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How can various pedagogical approaches create a student-centered, dialogic classroom space?

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Pedagogy: the method and practice of teaching
Dialogic: Involves ongoing discussions between teachers and students and students with other students, as opposed to teacher lecturing.

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How can various classroom and school approaches create more equitable and inclusive educational experiences for diverse learners?

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Equitable: Fair and impartial
Inclusive: Not leaving out any people or groups
Diverse learners: Students from a variety of races, ethnicities, abilities, cultures, and backgrounds

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Who am I becoming as a middle level educator?

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How can classroom management act as a foundation for student-centered,democratic classrooms?

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Classroom Mgmt:  The way of conduction classroom lessons with students well behaved and without disruptive students compromising instruction
Student centered:  Lessons and objectives are planned for the students as opposed to the material
Democratic classrooms:  Classrooms that develop students by using democratic principles and processes in their classrooms

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Teachers can do this by first getting to know their classroom and what the demographics are. They need to build relationships with students so they know what their needs are. This allows them to get a better idea of how to individualize and differentiate. It also helps them to know what students' experiences are so they do not ask biased questions.

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Teachers must create an environment where students are comfortable sharing ideas. They ask questions so students can think and answer instead of being talked at. It can be even more successful if the questions are open ended and there is not necessarily right or wrong answers.

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Classroom management can function as a foundation for democratic classrooms by giving students choice. They can help students way pros and cons of different options. Teachers can let students share ideas and make sure they are actively engaged. They can also allow different perspectives to be shared and allow each student to form their own opinion.

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"Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions."

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Teacher presence is a key for setting up democratic classrooms. When a teacher acts as themselves in the classroom, they are more confident in themselves (Berger et al, 2015). This will help the students be more confident in the teacher too. Democratic classrooms are able to work when there is a healthy relationship and respect between the teacher and the students.

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There are plenty of things that teachers need to keep in mind when deciding their teaching practices in order to create a student centered environment. Practices that create a trauma sensitive environment are important for this. Teachers also need to not worry about that they cannot control. A teacher may not be able to control whether or not a student comes to school but you can control the environment you set for when they do (Souers & Hall). This is important to create student centered classroom spaces.

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A teacher can set the example for how to conduct oneself in the classroom. This starts with being their authentic self. By doing this they can set an environment for diverse students to be comfortable being their authentic selves. This will also make them feel safe and comfortable which allows them to concentrate on learning (Berger et al, 2015).

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"Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember
Involve me and I learn"

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Creating a safe space in the classroom can create a inclusive experience for diverse learners.  It can help them learn from each other too.  In a diverse classroom, there is the possibility of someone saying something that someone else finds offensive, even if that is not what was intended.  Blaine explains how when that happens she might pause and say "When I heard you say that just now, I had to stop for a moment. It upset me because I really care about everyone in this room feeling comfortable to learn here, and I was afraid that might not be happening" instead of immediately ripping the student (Blaine, 2014). Creating a safe space for students to express their feeling could help students get a better understanding of each other by each explaining their thoughts in times of conflict instead of trying to go further apart. This will allow diverse students to express themselves and learn from each other, as well as to create an inclusive experience for everyone.

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Practices that create a safe space allow for student centered learning to take place. Amanda created a safe space by modeling her own vulnerability, as implied in the title of the article. She explains how this can be used in any classroom setting. She explains how showing vulnerability can show students how much you care about them (Blaine, 2014). This is important because student centered learning needs strong and healthy relationships between teachers and students. By showing vulnerability and creating a safe space, students are able to have discussions and share their ideas. They can also tell each other why something someone said might be offensive instead of immediately attacking them.

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Classroom management can create a safe space which is a foundation for democratic classrooms. One of a teacher's jobs is to set an example for how to conduct yourself in the classroom (Berger et al, 2015). In Amanda Blaine's case, she did exactly that. She explained how she shared her story and her vulnerability and as a result the students wrote narratives that were honest and real (Blaine, 2014). Creating a safe space where students are comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences is a key concept for student centered learning. In this instance, the teacher sharing her experience created that safe space by modeling the idea of it. I think this was an excellent classroom management technique.

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Classroom norms are very important in order to meet the needs of diverse learners. Norms are necessary to create an environment that allows everyone to be able to learn. Berger writes that the key element is helping students identify and articulate how they want to treat each other and be treated by others (Berger et al, 2015). This is extremely important in a diverse classroom. In a place where students are likely to have a variety of different values students need to be treating each other the way they want to be treated and respecting each other and their differences. Learning will not be able to happen if students are not doing this.

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Relationships with students are a key to classroom management.  Democratic classrooms can only work if the classroom is under control.  A great way to help with this is to not rush into content right away.  Taking time to build relationships at the beginning of the year will pay off in the long run when you will be able to build individual relationships and a healthy community for your students (Raffaelli, 2014).  Taking time to build a classroom community will allow for democratic classrooms to take place. Taking your time to build these relationships and not rushing into content is a great way that this can be done

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Clear communication is a way to create a student centered dialogic classroom space. Trying to relate to students by incorporating things that they enjoy in lesson plans can go along way for this (Raffaelli, 2014). Doing this is a way to make the lessons student centered. A teacher should never assume that students know the expectations of and for them (Raffaelli, 2014). Making expectations clear is an important way to create a student centered dialogic classroom space as these are not able to function without the correct boundaries in place.

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"The best teachers teach from the heart not from the book"

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Giving students choice and options is a key concept of democratic classrooms.   It gives students more control of their learning and gives them a sense of responsibility. Berger brings up the point that "students learn how to make good choices only if they have the opportunity to practice" (Berger et al, 2015, p. 68). This is one of the most basic aspects of preparing students to be citizens of democracy. Giving them some freedom to make choices and have those lead to good or bad consequences is something that students need practice with.

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Creating a classroom space for critique and feedback is key for creating a dialogic classroom space. Teachers have to be able to control this and set the example of feedback. One of the norms of feedback is it should "be kind: always be kind with dignity and respect. This means we never use words that are hurtful" (Berger et al, 2015, p. 72). Dialogic spaces can allow for students to do this. If the teacher sets a good example with their feedback, then students will have the chance to do the same in a dialogic classrooms. They can have meaningful discussion in a way that still respects everyone and their opinions.

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Classroom responsibilities can be a good way to make sure the needs of diverse learners are met. Students who are capable of managing classroom jobs can be a major help for other students who might need it. One example this reading mentions is an absence buddy. "This can be vital help for a teacher, so that he or she does not have to create a packet of materials to send home" (Berger et al, 2015, p. 60). Diverse learners can have a diverse array of needs and assigning classroom responsibilities as a good way to allow students to help each other meet their needs.

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Inquiry must be scaffolded well in order to meet the needs of diverse learners. Students will need increases in agency and responsibility at different paces. The way that Trevor Mackenzie does this is by keeping a copy of the swimming pool with inquiry levels on the wall for each student. This illustrates the increase in agency and allows him to be able to ask questions and hear the students' questions and concerns as their inquiry level changes (Mackenzie, 2016). This is important to keep diverse learners moving at the appropriate pace and getting their needs met. This model also makes sure that students are getting the support they need before they are given more responsibility and choices.

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A dialogic classroom environment needs teachers to ask the right questions that require critical thinking from students. This can help students make the points that the teacher wants them to make. "Kids are kids, so there is always someone who diverges from what I want to teach them" (Mathis, 2015). This is something that is almost always gonna be true with student dialogue. Asking the right questions is key during a dialogic classroom because it keeps the classroom focused on what the teacher wants students to learn and keeps them on task.

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Inquiry based learning is an important aspect of democratic classrooms. Students need to have some level of responsibility for their own learning. There are four levels inquiry and these levels each give students a different amount of freedom and responsibility. Trevor Mackenzie explains that "in my classroom, we begin in a structured inquiry model, transition in a controlled inquiry unit, move on to guided inquiry, and if all goes well, conclude with free inquiry (Mackenzie, 2016). This gradually gives students more freedom and responsibility which is an important way to manage a classroom that gives students control of their learning.

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An anti oppressive pedagogy is needed to create an equitable experience for diverse learners.  In a diverse classroom, there will be students that are marginalized for many different reasons.  Teachers can do this by encouraging students to think beyond the standards. Kumashiro mentions that students must "look beyond the standards to examine its partial and problematic nature, especially regarding issues of oppression" (Kumashiro, 2015, p. 27). This can help students examine who benefits and who is harmed by standards and systems and society and examine what can be done to fix that.

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Incorporating anti-oppressive teaching into course curriculum can keep classrooms student centered and dialogic.  A dialogic space can help students get a better understanding of one another even though it is not possible to completely understand someone else's situation. Teachers can do this through "crisis learning." "Crises may be to different degrees and different contexts but they can all contexts, but they can all offer opportunities to teach against oppression." (Kumashiro, 2015, p. 31). This is an important pedagogical approach because students need to be able to learn through moments of discomfort and hearing other's moments of discomfort. Teachers can help do this by modeling vulnerability.

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Teachers need to set an environment where students are willing to discuss things that may make them uncomfortable. Kumashiro makes a point that "the reason we fail to do more to challenge oppression is not merely that we do not know enough about oppression, but that we do not want to know more about oppression" (Kumashiro, 2015, p. 27). This is a hard subject for both teachers and students to talk about. They need to work to build strong relationships in order to make students okay with being uncomfortable. This takes time but will allow students and teachers to listen to information that might be difficult to hear.

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In a diverse classroom, there will likely be a wide array of opinions that will definitely differ from the teacher. Making sure both students and teachers are able to back their claims up with facts is extremely important with this in mind. Philosophy lecturer Patrick Stokes states that "you are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for" (Stokes, 2012). This is important for teachers to keep in mind in a diverse classroom. Particularly with political views, teachers will most likely not match anyone else in every aspect. Sharing only what they can argue for will help limit problematic views in the classroom, particularly ones that are harmful to minority students. It is also a helpful rule to establish to students because the saying "I'm entitled to my opinion" is often used to shelter problematic beliefs (Stokes, 2012).

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"Children must be taught how to think not what to think"

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Teachers can create an open dialogic space that allows students to argue their stance on a topic. They should set the expectation that students only speak on what they can argue for (Stokes, 2012). This can help lead students to not share beliefs that they cannot support or can help other students recognize when an argument is indefensible (Stokes, 2012). This can be done for complex topics or simple topics that students choose a side to argue. There also need to be rules set in place about who gets to speak when and how long someone has to make their point. This can also be done with writing if students are not comfortable sharing their opinions verbally with the class.

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The art of teaching is inherently political. Teachers need to prepare students to be citizens in a democratic society. One way teachers can do this through classroom can be to expect students to be able to support their opinions. It can be problematic to have certain views that have no truth to them. Teachers cannot stop students from thinking what they want to think. This is not possible with humans. What they can do is establish a difference so that being entitled to an opinion does not mean having views treated as serious candidates for for truth (Stokes, 2012). Teachers can use this as a rule when discussing complex topics so students cannot use "I'm entitled to my opinion" as evidence for what they say. This will likely lead them to only share opinions that they can back up if that is what they know the teacher expects from them.