Chapter 3 focused on the concept of “problem posing” which I found extremely relevant to my stance as a future teacher. I have really enjoyed the dialogic approach but have always wondered exactly how my attempts to incorporate this into my future classroom will be and exactly how to go about doing this. “Problem posing” seems like a very effective way to encourage dialogue, participation, and active learning in students and my own experiences with this have been very encouraging.
Wong explains that “problem posing” should be used instead of one-way transmission. The teacher should not simply give students information and leave it at that. Meaning should be co-constructed among students with the teacher serving as a guide. Teachers should also be flexible and modify their lessons based on the needs of students. While using the same approach every year with every group of students may feel more comfortable, it will not be as effective as when lessons are modified to address the individual needs and interests of each unique group of students.
This can be difficult when it comes to the issue of high-stakes testing. It is tempting and sometimes required that teachers teach to the test. I have encountered this in my own experiences as a student. Teachers will drop what they are doing and simply teach the material that is going to be on whatever standardized test is on the horizon. This was not only painfully boring for me, but I truly believe I never learned a thing. I don’t remember a single concept from the skill and drill activities we did to prepare for the ISAT. What I do remember is what I learned from class discussions and projects that involved interacting with my peers and actively seeking out knowledge.
However, in today’s society high-stakes testing and the repercussions of achievement on said tests are all too real for students. We cannot simply ignore these tests or assume that our teaching will eventually address the necessary concepts. Wong explains that teachers should be teaching beyond the test and encouraging students to utilize progressively more complex language. When concepts arise that will be on the test, teachers can note this to the students and teach them the necessary jargon they will need to know for the test, though the test need not be the main focus.
An approach I especially liked regarding high-stakes testing was to pose the test itself as a problem to the students. I believe that students should be aware of the nature of standardized test, not just how they’re used, but also the inequalities they often support. If students are motivated to do well on these tests, they will have more opportunities to make their voices heard regarding the unequal power structures they have encountered and hopefully encourage change—“using the master’s tools to destroy the master’s house.”
I also felt that the notions in the section on Feminist Problem Posing were especially important. We must always be aware that a great many voices have been excluded from societal dialogue throughout history. We are also now beginning to recognize the plurality of experience. A person’s experience is shaped by many factors that cannot be separated from one another. I as a white woman have experienced oppression in a way that is different from a woman of color or a woman with a disability, etc. When we fail to recognize these different experiences, we fail to truly understand the individual and what s/he knows. This is evident in the findings of Carol Gilligan. She found that the children, Jake and Amy, were actually responding to different questions in the study on moral development. However, Amy was categorized as less mature because her answer did not apply to the question she was assumed to be answering. If we evaluate students based on universal standards that reflect male, western, or upper-middle-class norms, we will be dismissing the knowledge, experience, and value of too many students. Everyone’s experience and way of knowing is unique and formed based on many factors, including gender, class, race, sexual orientation, and others. We must approach our students based on their own individual histories and backgrounds if we hope to truly understand them and give them the tools to succeed.
How do we teach beyond the test to a class full of students who don't understand the test? Or even to a group of students who have a 3rd grade reading level because they were placed into the lower track as children and are barely literate adults? I enjoyed reading about the problem posing approach which to me seems more like UDL in disguise.
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