Kohn Reflection

  Kohn's assessment of what a good classroom environment looks, sounds and feels like mimics the beliefs of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory which states that students learn best through social interactions or a more knowledgeable other.  

 Starting out, Kohn believes that a good classroom environment is set up for students to interact with one another, areas are comfortable and has some open space for gatherings. The space is inclusive enough for both students and teachers to have discussions and ask questions that keeps the learning going. Lastly, children's work should always be displayed for student encouragement and to highlight the work that gets done in the space. 

Working in a daycare setting, these are the same guidelines we follow for young children as well. We create a space that encourages social interactions, open space for learning and exploration and display the children's work and pictures to showcase what they are working on but also the friendships they make at their eye level. For the most part, the layout of the classroom works pretty well. It only becomes problematic when the children want to rip work off the walls or if the classroom becomes too overstimulating from the children playing with one another. 

Generally speaking, Kohn's ideas of what makes a great space is ideal. However, there are moments when the space should be evaluated with what works with the students and appeals to their learning individually. Culture will always play a part in a students individual needs which is what Delpit emphasizes as well. I believe as long as the classroom is a safe space with the best intentions for the students, it's an environment they can thrive in.




Comments

  1. JordanTaylorOctober 13, 2024 at 5:13 PM

    Hi Tiaja! I enjoyed reading your reflection on Kohn! I do have to agree with you, though. Sometimes, the space should be evaluated based on what works for certain students because everyone learns differently!

    ReplyDelete
  2. maryanndoeFNED246October 13, 2024 at 5:22 PM

    I loved how you were about to tie your current job to the reading, and knowing that your workplace follows this rule is fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JoanmarieOctober 18, 2024 at 5:38 PM

    I love how you connected your experience working in a daycare to Kohn's ideas. I also like how you acknowledged that though Kohn's ideas are good, the culture of the classroom plays a role in its make up.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hehir Post

Image
 For this weeks reading, one key point that I took from it was to include disability as part of the schools diversity efforts. As young children, there is so much that we don't understand even though we believe we have it all figured out. Case in point, growing up, I would sit in the classroom and solely observe this one classmate of mine who at the time I deemed socially awkward. He would do things such as play with his hands while he made space noises, eat raw macaroni, make the most awkward topics the topic of his conversation and attempt to feel up on some of the other students. Students would laugh, talk about him and even form their own opinions based on the behaviors they noticed. The whispers only got worse when they had seen that during tests and quizzes, he always had a support with him that would take him out of the class to complete these assignments. To us, it was unfair. We were twelve year old students who were challenged in the same way he was, yet he was getting th...
Read more

Semester Recap

Image
This semester we were introduced to some meaningful videos and readings that help with the understanding of effective teaching methods inside the classroom. We have learned what it looks, sounds and feels like and also discussed the importance of inclusivity no matter the background. One of the most meaningful activities we did in class was the Card Game. The game was set up for each group to have their own standard rules and understanding of the game. Once a winner was declared in each group, they moved clockwise to the next and took their understanding of the game to another group who had a completely different set of rules. The point of the game was to give a clear understanding of what it is like for a student to go into a different setting that is unlike their own and learn the norms that are created. Frustration grew as one of the restrictions of the game was we could not talk to one another so communicating our confusion wasn't allowed. When asked how we felt about the game,...
Read more

Rodriguez Reflection

Image
 Rodriguez's text discusses his conformity to the English language in both his school life and his home life. Due to his lack of English, Rodriguez would often be called out by the nuns and expected to answer questions in English which is considered the native language. When he couldn't do this 'successfully,' the nuns decided to make a house call and encourage the parents to have all the children practice their English more. While this was a method that helped the children become successful in speaking English, it turned them away from their cultural native language and forced them to adopt English as their primary language and Spanish as secondary.  As someone who works with children from different walks of life, I found the reading to be disheartening. In my field of work, we are expected to communicate in English and also encouraged to interact with children in their home language as well. This helps ensure that we are respecting the children's culture and also ...
Read more