On page 33, Tough refers to "Blair and Evan's research, suggesting that regular good parenting-being helpful and attentive during a game of Jenga-can make a profound difference for a child's future prospects."
This made me wonder how our 24/7 connection to technology, social media, emails and the Internet will affect our ability to truly be in the moment with our children as parents.
As educators, I wonder, how addressing so many needs and demands at once in a classroom, will impact our ability to be in the moment with our students, which proves to make the difference. How do we continue to balance connectivity, ever increasing demands and yet be in the moment with face to face interactions and connections with our students?
I find the importance of connecting with our students on both a personal and academic level to be valuable in developing positive teacher-student relations and improving student achievement. As a substitute teacher, I strive to build and maintain a rapport with my students from the time they walk in by standing outside of the classroom, greeting and high-fiving them. It is during this time when I interact with students about their weekends, fun happenings, and sports they are involved in. Lunch and recess are times when teachers can connect with students on a personal level. I enjoy the times in lunch when I sit down with the kids to eat and engage in conversations with them. Recess is another wonderful time of the day to connect with students through play and conversation. During this time, I am usually spotted organizing and playing in a soccer or football game with many of the kids. Times like these are when I am "in the moment" with children.
ReplyDeleteMaking connections in the curriculum help students to gain a better understanding of the material/content being taught. Integrating instructional tools that are relatable to students such as technology, videos, music, and art can benefit their learning. For example, I was teaching students about similes and metaphors and integrated YouTube videos of some of my students' favorite songs that contained similes and metaphors in the lyrics. I found that students were more interested and focused in the subject matter because they were connected to the musical element of the lesson. Moreover, they could easily define each term, note the difference between similes and metaphors, and provide and locate examples of each in literary works. When instruction is tailored to meet student interests, it's a win-win for both the teacher and student.
- Rachel Green