Being a “good student” means that you conform to the structure within schools as dictated by the government. That you listen to the instructors as they teach in a Plan A type of delivery method to all their students. That you don’t question the teaching or the instructor’s methods as well. That you write down and be a good note taker and repeat all the same information back to the instructors during tests or exams. Essentially, a good student enters the classroom like a blank piece of paper (blank slate) and allows the teachers to fill that paper with knowledge and information that they believe will best fit and make them good members of society. If we were to use Kumashiro version of a good student. It would look like a student enters the school year with an empty glass but by the end of the school year, it’s filled to the brim with knowledge and learning that the student has accumulated throughout the school year.
Historically teachers only taught the material in one singular way. I like calling this teaching (Plan A). Well Plan A is usually good for around half of the classrooms that I’ve been in. The other half needs alternative styles of teaching (Plan B, Plan C). Those who learn through Plan A are seen as privileged by this definition of the good student. Another factor that can come into play, is a students past history. Nobody really knows what is happening with a student 24-7, this definition of a good student means that students enter the classroom as a blank slate. However, if a student comes in with a past history and stuff on their paper already then they cannot be seen as a good student. So students without any mental health or prior issues can be seen as privileged as good students.
This idea of a “good student” is shaped by historical factors through Christ. That the “finished result is a noble manhood, whose highest exemplification, the ideal of all culture is Christ” (Painter, 1986, P. 2). Another viewpoint, comes from western ideologies and how they determine back in the early 1800’s what a good student looks like and have never changed it since.
Kumashiro, K. K. (2010). Against Common Sense. Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice. Kumashiro – Preparing Students for Crisis.pdf
Painter F.V.N., (1886). A History of Education. New York : D. Appleton and Company. A history of education, by F. V. N. Painter : Painter, F. V. N. (Franklin Verzelius Newton), 1852-1931 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Hello Micheal,
Thank you for reminding us that teachers use to only teach subjects in one way and that we have gone such a long way because we are learning how to do multiple ways now in our programs. What do you think is the best way to get the other methods across efficiently for all students to learn effectively? As well, it is very important we note the impact of religion on education. Thank you for bringing this up.
Hello Michael,
The analogy of being a blank piece of paper works really well for me to understand. The idea that a student may have part of that page already filled from other things in their life is a great way to look at it. As teachers, what would you consider to be the best way to implement Plan B or C? Thank you for sharing this analogy as it really helps me to understand your idea of what it looks like to be a “good student”.
Hello Michael.
I really enjoyed reading this blog post of yours. I appreciated how you structured your writing by providing a definition of what being a ‘good student’ means.
Now, questions that I would like to end off with includes the following: From your own perspective, what do you think being a ‘good student’ means? How would you define a ‘good student’ within your own future classroom?