Some days it feels like my job is to be a magician. Today I had a student come into my room to go over a problem. I am going to be honest, this problem is EASY. Make a chart of how far a car travels every half-hour based on the given MPH. That is it. Make the chart, look at the chart, and answer the question. As any teacher knows though, we all learn at different rates. So when this simple question resulted in hysterical tears, I had to take a moment to think about how to help this student. Read more after the jump.
I need to teach math. Simple. So what does that mean, I need to show students how to do the problem enough so they know what to do, but not so much that they copy and don't understand. Meanwhile, checking to see where they made a mistake and instantaneously coming up with a way to correct that. Ok so a little more changeling. Add 25 more students at the same time, yep more challenging. Now the students don't get it, and I have to rethink it all. Finding the right balance between all the roles is not easy. Obviously the goal is to have students be successful on their own, but when do I remove the training wheels?
This student did not get the question. The more I explained it, the more she shut down. She could explain the process to me and answer my guided questions, but could not connect the information. She knew the car drove 40MPH, which she knew meant the car drove 40 miles every hour, but she could not tell me how many miles the car drove from 8am to 9am, even though she knew that was an hour. Now I have a lot of patience but I had NO idea how else to explain this problem. I had provided guided questions, an example, and basically given the answer. She was at the point though where she could only focus on what she couldn't do. Other students around her contributed and that tore her confidence down further. Solving this problem was no longer just about arriving at the mathematical answer, but a pep talk on not giving up. We threw away the work we had done and started over. However I lead her though and the training wheels were very much still on. As look back, I am still wondering what learning really took place?
I can and do believe all students can learn. With enough guidance students can get the material. Where do we begin though when the misconceptions are so large? How do I get this student to be successful on her own? In theory, with enough guidance I would be able climb Mount Everest. Let me tell you, I will NEVER climb Mount Everest. So after I have worked with just this student, assisted them through the problem, and they still don't get it, I'm stuck. What more guidance do I give? Am I wrong to believe that all students can learn ALL topics, or am I falling short? Maybe it is like me and Mount Everest, they COULD get it, but never will. I feel wrong thinking that, nor do I really think I believe it, but I had no more tricks to help her. Honestly, I had no more patience. At this point I wanted to give her the answer. We could both get the temporary relief of making it through the problem, but I know that is not a long term solution. The student will not have learned, and I really will not have taught. So I gave a pep talk, calmed my voice, and tried it one last way.
As teachers, we have to wear a lot of hats and handle a lot of situations. You can plan and plan, but there will always be a situation you have to react to in the moment. I am still not sure she understands how to solve this problem. I am still not sure what the right balance of guiding students and letting students solve on their own is. Like many things with teaching though, we figure it out with time. I guess I just needed someone to say today hang in there. So I told myself. Starting the day with a storm of tears over a simple problem did not feel great. She didn't get it, I felt inadequate. Neither of us though will give up. Mount Everest is only 29,029 ft, no biggie right?
This student did not get the question. The more I explained it, the more she shut down. She could explain the process to me and answer my guided questions, but could not connect the information. She knew the car drove 40MPH, which she knew meant the car drove 40 miles every hour, but she could not tell me how many miles the car drove from 8am to 9am, even though she knew that was an hour. Now I have a lot of patience but I had NO idea how else to explain this problem. I had provided guided questions, an example, and basically given the answer. She was at the point though where she could only focus on what she couldn't do. Other students around her contributed and that tore her confidence down further. Solving this problem was no longer just about arriving at the mathematical answer, but a pep talk on not giving up. We threw away the work we had done and started over. However I lead her though and the training wheels were very much still on. As look back, I am still wondering what learning really took place?
I can and do believe all students can learn. With enough guidance students can get the material. Where do we begin though when the misconceptions are so large? How do I get this student to be successful on her own? In theory, with enough guidance I would be able climb Mount Everest. Let me tell you, I will NEVER climb Mount Everest. So after I have worked with just this student, assisted them through the problem, and they still don't get it, I'm stuck. What more guidance do I give? Am I wrong to believe that all students can learn ALL topics, or am I falling short? Maybe it is like me and Mount Everest, they COULD get it, but never will. I feel wrong thinking that, nor do I really think I believe it, but I had no more tricks to help her. Honestly, I had no more patience. At this point I wanted to give her the answer. We could both get the temporary relief of making it through the problem, but I know that is not a long term solution. The student will not have learned, and I really will not have taught. So I gave a pep talk, calmed my voice, and tried it one last way.
As teachers, we have to wear a lot of hats and handle a lot of situations. You can plan and plan, but there will always be a situation you have to react to in the moment. I am still not sure she understands how to solve this problem. I am still not sure what the right balance of guiding students and letting students solve on their own is. Like many things with teaching though, we figure it out with time. I guess I just needed someone to say today hang in there. So I told myself. Starting the day with a storm of tears over a simple problem did not feel great. She didn't get it, I felt inadequate. Neither of us though will give up. Mount Everest is only 29,029 ft, no biggie right?
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