Foundation of Inquiry Question
This inquiry project is based on my own experiences as a student teacher in a West Philadelphia public school in the 2012-2013 academic year. During my first semester as a student teacher for two 9th grade World History classes, I spent a lot of time thinking about the role of the teachers and students in the classroom. I’ve often heard a classroom described as either “teacher-centered” or “student-centered” when determining the key players in the room. A “teacher-centered” classroom has been presented as one where an in-control, powerful, authoritative, and highly visible teacher is at the front and center of the classroom. The teacher is considered to be the sole authority in the room in terms of content knowledge and classroom power. The teacher generally has the only voice in this classroom and uses direct instruction to teach students simple, rote memorization. In a “teacher-centered” classroom, the students typically wait for the next set of instructions from the teacher and regard the teacher as the supreme authority. Students may spend time using the textbook to complete worksheets or perform other activities that require little critical thinking. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a “student-centered” classroom. I have come to understand this term to mean an environment where students are performing different type of activities, often intended to be fun and in a group, so that they can interact with classmates and the course content to find some way to make the information relevant to their lives. In this classroom, the student is considered the main authority and usually has a high level of involvement in the planning and execution of lessons. Although it sounds nice, it seemed to me that too often “student-centered” classes require that the teacher create unorthodox lessons to engage the students.
I did not think that a teacher-centered classroom is an appropriate and useful way to learn because it seems to prevent students from actually acquiring new skills and knowledge. At the same time, I also did not completely support the student-centered model because I believe that this framework encourages teachers to create non-traditional, and sometimes strange, activities to engage and captivate the students. I believe that students should be driven to learn by the content and curriculum; teachers should not have to jump through hoops to create fun activities that will gain their attention. Furthermore, it seems that student-centered teaching assumes and often requires that students already have basic academic skills. This is extremely difficult with regards to my specific fieldwork placement, as many of my students do not yet have these primary skills.
Therefore, I have tried to combine the two models to create what I call a “teacher-focused, student-based” classroom. In this environment, the teacher is figuratively at the head of the class and plans lessons that directly relate to the students’ skills, learning interests, and areas of strengths and weaknesses. The teacher’s role is to advise and lead students so that they can improve their basic academic skill and develop critical thinking skills. While content information is crucial, it is used primarily as a tool and mechanism to support student learning and skill building. The teacher is seen as a possessor of knowledge, but also a guide to the students so that they can interpret and analyze the information on their own. In this classroom, the teacher frequently asks students to express their opinions and presses them to further develop their answers and think about why they interpret the source in the way that they did. For example, students would be required to read quotes and examine images in order to analyze them and understand how they can be used to understand the content that is being taught. Additionally, the students would create projects that combine academic skills and content knowledge.
A primary feature of this model is that autonomy is placed in the hands of the students. Their input helps determine lesson plans and classroom activities. Moreover, they are given a large role as leaders, and sometimes even act as teachers of the classroom. After reading different literary articles and educational theories and hearing from my Penn Mentor about the benefits of student-centered teaching, I was curious to examine the concept of student autonomy and the role of the student and teacher in the classroom. Therefore, I spent the second semester focusing on the effects of increasing students’ autonomy. I was interested in answering this inquiry question - what happens when students are given autonomy in a "teacher-focused, student-based" classroom. I wanted to see how I would implement this process and how the students would respond to this new model.
This paper centers on the concept of student autonomy. Firstly, it discusses the definition of autonomy and what it means for students to be autonomous. It then explores ways that students can be autonomous and the benefits that autonomy has on student learning. Once the theoretical framework is established, the paper then discusses how I increased student autonomy in two 9th grade World History classes. By looking at specific projects and activities, I examine the effects that autonomy can have on student learning, academic performance, and student interest in schoolwork. I also describe student reactions to and thoughts towards autonomy. Finally, the paper addresses implications for the future and raises questions for further inquiry.
I did not think that a teacher-centered classroom is an appropriate and useful way to learn because it seems to prevent students from actually acquiring new skills and knowledge. At the same time, I also did not completely support the student-centered model because I believe that this framework encourages teachers to create non-traditional, and sometimes strange, activities to engage and captivate the students. I believe that students should be driven to learn by the content and curriculum; teachers should not have to jump through hoops to create fun activities that will gain their attention. Furthermore, it seems that student-centered teaching assumes and often requires that students already have basic academic skills. This is extremely difficult with regards to my specific fieldwork placement, as many of my students do not yet have these primary skills.
Therefore, I have tried to combine the two models to create what I call a “teacher-focused, student-based” classroom. In this environment, the teacher is figuratively at the head of the class and plans lessons that directly relate to the students’ skills, learning interests, and areas of strengths and weaknesses. The teacher’s role is to advise and lead students so that they can improve their basic academic skill and develop critical thinking skills. While content information is crucial, it is used primarily as a tool and mechanism to support student learning and skill building. The teacher is seen as a possessor of knowledge, but also a guide to the students so that they can interpret and analyze the information on their own. In this classroom, the teacher frequently asks students to express their opinions and presses them to further develop their answers and think about why they interpret the source in the way that they did. For example, students would be required to read quotes and examine images in order to analyze them and understand how they can be used to understand the content that is being taught. Additionally, the students would create projects that combine academic skills and content knowledge.
A primary feature of this model is that autonomy is placed in the hands of the students. Their input helps determine lesson plans and classroom activities. Moreover, they are given a large role as leaders, and sometimes even act as teachers of the classroom. After reading different literary articles and educational theories and hearing from my Penn Mentor about the benefits of student-centered teaching, I was curious to examine the concept of student autonomy and the role of the student and teacher in the classroom. Therefore, I spent the second semester focusing on the effects of increasing students’ autonomy. I was interested in answering this inquiry question - what happens when students are given autonomy in a "teacher-focused, student-based" classroom. I wanted to see how I would implement this process and how the students would respond to this new model.
This paper centers on the concept of student autonomy. Firstly, it discusses the definition of autonomy and what it means for students to be autonomous. It then explores ways that students can be autonomous and the benefits that autonomy has on student learning. Once the theoretical framework is established, the paper then discusses how I increased student autonomy in two 9th grade World History classes. By looking at specific projects and activities, I examine the effects that autonomy can have on student learning, academic performance, and student interest in schoolwork. I also describe student reactions to and thoughts towards autonomy. Finally, the paper addresses implications for the future and raises questions for further inquiry.