Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Feeling guilty about "not" teaching



So my new job is teaching in a non-traditional subject...drafting/architecture. Coming from a math background this is new territory for me. I am used to alot of direct instruction and playing the "sage on the stage" bit (although I was working on eliminating that as much as possible). Now I find myself in the role of "guide at the side" and it is really uncomfortable. I feel like I am not doing my job or doing a good enough job because I feel like I am letting my students discover learning and figure it out on their own by doing "it" rather than having me show "it". It's ironic because in my other area of specialty this is exactly what I was trying so hard to accomplish, now I have it and it doesn't feel natural. I guess it goes to show that it is one thing for a teacher to preach about giving up control to the students and it is another to actually have that happen. As I get used to this new role I am trying to find ways to be as effective as possible in this style. I do feel it will benefit the students more in the long run, I just need to adjust. This area of content is really well suited to problem based learning and experiential learning which is also foreign to math teachers.
I am excited with the possibilities that this will bring and I am confident that the experience that I will gain will make me a much more effective teacher if I ever do have to return to the math classroom.

No comments: