Module 4: Unit 6: Activity 4: Video and Reflection

The comments below are for the following video:





This video was really interesting to watch these two teacher go through their first years. Certain parts brought back memories from situations I have faced in the past, mostly mistakes I made but also some of the positive situations.

 The class introductions were interesting and the two teachers approached it a little differently. Mr. Torres did something that I a have been doing, a brief self introduction of my self before asking the students to each to do one themselves. Its a great way to personalize and humanize yourself in the eyes of the students. Ms. Felix seemed to be a little less successful engaging the students and I think it was because her ideas were a little too childish for the age level. However, putting the students in groups for activities is a great idea to get them out of their shell a bit.

I could relate to Mr. Torres' classroom management problems as the behaviour devolved as the year went on. His 'friend' approach to the students is similar to how I interact with my students and I have had problems with the class getting out of hand. As the mentor mentioned, there has to be a time to let the students know where the boundaries are. As was mentioned regarding the problems Ms. Felix was having with her students, busy work and activities that seem pointless to the students will result in boredom and eventually misbehavior. The CSI lesson that was given in Mr. Torres' class shows that if the students are made to see why something is important, or why it is useful they will become engaged and the teacher wont have to worry about dealing with negative behaviour. Ms. Felix was on the right track with the lesson about viruses.

One great idea I took from this video is was having the students to redo the assignments until they get the grade they are happy with. It gives the students more control over the lesson and their grade and it also shows them in a very direct way that if they work hard towards something they will be able to see the results.

This is an interesting video to watch and gave me a bit of encouragement in whatever situation i will find myself in in the future.

Module 4: Unit 3: Activity 3: Establishment of Rules and Procedures

I had a somewhat similar experience to what Marcos Torres mentions in his video. I guess I had forgotten what it was like to be a student as a child because I also expected the students to sit down and listen to me lecture on. Of course it was a disaster. It may have taken Mr. Torres a few months to correct his mistakes in applying discipline but it definitely took me a lot longer. I gradually learned that I was creating a me against them situation which not benefiting anyone. Although I got a long with the students I was having a real hard time creating an environment where students were listening to the teacher and one another. Now I general will allow a certain level of talk and goofing around among the students as long as the class is generally working well and on task. One of the best ways ensure the class is behaved and staying on task it to constantly walking around and interacting with the students. This is key when giving a lecture or having a class discussion but it is especially important the students are doing independent or small group work. If things are getting out of hand I usually walk over and start talking to the students about the task at hand or whatever they are talking about and they usually get the hint and go back to work.

When introducing rules and expected classroom norms I am a big fan of discussing what they should be with the students. By doing so it gets the students thinking about what type of behaviour will be the best for the classroom environment. If a student comes up with a crazy rule that is inappropriate then questioning the student and talking about it will allow you to eventually discard it when they realize how unfeasible the rule is. In general it is possible to guide the rules and classroom norms to where you want them to be but the students feel like they had a role in creating them.

My non-negotiables are definitely fewer that when I first started as a teacher. I have definitely relaxed on a lot of rules that I would have had at the beginning. As I said above, I was creating a we vs. them scenario and I would take a lot of the little offences somewhat personal and as a challenge to my authority as the teacher. It would have to depend on the age level I was teaching but if I had to list the non-negotiables that I expect now in my class my list would look like this:

·         Show respect for others in the classroom.  This of course means not physical harm but also speaking to classmate and the teacher respectfully. Joking around is ok as long as the playful intent is clear.

·         Do your own work. No cheating or copying.

·         Try your best. I am willing to let a lot slide in a classroom discussion if the students are participating a engaged in the lesson.

·         No cellphones. This is one that I go back and forth on with my middle school students. While I would like to respect their freedom and trust them to be responsible enough to control the urge to use their phones for extended times during the lesson, the reality is they can’t seem to control themselves. I can’t really fault them too much as I just checked my phone as I was writing that last sentence.

Classroom meetings can be a valuable method to have the students reflect on the situations and behaviours that have happened the past week (or however often the meetings are scheduled). Like any subject that is being taught and learned, review and reflecting on what has happened or the class has learned can be helpful. The video from this activity is an excellent example of how classroom meetings can be effective and how the students are thinking about the concepts and it will make a lasting impression and more than likely affect their decision to act in a negative manner in the future.

Module 4: Unit 2: Activity 4: Reflections on High Expectations

One of the things I've noticed with dealing with young students it that whether the teacher has either high or low expectations they tend to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. When teachers believe in their students and place high expectations on them it can be an incredibly motivating factor in the students putting in effort to succeed. Likewise the teacher will also feel a sense of responsibility and motivation themselves if they are identify students as being capable of  lofty goals. This has sometimes been referred to as the 'Pygmalion effect' Conversely, the 'Golem effect' refers to the opposite in which students who are not expected to succeed often fail and are brushed aside for those who are seen to be more worthy of attention. Many studies have been done on this topic and there is real world evidence to support it.

So what can be done to promote high expectations among students? What do high expectations look like? Some schools that have success with reforming have provided some strategies:

1. Developing, communicating, and implementing plans for motivation and management in every classroom. Everyone has to be on the same page.
2. Implementing instructional plans for bell-to-bell teaching. Students will reflect what they see around them, if the teacher is sitting at their desk ignoring the class and some students are goofing off chances are they will too. Filling class time with meaningful lessons and activities should be a priority.
3. Organizing and arranging classrooms to spur productivity. The environment the students spend their day in should be a place that is inviting and can inspire creativity.
4. Establishing high academic standards. For the most part, the reason the students are in school is to obtain knowledge and the skills to understand that knowledge. Educators should expect a lot from them.
5. Communicating expectations to students and their families. Along with the school, parents and the students themselves should be on board and understand the expectations being placed on the student.
6. Actively engaging each student in instructional tasks. As we mentioned in the last unit it is important for the teacher to be aware of the way he/she interacts with each student. Personal encouragement can go a long way in motivating a student.
7. Keeping students on target by using tasks that are of interest and of high value. Differentiating the lesson to cater to the needs and interests of the class will help the students maintain interest. It is important that the teacher doesn't completely recycle lessons from past years.
8. Providing timely feedback about progress to students to encourage their continued success. Being specific in the comments to will help the students and parents be aware of their progression.
9. Adopting grading practices that communicate high expectations and reduce frustration. Clarity and meaningfully grades are important to facilitate self improvement.
10. Dealing with severe behavior immediately. Students, especially those at younger ages will try to push the limits of the rules (and teacher) establishing clear rules is very important for classroom order.



For Activity 3 our group chose talk about high expectation for three  levels, kindergarten, middle school, and university students. My group members, Emily and Aga were both very involved in the project from the beginning. Aga set up a Google Doc for us to share our ideas on the project and we frequently communicated about the project through messaging. We came up with this list of standards that we expect from out students:

• Academic achievement
• Behavior
• Affective Domain
• Pride in work
• No plagiarism
• Having students take a role in the learning process 

Our collaborative efforts can be founds here: https://magic.piktochart.com/output/2429650-tnm4u2a3

Sources:

http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/expectations-and-student-outcomes.pdf

http://gearup.ous.edu/sites/default/files/Research-Briefs/ResearchBriefHighExpectations.pdf

http://www.connectionsproject.ilstu.edu/HSTWresources/04-ia-highexp.pdf