Learning to lead

Now that I am back in my main placement, I have been looking back at my time in my Dyad and have noticed some differences about how the kids are learning.

The kids at my main school are fantastic at group work.  They seem to really enjoy doing collaborative tasks.  I have seen these kids on many occasions lead their own own group work.  I believe this is a function of having been given this responsibility throughout the years in their schooling.  With only one teacher in the room, this has been an imperative that they can function on their own.

However, I have also seen these same kids very reluctant to drop this independence and raise their hands to ask for help when they are unsure of something.  It is great that they have been given the sense of empowerment that they can do things on their own without the teachers help at all times, but it almost seems to me that they will attempt to struggle on through until I see them stuck and come to help, when they could ask sooner.

Back at my Dyad placement school, things were quite the reverse.  It was a parent cooperative, and there were always adults around to help the kids.  The kids were used to having help at their disposal and were quick to ask for it.  They often did so before they thoroughly attempted to solve a problem on their own.

The main thing that stuck out for me between the two classrooms, as far as the kids go, was the lack of ability of my Dyad kids to function in a group on their own.  My cooperating teacher and I talked about it.  I wonder if the fact that the parent volunteers run all of the small group activities has taken away some of their ability to lead themselves.  It is harder for them to do because they have never had to learn how.

I'm not sure if I feel that one way is better than another, but it's interesting to see how the different school models may be affecting how kids learn.