Is this teaching style wrong?

Question

Is this wrong?
My brother junior high Math school teacher named Ms. Armstrong calls out all the student final grade for each marking period and their midterm and final exam grade in front of the whole class. She claims she do this to motivate students to do better. Is this right ethically?

Answer 1

It's a violation of privacy. Have one of your parents talk to her. Maybe ask her if she ever got a speeding ticket or ever did poorly on anything. Then ask her if she would like it announced in front of her peers.

If you get nowhere with her, approach the principal. Tell her that's your next step. Ask her if she would like the principal to announce at the next faculty meeting that parents are contacting him about her "motivational techniques." How would she feel about that?

She is deliberately trying to embarrass students who don't do well. She's out of line.

Answer 2

I have taught mathematics in the junior and senior high levels since 1973. I think this teacher's style of motivation is not motivating to most of the students. To the contrary, humiliation in the presence of ones peers has a negative impact further overwhelming students who struggle with math. I would encourage this teacher to use a positive approach and be supportive to motivate and engage the students. It may or may not be ethical, but it is not effective. I suspect this is a relatively new teacher or someone who is insecure regarding their teaching abilities and feels the need to put down and humiliate to feel better about their teaching. A teacher needs to value the skills and abilities of their students to encourage their students to do the same.

Answer 3

NO. It's wrong ethically and it may be wrong legally, though I don't know for sure. It's no one's business what each student scores. It's rude and humiliating to students that didn't do well. And it's a cheap thrill for the students that do well easily. Granted, it may be a nice reward for the students who struggled and studied and did well for a change. Ms. Armstrong needs to learn that positive reinforcement is great, but humiliation usually leads to resignation. She would do better, if she wants to make broad announcements, to just announce who made A's, and leave the non-A grades to the imagination. How smug and demeaning! And that's not a "teaching style." That's a punishment/reward system, and it's punitive to struggling students. Struggling students need to be encouraged, not humiliated. You are right to question her tactics and I hope you are in a position to bring attention to this. Good luck to you and your brother, sweetie!

Answer 4

I believe that it is an ethical mistake, educationaly unsound, and probably a legal one too.

However, two wrongs don't make a right.

Ethically I think your parents should approach her FIRST to stop the practice.

THEN if she does not, take the matter to the principal (and up the ladder until you get results). But give her the chance first.

You have to assume that she could very well be a very good teacher in all other matters (even if you think she isn't, give ther that benefit of doubt), and is just misguided on this one issue - and approach it from that angle.

Nothing is more shameful than an over-reactive parent that gets on their high-horse about something.

Answer 5

this is not an ethics question - this is more of a personal teaching method of this teacher who wants peer pressure to be a source of motivation here - there is no right or wrong to this - but if the class feels incomfortable - then all of u should approach the teacher and tell her about how the u feel or the class feels.
while there is merit to using peer pressure - it may not work well especially if the students have poor self esteem and it will bring it down even more ...

Answer 6

I teach middle school math 1/2 day. If my child was in this class, I would already have met with the principal, the school board, and I would have written letters to our local parent advocate's group. This is a violation of the student's right to have his/her grades remain confidential. There are laws that protect this.
Your parents need to contact the principal immed.

ALso, just think what would happen if there was a student with disabilities in there. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Answer 7

It depends on your ethics, but no. That will not motivate the kids, it will put them down and make them do worse. Then she will say that they don't work hard enough and make them feel worse and care less. If the kids want to know their grades, she should show them their grades, but not call them out to the class.

Answer 8

i most certainly would not like no matter how good i get i hate it and most of our teachers call out our name and ask if we wish for our grade to be said in front of the class. Also i have no interest in others grades so why call it out it can be especially humiliating if you consistently get great grade then stubble over a bad one with the rest of the class listening.

Answer 9

I blend all of them. i'm a kinesthetic learner, so I of course tend in direction of touch, tutor (shifting demo is kinesthetic, no longer seen - seen may well be static positioning), and "now I do it to you" coaching. I make particular I do a honest quantity of explaining, for people who carry close greater effective by using words, and use static (that's what you may look like at this ingredient interior the technique) positioning to handle the different gaining understanding of/verbal exchange kinds. in case you have been going to apply basically one, my opinion is that it would could be kinesthetic. this is unquestionably how the jap masters tended (a minimum of in lots of years previous - uncertain if this has replaced or no longer) to teach. they had %. a pupil, show the technique on them with little description, then leave the pupils to artwork it out. EDIT: by using the way, a appropriate-practice I discovered getting to know coaching interior the corporate international includes placing the degree till now coaching. Many instructors initiate by using describing and discussing the technique, then showing it slow, then showing it rapid. this is out of order, for the two babies and adults (yet distinctly adults). The learner desires context, so the 1st element could be to tutor the technique at complete speed, so they be attentive to what something of the coaching is approximately. Then, that is sweet to flow by using step-by using-step, explaining as you flow - at this ingredient the pupil certainly has an concept the place each and each step is best, so is greater effective waiting to preserve what's taught. end with yet another close to-complete-speed demo, to place all of it returned at the same time. Now, it's time to have the pupil do it slowly, in step with danger breaking it down into steps, if needed.

Answer 10

I think it's inconsiderate and demeaning. I also think teaching junior high is the toughest level to teach. But claiming to 'motivate' students through potentially humiliating them and at best inciting competition is lazy and thoughtless.