For this observation, you are asked to observe an elementary school classroom and document the different formative and summative assessments that are used. Discuss with teachers about their thoughts on the issues that they face with assessments (i.e., time, covering information, struggling students, documentation required, “too much testing”, etc.).

Write your blog post:
Reflect on your findings from your observations.

1. What did you find interesting about the required assessments you witnessed?
   1. Do Now, Formative Assessment
      1. Teacher cold calls on students to share their responses to the do now. There were also some instances of the “no opt-out” strategies being used. The “no opt-out” strategy is when a student does not know the answer but the teacher keeps asking and does not take “I don’t know” as an answer. This strategy is straight from the “Teach Like A Champion” book, which is an excellent resource.
   2. Math EOG Practice, High stakes Summative Assessment. Weekly summative assessments provided by National Heritage Academies’ curriculum.
      1. Grades 3-8 will take a “mock” EOG test for math, with conditions similar to the EOGs. This will give a predicted result on how students will do in the math EOGs. I mostly interviewed middle school teachers and asked them about their thoughts on End of Grade tests and “mock tests”. Most of them said that there is not enough time to adequately teach each student and cover the necessary material. Every day is jam-packed with content and any time spent not teaching is time wasted. This is especially true if any event or assembly is scheduled during core instructional time.
      2. In the company provided curriculum, there are weekly assessments given based on the lessons taught that week. This is more prevalent for grades 3 and up. The assessments are short and take no more than 15 minutes for students to take. I find this quite helpful if you need a quick knowledge check and to see if your students are on track.
2.  How do you think you will balance your time with the required tests and your need for seeing yourself as an effective teacher?
   1. Planning and scheduling is a big part of balancing my time as a teacher. I will start by building my lesson plans with the required tests in mind. I figured since the tests are mandatory, I will do my best to effectively use the time I have in the classroom. This will be done by carefully timing my unit lesson plans to bi-weekly basis, and then self assess to see where I am.
   2. Being honest with your class about assessments can lead to a smoother transition between lessons and assessments. I will let my students know exactly when each test will happen and how much it weighs on their academics.
3.  What did you find surprising and least surprising about assessments (on your grade level, on other grade levels, the many different types of assessments, etc.)?
   1. It was surprising the number of questions each assessment had. For example, the weekly assessments for 3rd-grade math were only 10 questions. Each question was completely different in terms of content taught. By itself, it was not a comprehensive assessment but solely focused on the lessons that were taught that week.
   2. It was also surprising how informal assessments can be. An example of this would be Think-Pair-Share activities during class. This type of assessment is quick, informal, and serves as a comprehension check for the class. As a teacher, you listen in on student conversations to see if they understood the content. If a student is able to explain the lesson in his/her own words then it’s a good indication that he/she comprehended the lesson.
   3. The least surprising about assessments is how tedious and stressful it can be. High-stakes tests, such as End of Grade tests, holds a lot of weight on both teachers and students. For students, it can mean a difference between promotion and retention. And for teachers, it is a reflection of their teaching skills and their effectiveness as a teacher.

Resources for this fieldwork blog:

Here is a link to the article School Culture Definition:  https://www.edglossary.org/school-culture/

Here is a link to the article How Important is Cultural Diversity at Your School?:  https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/cultural-diversity-at-school/

Before you write your blog post:

• Complete your edTPA Context for Learning.

• Review the two resource articles above.
• Observe in a school and record practices and interactions throughout the school community. Be sure to observe in all areas of the school. The following areas you don’t want to miss:
  • Classrooms
  • Hallways
  • Cafeteria
  • Playground
  • Main Office
  • Teacher-to-Teacher Interactions
  • Administrator-to-Teachers/Staff Interactions
  • School Staff-to-Parent Interactions

 Write your blog post:

• Reflect on what you observed in this school. Think holistically about what you saw and heard throughout the entire school community.
• Does this school have a positive school culture? Explain using specific examples.
• Does this school have a negative school culture? Explain using specific examples.

 To ensure confidentiality, avoid using full names or other identifiable information.

The school I am observing is a K-8 public charter school. It is classified as an urban school, Title I school, and serves a majority of low-income students. I have worked in this school for 6 years now, so I am familiar with the school culture that surrounds the school.

First, the day starts with arrival carpool. In the drop off lanes, there are at least two administrators directing traffic and three teachers greeting students as they exit the vehicle. The teachers ensure the student is safely out of the vehicle and on the sidewalk. The administrators make sure that there are no students walking between the car lanes, before letting the car line go. One of the important parts of positive school culture is ensuring the safety of its students.  Arrival staff are constantly on the watch for students and do everything they can to keep students physically safe.

Next, the students walk into the building and make their way to their homeroom. I observed that Kindergarten teachers greet students at the door with either a handshake, hug, or high-five, student’s choice. The teacher first asks logistical questions such as the home or school lunch? Are you going home a different way today? If the student feels up to it, they share a piece of good news to the teacher, just to start the day positively.

The school is split up into three different hallways, the Kindergarten to 2nd-grade hallway, 3rd – 5th-grade hallway, and then middle school. The school culture in these three hallways are different from one another but share a common overall school culture. In the hallways, other staff members stand by their door and greet students as they walk by. They also check to see if hallway rules are being followed and to see if students are being safe.

During lunchtime, students go to the gym to eat their lunch. Lunch Hour is a loud and vibrant time for students since most use the time to talk to their friends. There is at least one staff member, per 30 students, supervising. Lunch routines are ingrained with the students, and staff members make sure they adhere to them. This shows positive school culture because students are allowed to socialize with their friends while staff members work with them to have a mess-free lunch.

In recess, students are free to play in the playground, basketball courts, and field. There are at least three teachers roaming around in each area to ensure safe play. If a problem arises or a student got hurt, the teacher is quick to respond and handle the situation with care. For example, a kindergarten student fell in the playground and got a cut on his hand. The student’s friends helped him up and walked him to the teacher nearby. The teacher then assessed the cut and walked him back inside the building to get a bandaid. This example shows that the students immediately know to get an adult if a problem happens.

In the main office, there are two staff members that constantly greet and help parents, the registrar and the office administrator.  The interactions between the front office staff and parents are always professional. The staff is very attentive to the needs of the parents, all the while assisting students who need to take their medicine at certain times of the day. The level of trust and professionalism they exhibit sets the tone of the school’s culture. Since they are the first staff members to be seen in the building, they are the face of the school.

The teacher to teacher interactions is fun and light-hearted. Whether it is in the copy room or the hallway, teachers always ask each other how they are doing. In meetings, conversations are solution driven, while respecting the opinion of others. Grade level planning periods are productive, and most of the time attended by the dean of that grade. The teachers were open to constructive criticism and seek to improve their craft.

While the school is not perfect, the school culture is overall positive. Interactions between teachers and parents are mostly positive and professional. The students feel safe to be in school and they trust the teachers whom they are with.

Students with disabilities may be served in a variety of settings. For this observation, you will observe a special education teacher working with students. The setting may be co-teaching or teaching in a resource setting.   As you observe, please take note of the climate and culture of the setting, the instruction, and the impact on learning. You should plan to spend time talking with the teacher about your observations and other questions you may have.

Write your blog post:

As you create your blog, please reflect and respond to the following:

1. What did you notice about the climate and culture of the setting?
   1. I am observing a K-2 special education classroom, with two complete separate setting teachers. They serve 3 students in total, all with mental and/or physical disabilities. The students do not attend the general education classroom and are completely separated from the main stream classroom. The climate of the classroom was very welcoming and bright. The classroom is equipped with a special wheelchair for a 4th grader with extreme physical and mental disabilities. They serve two other students with extreme mental disabilities, one is a 6th grader and the other is a 2nd grader. The culture of the classroom coincides with the school’s overall cultural value. The teachers treat the students with care and understanding, but also give direct and clear instructions. They allow the students to take their time in assignments and redirect their behavior whenever possible.
2. How was instruction delivered and how did the students respond?
   1. Instruction was given one-on-one to each student. The students responded appropriately, with minimal behavior problems. Each time a student completed a task they received a tangible reward or time to relax. The students are responsive to instructions but it takes a couple minutes to complete one scheduled task. The teacher delivers repeated instructions until the task is done. If the student is non-compliant then the teachers bargain with the student, or try and reason with the student, usually with incentives.
3. If this was a co-teaching setting, what model of co-teaching was used? For example, was station teaching or parallel teaching used?
   1. Since there are two teachers in the room, they station teach the students. One or two students are with one teacher while the other teacher works with the other student. Once a task is done then the students walk to the other teacher and do their task with that teacher. Their schedule is very flexible, but the teachers try to adhere to the general education schedule.
4. When you converse with the teacher, you may wish to ask about communications between the special and general education teacher in terms of instruction and fulfilling the requirements of the IEP.
   1. The special education teachers created their own lesson plans when teaching these students. All of the students in the classroom is in the K-2 academic level, so they usually converse with K-2 teachers. In order to fulfill the requirements of each student’s IEPs, they teach in a complete separate setting resource classroom. Other people are also involved in fulfilling their  IEPs. At certain times of the week, the speech specialist sees them, as well as student physical therapist, and occupational therapist.
   2. The teachers tell me that there are good days and bad days, while most of the bad days happen on Monday or Friday. In most cases the students a very compliant and responsive, but there are some days where students get nothing done. The students are very expressive of their actions and constantly need attention. The students’ grade level teachers are still involved with the IEP fulfillment process, and gives an overview and insight to instruction.

Reflect on your findings from your observations. (Below my answers are my notes on the classroom I observed.)

• What did you find interesting about the classroom management techniques you witnessed?
  • The teacher utilized student leaders to lead classroom rules and procedures. Instead of leading the routines herself, she empowers a student to lead the routine and hold the other students accountable. I recognized that the teacher had a great relationship with the classroom and she trusted them enough to lead their own procedures.
  • Any disputes that students had with each other were solved quickly and respectfully. The teacher posted a “script” near the door so students can know exactly what to say to each other and solve problems respectfully. The teacher rarely intervened during student disputes because a sense of classroom culture was already established.
  • They use silent hand signals to signal for common teacher needs, such as restroom break, tissue, or water break.
• What would you do and not do in your own classroom?
  • I would start using timers to manage transitions in my classroom. This is a great way to manage time and eliminate time wasters. I would also try to incorporate student-led procedures and assign student helpers. Student helpers is a great way to answer common questions students may have during an assignment, and also help me manage my time assisting other students.
• What did you find surprising and least surprising?
  • The most surprising thing to me was how tight the transitions were between each activity. The teacher did not leave a lot of time for students to wander and start needlessly talk to each other. Also, the amount of nonverbal communication was impressive to witness. It was clear that the teacher made every effort to make it a part of their classroom culture.
  • The least surprising thing to me was her point system. She assigned a student to give “table points” to tables that followed directions quickly. Positive rewards is a common way to positively motivate students to follow rules and behave appropriately.

 

3rd Grade Class – Ms. McCollum

For this observation, you are asked to observe a classroom and document the classroom management processes and procedures.

Make note of the following and ask questions to your lead teacher if needed. Observe the following and include the findings in your blog post:

1. Classroom management
   1. Routines
      1. They start with a sticky note do now on the board.
      2. Student-led transition. Student counts down and reminds them of what they need to have on their desk. And then the student writes down points for tables who followed and takes away points who did not follow or did not follow in time.
      3. Diamond rule: Keep your eyes on the target.
      4. Hands on top “everybody stop”
   2. Attendance
      1. They take attendance and take lunch count at the same time.
   3. Punctuality
      1. Altogether, they recite the “I can statement.”
   4. use of material/equipment
      1. The sticky note is passed out to them. Their agenda is out and are given table points for having it out.
2. Rules for movement of students
   1. entering and leaving the room
      1. overview on the tasks that need to be done. Do not enter until 100 participation. First core class, they grab chairs in the back.
   2. bathroom use
      1. lining up outside the bathroom. Afterwards, they get water. The teacher keeps time and holds them to a timed bathroom trip. 4 total minutes to use the bathroom. Keep reminding them of the time spent.
   3. readiness for class
      1. points are given and taken for each transition. Students can move to different tables for their table group.
3. Rules for homework and classroom
   1. homework completion/turning in/accuracy
      1. Take down homework from Agenda board
   2. classwork completion/turning in/accuracy
   3. materials specified
      1. Sticky note and agenda. Student reminders and countdown.
      2. Group work project: They are handed a folder with all materials needed. Next, the teacher assigns which student to grab a Chromebook.
4. Rules for student-student interactions
   1. the degree of respect and politeness
      1. They talk very quietly and use nonverbal communication.
   2. the collaboration allowed or disallowed
      1. collaboration is encouraged.
      2. They talk respectfully to each other and take turns writing on their group worksheet.
   3. property rights and respect
      1. They have their own cubby and desk.
   4. Disputes
      1. They are settled by the students themselves and the teacher only intervenes if absolutely needed.
   5. socializing listening and taking turns
      1. They encouraged students who do not have partners to join them. Some students know that they can’t work with other students and solve it there.
5. Rules for teacher-student interaction
   1. the degree of respect or politeness
      1. The teacher is direct with the students and the students are quiet and polite.
      2. When the teacher talks and expects a response, they must match her tone.
      3. Teacher pauses for the talking to stop.
   2. help-seeking signals
      1. They use finger signals to indicate for help. The “legend” for the finger signals are posted on the board.
      2. “Oh Class”, the student responds with “Oh yes”.
6. Additional Notes:
   1. She clearly explains the next task at hand, for example, she outlines the rules for group work. She projects “1 min” on the board
   2. Students link up arms to show they have chosen a partner.
   3. 1^st day of projects, the teacher does the most talking. Makes it clear that they will do the rest on their own for the subsequent days.
   4. Writes down the approved websites for students. Link to the class website and provides a list of approved research links for students.
   5. Only the person who oversees the Chromebook navigates to the website. With classroom management, it eliminates the need to debate over who gets to do what.
   6. Calls out a table who is not following directions and having inappropriate conversations.

• How can the classroom you observed change based on the absence of or addition of cell phones?
  • Without cell phone use, distractions would inevitably decrease. But with the addition of cell phones, new learning opportunities might arise. For a middle schooler, their cell phone is a part of their identity, and in some cases an extension of their personality. If cell phone usage is monitored and given guidelines, it can be a powerful tool in the classroom. Students will feel a sense of trust and responsibility if they are allowed to use their cell phones while following rules. Instead of being disengaged, if students are allowed to use their cell phone towards the lesson, they will be more engaged since they’re using a tool they are familiar with.
• Do you agree or disagree with the opinions expressed in the articles above?
  • Many of the talking points in each article are situational and can be different in each classroom, school system, and student. I agree that cell phones have their uses in the classroom and can be a powerful learning tool. I also agree that “cell phones can be detrimental to effective studying and distract students to other uses of cell phones” (E. Sewell, personal communication, December 7, 2018). If teachers closely monitor students, and consistently administer consequences to rule breakers, cell phones can help make a good lesson to a greater lesson.
• What are your personal thoughts on cell phone use in the classroom?
  • “Cell phones can be a great learning tool if regulated correctly, but it can be abused quickly” (M. Allen, personal communication, December 7, 2018). Personally, I would use cell phones as a learning tool only as a last resort. There are other technologies you can incorporate into your lesson before deciding on cell phone usage. I would be cautious to allow cell phones during class since some students might take advantage and start to use cell phones inappropriately. If a class is mature and responsible in their schoolwork, I can trust them to use their cell phones wisely and appropriately.

 

Blog about your interview with the teacher assistant and teacher.

Summary of interview

• What do they notice about students in early adolescence?
  • They are starting to go through puberty and they start to smell more. A lot of changes are happening, girls are getting more hormonal and boys start to get more aggressive. They want to be grown and treated as such.
  • Students are much more talkative and want to impress their peers. Most students want to be followers and “be cool”.
• What do they think new teachers need to be aware of?
  • If the student experiences any home issues and any behavior problems in the past. Investigate if they have an IEP. Find out about their academic ability in school and work ethic.
• How do changes in the children at this age impact the classroom?
  • It makes it more difficult to teach. Start by developing a relationship with the students and set clear expectations.
  • There is a huge change in recess. Girls are gossiping more and talk about kissing boys. Boys are more aggressive competitive, especially in basketball.
• What do they do to support the learning and still manage the classroom?
  • Let them know you are listening. Girls like to talk privately with you. Boys also want to talk but more likely with a male teacher. We will answer all the questions they ask and ask the class if they have any other questions after the lesson. They are put in groups based on skill and gender. Allow more group work with experiments and projects, rather than lectures.

---

My Questions

How will you manage your classroom during this turbulent time for children?

My classroom management thrives on basic rules, procedures, and practice adhering to those rules. 5th-grade students think more logically and are able to comprehend new concepts much faster than their previous years. Besides holding students accountable to rules and procedures, it’s also important to let them know that you care about them. Managing a classroom is connected to the type of relationship you have with your students. I make sure to include activities that exercise their independence, and rules that are appropriate for adolescent children.

What do you think you can do to support children during this age as a teacher?

As I mentioned above, letting your students know that you care about them goes a long way to support them during this age. Being a teacher bears the responsibility to educate students in morality, integrity, and work ethic. Simply listening to their problems and giving honest feedback can bridge a gap between teacher and student. For boys, you can provide healthy competitive activities and challenge them to exercise their desire to be great at what they do. For girls, you can provide a safe space for them to voice their concerns and provide advice and positive feedback.

Discuss your thoughts on the difficulties of this age.

Children at this age start to go through puberty. Physical changes are happening with boys, and hormonal spikes start to overtake girls. Boys start to get more aggressive, especially in sports, such as basketball during recess. Girls start to gossip and talk about their peers, who likes who, which boy they would like to kiss, and other girls from other classes. In addition to these changes, they are starting to question authority and further push the boundaries of their responsibilities as a student and test how far they can take their rebellious behavior. Thinking about these changes, it is understandable how overwhelming this can be for 5th graders, which explains their behavior at certain points. The more I study these behaviors, the more I understand and sympathize with them.

Blog about your experience interviewing the teacher.

I interviewed a 4th-grade teacher with 3 years of teaching experience.

What were their concerns and thoughts about supporting students who need additional assistance?

Before formulating a plan to help students that need additional help, she needed to gather data about the student first. She uses a variety of assessments, activities, and methods to gather an academic picture of the student. Exit tickets, pre-assessments, and group activities are some of the ways she uses to determine what kind of support she needs to give to the student. Her main concern was the amount of time the student gets pulled for intervention services, or special education services. In some special case students, they are pulled from the class around 90% at a time. At most, the student spends 45 minutes a day with her, which makes it difficult to teach concepts in such a short amount of time. Every day, she works on ways to simplify her lesson and teach it in a way that wouldn’t require a lot of steps.

Do you think it will be easy or difficult to reach out for help to support a student? Why or why not?

It depends on the situation. For most students that need support, the general education teacher is the first teacher to give intervention to students. For students that require additional support, it takes time to recommended students for intervention services, and even longer time to evaluate the student. While it is easy to recommend a student for additional support, the most difficult part is determining what kind of support they need. For the teacher that I interviewed, she says support is easy to request, and administration is always ready to help. However, the process to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the student takes time, which is why the general education teacher is the first educator to administer intervention services.

Part One

How has your opinion towards technology in the classroom changed during this course, if it has at all? If it hasn’t, why do you believe that is? If it has, provide reflective details.

I have always known that technology is a necessary and integral part of today’s classroom. Technology is constantly changing and growing, the same as classrooms are always evolving. Using technology should always compliment the lesson, and be used as a means to reach different learners and students. Technology will always have a place in the classroom and it is up to the educator on how it is integrated. Personally, I love technology and most of my lessons will include some type of technology. When I plan my lessons, I always look for ways to integrate some kind of technology, either to make the lesson flow easier or to assist students who have different learning styles. If we are to keep up with the ever-changing global market, and the demands of future careers, we must update our teaching methods with technology.

Using technology has a learning curve for both educators and students. I understand that some teachers do not like technology in their classrooms, mainly because they are hesitant to learn or afraid to fail. This attitude is more relevant to older teachers, who grew up in an era where technology was not as accessible or easy-to-use. Technology in the classrooms can be a growing tool, not only for the students but for the teachers as well. If teachers open their minds to emerging technology, then they may better understand today’s learners. In my classroom, I plan to use technology as a means to make lessons easier to execute and help students who are struggling.

Part Two

Create a list of tools and resources you can use in the future.

I created a Symbaloo of online tools and resources for teachers. I have also linked a website that lists useful and free online tools for teachers.

Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything
Symbaloo – Teacher Resources

• Is the BYOD policy you found enforced?
  • There is no official BYOD policy in our school. Unofficially, students are welcome to bring their own device if it is for educational purposes. Technology is amply provided to students, such as iPads, Chromebooks, Windows desktops, and laptops. Classroom instruction uses technology as its needed for the lesson, so BYOD policy is not enforced or mentioned.
• What are your personal thoughts on the BYOD policy?
  • The BYOD policy would need to be strictly enforced in terms of what the device is used for. Having your personal device at school runs the risk of having it stolen, broken, or taken away. The management that is needed for personal devices needs to be developed on a school-wide level and constantly enforced by the administration and teachers. If the devices are used correctly, then BYOD policies are great for schools with few provided technologies.
• What type of technology do you see being used in the classroom?
  • Each classroom has a set of devices assigned to them. The devices that are provided are 10 student Chromebooks, an ELMO document reader, an EPSON  Projector, and a teacher iPad. The Chromebooks are mainly used for workshop rotations where students work on curriculum-aligned activities. The teacher also has the option to reserve a laptop cart, which then every student in the classroom can be on a Chromebook.
• What type of technology do you think would be appropriate to introduce into this classroom?
  • SMART Boards or interactive tables would be a great addition. Students today are more hands-on with their learning. An interactive board or table would allow greater student engagement and open up new lessons and opportunities to learn. For example, students can manipulate 3D objects on the interactive table by using their hands, without having to purchase multiple objects for students. Younger students may not have developed the dexterity necessary to fully interact with a tablet, but with a big board or table might be easier.
• What are your initial thoughts on technology in the classroom?
  • Technology is important to have in the classroom, equal to having tables and chairs. If used correctly, technology can reach young minds in ways we never thought possible. While it is not necessary to integrate technology in every lesson you teach, it is important to understand the necessity for students to have access to it. Adequate technology should be included in every classroom and should be treated the same as basic teaching supplies.

Reflect on the responses you received from your interviews.

For this blog, I interviewed two people, our art teacher and our principal. Our school demographics consist of roughly 75% African-American, 20% Hispanic, and 5% mix of Caucasian, Asian, and others. We serve around 750 students, Kindergarten to 8th grade, in 28 classrooms.

Our art teacher has been teaching for 9 years and our principal has been an educator for about 25 years, with 3 years as a principal.

What are your thoughts on their responses?

The responses from each of the people I interviewed were straightforward and real. The type of answers they gave was backed with years of experience in the classroom. From our art teacher, he simply said that student motivation was determined by whether or not the student was interested or invested in the lesson itself. Children are motivated by the things they are interested in and it would be hard to convince a child to do your work if they don’t find it entertaining. I agreed that students were only motivated to do work if it interested them, related to who they are as a person, and if the teacher themselves are invested in the lesson. I have come to realize that student motivation is directly linked to teacher motivation. If your students don’t see you excited about the lesson, then they will reflect that same energy back to you.

My principal stressed that relationships with students are the most important aspect of student motivation. Before he became an administrator he was a middle school social studies teacher. During his teaching days, he believed that his relationship with his students helped them buy into his lessons and motivated them to do their work.

Overall, their motivation and reason to continue teaching is the love of their job. They enjoy teaching children and helping them succeed in whatever subject the student might be struggling on. It takes a motivated teacher to help students be motivated for school.

How would you answer the questions?

• In your opinion/experience is the motivation of students a major concern?
  • It’s not the greatest concern, but still important. Motivation is most important when a student starts to lose interest or gets discouraged from the lesson.
• What factors do you think may be contributing to problems with student motivation?
  • The relationship between the teacher and student. If the relationship is not good, or nonexistent, then student motivation might go down.
  • Hard lessons and non-relevant lessons can also affect student motivation. If students find lessons do not make sense or do not see the relevance in the real world, they might not be motivated to work.
• How do you motivate your students to participate in instruction?
  • Giving the lesson some cultural relevance and delivering it with enthusiasm.
• Do you have any techniques, strategies, or classroom rewards that you find to be effective in motivating students to complete assignments/comply with rules?
  • Enrichment activities (educational online games) is my go-to reward for compliance. If students finish early or do an exceptional job modeling the rules, then they are rewarded with extra computer time at the end of the month or class.
• Do you have a system of classroom rules and punishments to encourage compliance with rules or completion of assignments?  What concerns do you have about your system?
  • I have the ability to instantly lock my computers if students start to misbehave. Students value their time on technology, and if I take it away from them, they will start to comply with my rules.
  • Another system is a color system. Green, yellow, blue, and red. Yellow signifies that a student has chosen to not follow directions. Blue means a student repeatedly chooses not to follow rules and warrants a phone call home. Red is reserved for administrators if a behavior starts to endanger students.
• In general, what is your greatest concern regarding the motivation of students?
  • My greatest concern is the method of motivating students. If students are motivated by tangible rewards then they might be reliant on only being motivated by stuff. Motivation should come from a student’s desire and need to succeed in their life.
• In your opinion/experience are there any techniques or strategies that can backfire or undermine motivation?
  • Comparing yourself to students, such as saying “I got my degree, so you need to get yours”. At this point in their lives, they are not concerned about getting degrees. If they feel attacked or “put down” by a teacher’s “success” then it might backfire.
• Do you have any surefire motivators?
  • Quick motivators are surefire motivators. For example, stickers as rewards can bring quick results and motivate others to comply with rules. Positive feedback can also motivate students to be a model scholar for others.
• Can you share with me an experience with a student or one of your teachers that comes to mind when you consider these questions?
  • I have one student with a learning disability and is not entirely motivated to do the same work as other students. The way I motivate this student to work is to break down the lesson one step at a time and give plenty of positive rewards and encouragement. I recognize that each student learns differently, and I felt this student needed simplified steps to understand the work.
• How do you motivate yourself, or what motivates you to continue teaching?
  • Teaching changes kids lives, that is the sole motivator. I want to mirror a possible destiny for the students, that they can and will be successful too. I also want to be a stable and constant educator for my students. A teacher that stays with students, year after year, are great motivators for students.

What do you agree with or disagree with and why?

One of the things I agreed with is that you need to bring the students’ culture into the classroom in order to get them to buy into your lesson. Students need something or someone to relate to. Not all students learn the same, and we can’t expect or force them to learn the same way. If a student does not follow or understand a rule or procedure, it does not mean they chose to ignore it, but rather they did not learn it in their way yet.