, and student."

Judy’s extensive and varied career was a resource in the classroom. Drawing on diverse experiences enabled Judy to have a ‘big bag of tricks’ when it came to her teaching techniques. She asserts that harnessing past experiences can bring a fresh perspective to teaching and provide inspiration in the classroom.

Judy White continues to transform teaching through her work with Inspired Teaching - she leads seminars and workshops, mentors new teachers, and even traveled to India to bring Inspired Teaching to a local school for artisans. While constantly taking on new projects and roles, Judy maintains a simple philosophy, “I’ve had nine lives. But I’m always a student and teacher.”

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Part III: Being a Student and Teacher

Judy reflects that what made the biggest difference in her growth as an artist and teacher was having exceptional teachers. She recalls her mother, a gifted musician and involved teacher, who recognized that each child learns differently and would strive to empower her students to reach their full potential.

Judy also remembers her freshman English professor who “was the first person who didn’t act like he knew all the answers but instead asked us questions.” It wasn’t till later that Judy realized how extraordinary and powerful it was that her professor focused on teaching her how to think critically rather than what to think.

Throughout her life, inspired teachers have illuminated the path Judy travels. Judy often reflects on how these teachers were able to connect with her interests and engage her intellectual curiosity.

Remembering what it was like to be a student is one of the key components to Judy’s teaching technique and enables her to connect to her students. Judy insists that it is critical for teachers to ‘become students’ and to ‘keep that line between teachers and students very fine’ so that learning is dynamic and collaborative.

Being both a teacher and student is part of what makes Judy’s teaching techniques so effective; she is able to create a space where teachers don’t just impart knowledge and students don’t just absorb it, but rather both students and teachers work together to produce knowledge.

Next week - Part IV: Nine Lives in the Classroom

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Part II: Revere the Unconscious

As a young actor, Judy acted intuitively; without a technique or guiding philosophy. It was later, working with teachers who used questions to engage texts and lessons that Judy began to craft her acting technique and more generally, a world view that would inform her approach to writing, directing, and teaching.

Her acting technique, like her teaching technique, is based on using questions to guide the process of discovery. Judy likens both teaching and acting to a therapeutic process or an archeological dig in which “you must pay attention to the details and unearth the layers that will lead you to your discovery. Look for the telling details and revere the unconscious.”

To “revere the unconscious” teachers need to be attentive to the details and clues that often lie “beneath the surface.” By using questions and being sensitive and responsive to the ways her students engaged material, Judy enabled students to guide their own learning process.

Further, Judy trusts her instincts and judgments. Revering the unconscious, in this sense, means having the confidence to make in-the-moment decisions about lessons plans and classroom discussions. Judy maintains, when planning a lesson it is important to remember that there are multiple ways to reach an objective, or “a hundred keys to opening a door.”

As such, Judy lives in the “moment to moment reality of the classroom”: responding to the flow of classroom discussion and trusting her instincts to improvise within a lesson a plan. This technique creates a classroom in which students take part in guiding a lesson; making learning collaborative and dynamic.

INSPIRED TEACHER FEATURE

Inspired Bloggers,

My name is Indhika Jayaratnam and I am a Program Associate at Center for Inspired Teaching. As a first time blogger and current employee of the organization, I wanted to create a blog feature that enabled me to further explore our philosophy, mission, and work as it applies to experiences in the classroom, policy, and community affairs.

To this end, I will be writing the Inspired Teacher Feature series. Each month I will interview someone invested in improving education and the school system, and I will create 4 weekly entries based on these conversations. I hope you enjoy the posts and please help make this feature an interactive one by posting some of your own experiences and thoughts!

Indhika

May Feature: Judy White

For the first feature I interviewed Judy White. Judy taught Inspired Teaching's founder, Aleta Margolis, speech and acting in high school. Aleta describes Judy as the first teacher who opened her mind, intellectually challenged her, and inspired her to learn.

Judy's teaching philosophies are a big part of the Inspired Teaching history and to this day, Judy continues to work with the organization as a mentor and supporter. In this month's teacher feature I will highlight some aspects of Judy's life experiences, teaching techniques, and personal philosophies that enabled her to become an Inspired Teacher.

Part I: Discovering the Socratic Method

Before we even begin the interview Judy White, a master teacher and subject of the interview, is asking me questions.

What do I hope to learn from the questions I have drafted?

What format do I think will most effectively capture my main points?

How am I going to set up an interview-friendly space?

Judy is the first person I have picked for the Inspired Teaching Blog Feature Series and from the beginning she is determined to make our interview a learning process from which I can glean important lessons and skills for future interviews.

When I ask her advice on what she thinks is the best approach to an interview she shares some tips from her considerable experience as an actor and magazine editor but follows-up each piece of advice with, “what do you think is the right way?”

Judy’s insistence on questioning my understanding of the interview process is characteristic of her teaching philosophy: an inquiry based approach that challenges students to engage material and form their own opinions through insightful questioning. While this approach is now known in education circles as the Socratic Method, Judy began using the technique ‘accidentally’.

In fact, Judy credits her adventurous career path as actor, director, playwright, writer, and editor with forming the basis of her teaching techniques and philosophy. “My technique evolved with practice, application, and hard work,” Judy says referring to her introduction to inquiry-based teaching in acting classes and her development of the technique when directing, writing, and eventually teaching.

By constantly asking her students questions, Judy challenged them to delve deeply into lessons, form thoughtful opinions, critique arguments, and apply what they learned to other situations. The skills gained from using this method - i.e. critical thinking - are invaluable both in and outside of the classroom.

Next week - Part II: Revering the Unconscious