During my fieldwork at P.S. 45 John Tyler School I was able to see life-worlds pedagogy firsthand. I observed in a fourth grade Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classroom with Ms. Stocker and Mrs. Morales. This classroom would be placed at level eight on a Likert scale in accordance to life-worlds pedagogy. This classroom was extremely interactive and the teachers often allowed the children to dictate the themes of the lessons. The teachers tried their best to make sure that the children had an influence on what they were learning and how they learned best. Through the use of academic articles and fieldwork, I am able to justify the number I selected by illustrating this classroom’s commitment to life-worlds pedagogy. My fourth grade classroom
…show more content…
Morales and Ms. Stocker were also committed to life-worlds pedagogy, because not only were they lenient when it came to seating arrangements, but they even allowed the students to talk about things that matters to them. One student, who will be referred to as PB, loved talking about dinosaurs and because of his immense interest, the teachers decided to print out several sheets of paper dinosaurs. They took these sheets and applied the idea to mathematics by telling PB that he could use them to add and subtract. Prior to discovering PB was interested in dinosaurs, the teachers were having a hard time teaching him fundamental mathematic skills. However, after he received the dinosaur cutouts, PB was able sit on the floor and move around dinosaur cutouts in order to get his answer. He began to pick up the skills quickly and soon was able to do the problems without the dinosaurs present. I was really amazed that these teachers were able to make learning more playful and even allow his interests to influence their curriculum for him. In the article, “Learning Encounters in Preschool: Interaction Between Atmosphere, View of Children and of Learning” by Eva Johansson, it states, “ Encountering the child’s life-world involves approaching and trying to understand the child’s whole being. Bodily experiences and expressions, as well as relating to others constitute the components of the child’s very existence in the world and are, as such, significant for learning” (Johansson …show more content…
Stocker and Mrs. Morales also did an excellent job engaging the students in classroom discussions. One day Ms. Stocker began to teach a lesson on kindness. She first asked the children what they think kindness is and how they could be kind to others. One student even decided to share a story about a time that someone made her upset, because they were mean to her and how she wishes that they were kind instead. Ms. Stocker then began to read a book to the children and throughout the entire time, she stopped and asked them questions, such as “What would you do?” or “How would you feel?”. These questions helped the children think critically and even allowed them to relate the reading to their everyday lives. After the book was over, she instructed everyone to gather into a circle, around a bucket that was filled with water, to throw a pebble in. As the children through their pebble in the water, she told them to pay attention to the ripples that the pebble made. Ms. Stocker then told the students that kindness can spread out in a similar way. This entire lesson helped prove this class’s commitment to life-worlds pedagogy. In Eva Johansson article, she explains that, “An interactive atmosphere, a view of the child based on respect for the child as a fellow being, and a view of learning where the child’s competence and participation are important parts, seem to have common features. These are proximity and commitment to the child’s life-world” (Johansson 16). Ultimately,
Morales and Ms. Stocker were also committed to life-worlds pedagogy, because not only were they lenient when it came to seating arrangements, but they even allowed the students to talk about things that matters to them. One student, who will be referred to as PB, loved talking about dinosaurs and because of his immense interest, the teachers decided to print out several sheets of paper dinosaurs. They took these sheets and applied the idea to mathematics by telling PB that he could use them to add and subtract. Prior to discovering PB was interested in dinosaurs, the teachers were having a hard time teaching him fundamental mathematic skills. However, after he received the dinosaur cutouts, PB was able sit on the floor and move around dinosaur cutouts in order to get his answer. He began to pick up the skills quickly and soon was able to do the problems without the dinosaurs present. I was really amazed that these teachers were able to make learning more playful and even allow his interests to influence their curriculum for him. In the article, “Learning Encounters in Preschool: Interaction Between Atmosphere, View of Children and of Learning” by Eva Johansson, it states, “ Encountering the child’s life-world involves approaching and trying to understand the child’s whole being. Bodily experiences and expressions, as well as relating to others constitute the components of the child’s very existence in the world and are, as such, significant for learning” (Johansson …show more content…
Stocker and Mrs. Morales also did an excellent job engaging the students in classroom discussions. One day Ms. Stocker began to teach a lesson on kindness. She first asked the children what they think kindness is and how they could be kind to others. One student even decided to share a story about a time that someone made her upset, because they were mean to her and how she wishes that they were kind instead. Ms. Stocker then began to read a book to the children and throughout the entire time, she stopped and asked them questions, such as “What would you do?” or “How would you feel?”. These questions helped the children think critically and even allowed them to relate the reading to their everyday lives. After the book was over, she instructed everyone to gather into a circle, around a bucket that was filled with water, to throw a pebble in. As the children through their pebble in the water, she told them to pay attention to the ripples that the pebble made. Ms. Stocker then told the students that kindness can spread out in a similar way. This entire lesson helped prove this class’s commitment to life-worlds pedagogy. In Eva Johansson article, she explains that, “An interactive atmosphere, a view of the child based on respect for the child as a fellow being, and a view of learning where the child’s competence and participation are important parts, seem to have common features. These are proximity and commitment to the child’s life-world” (Johansson 16). Ultimately,