| CREDO Nov. 12 |
| Role of Teacher A teacher must use a variety of approaches and choose the approach most appropriate to the subject matter and the students at the time when the lesson occurs. Trust and respect must be created between the teacher and the students, and openness on the part of the teacher is essential for this. Being guarded will tell students that you do not trust them. You must also be conscientious about your words and actions, being aware of how they affect the class. You must have an unbiased approach to each student and each class. Trust and respect must also be present among the students themselves, and this is something that the teacher must actively promote. He or she cannot assume that it will happen on its own. The teacher must give a good deal of control to the students. This means having students determine how they will be assessed, how they should behave, and how they will work. If control is always in the hands of the teacher, it may be seen as relating to the teacher alone and only imposed on the class. The value the classroom has to students will be greater if they can determine much of its structure. Finally, making sure that students will regulate themselves prepares them for their adult lives. A teacher must, from time to time, step back from the tasks he or she undertakes as a teacher and assess his or her work. The day-to-day acitivities of teaching bury us and make us forget our goals. Role of Student The student must play an active role in the classroom. The teacher will give a great deal of control to the students, so they must make the classroom what they want it to be. The students may decide on what to do by voting, and students whose wishes do not get enough votes must still pull their weight in putting the wishes of others into practice. The idea is to behave as in a democratic society. Respect and cooperation with fellow students is a must. Part of why each student is there is to teach other students. Therefore, each student must do his/her share in teaching and accept lessons from other students. This is in contrast to the typical classroom, where the word of the teacher may be given too much precedence. Students must also assess themselves. This is part of them taking control of their learning and of setting their own goals. Self-assessment must be honest and directed to specific ends. Environment Clearly, the environment must foster a democratic classroom. It must support difference of opinion. It will often be necessary that minority opinions be emphasized, as the democratic process tends to leave them out. The environment must be malleable so that differing classroom situations can be created. This means that furniture must be moved and that the mood of the classroom must move around. Mood change should be affected by the environment, in a reasonable manner. Assessment The teacher will assess the students in ways suited to their strengths and weaknesses. For example, the teacher would not make a major test that was based on a learning style few of his students have. And questions that test a learning style strong in the class would be made more challenging. The teacher will have students determine how they will be assessed. Of course, the teacher will have input on this, especially in the form of exposing the students to the kinds of ways assessment could work. As mentioned, students will assess themselves. This may form the key aspect of assessment. Students will formulate criteria for a certain task before having completed the task. After finishing, the criteria will be used to determine how far the students have come in achieving what they set out to. |