The
profession of teaching involves so many areas of opportunity for creativity on
the educator’s part; therefore, a teacher is in her element when the students
are engaged and excited in the process. Sixth grade is that time in a child’s life
where they are caught in the middle of adolescence trying to figure out where
they belong in the growth and maturity process.
Eighty seven percent of “who they are” is determined by their peers;
therefore, they are often conflicted on how to work effectively together, who
their friends are, and where they fit in socially. The groups that often appear during this age,
such as, the pleasers, the independents, the bullies, and the nerds, find
themselves in situations where they must collaborate. Thus, the problem that arises is simple;
however, all of these personalities make it complex. Figuring out how to navigate through the
socialization process and effectively work as a team must be taught, developed,
and modeled by the instructor.
Jane,
the 6th grade teacher, loved the idea of having a process like Wikis
as a strategy because she saw how effective and engaging it was in a
colleague’s classroom; hence, she quickly decided to implement it in her
class. The actual definition of “Wikis”
is “a quick way to engage a team or group.”
Teachers love new ways to bring about learning within the students, so,
typically, teachers love sharing and promoting a new concept. It stirs the pot or brings fresh ideas into
the mix, but all too often, the “what” is present, but the “’how” gets lost in
translation. The how is the process that
needs to unfold in a systematic way so that everything works as it should. One
of the problems I observed in this scenario was the preparedness for the
concept. It seems that so many of the
obstacles that occurred within the students had to do with lack of vision,
guidance, and direction.
When a
project is assigned there needs to be clear objectives, proper formatting and
procedures in place, and a clearly defined plan of action. The plan should
include: guidelines for writing and researching, grading processes, and ethical
ways to engage with one another.
Engaging with one another at the sixth grade level involves treading
softly, but firmly implementing the idea that the project is not a “me” but a
“we” project. The hurt feelings that
escalated into a crying session could have been avoided if the “I deserve”
concept had been addressed. Often times
a student will feel that they deserve better treatment because they performed
or did their part. One group suffered
from this issue, so, they just stopped going the extra mile and working
together. The younger generation has an
entitled attitude that seems to fester if not handled properly and I feel that
Jane could have prepared the students to take on the “I am responsible for my
actions” instead of playing the blame game.
Secondly,
the issue of plagiarism reared its ugly head.
In my opinion, it is never too early for a teacher to address the
importance of using your own words.
Taking someone else’s words and not giving credit where it is due is
wrong on multiple levels. Once again,
teaching, training, implementing, and modeling this concept is invaluable. The students were plagiarizing because the
issue had not been addressed properly. I
realize that many times a student will plagiarize due to laziness,
misunderstanding, procrastinating, and simple apathy; however, most students
can understand that “cheating” is unacceptable on any level. Plagiarism is cheating no matter how many
ways you look at it! In my mind, a sixth
grader still has that open mind and heart to see what it means to have the
character of integrity and honesty. The importance of instilling values in a
student should never cease, no matter what age they are. A solution for both issues I have presented
could be to have an outsider review the research paper and offer their expert
opinion. Maybe even experts in the field
of hydrology could have edited the work of the students to avoid hurt feelings
from their peers. An outsider could
offer an opinion to the group members and not specifically single out anyone;
however, even being singled out would be beneficial for the good of the
group. This person would have no personal
connection to the group; therefore, their opinion would be more acceptable.
Lastly,
the group who embedded work into the project with no clear meaning had no
investment into the project. They may
have done the work, but there was no ownership.
Taking ownership for something is becoming a huge problem when it comes
to the work ethic of our school communities.
Hard work is becoming a thing of the past. Teaching a student that everyone needs to
play a role in the process must be addressed.
The team members need to know that their hard work pays off in the end-
for the good of the group. They also
need to understand that when a group member disengages or defaults, it affects
the entire team. Learning to encourage a
student is a vital part of roleplaying within a team. I call this constant intervention of
discussion and roleplaying, “Death by lecture.”
We can never lecture enough concerning the issue of taking ownership of
your own work and the team’s work. Too
often, you have the savior who comes in and takes on the writing for the entire
team. No one wins in this process
because you have the writer with thoughts of judgment, anger, and resentment
because they “did it all.” If we spent
more time in the early years of raising children developing the concept of “we”
there might not be such an entitled generation rising up from the ranks.
The war
against apathy, entitlement, and poor attitude is on-going. As educators, who play a role in the future
of so many students, we must forge on, mentor those who we disciple, and
enlighten those in our care to take on the fight for the future generations to
come.
LINKS:
Linda,
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to forget that students, even those in the same grade level, are at different developmental stages. Therefore, I like that you mention how differing personalities and comfort levels affect how well students will work in groups. To improve on Jane's experience with assigning a research project, I agree that she should have had a better, more prepared plan of action.