One of the mantras of my co-teacher was taken from the philosophy of John Dewey: that we are in danger of becoming human doings not human beings. In educational spheres specifically it is easy to become too focused on the product rather than process. This issue is apparent in the small frame of a classroom activity that is weighed too heavily on the final grade over the process, as well as in the larger frame of judging a citizen’s worth on what they are able to contribute to their society. In the first instance we face a dangerous precedent of creating students that lose the value of the procedure for the sake of creating what the teacher wants to see. In the second we get a society that devalues creative pursuits, diminishes the importance of rest and refocus, and emphasizes profit over integrity or empathy.
In the ELL classroom, the class direction is set by identified gaps in learning as opposed to the structure set out by the Alberta Program of Studies. We also follow the guide of the ELS Benchmarks. These Benchmarks focus on tracking language development, leaving the actual content of the class up to the instructor. This freedom is crucial in creating a classroom that encourages learning over performance. By completely doing away with the fear of failure we were able to teach with a safety net of patience and grace. The principal way the students could “fail” is if they did not care. In a typical situation, if you take away the threat of failure then students will immediately slip into a state of apathy. The difference with these students is that their internal motivators are already engaged. They know the importance of learning English because they deal with the struggle every single day. External motivation is not quite as necessary when the students have the drive and determination of someone who has experienced the issues firsthand.
That being said, we still challenge and push students to do their best, it is just that the motives are different than that of a typical classroom. The focus is on healing, not on producing. The focus is on learning as a practical tool, not just learning for the sake of fulfilling a curriculum. This approach is so crucial to creating a classroom of students who are secure in their identity and self-motivated. Our Program Objectives are about creating safe places, building healthy relationships, healing through sharing, and generating self-esteem through recognition and respect-- objectives that I hope to carry on into any classroom that I teach.
In the ELL classroom, the class direction is set by identified gaps in learning as opposed to the structure set out by the Alberta Program of Studies. We also follow the guide of the ELS Benchmarks. These Benchmarks focus on tracking language development, leaving the actual content of the class up to the instructor. This freedom is crucial in creating a classroom that encourages learning over performance. By completely doing away with the fear of failure we were able to teach with a safety net of patience and grace. The principal way the students could “fail” is if they did not care. In a typical situation, if you take away the threat of failure then students will immediately slip into a state of apathy. The difference with these students is that their internal motivators are already engaged. They know the importance of learning English because they deal with the struggle every single day. External motivation is not quite as necessary when the students have the drive and determination of someone who has experienced the issues firsthand.
That being said, we still challenge and push students to do their best, it is just that the motives are different than that of a typical classroom. The focus is on healing, not on producing. The focus is on learning as a practical tool, not just learning for the sake of fulfilling a curriculum. This approach is so crucial to creating a classroom of students who are secure in their identity and self-motivated. Our Program Objectives are about creating safe places, building healthy relationships, healing through sharing, and generating self-esteem through recognition and respect-- objectives that I hope to carry on into any classroom that I teach.