To introduce my class to a unit on ancient governments, I asked my students to discuss their thoughts about “what makes a good leader?” with a partner. I walked around the room as they were talking, and I heard some really interesting points being made. When I asked the students to share aloud to the entire class, I had a few students raise their hands and share. But then there was a pause in the discussion and hands were no longer going up. During the paired discussion, I overheard Jack make a thoughtful contribution that I believed would be of interest to the rest of the class, but he wasn’t raising his hand. I wanted to encourage him to share with the class, but I worried that if I called on him, I would either be putting him on the spot or embarrassing him. I strive to create a safe and supportive classroom climate, and I was unsure how to amplify Jack’s insights without making him feel singled-out.
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Maria
9th Grade
Ancient and Medieval Civilizations
Preservice Teaching Year
- What is the teacher's dilemma? Consider the teacher's goals, possible actions, beliefs about the situation and the students, and their own self-perceptions.
- Complete or modify the following sentence in a way that captures the teacher's central tension in the situation: "While on the one hand, the teacher believed/wanted/felt/did __________, on the other hand, they believed/wanted/felt/did __________."
- Thinking about your own classroom, how do you navigate the tension around encouraging a student to participate, particularly when you are confident they have valuable ideas, and respecting their decision not to share their ideas with the whole group?