The Essence of
Obuchenie
As educators we are
constantly learning new things about the students that we teach. This process
is known as ‘Obuchenie.’ As I reflect over the month of October this is exactly
the process that stood out. Each lesson taught gave me the opportunity to learn
more about the students in my classroom in a developmentally appropriate manner.
In addition, I am able to learn from the perspective of student as I
matriculate through the MAT program. This process, learned in my most recent
lecture in my Psychology of Learning and
Learners course, is a constant teaching and learning that theorist Lev
Vygotsky discusses as the response to general influences of behavior in
sociocultural environments.
As I reflected on my
day of teaching and learning each afternoon I was able to gain more
understanding of the needs of my students, the lessons that worked as well as
those lessons that I should rethink. The most helpful reflections were those
activities that did not go as planned or needed to be altered to meet the needs
of the students. I gained a lot of knowledge
not only on the patterns of my students learning, but also on how to
handle challenging situations with students that were distracting to the
environments. Reading Conscious
Discipline reminded me that it is important to implement activities that
help both my students as well as myself transition the brain from home to
school. “A routine to start the day designed based on current brain research to
turn off the stress response, create a favorable emotional climate and help
children focus during the transition from home to school.” I am still working
out different activities to make sure this is a regular part of our morning meeting.
My students are familiar with several breathing techniques to help distress
during the day, so I am eager to incorporate the uniting activities on a regular
basis.
Learning as I teach is
challenging yet beneficial beyond measure! I am eager to implement many of the
applications that I am learning about in the MAT program and offer my students
the opportunity to engage in deeper thought and understanding as they
participate in the classroom activities I plan.
Kimela,
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you are learning and being able to apply what you are learning. I am learning a lot in our psychology class about my students and myself as a learner as well. Conscious Discipline has also been helping me with understanding my students who may be disruptive at times and how to respond to the situation.
I’m sure you are enjoying your breathing technique strategies. I know I am. It is funny that in my CD group we were talking about yes those strategies help out or students, but we find them helping us out more. Breathing techniques have really helped me keep my composure this month.
I too, have been reflecting on a lot of the activities that I have been doing with my students. I too, have found that when my students are not reading for a skill or activity it will not go so well. This has forced me to do a lot more evaluating to make sure that my students do not feel inferior because of an activity.
I did not hear you mention the October slump so I’m assuming that this month was well for. If not, Congrats you made through! And remember:
“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!”
-Anonymous-
I agree 100% about how being a student in this program helps us empathize with the students we teach. It truly is a fascinating dynamic, kind of like Freire talks about when he says “The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow” (Freire, 1970, p.80). This is one of my favorite quotes I have read this year and I think I will find excuses to incorporate it everywhere! But it definitely came to mind as I was reading about your reflective experience this month. I could really learn from your attitude towards your lows; rather than take them to heart as "failures" you appreciate them as the opportunity they are to improve for next time, and that is something I am working on myself. It sounds like you are moving right along and growing so much with this program. I will be curious to know how incorporating breathing routines in the morning impacts your day; it might be another thing I borrow from you! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI think it's great how you are specifically mentioning how the MAT program is helping you as a teacher day by day. It is a fun thing to be able to directly apply the methods and ideas immediately after learning them. It's funny that you mention getting to know your students better every day because I am still amazed at how much kids open up over time. There is a girl in my class who I seriously thought was non verbal in the beginning of the year and now I can't get her to stop talking!
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, I also appreciate the helpfulness of the daily reflections. Journaling is such an important tool for teachers and it sounds like it is really helping you in realizing patterns and opportunities for change and development. I'm excited to hear about your new activities to turn of the stress responses in the brain during your morning meetings. Good luck with next month!
Hi Kimela,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I especially love the mention of theory that you have taken and applied to your practice. Cautious Discipline is such an awesome resource, and it appears that you are using it well. It's vital that you and your students have the opportunity to transition properly from home to school. It's so cool that you are providing the children with strategies to help them to make this transition. I am currently working on that myself. Sometimes my students try to put up a little resistance to it, but I know that it is growing on them.
Continue the great work!