Marta van de Mond's e-portfolio
Annotated Reference
Meek, A. (1991). On Thinking about Teaching: A Conversation with Eleanor Duckworth. Educational Leadership, 48(6), 30-34.
Eleanor Duckworth is a professor of Education and a pedagog, who is known for her studies with Piaget in Paris and she is an alumna of University of Geneva. Presently she is a professor at Harvard University. Anne Meek, the managing editor of Educational Leadership interviewed Professor Duckworth in 1991. Duckworth believes that teaching should not exclude students in a sense of a "stand and deliver" practice. She believes that students should be guided towards discovering teaching materials on their own to find it meaningful and interesting. Students need to have ownership of their learning. All the ideas they come up with during the learning process need to be respected and validated by their teachers. To illustrate this theory, Duckworth gives examples of lessons about poetry. Each student may or may not have some ideas about what a given poem means; however, students should have time to collaborate and discuss that poem together to create their own learning and understanding. A teacher is a facilitator and listener. He or she can guide students, but should not just tell them what the poem means - the process of discovery is important. Students do not find their education intriguing if it is given to them. They have to discover new concepts on their own to appreciate them. Duckworth believes that education should be hands-on. Students should be shown "batteries and bulbs, or pendulums, earthworms, and butterflies" (p. 32) instead of gathering definitions from books. Another example is a study of the moon. Duckworth wants kids to keep a score of what they observe about the moon on a daily basis before giving them any definitions. She wants to know their guesses and ideas first before explaining science. She even welcomes a civil argument if any students have varied opinions on any topic. She encourages teachers to be curious about how students study, how their brains work before any definitions are given. Finally she stands up for teachers and suggest they should trust themselves more instead of following procedures and "to eliminate his or her own intelligence and insights in order to follow some rules" (p. 34).
I have chosen this article as my annotated reference because Eleanor Duckworth, in her interview, represents everything I believe in as an educator. I value my students' opinions and self-discovery. I believe that they would respect their education and value their knowledge more if they were allowed to arrive at their conclusions independently, but with a teacher's guidance and open mind. I know that students enjoy classes where they know that they are listened to and their words (regardless of their accuracy) are valid. Classes where students are not afraid to raise their hands are classes where they learn more and look forward to. I realize that teachers need to cover curriculum and sometimes class size or compositions look daunting for healthy productive lesson outcomes, but establishing the safe, loving, and trusting environment in class is a job half done. Then these discussions can take place. All students are equally important.
Therefore, when I read the article, I was madly highlighting all the words that I nodded my "exactly" to. I found this article very powerful because teaching, despite being a social profession, can be such a lonely place sometimes. I felt empowered and reminded to trust my professional judgment and my gut.
Meek, A. (1991). On Thinking about Teaching: A Conversation with Eleanor Duckworth. Educational Leadership, 48(6), 30-34.
Eleanor Duckworth is a professor of Education and a pedagog, who is known for her studies with Piaget in Paris and she is an alumna of University of Geneva. Presently she is a professor at Harvard University. Anne Meek, the managing editor of Educational Leadership interviewed Professor Duckworth in 1991. Duckworth believes that teaching should not exclude students in a sense of a "stand and deliver" practice. She believes that students should be guided towards discovering teaching materials on their own to find it meaningful and interesting. Students need to have ownership of their learning. All the ideas they come up with during the learning process need to be respected and validated by their teachers. To illustrate this theory, Duckworth gives examples of lessons about poetry. Each student may or may not have some ideas about what a given poem means; however, students should have time to collaborate and discuss that poem together to create their own learning and understanding. A teacher is a facilitator and listener. He or she can guide students, but should not just tell them what the poem means - the process of discovery is important. Students do not find their education intriguing if it is given to them. They have to discover new concepts on their own to appreciate them. Duckworth believes that education should be hands-on. Students should be shown "batteries and bulbs, or pendulums, earthworms, and butterflies" (p. 32) instead of gathering definitions from books. Another example is a study of the moon. Duckworth wants kids to keep a score of what they observe about the moon on a daily basis before giving them any definitions. She wants to know their guesses and ideas first before explaining science. She even welcomes a civil argument if any students have varied opinions on any topic. She encourages teachers to be curious about how students study, how their brains work before any definitions are given. Finally she stands up for teachers and suggest they should trust themselves more instead of following procedures and "to eliminate his or her own intelligence and insights in order to follow some rules" (p. 34).
I have chosen this article as my annotated reference because Eleanor Duckworth, in her interview, represents everything I believe in as an educator. I value my students' opinions and self-discovery. I believe that they would respect their education and value their knowledge more if they were allowed to arrive at their conclusions independently, but with a teacher's guidance and open mind. I know that students enjoy classes where they know that they are listened to and their words (regardless of their accuracy) are valid. Classes where students are not afraid to raise their hands are classes where they learn more and look forward to. I realize that teachers need to cover curriculum and sometimes class size or compositions look daunting for healthy productive lesson outcomes, but establishing the safe, loving, and trusting environment in class is a job half done. Then these discussions can take place. All students are equally important.
Therefore, when I read the article, I was madly highlighting all the words that I nodded my "exactly" to. I found this article very powerful because teaching, despite being a social profession, can be such a lonely place sometimes. I felt empowered and reminded to trust my professional judgment and my gut.