Comparing Kenneth Stewart's Article 'Comfort Zones And Ours'
Their Comfort Zones and Ours
Kenneth Stewart, one who professed at college and taught high school, wrote an article about his learnings with teaching called "Lessons From Teaching Millennials". In the article, he told us about his 2005-6 classes. He wanted to share his observations about their behavior, his teaching mistakes while working with them, and his beliefs about how we can best work with the current generation of college students. He believes that students should be both challenged and patiently taught while the teachers and students move outside their comfort zones.
Stewart told us that when a big gap developed between his expectations of the students and theirs of themselves, he asked them their reactions to the course. Most
of them agreed that the course was more demanding then they thought it would be even though he had the same standards he had asked of students he taught in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. He noticed that they were less motivated and thought that he was responsible for their learning instead of themselves. For the next semester, he decided to move his expectations closer to what his students thought they would expect. He gave them more options like whether they wanted to present their research to the entire faculty. He also agreed to the classes suggestion of written versions of his oral pre-exam reviews and the average grade on the tests climbed to mid-level B's. Stewart noticed that many students submitted brief drafts and rarely seemed to be proofread. He soon learned reviews helped them to memorize for exams but didn't cause thoughtful reading or understanding. At the end of the course, he concluded that moving the class closer to their comfort zone, was successful for their opinions of them and their grades, but they didn't really learn the content.
When Stewart was focused so much on his students' actions and attitudes, he realized he presented an image of teaching that was incomplete. He was so distracted by the classes issues that he lost touch of the less vocal students. He read a review from a female student that made him open his eyes and discover that he made many mistakes in planning the spring course and his instructional decisions. Stewart agreed to the fact that it was easier to describe his students' flaws than his own. The main mistake he made in the planning of his spring course was that he was attempting to gain back his self confidence as a teacher. He never considered that the reviews encouraged less understanding. He stated that he shortchanged the students who benefited more from challenging expectations.
After considering both the students and his teaching, Stewart decided that it was important to find an appropriate balance between challenge and support which is difficult when students demonstrate differences in academic talent, motivation, and readiness for university work. He said that we should acknowledge today's students need teachers who are partient but all of them need teachers who expect them to meet high standards.
In conclusion, Stewart believes that it remains critical that we ask all students to meet standards worthy of a university degree-- even if it means they must sometimes move outside their comfort zones and we must move outside ours.
Kenneth Stewart, one who professed at college and taught high school, wrote an article about his learnings with teaching called "Lessons From Teaching Millennials". In the article, he told us about his 2005-6 classes. He wanted to share his observations about their behavior, his teaching mistakes while working with them, and his beliefs about how we can best work with the current generation of college students. He believes that students should be both challenged and patiently taught while the teachers and students move outside their comfort zones.
Stewart told us that when a big gap developed between his expectations of the students and theirs of themselves, he asked them their reactions to the course. Most
of them agreed that the course was more demanding then they thought it would be even though he had the same standards he had asked of students he taught in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. He noticed that they were less motivated and thought that he was responsible for their learning instead of themselves. For the next semester, he decided to move his expectations closer to what his students thought they would expect. He gave them more options like whether they wanted to present their research to the entire faculty. He also agreed to the classes suggestion of written versions of his oral pre-exam reviews and the average grade on the tests climbed to mid-level B's. Stewart noticed that many students submitted brief drafts and rarely seemed to be proofread. He soon learned reviews helped them to memorize for exams but didn't cause thoughtful reading or understanding. At the end of the course, he concluded that moving the class closer to their comfort zone, was successful for their opinions of them and their grades, but they didn't really learn the content.
When Stewart was focused so much on his students' actions and attitudes, he realized he presented an image of teaching that was incomplete. He was so distracted by the classes issues that he lost touch of the less vocal students. He read a review from a female student that made him open his eyes and discover that he made many mistakes in planning the spring course and his instructional decisions. Stewart agreed to the fact that it was easier to describe his students' flaws than his own. The main mistake he made in the planning of his spring course was that he was attempting to gain back his self confidence as a teacher. He never considered that the reviews encouraged less understanding. He stated that he shortchanged the students who benefited more from challenging expectations.
After considering both the students and his teaching, Stewart decided that it was important to find an appropriate balance between challenge and support which is difficult when students demonstrate differences in academic talent, motivation, and readiness for university work. He said that we should acknowledge today's students need teachers who are partient but all of them need teachers who expect them to meet high standards.
In conclusion, Stewart believes that it remains critical that we ask all students to meet standards worthy of a university degree-- even if it means they must sometimes move outside their comfort zones and we must move outside ours.