This chapter covered a lot of material, and gave further insight into the boys' varying psyches. The researchers initially found a clear disconnect in the boys' interpretation of the research project, in that the boys were not counting all of the extracurricular reading that they were engaging in because they didn't think casual fun reading counted. In and of itself, this is very telling, and seems to make clear the mental divide the boys carry in themselves when factoring in schoolwork versus "real life". Competence, control, and challenge was an inter chapter heading which highlighted certain factors which influenced student participation in reading exercises. One thing that was pointed out was the line between competence and perfectionism. In general students like to feel a certain level of competence when engaging with an activity, as it gives them a sense of control over the given subject. Students who tended towards perfectionism were more reluctant to engage in activities that they didn't feel competent enough.
As stated in other chapters, choice is mentioned again as an important aspect of flow. When students encounter a range of options and are allowed to choose the one that best suits their interest, the more engaged they are likely to become. Relatedly, one of the students who had attended both public and private schools said that private school felt much less "like a prison" because of the larger degree of freedom and choice given to the students. This is frustrating because these sorts of practices should be available to any student regardless of familial income. Teaching practice is teaching practice -- it's makes me wonder if in today's technological age if teachers in any walk will be able to incorporate cutting edge practices more easily, or if state standards will still hamper public school flexibility.
One factor that had a notable impact on students was how close they felt with their teachers. Teachers who had more personal contact with the students led to more students being engaged with the material. The personal connection led them to be more willing to try at a subject with less regard for their competence. In many ways, the what the authors found through their interviews was sometimes worrisome: the disconnect between students and teachers; the way lessons steered more towards pushing through information and less with students expressing their opinions. Reflecting on my own experience, I remember having ample opportunities to have open discussion in class, and to be able to apply my own reasoning/interpretations to text, so reading these students' experiences makes me wonder about high school at large.
The students also had an aversion to what they called, "busywork" -- work that had to ultimate value or usefulness to it, rather it just functioned to keep students busy. This is understandable: work for work's sake is unpleasant at any age or station, but it also makes me wonder how accurate their interpretation of busywork is. Does that mean "work that we find unpleasant/boring"? Because in that case, there could be no pleasing all the students; there would always be some sort of busywork. However, it could at least inform teachers that students are aware when lazy lesson planning is taking place and general tasks are being given for the sake of it.
Anyway, this chapter covered a wide array of topics, many of them mentioned in prior chapters, but I ultimately found certain aspects to be illuminating. Still, I'm a little concerned of the overall arc of the book: while there is a lot of discussion, I'm having trouble in sensing what I, as a teacher, am supposed to do with the data. It's clear that many things don't work and that students do and don't like a variety of things, but how is my practice supposed to be informed? I guess I wish that the next step was taken by giving teaching practices, or methods to incorporate these findings into regular class usage. Anyway, there are only two more chapters of the book, hopefully they will incorporate more practical uses for these types of findings.
As stated in other chapters, choice is mentioned again as an important aspect of flow. When students encounter a range of options and are allowed to choose the one that best suits their interest, the more engaged they are likely to become. Relatedly, one of the students who had attended both public and private schools said that private school felt much less "like a prison" because of the larger degree of freedom and choice given to the students. This is frustrating because these sorts of practices should be available to any student regardless of familial income. Teaching practice is teaching practice -- it's makes me wonder if in today's technological age if teachers in any walk will be able to incorporate cutting edge practices more easily, or if state standards will still hamper public school flexibility.
One factor that had a notable impact on students was how close they felt with their teachers. Teachers who had more personal contact with the students led to more students being engaged with the material. The personal connection led them to be more willing to try at a subject with less regard for their competence. In many ways, the what the authors found through their interviews was sometimes worrisome: the disconnect between students and teachers; the way lessons steered more towards pushing through information and less with students expressing their opinions. Reflecting on my own experience, I remember having ample opportunities to have open discussion in class, and to be able to apply my own reasoning/interpretations to text, so reading these students' experiences makes me wonder about high school at large.
The students also had an aversion to what they called, "busywork" -- work that had to ultimate value or usefulness to it, rather it just functioned to keep students busy. This is understandable: work for work's sake is unpleasant at any age or station, but it also makes me wonder how accurate their interpretation of busywork is. Does that mean "work that we find unpleasant/boring"? Because in that case, there could be no pleasing all the students; there would always be some sort of busywork. However, it could at least inform teachers that students are aware when lazy lesson planning is taking place and general tasks are being given for the sake of it.
Anyway, this chapter covered a wide array of topics, many of them mentioned in prior chapters, but I ultimately found certain aspects to be illuminating. Still, I'm a little concerned of the overall arc of the book: while there is a lot of discussion, I'm having trouble in sensing what I, as a teacher, am supposed to do with the data. It's clear that many things don't work and that students do and don't like a variety of things, but how is my practice supposed to be informed? I guess I wish that the next step was taken by giving teaching practices, or methods to incorporate these findings into regular class usage. Anyway, there are only two more chapters of the book, hopefully they will incorporate more practical uses for these types of findings.
Great post! I was wondering if you are a teacher now and if you have found your practice to reflect any part of this book?
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