Reading Reflection 1 / Borich, Chapters 1 and 2
In reading the assigned text (Borich, Chapters 1 and 2), the most apt phrase describing the first chapter seems to be “orchestration,” (p. 16 & 27) as used in the section, “The Complexity of Teaching.” This appears to accurately connote and sum the synthesis of strategies and tactics that constitute the day-to-day application of teaching skill. It sometimes seems that the individual characteristics of an effective teacher are – arguably – easily achieved and recognized, but the orchestration is a matter of experience and acute observation.
The five key behaviors overlap and reinforce each other; lesson clarity and instructional variety should foster engagement in the learning process, and this in turn should promote the student success rate. The lack of execution of any one of them could interfere with the successful carrying out of the other behaviors.
Of the five helping behaviors used to assist teachers with implementing and structuring the five key behaviors, the most important, in my view and limited observation, is the interaction of the teacher and learner, with the questioning strategies used through the course of a lesson to not only guide the lesson, but to establish a better rapport.
The second chapter involves understanding adaptive teaching, differentiated instruction, and how individual differences and learner diversity affect learning needs. That not all learners are alike is the most relevant, if obvious lesson, but to my mind, seems the most difficult to enact while teaching a total of 120 to 150 students a day. Discerning the differences in a thoughtful, effective way, in order to structure a lesson to student strengths, should take several months to implement.
Chapter two refers to a type of student (p.68) that I recall encountering in tutoring – the silent learners – who have difficulty expressing themselves and participating in class. In my case, it was due to either language barriers (recent Somali immigrants), or an economic disadvantage (lack of notebooks, paper, pencils, and study materials). The teacher whom I helped dealt with the economically disadvantaged by using collaborative groups: sharing calculators, pairing the silent learners with those more adept with expression, and praising the efforts of the groups. The silent learners were no less able to understand the material, but became more active and participated more as the year progressed. He knew the students well enough to know what would work, which I didn’t realize until well along in the lesson.
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