1. Tobin gives a personal (and hilarious) account of a cold,
rainy day where he had to use every trick in the book to get his students
engaged with a class discussion. Although I haven’t had the chance to teach
yet, I can imagine this sort of thing happens from time to time. Thus, my
question to the class is: what is your go-to activity when the class energy is
super low, or when none of the other students can bail out the class and start
participating?
2. Stemming from my first question, I think it is also important
to figure out when we are supposed to take control of the class and over
discussions in the classroom. Tobin gives us analogies like the
craftsperson/apprentice approach to teach, but admits he finds himself wanting
and needed to be an authority in the classroom (81). So, when do you guys find
yourselves wanting to hold the power in the classroom, and should we be more
okay with not having the power? Should there always be a bit of balance or does
this sort of thing mostly depend on the specific class and their energy?
I actually liked Tobin's host/guest analogy. As a host, you are not necessarily the center of attention, but you help guide the party along as you mingle with other guests, make sure they're doing okay and introduce those who don't know each other. As a teacher, you are the authority figure, but you don't have to be in the sense of standing in front of the class. You can sit in a circle like we do in class and become more of a host, moving the discussion along if it gets stalled. Have a question at the ready, but this doesn't come across as the "authority figure" as we know it.
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