THE VALIDATING TEACHER
INTRODUCTION
The one need or desire everybody has is
to be accepted, or validated, by someone or some group. Acceptance
may only be available through membership in a gang or a choir group
or by peers or teachers and/or parents. One way or another, people
young and old will gravitate toward a source of validation. It is a
human need.
We teachers must always keep in mind how important and how
motivating that one element of human nature is.
Two books on the subject of teaching have had a tremendous
influence on me. These two books also validated my own personal
belief system. They are Literature for Democracy
by Gordon Pradl and
Literature for
Exploration by
Louise M. Rosenblatt. What you will be reading is about the
philosophy of these two writers put into action. Their philosophy
and an actual case study are the basis of this book,
The Validating
Teacher.
The philosophy of what I call “validational teaching”
(also called validational learning) recommends five specific
provisions: (1) providing a safe atmosphere in the classroom, (2)
validating students through their writing and speaking, (3)
establishing relevance in their assignments, and (4) building on
their successes. This philosophy of learning also (5) encourages
growth in social understanding through hearing the stories of
others.
Validational learning consists of two distinct steps. First
the student reads aloud his or her literary work, and second, his
or her peers respond to what has been read. One objective of this
type of learning is to understand how students make meaning from
what they read and/or hear, which can be done only after we
understand what they bring to the process. The sharing of the
narratives/essays by students and the reacting of their peers are
the two processes that make validational learning an extremely
effective learning modality and a positive growth experience.
Under the appropriate classroom conditions, validational learning
can be the foundation for (1) improved reading and (2) writing
skills, (3) improved self esteem and (4) self concept, and (5)
improved interpersonal skills. These benefits are not so surprising
if one looks closely at the concepts inherent in validational
learning and the principles of human nature. They compliment each
other nicely.
The writing of students did improve, primarily because they were
writing for their peers rather than for their teacher. Students
learned to see beyond their own point of view. Students credited
validational learning with improving their reading and writing,
with feeling better about themselves, with improving attitudes and
listening skills, and with increasing their levels of self
confidence.
I believe that through their validational learning, the students
have achieved their quest for identity and their attempt to develop
some sense of personal power. Read on to find out how this was
achieved.
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