Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

In Chapter 5 of Fires in the Bathroom, the part that I related to the most is Mika's comment about the way teachers ask their students questions. She said that she likes it when teachers ask her opinion questions rather than questions that have a right or wrong answer. This makes students want to participate more(Cushman, 91).

I feel that I can relate to Mika's comment from my experiences at Mt. Blue High School. The health classes that I have been teaching/observing have many different levels of students. Some of them are very advanced, while some have a difficult time understanding simple concepts. My practicum teacher's lessons always consist of discussions about various topics. When he calls on a student, he always asks them an opinion question, never a question that has a straight-forward answer. This way, students of all levels can participate equally. If he asks a question that is looking for a certain answer and a student gives him a wrong response, he does not make them feel inadequate. He will say something like: 'that is a really good answer, another answer is...' and then tell the class what he was looking for. I noticed that this makes his students feel very comfortable and they all participate without holding back. I definitely want to use this teaching style in my classroom. I need all of my students to participate and give me their opinions, or I will not know about their views on health and themselves.