The painful process of removing the spoon

No more spoon feeding, it’s not helping our students

This is the latest in a series of blogs from the teacher cohort.
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By Beth Zboran

Over the years, educators have emphasized the detailed rubric showing students what is expected and how they’ll be graded. It seems fair, but its limiting. Showing students detailed examples and filtered materials teaches them to rely too heavily on the teacher. It limits their creativity, instead of thinking for themselves, students mimic the example and finish the assignment without any critical thinking on his or her own. The student is spoon fed and ends up not knowing how to think or problem solve. 

This process teaches students to expect easy success. Students give up too easily in the face of failure instead of seeing that failure as an opportunity to try again and learn. After many years of expecting to be spoon fed, it is difficult for students to give up the comfortable spoon feeding situation.

I’ve been working on a classroom model that removes the spoon.  It’s a difficult and uncomfortable process. I built this table of old and new ways of thinking to help me along the way.
 
Here are my reminders of a new pathway of thinking

So far the experience has been positive. I feel a deeper satisfaction in my classroom and my students surprise me with their willingness to explore new ideas and techniques. I’ve learned more about my students personal feelings, what makes them tick, what they think about, and worry about than I ever thought possible. Most importantly, I’m embracing the uncertainty of this experiment, I understand it will take time, and I’m excited to continue and grow as an educator.