# data[].attributes.body
Encouraging independence vs. dependence was what resonated with me the most, probably because it aligns so closely with one of the core beliefs I came up with during our discussion at the last meeting. As a science teacher, I want my students to become life-long learners so that they can view the world with skepticism... in a good way! In our modern world, people are bombarded with information that can be difficult to make sense of. Most of us can't distinguish "fake science" from "real science", which is something that really concerns me. Anyone can find evidence for anything that they want to believe, which makes us more reluctant to change our views. I think that helping students to develop a deeper understanding of the connections between the big ideas in science definitely supports this goal, but it needs to go hand-in-hand with activities that help them to really stretch their problem-solving muscles. When I was a high school student, I found that I did a really good job in my math classes when I could apply exact strategies that my teachers used in examples to my homework or test questions. However, when faced with a tough problem that required me to use independent thinking to solve, I was often stumped and would just give up and wait for my teacher to walk through it. This is something that I can see affecting me to this very day. I know that many of my students will probably get upset with me when I don't spoon-feed them answers, or when I ask them to use a lab for exploration as opposed to giving them step-by-step instructions. But, it will be so much better for them in the long run!   -Caitlin

# data[].attributes.body
Hey Shala!
Interesting that you mention how being a type A person is a downfall to encouraging independence. I feel I am the same way, but then it made me think well can't we use our type A-ness for good and teach some of these organization skills in the classroom. I know high school freshman need (lots!) of help in getting into the rhythm of things, especially when it comes to notebooks, lab write-ups. I think there is a 'safe' way (lack of better words) to set these expectation and let them be the foundation (and for you to get what you like in terms of organization) and helping students record their thoughts in an orderly fashion. I hope this makes sense....
-Adriana

# data[].attributes.body
Shala, I completely agree with your comments on promoting independence in students! When people used to ask me about my high school education, I used to tell them that if I learned anything I learned how to get good grades. What I mean by that is, I learned how to cram and get an A on a test, I learned how to create shortcuts to get all my work done, and so forth. I was more focused on getting the grade to please my teachers than I was on doing any actual learning. Sometimes I would forget things right after I took the test on it. It's crazy that our norms in schools create a culture like that! - Kyla

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Kyla,
The belief statement that stuck out at you was one that also struck a chord (is that the saying) with me. I feel like all my life, as a student, I saw this exhibited via my teachers, especially when CSAP (T-CAP/CMAS) season came around. There was this buzz around the classroom of "I need to show my students learning" and the score was the supposed reflection of that learning. But I feel sometimes that score (and even grades for that matter) are a reflection of how hard a student is willing to work.
-Adriana

# data[].attributes.body
I would say that the belief statement "Focusing students on the learning vs. the work" jumped out at me the most. I have learned a lot about how society during the time of the establishment of public schools has shaped the way we still go about things in the classroom; the includes things like why we sit in rows and why we use letters to grade students. So many things in schools today reflect ideals and beliefs that were held during the industrial revolution and so forth. When I initially learned about this, it was shocking to me that we are still doing the same thing so many years later! Reading that section in the paper opened my eyes even more to the metaphors we use in the classroom. Everything is about "work." In my own classroom, I'm going to strive to structure my questions and comments in a way that promotes the idea of learning rather than working! - Kyla

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Shala, I thought it was interesting how you talked about the traditional classroom and how there are frequent evaluations. I just learned about a traditional curriculum in school and society. I think it is important to have some type of evaluation for a student to see if they are on the right track in a creative classroom but still feel that they have the chance to learn about topics they are interested in without the pressure of grades. ~Izzy Greenhut

# data[].attributes.body
It is interesting how closely related these pairs of beliefs are and why it must also seem difficult to decipher when the situation in our classrooms are becoming something that we did not picture because they can easily slide into a 'darker' scenario. What I mean by this is that we may really believe students should gain more understanding, but sometimes due to exterior pressures  we may slip into just providing students knowledge.

I begin to consider myself a little bit more of a progressive educator, so I feel that the belief statement that resonated with me the most is that of encouraging independence vs. dependence. I think the teacher is most often seen as the authority and "knower" of all things, but that it not the case. I wish I knew everything. While I could argue that I know a bit more about science than the average person, I think there is value in not knowing everything as a teacher because this can help our students figure out how to be independent (but of course after some type of guidance as to what information to access or resources to look into; sometimes students will surprise you with how proactive they can be in their research abilities [or the lack of]). I think then this belief statement can trace back to the 'encouraging deep Vs. Surface learning strategies' because it reminds me of allowing students to 'challenge the process' and give way to explore ideas in science that seem more abstract and out of reach for some students that are not quite the science experts. Overall, I find it interesting how feeling the pressure to show results can shift our teaching philosophy; in what we think may be helping our students demonstrate their learning, may really be harming them and causing a back track into dependence and a culture of behaving somewhat robotic.

-Adriana

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Izzy, I agree that we should teach for understanding and liked what you said about student's short and long term memory. Research shows that in order for something to go into long term memory, mistakes are necessary for the ah-ha moment when you finally get something right. These ah-ha moments promote long-term memories. In a classroom though, like you said, it has to be okay to make mistakes to ensure that you are teaching for understanding. This is why I aim to have my classroom as psychologically safe as possible. This means "being able to show and employ one's self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career" (Kahn 1990, p. 708).- Shala Wallace

# data[].attributes.body
Every day in class or while doing my homework, all I worry about is if I finished everything on time and correctly in order to get a good grade. A huge part of this paper explains how focusing students on doing work leads us to believe they are actually learning, when this is not the case. This is why teaching for independence instead of dependency really resonated with me. It is so important for me to teach my students to be critical thinkers before they step out into adulthood, and how will that happen if they are so dependent on me? The downfall to this is that I am also a very organized type A person when it comes to my work, so how do I stay organized but still promote independent learning? I also have a reservation on one of the downfalls they said came along with a traditional classroom, and that is frequent evaluations. I think that if you have a fairly independent, creative classroom then evaluation of some sort would be beneficial for the students to understand they are on the right path before getting to ahead of themselves. I think students like feedback as long as the stakes aren't too high. -Shala Wallace

# data[].attributes.body
Finally, Izzy, I think that agree that a huge part of our job is to create critical thinkers that are not worried about their result. I think this ties into my question because I wonder how can we do this when many students have lost motivation? - Katie Ryan

# data[].attributes.body
I do have a question as well. They discuss that there is a difference between fostering student dependence and independence. How do we as Secondary educators encourage students who have become dependent and are extrinsically motivated to become intrinsic motivated? When the system has been set for most students to become less creative and motivated, how can we change that in the first semester with students? How to we keep this inspiration inside them?

# data[].attributes.body
I really connected with Focusing Students On the Learning Vs the Work. Too often I find myself in my own classes, focused on if I did things right, if I met the requirements and if I was able to produce a product that the instructor wanted. I also find it difficult to come up with activities and worksheets that help promote learning and not just "busy work." I want to be an educator that is able to highlight learning through activities.

# data[].attributes.body
Focusing students on learning vs. the work resonates with me the most. Teachers may give a lot of work but is the work oriented toward making the students a good worker or making the students a good learner. Work for the sake of a good worker asks the students to be correct and efficient in their answers and pushes the teacher just to look at the students results. This can result with short-term memory learning. Work for the sake of understanding asks the students to learn from the work they are putting in. There is no time rush and it is okay to make mistakes. It also involves long-term memory so the student will be able to recall the information later on. For teachers, work with the intent of learning lets the teacher be more free in their curriculum and lets the students explore the topic more on their own. There's less pressure about the results and more about the understanding. To me,  it's important to push for student learning so that hopefully students will want to continue learning and being critical thinkers on their own instead of just worrying about the results.  ~Izzy Greenhut