I was very impressed by the approach taken by Dave Hewitt (secondary math teacher). I found his style very engaging and memorable. Two main points really resonated with me: using verbal skills to teach algebraic equations and dispelling the image of teacher being the sole arbitrator of what is right and wrong. For the purpose of this blog, I will focus on the latter.
Many students take the view that the teacher is the final judge and juror. This could lead to a situation where students rely too much on the teacher and not enough on their own judgment. To really encourage the students to think and to build their confidence, Dave Hewitt left it upon the students to say what was right and what was wrong. I really liked this approach and had just heard of a similar example where a drama teacher had required that a student pass the "bird scene" before being able to audition for the school play. The teacher had not given any specific criteria of what it was to pass. Again and again the student did the performance only to find out that she did not pass. Each time she decided what she could improve and then improved it. Finally, when she had felt she delivered an almost perfect performance that she was extremely proud of, she told the teacher that if he did not pass her this time, it did not matter because SHE knew that her performance was great. He then said, you finally have confidence in what you did, hence she passed. Although a slightly different situation, the same approach was applied of getting the students to take ownership of what they have learned and in doing so building confidence in what they have learned and applied.
Very interesting anecdote about the 'bird scene'! It's true in many areas of life, isn't it -- that having real confidence in what you are doing is a key to success, no matter what other people might say about it. It's hard to wean oneself off the praise of an authority figure, but that is what Hewitt is aiming for and what all kids need to learn as they become adults.
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