Reply To: Shifting Teacher Practice

[George Garza]

I can’t speak to your particular situation, as I’m just a starting math teacher, but I am struck by how similar your comment sounds to math teachers being frustrated when their students won’t even try a problem after a well done lesson.  I’m a firm believer that people are people, and so teachers are just teenagers with more experience.  When students don’t participate, it is likely because they don’t feel safe academically and knowledgeable enough to try.

Might it be an issue that the teachers don’t feel like they can take the risk of implementing conceptual teaching?  Might the teachers be unclear what the conceptual classroom might look like for them as they implement it?  Have you asked them why they haven’t implemented it?

For myself, I’ve immersed myself in as much research, advice and pedagogy as I can on the topic of inquiry learning, but I’m still unsure exactly what it looks like.  It makes me very nervous about implementing it when I start teaching in the fall.  I’m still planning on doing it, because I believe so strongly in the benefits, but I’ll be honest, it’s quiet scary, especially since I’m a new teacher.

I hope this was at least a little helpful.  I have great respect for what you are trying to do, and I wish you well in your endeavor.