Week 4 T2P Essay & Statement

T2P statements with labels

if =red

then =purple

because = blue

proof = orange

If preparing students to live in a democracy is a component of a teacher's pedagogy then the teacher will share the instructional role with his and her students. The teacher will stress peer to peer instruction and create opportunities for students to have an equitable voice in the classroom. One way students learn is through modeling, and by encouraging democracy in the classroom students will learn to think critically and be prepared to participate in a democratic society. Students also learn by actively participating in this environment. Judith Yero maintains that students are directly impacted by their teacher and the classroom environment. Jerrid Krusse discusses the importance of social, collaborative, student centered learning.

Moral -importance of democracy and equality

If a teacher empowers students to learn on their own and focuses the lesson on student centered activities then the environment will be mutually enhancing. When a teacher allows students interests and abilities to drive the activities within the content of the course, she will be learning along with them. This builds student's confidence and self determination. Competency is also achieved as students work to master concepts in creative self driven ways. This empowerment and sharing of the teaching responsibility shows that the teacher respects and values each student and their ability to master a concept. Viki Davis shows how this focus on autonomy, competency and connectivity builds creativity and persistence in her classroom. According to Deci & Ryan persistence, creativity and enhanced performance lead to overall wellness.

Moral - teacher values individuals, diversity, respect for other's opinions, believes that each student has a contribution to make

Week 4 T2P Reflection

Peer to peer instruction is very informative. The language is often appropriate for the students to understand. Sometimes a teacher will be talking above the level of the students so by asking students to do research and then present a concept or idea to classmates, works very well. Students can raise points that a teacher may not have felt was relevant and the student can explain their view. The teacher can still ensure that the students understand what she/he feel is the key points but can also be informed why the students felt certain data was important. This is modeling democracy in the classroom by giving equitable voice to all students.This democracy leads to mutual enhancement as a result of the student centered lesson.

Deci & Ryan believe in the self-determination theory to achieve overall wellness. The video showed this theory in action and helps to clarify how autonomy, competency, and connectivity work together to create an awesome learning experience for all. We discussed how it is the teacher's job to captivate the students and hold there attention. But I suggest that when the teacher allows for some flexibility in the content and shares that responsibility with the students then this will result in high quality motivation through autonomy, competence, and connectivity. Wow that was a T2P statement without even trying to do one!

So... If a teacher allows for flexibility and student driven lessons where the teacher and students share the responsibility for teaching and learning equally then students will persevere in education, become creative learners and their overall performance will improve. This democratic approach to teaching actively engages students in the educational content of the classroom. They are then motivated to develop competency and autonomy when they are responsible for content. When students know how to learn and then can share knowledge they have gained with their peers they gain self confidence. Teaching each other and working collaboratively fosters a connectedness and empathy with peers. Deci & Ryan's theory of self determination embodies these relationships and encourages teachers to use methods which develop a student's intrinsic motivation. Davis' pedagogy also embraces these ideas of motivation as is evidenced in her classroom and her role as facilitator rather than instructor.

Moral: The teacher values individuals and democracy and wants students to develop awareness of self instruction and acquire tools to become life long learners.

My Theorist Spreadsheet