1.

What do you think the assumptions and beliefs were for each of the teachers
regarding student learning?
I believe that Mr. Johnson believes that strict structure is what drives a classroom and
sees that through a more old fashioned lens. He runs his classroom like we imagine a
traditional classroom. Mr. Johnson most likely believes that focusing on content is the
best way for students to learn. He probably believes that students need to have ideas
told to them through lecture and that when students work independently it increases the
odds that they will not be working on the classwork they should be working on. Mr.
Johnson adopts the idea that a quiet and structured workspace is the best for students.
Ms. Edwards has the belief that students only learn when they are enjoying learning,
this can be seen with her incorporation of games and other interactive activities into the
classroom. She may have a kinesthetic learner and is trying to involve her students in
that variety of learning. She also accepts a loud classroom as long as her students are
learning, because she believes that fostering that learning community is the best way to
keep her students engaged. Mrs. Nelson most likely thinks that students should take
charge of their own learning and that student centered learning is ideal for students to
thrive in the classroom. She probably thinks that a student led classroom is the best
way for students to really absorb all the content in the classroom.
2. What do you think the assumptions and beliefs were for each of the teachers
regarding the role of the teacher?
Mr. Johnson most likely believes that a teacher is there to tell the students what they
need to go. They are the primary speaker in the room and are the person who delivers
the content to the students. He probably sees teachers as filling the students with
knowledge. Mr. Johnson also sees a teacher as someone holding the students away
from goofing off. Mr. Johnson also believes that teachers do not need to adapt their
teaching to the room and simply think that teachers can teach and the students need to
pay attention. Ms. Edwards most likely sees teachers as people who keep students
engaged and entertained. She sees teachers as people who should make school a
place that students want to be in. She also believes that teachers should reward
students for learning as well as for not doing what they are supposed to. She also
believes that teachers should lay out clear rules for the class. Mrs. Nelson most likely
sees teachers as someone who guides students to asking the best answer. She also
thinks that teachers should allow for students to ask the questions that guide learning
and thinks that students are the centers of their own learning and that teachers are not
supposed to sit in front of the class for the whole time.
3. What do you think the assumptions and beliefs were for each of the teachers
regarding student potential for self-managing?
Mr. Johnson most likely believes that students can not self manage well and that they
need teacher guidance to learn on a deep level. He most likely sees that students are
not the best people to guide their own learning, they are viewing themselves as the
conductor of a classroom and the person in control. They think that without them the
students would be lost. Ms. Edwards thinks that students need help learning, but that
they can have fun and think that they are able to learn while having fun and socializing.
She most likely sees students as unable to self-manage for long times, but that the
games played in the class offer enough time working independently and enough time
learning as a group and being guided so that they cannot fully go off task. She also
believes that students self-manage best when on a reward system that allows them to
work for a reward so they are promoted to stay focussed. Mrs. Nelson believes that
students can guide themselves and that teachers are there to answer questions and
keep helping students. She sees students as able to self-manage if given the
opportunity and the correct environment. She also thinks that students are able to ask
questions to each other to guide each other to the right answer so that they are all
learning and self-managing.
4. How do the principal’s actions in each scenario influence your current thinking
about being a teacher?
The principal’s reaction to Mr. Johnson surprises me very little because to be a principal
they have to have been in the teaching profession for a long time so they have old
fashioned views of what a classroom should be. They want the classes in their school to
look like Mr. Johnson’s room, they want those classes that put a teacher in front of the
class and lecturing for the entire class taking a few questions from students and when
independent work happens that teacher walks around the room making sure everyone
is paying attention. The principal’s reaction to Ms. Edwards was also not surprising
since the active classroom for students having fun and learning through games are not
seen as conducive for learning by most old fashioned teachers because they imagine
learning as an activity with one person talking and a quiet room. The principal does not
approve of a loud and active room, because they want the room to be calm since they
are afraid that the noise from one room can distract another room. The principal’s
reaction to Mrs. Nelson’s room was surprising since I thought that the principal would
not approve because the student led learning is not traditional like Mr. Johnson room as
the principal wants students actively learning in a way they learned. This is something
the principal needs to escape the mindset of, but their reaction to each room is normal
of someone who wants a school full of traditional classes since they do not understand
why a student might thrive in a different environment.
5. Before the course, which one of the teachers or elements of their approach most
closely aligned with your view of teaching? Has your view changed or stayed the
same after the course? Explain.
Before this class I thought like Ms. Edwards and I think I still see classes in a similar
manner, I want to establish a good connection with my students and want them to be
excited for class each day. As Saffold says in our textbook, “If a teacher wants to have a
classroom where respect is the norm, relationships are nurtured, students feel safe, and
learning is encouraged by everyone; he or she must plan for that to happen. Creating a
positive learning environment is one of the most critical tasks that a teacher must do
early in the year and it must be revisited often.” I think after getting through a good
chunk of my fieldwork I think the same. I would love to teach like Mrs. Nelson, but that is
so challenging when working with special needs students, but games can keep them on
track and allow for testing in a non daunting way for students. Another reason I think it is
good to have a fun class is that a good amount of special needs students are not on a
path to graduation and that can make their attendance to school seem useless or make
them think they do not have to do any work, so by making it fun and making students
want to come to class I can help make the classroom a place they are sad to leave
instead of trying to find any way to get out of.