Future Implications
Based on the final interviews, at least three of the focus student's futures have been altered in some way by this project. It seems that Harriet in particular was able to find through our interactions a homework strategy that works for her and that she plans on continuing to utilize throughout the remainder of her high school career. Derek and Candice found strategies to keep themselves more interested in and focused on readings.
I like to think, but have no way of knowing for sure, that Phillip and Jessica also gained something of lasting value. In the case of Phillip, normally silent and stubbornly independent, perhaps it was beneficial to have any kind of social interaction at all. In Jessica's case, I hope that she experienced a reality check upon the final realization that she was failing third quarter and that no amount of last minute effort could change this. She was frustrated but seemed to grasp that she was the one responsible for the situation. She did ultimately agree to attempt in the final quarter the same homework strategy that proved effective for Harriet.
As far as my own teaching practice goes, I was surprised to learn from the initial survey how many students were willing to put forth the effort to engage with me outside of class. I was further surprised and refreshed by the candidness of the focus students. It was good to be reminded that kids have a lot to say, and that if you allow them a voice they are often more direct than many adults tend to be, which makes their feedback invaluable. Thus, going forward a key goal of my teaching will be to continue encouraging students to develop their own voices and to then use these voices to advocate for themselves.
This project raises and begins to answer some very important questions: given that the inquiry only fully began in February during the third quarter of the school year, I wonder what would be different were it to begin much sooner-- as soon as there were data on which to base it. Even before engaging in such an inquiry (which in this project's case is a kind of intervention), what might a teacher do at the very beginning of the year to create a positive classroom community with high expectations? How can he or she front-load the year to maximize students’ individual responsibility outside the classroom, willingness to engage inside the classroom, and comfort level in approaching the teacher with their individual needs?
The above questions are important because it seems clear that there would not be enough time or energy for a teacher to respond with this project's level of intentional attentiveness to the above needs for every student. However, if the teacher succeeds in beginning the year by setting up a comfortable and positive classroom environment with specific, high expectations, then the need for such targeted interventions would be reduced. Such an environment would, on its own, enable and empower students to develop agency regarding their own educations. The creation of such an environment is a necessary step to making an inquiry like this possible. This is because a teacher can do everything in his power to motivate his students, but a certain balance is necessary-- the students must be an active part of the equation. They must take some of the responsibility for their own learning, which is of course one of the goals of education and this inquiry project-- to help students learn to help themselves. Once many of them are willing and able to do so, the teacher would then, in a manner similar to this inquiry, feasibly be able to focus on those students that needed some extra motivation.
Ultimately, much of human learning is influenced by the relationships we have with those we learn from, with, and around. This inquiry project has demonstrated student willingness to engage more with the teacher (and by extension, the material) when pushed to do so, as well as student ability to provide said teacher with useful feedback. It could benefit any teacher, then, to make the effort to build some relationships with those students who too easily and often fade into the background of the classroom, particularly if these students can provide a perspective not voiced by the classroom's more active participants. However, teacher must first construct a classroom that has motivated, active participants in order to recognize the students most in need of a focused intervention.
In my future teaching practices I will explore further the means by which a teacher constructs such a positive and empowering environment. Once I have done so, I will begin intentionally constructing relationships with struggling students at a much earlier point in the year in order to surpass the limitations of the project at hand. For instance, in a case like Phillip's in which the student does not open up right away, perseverance over time could be the answer. I could also explore the value of involving and following up with parents regarding the creation and implementation of student improvement plans. This might have been effective with a student like Jessica, who alluded a few times to her mother as a motivating factor in her studies. In any case my ultimate goal would be to produce thoughtful, self-managing, and passionate human beings. There are many means of doing this, and there are countless types of students who will respond to different combinations of means. But if an inquiry improves a teacher's ability to do this, then it is a success.
I like to think, but have no way of knowing for sure, that Phillip and Jessica also gained something of lasting value. In the case of Phillip, normally silent and stubbornly independent, perhaps it was beneficial to have any kind of social interaction at all. In Jessica's case, I hope that she experienced a reality check upon the final realization that she was failing third quarter and that no amount of last minute effort could change this. She was frustrated but seemed to grasp that she was the one responsible for the situation. She did ultimately agree to attempt in the final quarter the same homework strategy that proved effective for Harriet.
As far as my own teaching practice goes, I was surprised to learn from the initial survey how many students were willing to put forth the effort to engage with me outside of class. I was further surprised and refreshed by the candidness of the focus students. It was good to be reminded that kids have a lot to say, and that if you allow them a voice they are often more direct than many adults tend to be, which makes their feedback invaluable. Thus, going forward a key goal of my teaching will be to continue encouraging students to develop their own voices and to then use these voices to advocate for themselves.
This project raises and begins to answer some very important questions: given that the inquiry only fully began in February during the third quarter of the school year, I wonder what would be different were it to begin much sooner-- as soon as there were data on which to base it. Even before engaging in such an inquiry (which in this project's case is a kind of intervention), what might a teacher do at the very beginning of the year to create a positive classroom community with high expectations? How can he or she front-load the year to maximize students’ individual responsibility outside the classroom, willingness to engage inside the classroom, and comfort level in approaching the teacher with their individual needs?
The above questions are important because it seems clear that there would not be enough time or energy for a teacher to respond with this project's level of intentional attentiveness to the above needs for every student. However, if the teacher succeeds in beginning the year by setting up a comfortable and positive classroom environment with specific, high expectations, then the need for such targeted interventions would be reduced. Such an environment would, on its own, enable and empower students to develop agency regarding their own educations. The creation of such an environment is a necessary step to making an inquiry like this possible. This is because a teacher can do everything in his power to motivate his students, but a certain balance is necessary-- the students must be an active part of the equation. They must take some of the responsibility for their own learning, which is of course one of the goals of education and this inquiry project-- to help students learn to help themselves. Once many of them are willing and able to do so, the teacher would then, in a manner similar to this inquiry, feasibly be able to focus on those students that needed some extra motivation.
Ultimately, much of human learning is influenced by the relationships we have with those we learn from, with, and around. This inquiry project has demonstrated student willingness to engage more with the teacher (and by extension, the material) when pushed to do so, as well as student ability to provide said teacher with useful feedback. It could benefit any teacher, then, to make the effort to build some relationships with those students who too easily and often fade into the background of the classroom, particularly if these students can provide a perspective not voiced by the classroom's more active participants. However, teacher must first construct a classroom that has motivated, active participants in order to recognize the students most in need of a focused intervention.
In my future teaching practices I will explore further the means by which a teacher constructs such a positive and empowering environment. Once I have done so, I will begin intentionally constructing relationships with struggling students at a much earlier point in the year in order to surpass the limitations of the project at hand. For instance, in a case like Phillip's in which the student does not open up right away, perseverance over time could be the answer. I could also explore the value of involving and following up with parents regarding the creation and implementation of student improvement plans. This might have been effective with a student like Jessica, who alluded a few times to her mother as a motivating factor in her studies. In any case my ultimate goal would be to produce thoughtful, self-managing, and passionate human beings. There are many means of doing this, and there are countless types of students who will respond to different combinations of means. But if an inquiry improves a teacher's ability to do this, then it is a success.
With that, this inquiry report comes to a close. For further examples of my work as a graduate student and a student teacher, follow the links below or look to the right-most part of the navigation bar.