Forming an opinion requires perspective and awareness

It is important to consider both sides of the issue because one needs to be capable of considering both perspective, and understanding that one’s way of thinking isn’t the only way of thinking.

Being able to see both sides is the only way someone can formulate a strong and supported opinion about any given issue. No matter how inclined towards one side of an issue a person may be, it is important that they are at least aware of counterarguments. This awareness allows one to have a more educated opinion because if they agree with some of the counter’s support, it is a possibility to reform or even improve one’s stance; if they disagree with the arguments, they can use their reasoning to attempt to discredit the counter and with it build stronger support for their side of the issue.

Due to the array of opinions and ways of thinking a teacher is exposed to, and considering the influence a teacher may have on a student, it is especially important for teachers to remember that many students, parents, administrators, or fellow teachers may have opinions and ideas much different than their own. People in general, and especially us future teachers, have to be prepared to consider and respect these different viewpoints. Teachers also need to recognize that their students may be coming from a diverse variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The teacher needs to be understanding of these differences so that he/she can be flexible and make certain accommodations in their teaching style or subject matter.

For example, take the issue of bilingual education and the class’s seating arrangement in Toohey’s article. It seemed that the teacher believed the best way for the students in her class to learn English was to separate them from the other children whom they could speak their L1 with and to only encourage their interactions with her. We also learned though, that she chose this particular seating arrangement with behavioral tendencies in mind. The researcher noted that some of the ESL children seemed more introverted compared to the year before, and these regulations on interactions may have contributed to marginalizing the children further because they were unable to construct and develop appropriate social behaviors and language. As readers, we were presented with both sides of this situation, and therefore can make an informed decision regarding whether Ms. Jones’ seating arrangement was effective, or whether we would arrange the students in a different manner.