As we approach the end of this Fall Semester, I am enlightened and inspired with new ideas, ideologies, and teaching practices. The two speakers I found most compelling were Daniel Pink and his presentation on The surprising science of motivation. One of the reasons I appreciated his message was this idea of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. In my particular teaching setting, students are offered multiple rewards to succeed in school such as, Fun Friday (classes are shortened to participate in fun activities), breakfast is provided for all students, and school hours are reduced. Still, students lack motivation to attend school, participate and/or complete class assignments. Many of our students’ mindset is on the immediate reward, instead on the long-term benefits of education and learning. One of the major factors attributed to this cause are the chaotic, unstructured home environments. This semester has been full of emotional and behavioral challenges, in comparison to last school year. In general, students are not intrinsically motivated to be in class, even when they have carrot sticks dangling right in front of them.
The next speaker, John Seely Brown, talked on A new culture of learning. The one point that resonates with me is the idea of study groups. He said, “what’s the best predictor of how well a student will do in college.” It’s not their GPA or SAT scores, it is the ability to join or make study groups. Unbeknownst to me, I have been actively practicing this studying strategy this semester with my cohort. I regularly meet with my peers at least 3 to 4 times per week. We talk about current, pending, problem-solve, and give input when asked. John also said, “there’s no better way to learn, than to try to explain it to others.” And in our case, as teachers, we learn to improve our teaching practices based on student high performing outcomes. How well can students apply previous lessons to solve math problems, science questions, quizzes, and statewide testing. As instructional leaders, I plan to help my students think creatively by having access to educational math games. I will use Youtube videos as a learning tool to find the effects of prescribed medication, or a similar topic of interest. My third idea is to engage students with hands-on activities such as making a quilt, christmas ornament, or design a logo. I will tell my students ahead of time to perform as creatively as possible without paying attention to perfection.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a special ed teacher at Vintage High School. Archives
July 2018
Categories |