[Teach Like Finland by Timothy D. Walker Book Review] Chapter 3-5 Final Review
Autonomy, Mastery and Mind-set are What We Need to Create Joyful Classroom
Title : Teach Like Finland – 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms
Author : Timothy D. Walker
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Publication Date : April 2017
Edition : First Edition
Pages : 240 Pages
ISBN : 978-1-324-00125-6
From the latest 2 posts, I already wrote chapter 1 and 2 review. In this opportunity, I would like to write the final review of this book. It consists of chapter 3 until chapter 5.
Chapter 3 - Autonomy
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| Photo from https://finland.fi/life-society/the-simple-strength-of-finnish-education/ |
Walker wrote 6 more strategies on this chapter. These 6 strategies are promoting students’ autonomy. Those 6 strategies are start with freedom, leave margin, offer choices, plan with your students, make it real and demand responsibility. Walker states that as a teacher, promoting the autonomy of students is something that incredibly important.
The first strategy is start with freedom. Walker states students have an opportunity to demonstrate what they already know during the early stage of the learning. As teachers, we can let them dive into those challenges or steer them away. Teachers should give students wisdom and believe their capabilities.
The second strategy is leave margin. In Finland, experiencing margin was natural. As teachers, we can build margin into lessons. It was most essential to have margin during class.
The third strategy is offer choices. As a teacher, we need to know the curricula well, but we also need to know the interest of our students. Providing our students with interesting curricular activities such as open-ended assignments with built-in choices is a good step for promoting students autonomy in the classroom.
The fourth strategy is plan with your students. Planning was the sole responsibility of the teachers. Co planning allows students and teachers to work together to make the most out of school. Students are given a voice and then their feedback is used to impact the direction of learning.
The fifth strategy is making it real. This means that teachers should create a more realistic context of learning. This can promote a sense of purpose in the classroom, which will ultimately bring joy to learners.
The sixth strategy is demand responsibility. As teachers, we can provide our students with responsibilities in the area of assessment. There are many ways we can encourage responsibility taking in our classrooms, but no matter what we decide to do, it starts with trust. We have an important role as teachers to cultivate a classroom where students have enough freedom to take responsibility over their own learning.
Chapter 4 - Mastery
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| Photo from https://finland.fi/life-society/american-teacher-gets-lost-found-finland/ |
On this chapter, Walker wrote 7 strategies which are teach the essentials, mine the textbook, leverage the teaching, bring in the music, coach more, prove the learning and discuss the grades. Walker explains as teachers, we can infuse our classrooms with joy by addressing this need for expertise. These 7 strategies are correlated to teachers’ skills.
The first strategy is teaching the essentials. Teachers need to prioritize the essentials based on curricula in the classroom. Teachers should focus on teaching the essentials. It can give them the stability in their day-to-day efforts, allowing them and students to master content area.
The second strategy is mine the textbook. As teachers, if we want to promote mastery, we can mine the textbook and use textbook learning materials in a way that supports good teaching and learning. The teaching textbook can be a resource of our mine textbook rather than the sole of teaching tool.
The third strategy is leverage the tech. Technology integration can bring joy to teachers and students when it supports learning. Walker states that is important lessons for educators to put tech as a tool for learning.
The fourth strategy is bring in the music. Kraus’s research suggests that music can help students to develop stronger neural connections and better language skills. Teachers can bring music to the classroom because it can bring joys and has academic benefits.
The fifth strategy is coach more. The good coach shines a light on the undeveloped areas of the learning and then offers adequate support to the learners.
The sixth strategy is proving the learning. Walker explains if teachers want to further promote mastery in classroom, they need to do what Finnish educators doing when design custom-made exam: students to justify their answers to difficult, open-ended questions. This strategy can prove students’ learning.
The seventh strategy is discussing the grades. Through private discussion, we can provide our students with more understanding and ownership of their grades. It’s a strategy that helps them to reflect on their learning and ultimately supports them as they seek to achieve mastery in our classroom.
Chapter 5 - Mind-set
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| Photo from https://www.eshelsinki.com/about-long-text/ |
On this last chapter, Walker wrote 6 strategies which are seek flow, have a thicker skin, collaborate over coffee, welcome the experts, vacate on vacation and don’t forget joy. Walker states to increase the joy in our classrooms, teachers need to cultivate an abundance-oriented approach. This means shifting our viewpoint away from competition, in which we no longer seek to be better than others, and instead focusing on being the best that we can be.
The first strategy is seeking flow. Flow means being completely involved in a activity for its own sake. Flows can bring nice feelings, enhance performance and develop one’s skills. If we want everyone in our classroom to achieve flow, we can minimize obvious distractions. Being teachers who seek flow, not superiority, is something that’s not just good for us; it’s also good for our students. This kind of example will foster a non-competitive culture in our classrooms.
The second strategy is having a thicker skin. Having thicker skin means taking a deep breath when you receive a long, barbed e-mail from an upset parent and leaving it alone until you feel ready to address it and not getting crushed when your principal publicly praises one of your colleagues but that doesn’t recognize your similarly solid work. It also means not taking it personally when one of your students curses you to your face. Having thick skin is different from being obstinate. Having a thick skin is something that helps protect the joy of teaching.
The third strategy is collaborating over coffee. Collaboration is something that can bring teachers joy. Teachers should start looking for casual, natural ways of working with fellow teachers. Teachers can discuss about better ways to support learning to other teachers. They can share the burden of teaching with each other.
The fourth strategy is welcoming the experts. If teachers want to combat this scarcity-minded worldview, we need to start recognizing and benefiting from the expertise of others. This strategy affirms the abundance-oriented worldview. Welcoming fellow teachers and other experts into your classroom send a message to your students that you’re looking to learn from others.
The fifth strategy is vacated on vacation. Finnish teachers usually don’t work and think about their work assignments during holiday breaks. They believe they will focus to re-charge their energy during holiday. It can encourage them to be more physically active, more appreciative of nature, more rested and more present with their family and friends.
The last strategy is don’t forget joy. This strategy is the most important strategy along 33 strategies that walker had explain before. Students’ well-being and standardized test scores are significantly boost by the happiness curriculum. Don’t forget to prioritize joy in our classrooms.
“This book’s important strategy is probably the simplest: Don’t forget joy.” (Timothy D. Walker)
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