When I was thinking about my "teaching metaphor" it was initially difficult to choose just one that encompassed several of my views regarding teaching, as well as students and the way they learn. Some of the metaphors listed on the sheet fit relatively well, and I could think of numerous others that would address some aspect appropriately, for example, I could use a firefighter, or someone who pulls people (students) "out of the rubble" and into the place they need to be. However, I finally decided that my most applicable metaphor is that of a gardener. In a single garden there are a number of different flowers, plants, or crops. Although they are all placed together in one area (an outside garder or greenhouse), each individial species looks somewhat different and unique. Also, the individual plants have varying needs, some require lots of water and sunlight, while others require vary little water and can grow when taken away from the sun. It is important that the gardener knows the characteristics and needs of each plant so ensure that they all have what is needed to grow.
The same is true in an elementary school classroom. In a given classroom there are a number of students, and most likely they all look, talk and act differently, no two students are alike. It is important to understand the characteristics of students, including their cultures, customs, backgrounds, and learning styles. Also, as with plants, students have varying needs. Some may need more individualized attention, and others may need extra time spent in a specific subject. As teachers, it is important that we realize and tend to the characteristics of our students, so that they have what they need to grow into higher level thinkers and learners.
3 comments:
Mary--
The connection between teaching and gardening certainly seems appropriate, and I am especially drawn to your explanation of the different needs of plants and students. This idea is one that teachers sometimes fail to remember: given the immense pressures to make every student "bloom," we often forget that they need different learning conditions to be successful. We have to attend to the environment in which students learn, the means by which they learn, the type of care they need to learn best, and so much more. And we need to remember that, even though we have similar learning goals for all students, success may look different for each of them. After all, when flowers bloom, they have reached their ultimate goal, but roses look different than sunflowers...
I urge you to think about how you might go about finding out about your different students' needs. Unfortunately, this is one of the hardest things for teachers to do because, unlike gardening, there is no manual that gives us answers about the amount of "water" and "sunlight" that will help our students grow to reach their potential.
I really like your metaphor of teacher as gardener because it emphasizes the great variety of individuality that can be found in both a garden and elementary school classroom. Like you say in your metaphor, the teacher must understand how each different student functions, how they learn, and what is going to help them to grow. Even though every student is different though, they all come together to form one united group. I also like your metaphor because you can think of different things that plants need, such as sunlight and water, as specific characteristics that a teacher must possess, such as patience and content knowledge.
I like the thought you put into the fact that all of your students will have different needs that you must be aware of. That is a really important aspect of teaching because there is no effective one formula fits all approach to teaching, and I also liek that you are aware that even the final product will be different for each student, and that different doesn't mean better or worse, just unique... after all, you can't really say one type of flower is better than another, and the world would not be nearly as incredible if it was filled with only roses and no sunflowers.
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