Most of the UTeach program here at UT seems to be geared towards a "feel good" teaching methodology, which is just a term I use to refer to the importance of making students feel good about themselves. It is very important that students feel comfortable in their learning environments in order to grow academically and it is also important that students are confident in their skills. However, I think there is a certain extent to which we need to push students (gently) out of their comfort zones in the appropriate context and with appropriate guidance in order to succeed academically.
If we focus too much on letting our students be comfortable with their skills, I have to wonder how they'll have the opportunities to learn new skills. Gloria Ladinson-Billings addresses this in her article, But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. She says if culturally relevant teaching is the goal, teachers should "attend to students' academic needs, not merly making them 'feel good'" and can challenge students by "drawing on issues and ideas they [find] to be meaningful." I think that it's possible to make give students opportunities to "feel good" with more simple warm-ups (like my cooperating teacher does), while fostering a progressive learning environment during the majority of class time.
I thought the same thing while reading the article! It seems like a balance. You don't want to make hurt students' feelings, but at the same time you want them to grow and experiment and learn. I think your idea of having the "feel good" experience come from warm-ups. It seems like it would start class off on a good, confident note, before moving students into more challenging territory. I love it!
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