How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What holds the key to making it successful?
I think the best way to learn about how students perceive homework and learning activities is by using the two strategies you mentioned: observation and informal dialogues. During my student teaching I was able to observe that most of the student in the class perceived homework as a waste of time and used what you referred to as the "minimum-effort strategy" (p29) on most learning activities.
I am not exactly sure how to motivate students. While in school I would use the minimum amount of effort I could on all school activities. No matter what teachers said or did I basically refused to 'try'. I don't know what would have been able to motivate me, and I am at a loss as to how to motivate current students.
My master teacher discussed this topic with me. Something she told me that I thought was insightful is that many of the unmotivated students have put in effort and not seen any positive results from this effort. Because of this many of the students have become unmotivated. Another reason could be that the students do not understand the material so they are not engaged in discussions or answering homework questions.
What should be the way to approach subjectivity on what is right and wrong in your educational practice? How could this be professionally handled?
The presence of subjectivity in the teaching profession is somewhat freeing because it permits teachers the opportunity to individualize the teaching practice based on their personal and classroom situation. Yet, this does not mean that teachers can simply pursue whatever teaching strategy or theory that they wish. As professionals and public figures, there are certain guiding principles influencing teachers’ pedagogical decisions. These guiding principles come from culture, institutions (such as the school and school district), and from the teachers’ personal ideas for teaching. I would say one of the foundational guiding principles that govern teachers’ pedagogical decisions is that ultimately teachers are responsible for helping their students learn. Thus as teachers we have acquired a great deal information about our subject areas and educational theory. And, while there may be certain topics we would like to cover, or implement certain educational theories, we must consider and be able explain how, based on our knowledge of our students, these activities or that educational theory will help our students learn.
Study Question: What have you done for your students who's minds are in the "rat race" in your classroom, and how did it go? What did you learn from the experience.
During student teaching last semester, I was constantly trying to control of one particular student who refused to do most of his work and would always challenge my authority. When I tried to establish a hold on him, I told him that his incomplete work would be saved in a folder and presented to his parents during conferences. this use of control worked for a while, but then the rat race continued as he struggled to gain control from me. Suddenly, he came up with the idea that he was just going to tell his parents during conferences that I do not teach very well and he wishes it was the master teacher teaching. I knew he was fully capable of the work, so I made a compromise with this student in order to eliminate the constant back and forth fight for power between the two of us. I proposed to the student that his work, for two weeks, would be graded on the amount completed, not the answers. He realized this was an easier task for him and he liked the deal. After the two weeks, seeing for himself that he could complete the work, I believe self satisfaction became a factor as he saw that the work could be completed. He then strived for correct answers. I realized that I did not need to win the rat race by taking total control and having everything my way, but a simple resolution in which both sides give up a little can be useful. I am not saying my strategy was perfect or that it would work for all students, but I am just glad I was able to avoid the endless rat race in which neither side ends up benefitting.
Study Question: How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What hold the key to making it successful?
I believe that it is very important for teachers to make homework meaningful for students so that they are motivated to complete it. Like you suggested in the book I believe that teachers can learn a lot about how their students perceive homework and assignments by observing and interacting with them. In my last practicum I noticed through observation and discussion with my students that majority of them did not see the assignments as useful or something that they needed to do. As a teacher I think that it would be beneficial to make sure to tell your students the point of the assignment and relating it to the outside world. For example, if they are learning about area and perimeter, explaining what jobs or activities in life that they will need to use this skill is important so they actually see the importance of learning it, and know that they will use it as some point in their future. I also think that for elementary school, learning about your students’ interests and what motivates them is important so that you can make the assignments more relatable to them and more interesting so that they want to complete the homework. For example, in my last practicum many of the students did not complete their math homework on the daily. I noticed this and then tried to incorporate what I knew most of the students were interested in, which was soccer. For the next homework assignment, I created word problems that had to do with situations on the soccer field. The following day I had 25 out of 28 students complete the assignment and they were proud and excited to show me what they did. I praised them and offered a reward, which was 5 minutes of free choice activities, which they loved. Through this experience I learned that really getting to know your students and observing different ways to positively motivate them is very important. This worked in the fourth grade classroom I was in, however there were still students who did not complete the assignment and were clearly not affected by the consequence, which was not getting free choice and having to complete the assignment during this time. Overall I think that learning about your students and how they perceive homework is difficult and finding ways to motivate your students is a continuous struggle, but I believe observing, interacting with, and trying new things is key.
The study question on page 24 is the one I will respond to for chapter 2. For this question i’m tasked with considering if teaching should be a science. My short answer is no, but there are many reasons for this. With a science, the scientist practices their craft following the scientific method, which is fairly…methodical, a bit rigid even. Good pedagogy would emulate scientific method, we hypothesize a lesson will work for reasons based in observations and theories of our own (formal and personal), and if it doesn’t we start over with a new lesson the next day to try again. But if we are to consider differentiation for all the different students we have I think a good teacher would need to be afforded a certain level of improvisation, something that works on paper may not work in the classroom for one student and that’s a major departure from pure scientific method if you ask me.
What should be the way to approach subjectivity on what is right and wrong in your educational practice? How could this be professionally handled?
I believe subjectivity has been excluded from Western academic theories because it is associated with feelings and emotions instead of science and logical reasoning. Regardless of a students’ age, I believe affective factors can make or break a learners’ educational experience, academic success, and personal identity. Because of this, the subjective realm needs to be integrated into the academic world
In a perfect world I would say that as a professional, I need to deeply understand each individual student and meet them where they are in order to get where they want to be. However, I need to think more practically if I am going to apply this technique to every student in the classroom. I need to think more about this, but so far I feel that the best way to professionally incorporate subjectivity is by being present and responding to students instead of reacting. What I mean by that is taking the time to process and think before I speak/lash out or, “react.” Instead, I hope to have the presence and awareness to stop and think about what that student may need emotionally in that moment, or what my approach may be lacking. Humans are emotional, subjective beings that need to be nurtured in order to succeed in any realm, even the rigid world of academia.
Study Question: What have you done for your students whose minds are in the rat race in your classroom, and how did it go? What did you learn from the experience?
This past semester in my practicum, there was a constant rat race that was noticeable from the moment I stepped in the classroom. There were three challenging students, who constantly tested my cooperating teacher. When I entered in January, I heard a lot of negative comments from my cooperating teacher about the students, and she seemed to be exhausted of these students and gave up trying. This caused even more commotion because the students truly thought they had complete control and acted so. During her lessons, these three students would just walk around the classroom, play games on the computers, or sit at their desks and do art projects. There was no respect between the teacher or the students. I recognized quickly what was happening, and it seemed that due to this lack of respect for one another, neither side attempted to please the other. I began to work with these students one on one and sit with them during lessons while she was teaching. This method worked for about a week, until they went back to their old ways. I began to recognize that two of these students seemed to have a low self-efficacy, and were only misbehaving because the teacher viewed them as troubled students. I realized that she rarely ever offered these students positive feedback, and they were unmotivated by her point system in the classroom. I tried everything from working one-on-one, giving them special jobs. Finally I began doing behavior charts for the students, in which they determined what color they were on (green for good, yellow for needs more work, and red was bad behavior). The students responded to this so well, because they felt like they were in control of their own day. Just because they would be on yellow in the morning, they were still able to get green stickers throughout the day. After doing this for multiple weeks, the students began filling out their own charts and their behavior improved. Although it did not work for the third student, it made me realize that just because something works for one student, it wont always work for another. But at least this rat race was controlled by creating respect between the teacher and students.
Study Question: The use of behaviorism is so popular in American society. Why do you think it is the case? What aspects of its values, history, and culture make it popular? What is “American” about it?
I believe that behaviorism is valued in America because of its alignment with many American principles and attitudes. In general, Americans need physical and literal evidence to believe something. I think about the advertisements on T.V. that state, “watch this!” “see it work before your eyes!” “fast results!”, etc. These comments highlight the importance Americans place on the visible, linear, literal, and measurable. Behaviorism offers these same values. It is a measurable, linear, literal, and visible way to view psychology. Anything that is subjective is irrelevant, leaving a quick and direct way to view human behaviors. Americans also like viewing the world as a specific cause that leads to a specific effect. Behaviorism argues that a stimulus causes a response, which leads to conditioning and reinforcement. I think many Americans would find this explanation satisfying because of its direct and linear nature. A caused B. It is a black and white approach that occurs in daily life such as "I ate a gluten-free muffin, so now I am healthy" and extends to our politics. There is a problem with illegal immigration? Build a wall. Solved. This type of thinking is simplistic and certainly detrimental in many ways. Fortunately, the field of education has strayed away from relying solely behaviorism to determine the root of students’ behaviors and motivation and offers other theories and insights that focus on the whole child and individual circumstances.
How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What holds the key to making it successful?
As a teacher assigning homework is important for all of the students. Taking that work and practicing it at home is important so that they keep exposing themselves and hopefully retain the knowledge they are trying to learn. I know most students perceive the homework as a nuisance that is just something teachers force them to complete. I think being honest with the students and letting them know that it is important information to learn and doing the homework can only help them learn. For a lot of students this alone will not motivate them to finish any assigned homework. Making sure that there are consequences and rewards for not doing or doing the homework is important. Maybe giving the students who finish their homework a few extra minutes to play as a reward will motivate them to finish homework on time. Those who would not take the time to do homework will not get that extra time to play but instead have to finish the homework they did not complete in class. I believe this would get most of the students on board and willing to do there homework.
Q (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
I do not think that education should be purely a science. Science should definitely be the foundation for the practice, but teaching is very personal and stylized; not every piece of research and theory fits with the individual’s experiences, beliefs, and needs. Science cannot capture our omoi, or being in touch with or true to yourself. Science might tell me that Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) is the best way for English Language Learners (ELLs) to acquire academic vocabulary in science, but teaching IBL might not fit with my personal omoi. At the end of the day, we need to find out what works best for us and stay true to that.
Q (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
I think that through the scientific method gives us the most accurate and unbiased view of a given topic. For that reason, I believe that teaching should be a science and that considering it to be a science would produce the best possible results for students. By using the scientific method to discover which instructional methods, class room management strategies and other facets of teacher work best, teachers can arrive an a consensus (neriage). When there is a consensus and it is supported by evidence, I believe that represents the best possible solution. Looking at education as a science would therefore yield the best possible results/products for out students.
Q (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
I think that through the scientific method gives us the most accurate and unbiased view of a given topic. For that reason, I believe that teaching should be a science and that considering it to be a science would produce the best possible results for students. By using the scientific method to discover which instructional methods, class room management strategies and other facets of teacher work best, teachers can arrive an a consensus (neriage). When there is a consensus and it is supported by evidence, I believe that represents the best possible solution. Looking at education as a science would therefore yield the best possible results/products for out students.
How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What holds the key to making it successful?
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to learn about how students perceive homework and learning activities is by using the two strategies you mentioned: observation and informal dialogues. During my student teaching I was able to observe that most of the student in the class perceived homework as a waste of time and used what you referred to as the "minimum-effort strategy" (p29) on most learning activities.
I am not exactly sure how to motivate students. While in school I would use the minimum amount of effort I could on all school activities. No matter what teachers said or did I basically refused to 'try'. I don't know what would have been able to motivate me, and I am at a loss as to how to motivate current students.
My master teacher discussed this topic with me. Something she told me that I thought was insightful is that many of the unmotivated students have put in effort and not seen any positive results from this effort. Because of this many of the students have become unmotivated. Another reason could be that the students do not understand the material so they are not engaged in discussions or answering homework questions.
What should be the way to approach subjectivity on what is right and wrong in your educational practice? How could this be professionally handled?
ReplyDeleteThe presence of subjectivity in the teaching profession is somewhat freeing because it permits teachers the opportunity to individualize the teaching practice based on their personal and classroom situation. Yet, this does not mean that teachers can simply pursue whatever teaching strategy or theory that they wish. As professionals and public figures, there are certain guiding principles influencing teachers’ pedagogical decisions. These guiding principles come from culture, institutions (such as the school and school district), and from the teachers’ personal ideas for teaching. I would say one of the foundational guiding principles that govern teachers’ pedagogical decisions is that ultimately teachers are responsible for helping their students learn. Thus as teachers we have acquired a great deal information about our subject areas and educational theory. And, while there may be certain topics we would like to cover, or implement certain educational theories, we must consider and be able explain how, based on our knowledge of our students, these activities or that educational theory will help our students learn.
Study Question: What have you done for your students who's minds are in the "rat race" in your classroom, and how did it go? What did you learn from the experience.
ReplyDeleteDuring student teaching last semester, I was constantly trying to control of one particular student who refused to do most of his work and would always challenge my authority. When I tried to establish a hold on him, I told him that his incomplete work would be saved in a folder and presented to his parents during conferences. this use of control worked for a while, but then the rat race continued as he struggled to gain control from me. Suddenly, he came up with the idea that he was just going to tell his parents during conferences that I do not teach very well and he wishes it was the master teacher teaching. I knew he was fully capable of the work, so I made a compromise with this student in order to eliminate the constant back and forth fight for power between the two of us. I proposed to the student that his work, for two weeks, would be graded on the amount completed, not the answers. He realized this was an easier task for him and he liked the deal. After the two weeks, seeing for himself that he could complete the work, I believe self satisfaction became a factor as he saw that the work could be completed. He then strived for correct answers. I realized that I did not need to win the rat race by taking total control and having everything my way, but a simple resolution in which both sides give up a little can be useful. I am not saying my strategy was perfect or that it would work for all students, but I am just glad I was able to avoid the endless rat race in which neither side ends up benefitting.
Study Question: How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What hold the key to making it successful?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is very important for teachers to make homework meaningful for students so that they are motivated to complete it. Like you suggested in the book I believe that teachers can learn a lot about how their students perceive homework and assignments by observing and interacting with them. In my last practicum I noticed through observation and discussion with my students that majority of them did not see the assignments as useful or something that they needed to do. As a teacher I think that it would be beneficial to make sure to tell your students the point of the assignment and relating it to the outside world. For example, if they are learning about area and perimeter, explaining what jobs or activities in life that they will need to use this skill is important so they actually see the importance of learning it, and know that they will use it as some point in their future. I also think that for elementary school, learning about your students’ interests and what motivates them is important so that you can make the assignments more relatable to them and more interesting so that they want to complete the homework. For example, in my last practicum many of the students did not complete their math homework on the daily. I noticed this and then tried to incorporate what I knew most of the students were interested in, which was soccer. For the next homework assignment, I created word problems that had to do with situations on the soccer field. The following day I had 25 out of 28 students complete the assignment and they were proud and excited to show me what they did. I praised them and offered a reward, which was 5 minutes of free choice activities, which they loved. Through this experience I learned that really getting to know your students and observing different ways to positively motivate them is very important. This worked in the fourth grade classroom I was in, however there were still students who did not complete the assignment and were clearly not affected by the consequence, which was not getting free choice and having to complete the assignment during this time. Overall I think that learning about your students and how they perceive homework is difficult and finding ways to motivate your students is a continuous struggle, but I believe observing, interacting with, and trying new things is key.
The study question on page 24 is the one I will respond to for chapter 2. For this question i’m tasked with considering if teaching should be a science. My short answer is no, but there are many reasons for this. With a science, the scientist practices their craft following the scientific method, which is fairly…methodical, a bit rigid even. Good pedagogy would emulate scientific method, we hypothesize a lesson will work for reasons based in observations and theories of our own (formal and personal), and if it doesn’t we start over with a new lesson the next day to try again. But if we are to consider differentiation for all the different students we have I think a good teacher would need to be afforded a certain level of improvisation, something that works on paper may not work in the classroom for one student and that’s a major departure from pure scientific method if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteEek sorry! I'm the unknown... ^^^^
ReplyDeleteWhat should be the way to approach subjectivity on what is right and wrong in your educational practice? How could this be professionally handled?
I believe subjectivity has been excluded from Western academic theories because it is associated with feelings and emotions instead of science and logical reasoning. Regardless of a students’ age, I believe affective factors can make or break a learners’ educational experience, academic success, and personal identity. Because of this, the subjective realm needs to be integrated into the academic world
In a perfect world I would say that as a professional, I need to deeply understand each individual student and meet them where they are in order to get where they want to be. However, I need to think more practically if I am going to apply this technique to every student in the classroom. I need to think more about this, but so far I feel that the best way to professionally incorporate subjectivity is by being present and responding to students instead of reacting. What I mean by that is taking the time to process and think before I speak/lash out or, “react.” Instead, I hope to have the presence and awareness to stop and think about what that student may need emotionally in that moment, or what my approach may be lacking. Humans are emotional, subjective beings that need to be nurtured in order to succeed in any realm, even the rigid world of academia.
Study Question: What have you done for your students whose minds are in the rat race in your classroom, and how did it go? What did you learn from the experience?
ReplyDeleteThis past semester in my practicum, there was a constant rat race that was noticeable from the moment I stepped in the classroom. There were three challenging students, who constantly tested my cooperating teacher. When I entered in January, I heard a lot of negative comments from my cooperating teacher about the students, and she seemed to be exhausted of these students and gave up trying. This caused even more commotion because the students truly thought they had complete control and acted so. During her lessons, these three students would just walk around the classroom, play games on the computers, or sit at their desks and do art projects. There was no respect between the teacher or the students. I recognized quickly what was happening, and it seemed that due to this lack of respect for one another, neither side attempted to please the other. I began to work with these students one on one and sit with them during lessons while she was teaching. This method worked for about a week, until they went back to their old ways. I began to recognize that two of these students seemed to have a low self-efficacy, and were only misbehaving because the teacher viewed them as troubled students. I realized that she rarely ever offered these students positive feedback, and they were unmotivated by her point system in the classroom. I tried everything from working one-on-one, giving them special jobs. Finally I began doing behavior charts for the students, in which they determined what color they were on (green for good, yellow for needs more work, and red was bad behavior). The students responded to this so well, because they felt like they were in control of their own day. Just because they would be on yellow in the morning, they were still able to get green stickers throughout the day. After doing this for multiple weeks, the students began filling out their own charts and their behavior improved. Although it did not work for the third student, it made me realize that just because something works for one student, it wont always work for another. But at least this rat race was controlled by creating respect between the teacher and students.
Study Question: The use of behaviorism is so popular in American society. Why do you think it is the case? What aspects of its values, history, and culture make it popular? What is “American” about it?
ReplyDeleteI believe that behaviorism is valued in America because of its alignment with many American principles and attitudes. In general, Americans need physical and literal evidence to believe something. I think about the advertisements on T.V. that state, “watch this!” “see it work before your eyes!” “fast results!”, etc. These comments highlight the importance Americans place on the visible, linear, literal, and measurable. Behaviorism offers these same values. It is a measurable, linear, literal, and visible way to view psychology. Anything that is subjective is irrelevant, leaving a quick and direct way to view human behaviors. Americans also like viewing the world as a specific cause that leads to a specific effect. Behaviorism argues that a stimulus causes a response, which leads to conditioning and reinforcement. I think many Americans would find this explanation satisfying because of its direct and linear nature. A caused B. It is a black and white approach that occurs in daily life such as "I ate a gluten-free muffin, so now I am healthy" and extends to our politics. There is a problem with illegal immigration? Build a wall. Solved. This type of thinking is simplistic and certainly detrimental in many ways. Fortunately, the field of education has strayed away from relying solely behaviorism to determine the root of students’ behaviors and motivation and offers other theories and insights that focus on the whole child and individual circumstances.
How could you approach your students to learn about how they perceive their homework and learning activities? What holds the key to making it successful?
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher assigning homework is important for all of the students. Taking that work and practicing it at home is important so that they keep exposing themselves and hopefully retain the knowledge they are trying to learn. I know most students perceive the homework as a nuisance that is just something teachers force them to complete. I think being honest with the students and letting them know that it is important information to learn and doing the homework can only help them learn.
For a lot of students this alone will not motivate them to finish any assigned homework. Making sure that there are consequences and rewards for not doing or doing the homework is important. Maybe giving the students who finish their homework a few extra minutes to play as a reward will motivate them to finish homework on time. Those who would not take the time to do homework will not get that extra time to play but instead have to finish the homework they did not complete in class. I believe this would get most of the students on board and willing to do there homework.
Elizabeth Grant
ReplyDeleteQ (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
I do not think that education should be purely a science. Science should definitely be the foundation for the practice, but teaching is very personal and stylized; not every piece of research and theory fits with the individual’s experiences, beliefs, and needs. Science cannot capture our omoi, or being in touch with or true to yourself. Science might tell me that Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) is the best way for English Language Learners (ELLs) to acquire academic vocabulary in science, but teaching IBL might not fit with my personal omoi. At the end of the day, we need to find out what works best for us and stay true to that.
Q (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
ReplyDeleteI think that through the scientific method gives us the most accurate and unbiased view of a given topic. For that reason, I believe that teaching should be a science and that considering it to be a science would produce the best possible results for students. By using the scientific method to discover which instructional methods, class room management strategies and other facets of teacher work best, teachers can arrive an a consensus (neriage). When there is a consensus and it is supported by evidence, I believe that represents the best possible solution. Looking at education as a science would therefore yield the best possible results/products for out students.
Q (p. 24): Should teaching be a science? If there is anything that should not be a “science” in education, what is it? Why can’t science capture it?
ReplyDeleteI think that through the scientific method gives us the most accurate and unbiased view of a given topic. For that reason, I believe that teaching should be a science and that considering it to be a science would produce the best possible results for students. By using the scientific method to discover which instructional methods, class room management strategies and other facets of teacher work best, teachers can arrive an a consensus (neriage). When there is a consensus and it is supported by evidence, I believe that represents the best possible solution. Looking at education as a science would therefore yield the best possible results/products for out students.