This week’s values workshop was a very valuable and eye opening experience. I found that it made me think about the way in which teachers and pupils interact and what support the child is receiving.
The class was split into 5 groups of 6 (I was in group 2) and were given one big envelope each. Our envelope contained lots of materials such as pens, coloured paper, glue, paperclips , etc. Each group was given the same amount of time to use the materials in their envelope to create something that would be useful for a new first year student. The lecturer was very encouraging towards my group and gave us a lot of support, this made the task easier and more enjoyable. After 10 minutes, the groups did a small presentation to the class, explaining their ideas.
After the presentations, the lecturer gave each group a score out of 10. The first group scored 9/10 and the scored gradually decreased, leaving group 5 with a disappointing 1/10. We looked around the room, almost as in disbelief, as the lecturer ‘s face looked bored and unenthused with group 5’s presentation. I noticed the general look of shock as she uttered the words ‘Is that all you came up with?’.
After the presentations were finished, we discovered why group 5 did not do so well. Their envelope contained less than half of the materials that we had, making it almost impossible for them to make anything at all. The rest of the groups were completely oblivious to this. Our group had the continuous support of the lecturer and she motivated us, making us feel like we were doing the task correctly. Whereas, some of the other groups did not get this support, making them feel as if they were not good enough.
What did we learn from this experience?
By not giving each group the same materials and attention, it did not promote social justice, which is one of our key values as a teacher. The lecturer clearly displayed favouritism and a lack of respect in the classroom, leaving the class feeling awkward and for the high scoring groups, slightly guilty. We learned that for a task to be fair, everyone should be given the same opportunity but more importantly, the same input from the teacher and the same motivation. In a classroom it is sometimes not important what materials you have but what you are inspired to do with them. If group 1 had had the most positive encouragement, maybe they would have outdone the other groups even with less materials.
Another key value in teaching is respect. In this workshop, our team felt incredibly supported, making the task more fun. I think one thing I will take away from the experience is that it feels good to have your opinions or ideas respected and encouraged. It is always important to make a child feel as through they are doing well and that their ideas are not unimportant or dismissed. Knowing the lecturer was proud of our group felt very rewarding which is something all children should feel.
Overall, there was a deliberate feel of inequality in this week’s workshop. Demonstrating the effects of positive and negative comments from a teacher towards a child. This has highlighted key professional values and made me understand them in a deeper sense. This workshop was very useful and allowed me to view teaching in a different light.