Personally, flow is something I'm seeking. I have been struggling with staying focus in the past years (I was excellent at focusing on task when I was kid). I think what is blocking me from entering a flow is always an anxiety about time (e.g. how long would this task takes me? what else I would have to do after this?). When I really can't focus and I really need to, I write a brain dump. But I only do it when I have to, because writing brain dump takes time and energy (hence thinking about writing a brain dump also cause me anxiety).
To create flow in a classroom, I would say it's difficult but possible.
After my first teaching during my short practicum, both my FA and SA were telling me that I might want to talk less and give students more time. To be honest, once I start to talk, I struggle with keeping it short. I feel like if I'm going to explain something, I got to make it clear, because leaving students confused will make them feel helpless.
I have been consistently thinking about how to navigate the difference between tutoring and teaching in a classroom. (Rephrase: how is teaching a class even possible??) Thinking about flow gives me a little push. To promote flow in a classroom, I might should just consider myself as a host/MC. I introduce the topic, provide prompts, and try keep people on the right track - this idea creates an anxiety of "isn't that just leaving out the teaching role?" in me. I think what I truly concern is how to create confidence and positive belief in students. If I see students engaging with math with confidence and motivation, I will be more than comfortable to leave them struggling on their own. And as a direction toward that, I am thinking about joy pedagogy (Kevin was showing us videos on this topic on Wednesday, and I really liked the idea there).
I really appreciate how honest you are here — naming the tug-of-war between wanting flow, struggling with focus, and having anxiety about time. And your reflection on talking too much during practicum made me smile in recognition — so many of us start out thinking, “If I don’t explain everything perfectly, they’ll be lost!”
ReplyDeleteI also love how you’re trying to navigate the shift from tutoring to teaching. Your “host/MC” idea is actually lovely — it captures the move from being the centre of the learning to being the one who sets the stage for students. And your connection to joy pedagogy shows you’re already tuning into what really matters: building confidence and positive beliefs so students feel safe enough to wrestle with ideas.
A question to keep wondering about:
Since you’re thinking about talking less and making room for student confidence — what might be one small way you could structure a lesson so you still feel useful as the teacher, but also invite students into the kind of joyful, self-driven struggle that makes flow possible?
Oh there is actually a technique a colleague of mine was working with... I think it may have been called "Silent Instruction". I will look for it!
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