Chapter 1 Reflection

Chapter one titled, “Partnering” discussed the pedagogy of partnering.  The guiding questions for this chapter are:  1. What works in the classroom today?  What needs changing?  2.  Can we see students differently?  Can we achieve mutual respect? 3.  What is partnering?  What are the teachers and student roles?

        The chapter discussed how direct instruction is an ineffective way of teaching because today's 21st century students need more than just lecturing, talking and explaining.  Teachers need to find other ways to engage students in the learning process.  The chapter went on to explain how today's students are social, energetic, and technological advanced. Students are like rockets taking off and flying at an advanced speed rather than trains on a track.  What works in the classroom today, are teachers who respect students as individuals, group work, sharing and hearing ideas from their classmates.  Because students operate and learn at a faster pace, students today need teachers who are able to find other ways to engage students and make them responsible for their own learning.

        To see students differently, teachers, as rocket scientist, must know that in addition to a fast paced learning environment, they must also know that their students are headed for a future place that even we as teachers can't see.  Teachers must help students learn on the fly and adapt and relate in a positive and responsible manner accordingly.  The chapter discusses the need for mutual respect among teachers and students.  Chapter one also discusses how mutual disrespect prevents effective learning and partnering, while mutual respect must come from both sides of the desk.  Examples that illustrate this concept are schools that adopt themes and mottos, such as, "We are all learners as well as teachers."

        Partnering is the 21st century way of working together to produce and ensure student learning.  The author further defines partnering as: letting students focus on the part of the learning process that they can do best, and letting teachers focus on the part of the learning process that they can do best.  Partnering is the very opposite of direct instruction.  In Partnering, the teacher gives his or her students a series of questions to be answered.  It is up to the students to answer the questions based on group work, technology and other resources.  The student becomes the researcher, expert, thinker/sense maker, world changer, and self-teacher.  The teacher's role in partnering is: coach and guide, goal setter/questioner, learner/designer, and abandoning total control for controlled activity.  Other factors contributing to successful partnering are: peer roles, peer-to-peer teaching, and partnering parents.  All three roles can be an effective tool for partnering teachers.  Students speak the same learning language and they prefer to learn from their peers.   Peer-to-peer teaching fosters: responsibility, opportunity, and respect.  Parents are key factor for success in partnering. Because parents expect their students to be taught as they were, direct instruction, they may feel left out or not included in the partnering process.  Teachers and the school administration must keep parents in the loop and communicate partnering pedagogy.  Teachers may want to try partnering pedagogy, but are often nervous or intimidated by a principal who is not open to new ideas.  Principals and school administration must give strong support for partnering pedagogy in order for it to be successful in the classroom.

            My experiences with the partnering pedagogy are with training adult learners.

When adults have to attend professional development training, it is something that is required of them and therefore, they are not enthusiastic and they feel training is a waste of their time.  I use partnering, case based, and problem solving learning to create an environment that creates excitement and peer collaboration.