Daily Archives: 02/09/2016

Confirming or Challenging Children’s Expectations of Teaching?

In every setting and situation we have expectations about what is possible and what is not.

We expect a judge in a courtroom to be fair and impartial. We know that most clergy won’t tolerate people cursing in a church. We’re not surprised when a librarian asks us to be quiet in a library.

But sometimes we are surprised because our experience differs from what we expected.

A serious-looking London Bobby agrees to pose with us for a selfie. A flight attendant departs from the standard script for pointing out the safety features on a plane. A priest personalises and sings from the altar a song for a couple on their wedding day.

As children enter a new class, they have perceptions of their teacher and the teacher’s role in their learning. Their perceptions may be about teachers generally or they may be specific to the teacher they have this year. Continue reading