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Foundations of EducationDr. Sokolow
Fall 2009
Foundations of Education: Sociology
John Goodlad identifies several common patterns in classrooms, which contribute to a “school culture” which generally encourages the students to passively do and say the right things, but does not stimulate active learning.
Goodlad’s Observations
1) Teacher treats class as a whole to maintain order in large group.
2) Emotional expression is subdued, so the tone of the classroom is flat or neutral.
3) Most student activity is listening to teacher, following texts, writing answers, and being tested on the information they absorbed (or did not).
4) As students get older, the classroom grows more rigid and less personally stimulating.
5) Instruction is generally just the teacher transmitting and the students receiving information, seldom encouraging independent thinking beyond the instruction.
My Observations
1) In a day school class, small compared to the usual public school class, the teacher knows each student on a personal level, to an extent, and sees each as an individual with different needs. It is not always easy to address each one’s needs, but the teacher still relates to the class as a group of individuals, not one general group.
2) In classrooms I have observed, children feel free to express their reactions to the subject, make known their opinions, or share personal stories or comments. Often, however, this takes the form of a disturbance. This may seem like a negative result, but perhaps stems from the positive factors of small and personalized classes, or teachers who are not intimidating disciplinarians, so children do not fear speaking-up. When speaking out-of-turn is under-control, it is certainly quieter, providing the teacher better ability to speak and for everyone to listen, but therein lies the challenge to keep the students stimulated and not bored.
3) Students take turns reading out-loud or actively following the texts, and if in Hebrew, also translating. The teacher writes on the board for visual aids, and uses prompts for the students to respond. Questions guide students’ responses, but also promote analyzing and not just memorizing.
4) Younger grades have more hands-on guided worksheets and projects. Older grades have more independent note-taking and readings, and are expected to contribute to class discussions on progressively deeper levels.
5) Some teachers or topics will promote relating the subject matter to the students’ lives, but very often, details are absorbed just to remember for the test, and are later forgotten. Critical independent thinking is often not necessary for tests, or is not required for class discussions. Some topics, such as learning Rashi on Chumash, or Gemara, necessitate reading-between-the-lines, teaching skills of textual analysis useful for other arenas as well.