Abstract
Jennifer’s dilemma is one that novice teachers face every day. The teacher in her tells her to follow a well-organized plan. She had designed the plan carefully around the district’s curriculum goals. She had included the content she knew the children would need to move on to later topics. But she cannot ignore the subtle signals the students are sending her: they seem to be bored and disaffected, many keep glancing at the clock on the wall, and twice they needed to be reminded what they were supposed to do. Should Jennifer implement the plan she designed to meet the instructional goals she had previously determined her students needed? Or should she abandon the plan and listen to what the children are telling her they need, instructionally, at the moment?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t know how much I really should be sticking to my plans. The teacher in me says, “be organized, plan and follow the plans or you’ll miss something important.” But my heart tells me to follow my instincts and do what I feel works at the moment. Does anyone else struggle with this?
—(Jennifer, a third grade teacher)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Suggested Resources
Cunningham, P.M., & Allington, R.L. (2007). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Harvey, S., & Goudivs, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
More Teaching Ideas is a website where you can get and post ideas www.teachingideas.co.uk.
References
Allington, R.L., & Cunningham, P.M. (2007). Schools that work: Where all children read and write. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Altwerger, B., Arya, P., Jin, L., Jordan, N.L., Laster, B., Martens, P., et al. (2004). When research and mandates collide: The challenges and dilemmas of teacher education in the era of NCLB. English Education, 36(2), 119–133.
Anderson, L.W. (2009). Upper elementary grades bear the brunt of accountability. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(6), 413–418.
Bean, R.M., Cassidy, J., Grumet, J.E., Sheldon, D.S., & Wallis, S.R. (2002). What do reading specialists do? Results from a national survey. The Reading Teacher, 55(8), 736–744.
Cunningham, P.M., & Allington, R.L. (2007). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn: A blueprint for creating schools that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2007). Teacher learning that supports student learning. In B.Z. Presseisen (ed.), Teaching for Intelligence (2nd ed.; pp. 91–100). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Davis, M.M., Konopak, B.C., & Readance, J.E. (1993). An investigation of two chapter 1 teachers’ beliefs about reading and instructional practices. Reading Research and Instruction, 33(2), 105–118.
Dearman, C.C., & Alber, S.R. (2005). The changing face of education: Teachers cope with challenges through collaboration and reflective study. The Reading Teacher, 58(4), 634–640.
Dole, J.A. (2004). The changing role of the reading specialist in school reform. The Reading Teacher, 57(5), 462–471.
Fullan, M., & Hargreaves, A. (1996). What’s worth fighting for in your school. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M.G. (2003). Changing forces with a vengeance. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Greenwood, C.R., & Maheady, L. (2001). Are future teachers aware of the gap between research and practice and what should they know? Teacher Education and Special Education, 24(4), 333–347.
Heritage, M. (2007). Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do? Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–145.
Hollingsworth, S. (1989). Prior beliefs and cognition change in learning to teach. American Educational Research Journal, 26(2), 160–189.
Ivey, G. (1999). Reflections on struggling middle school readers. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 42(5), 372–381.
Lipson, M., & Wixson, K. (1997). Assessment and instruction of reading and writing disability: An interactive approach (2nd ed.). New York: Longman.
Lortie, D.C. (1975). School teacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Luke, A. (1994). The social construction of literacy in the primary school. South Melbourne, Australia: MacMillan Education.
McGill-Franzen, A., & Allington, R.L. (2005). The gridlock of low reading achievement: Perspectives on practice and policy. In Zhihui Fan (ed.), Literacy teaching and learning: Current issues and trends (pp. 173–183). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Roller, C.M. (1996). Variability not disability: Struggling readers in a workshop classroom. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Routman, R. (2000). Conversations. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Theriot, S., & Tice, T.C. (2009). Teachers’ knowledge development and change: Untangling beliefs and practices. Literacy Research and Instruction, 48(1), 65–75.
Toll, C.A., Nierstheimer, S.L., Lenski, S.D., & Kolloff, P.B. (2004). Washing our students clean: Internal conflicts in response to preservice teachers’ beliefs and practices. Journal of Teaching Education, 55(2), 164–176.
Young, E. (2009). What makes a great teacher? Phi Delta Kappan, 90(6), 438–439.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2010 Deborah Ann Jensen, Jennifer A. Tuten, Yang Hu, and Deborah B. Eldridge
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jensen, D.A., Tuten, J.A., Hu, Y., Eldridge, D.B. (2010). Teaching Effectively Means Learning from Our Students. In: Teaching and Learning in the (dis)Comfort Zone. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230102361_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230102361_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-61769-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-10236-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Education CollectionEducation (R0)