#ed foundations

Ed Foundations ‘Ten-teaching-tips’ poster content:

1.       Classroom time-management is critical

·         Prior planning that can anticipate possible events or outcomes. 1 (Churchill 2011, p 278). Fail-to-plan, plan to fail is a time tested adage that rings true today.

·         Don’t find myself planning the perfect lesson, only to find out I have 15 minutes remaining in the lesson. Now what? Dog and pony show? Have a backup scheme.

2.       Always flow towards the positive

·         Keep a tally of my positive and negative comments in class.  Positive comments usually create a harmonious and enjoyable classroom environment.  Negative comments or actions can ruin an otherwise great lesson, or worse – negatively affect students.

·         Some students never hear positives comments from the teacher – because they only hear negative comments that do not enhance learning. 2 (Chance 2008, p 17). 

3.       Stress to students the “goodness” of doing well

·         Simply showing up for school and marking good attendance is not the same as trying hard, producing diligent work and focusing on creating high-quality work.  Nobody rises to poor-expectations.  It’s important to realise the teacher sets the pace – and the example!  As a teacher and as a leader, I must set a good example for my students to emulate.

4.       I must always remember why I became a teacher

·         For the sake of my students – it’s critical I keep this in keen focus.  This point is similar to provocation #1 – What kind of teacher to I want to be?  The spark that was there when I first started teaching should serve as my driving force. 3   (Peters 2008, p 74).

5.       Ask the students if they have a birthday today – or this week?

·         Always strive to show my students that, as a teacher – I’m human.  Show them I care.  Show them the Birthday Bomb. Acknowledge a student’s birthday! 4   (Jensen 2009, p 144). This singular point is one of the paramount gripes of many of today’s students – the teachers’ appear indifferent and don’t care. 

6.       Check to aid – never to degrade

·         If I learn that a student has shirked his homework, would I scold the student in front of his peers? Surely not.  This action would only lead the student possibly taking revenge.  Instead of scolding and punishing my students’ to get them to learn, offer friendly encouragement, incentive to learn and make sure the student is aware of the teacher’s willingness to succor his or her learning issues. 5 (Kohn 1996, p 90).

7.       Teachers’ must maintain and protect their integrity

·         Teachers that manage high-achieving classrooms earn their respect and admiration from their students.  They do this by listening to them, ensuring high-quality of education is delivered and employing sound motivational techniques.  6   (Peters 2008, p 80).

8.       Show my students the ‘way’ – not necessarily the ‘how’

·         Every student is a unique being, with learning and thinking styles that are unique to them. 7   (Turnbull 2007, p 23).  We may be surprised by our students’ imaginative avenues of approach in creating a project or getting a job done – without our constant direction.

9.       Courage in the classroom – to do what’s right, even when its uncomfortable

·         Teachers are faced daily with as myriad of situations and decisions.  One situation may not have one-single answer.  It may be addressed by a multitude of solutions.  What if an angry parent calls and asked for a grade to be lifted? If it’s not addressed, they threaten to call the Principal. 8 (R. Infantino, R. Wilken 2009, p 4).  

10.   Understand the difference between a situation and a problem

·         [A wise teacher] can improve and adapt to situations, and fix problems.  Don’t dwell on the negative if we can’t fix it. 9  (Personal management philosophy) 

  References

[1] Churchill, R. (2011), Teaching making a difference.  Organising the learning environment, (ch. 9). Wiley and Sons Publishing.  Milton, Australia.

[2] Chance, P. (2008), The teacher’s craft, the 10 essential skills of effective teaching. Create a learning climate, (ch.1). Waveland Press.  Long Grove, IL.

[3] Peters, S. (2008), Teaching to capture and inspire all learners. Creating #1 classrooms, (ch. 6). Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA.

[4] Jensen, E. (2009), Super teaching.  The productive nature of using rituals, (ch.15). Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA.

[5] Kohn, A. (2001), Beyond Discipline. Chap 5. Alexandria, VA.

[6] Peters, S. (2008), Teaching to capture and inspire all learners. Creating #1 classrooms, (ch. 6). Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA.

[7] Turnbull, J. (2007), 9 habits of highly effective teachers.  Thinking for yourself, (Part 1). Continuum International Publishing Group, London.

[8] Infantino, R. and Wilken, R. (2009), Tough choices for teachers, ethical challenges in today’s school and classrooms. Thinking about ethics, (Ch. 1) The Roman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.  Lanham, MD. Viewed 29 April 2011.

G'day Phill,

Here are my two blog comments.

Natalie's Blog

Krissy's Blog

Reading your post Alyssa, the thought of Maslow’s hierarchy theory on humanist psychology is extremely valid in the case of Jane’s students. The fact that her students are not as physically developed as she would expect, that they are difficult and don’t complete their work, really emphasises this idea that her students basic physiological needs are not being met. Furthermore, without this fundamental need and the fact that Janes students are ‘underdeveloped’, other factors such as the students self-esteem and self-efficacy are affected, leading to negative thoughts, behaviour, motivation and achievement (Krause et al., 2010), which are factors that are being reflected in Jane’s students. Another key point, in regards to Maslow’s theory is that it ‘asks educators to focus on students needs in a learning situation rather than those of the teacher or curriculum’ (Churchill et al., 2011, p.78), which definitely sums up the view Jane needs to take in regards to her teaching practice, if she ever wants to actually facilitate her students learning in a positive and constructive approach. Another theory raised in this discussion was Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, which not only focuses on social and cultural interactions between individuals, which was stated, but also their interaction within an environment. ‘Cognitive development is an outcome of interaction between child, its carers and the environment’ (Churchill et al., 2011, p.77). In regards to Jane’s students, unfortunately their carers, i.e., parents and teacher, contain a relationship of animosity, which does not shape a constructive learning environment or relationship for her students. Also the fact that most students are living on isolated farms again does not encourage social interaction. Without this focus on social and cultural interactions within Jane’s student’s lives and education, it is another reason why her students might be having trouble with their schoolwork. Besides Vygotsky’s theory, understanding how the brain works during adolescence also is a key factor in terms of cognitive development and learning. During adolescence, the brain prunes unused synaptic connections, essentially a use it or lose it scenario, so the activities that adolescents engage with regularly will be the ones that the brain or memory will hold and impacts on emotions, thought processes and learning (Churchill et al, 2011). Due to Jane’s students being in a rural community, they do not have the benefit of being exposed to various activities or environments. Jane needs to engage her students with relevant activities so that they can understand the context easier and continue to stimulate their brains to learn and find meaning. References

Churchill, R., Ferguson, P., Godhino, S., Johnson, N.F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Mackay, J., McGill, M., Moss, J., Nagel, M.C., Nicholson, P. & Vick, M. (2011). Teaching: Making a Difference. QLD, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ed Foundations blog posting – Module B Second Scenario

Wayne (2) Wayne teaches at an inner city public high school. While he is really excited about his new job close to the inner city suburb where he lives and went to university, he’s finding that not all the students share his enthusiasm for learning. Wayne really enjoys the subject matter of his senior classes and spends a large proportion of his planning time ensuring he has the depth of content covered. However he is finding that his class is falling into two groups. In one a group a number of apparently highly motivated students are intellectually pushing him. Another group seems to consist of students who don’t really want be there. Both groups are causing Wayne concern as it appears that the ‘motivated’ group don’t engage at a deep level and instead want to know the ‘correct’ answers, while the ‘less motivated’ group are difficult for him to engage. A number of students seem to be distracted at school, he thinks they are tired or have perhaps been using drugs and alcohol. He is also concerned that a number of students seem anxious and fearful of not getting into the nearby University.

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The analysis of Wayne’s predicament is an interesting one. This scenario sounds like he is planning his curriculum rather well, but somehow falling short in some areas that are causing a group of students to ‘drift away’ from the subject matter.

Provocation 2 – Will I be allowed to be the teacher I want to be?  At least Wayne has identified an issue in his classroom, and that’s a good thing.  I believe Wayne needs to re-visit the ‘student motivation handbook’, and review some sound strategies regarding student motivation and engagement.  If his students are motivated enough to come to school – there must be a spark of interest there somewhere?  Has Wayne considered how today's’ digital-students learn?  For today’s digital natives, printed text is so yesterday.  Printed text is barely accepted anymore by current student standards.  Let’s say if Wayne’s students’ are unable to chat, text or tweet - its likely old news, and rudimentary learning for some (Churchill 2011).  Perhaps he should slant his curriculum or lesson plans toward a digital flavour, and engaged his students in this way? There’s nothing wrong with having computer-based discussions.

The above scenario has not indicated the grade level of the students who are facing these challenges.  If the class in question is comprised of 14-16 year old students, this may highlight how their brains may be undergoing change during these formative years.  Another concern Wayne has is a small group of ‘motivated’ students appear to be highly-focused on the assessment.  It seems they are concerned with just getting the answers, as opposed to deep-thought about the subject matter.  On the other side of the tracks, we have the opposing group of students that Wayne has identified as distracted.  Here again, organising students into groups may alleviate these distractions and help these students re-gain their focus.  According to Killin (2003), group work has the prominent feature that students work and collaborate together, rather than encounter direct in intercession by the teacher.  This means that the students can freely cooperate with each other and work towards a common goal or objective.

Wayne’s 6th provocation – what will students want and need from me? In Wayne’s case, my opinion suggests he needs more creativity in the classroom in order to enhance student engagement and improve their learning environment. Wayne should modify his class structure, so he can arrange his class in a more collaborative environment, whereas to stimulate his class to the point they are working together and in unison. What is Wayne’s level of critical-thinking in his classroom? Nosich (2005) suggests a good way to begin the thinking process is to activate the conscience thinking about the subject- even before we do any reading or see any presentations on the subject.

On one of my observation classes, the lead teacher introduced group work on one particular geography assignment - and it worked a treat!  It was designed upon group competition, whereby the group that could identify the most geographers’ tools would win. It was such a delight to see the grade 7 Geography group’s work together for a common outcome! I shall not soon forget this incident. 

[1] Churchill (2011). Teaching: making a difference. Pg. 111

[2] R. Killin (2003) Effective teaching strategies; lessons from research and practice. Pg. 126

This post is in response to Tom’s Module A Ed Foundations blog: http://tomasrl.tumblr.com/

 Tom’s post about Wayne’s situation brings up some difficult ideas about how to deal with students who are disengaged and possibly using illicit substances as Wayne suspects that some of his students might be drinking or taking drugs. Tom writes, ‘if Wayne’s suspicions about the group that appear unmotivated are correct, then this could be the reason why they appear like they don’t want to be there.’ It is clear that this is a serious issue and Tom outlines the risks to the student’s brain development from alcohol and drugs and suggests that ‘the students might also be finding the content harder to keep up with due to these developmental problems and so disengage and give up.’

However, I would like to suggest that it could also be possible that Wayne is not teaching to his student’s interests. It seems that though Wayne is spending a great deal of time planning for his senior students none of the students are really engaged deeply with the content. Our memories are shaped by our experiences (Churchill et. al, 2011: 89) and if Wayne’s students’ experiences, memories or prior knowledge have no relevance to new knowledge, then they are very unlikely to actually learn anything, or want to learn. It is very possible that this is why Wayne’s students are disengaging or not deeply engaging in class.

The brain uses synapses to connect neurons of information to one another. It is suggested that new information adheres much better to an already formed neuron/memory. A Piagetian approach to this science may reccomend that Wayne provides his students with knowledge that they can assimilate into already developed schemes/memories. (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010: 39)

If Wayne took the time to ask his students about themselves, their interests and hobbies, then perhaps he could begin to tailor lessons to involve some of these things. By tapping into his ‘students emotional lifeworlds’ (Churchill et. al, 2011: 122) Wayne could not only connect with their lives and interests, but it would also allow his university/exams focused students to practice creative writing for exams. And if Wayne’s students are having issues with drugs and alcohol he could tackle the issue with a new knowledge about the student’s lives, hopefully hitting home with them.

Resources

Churchill et. al, Teaching: Making a Difference, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd: Milton QLD, 2011

Wayne teaches at an inner city public high school. While he is really excited about his new job close to the inner city suburb where he lives and went to university, he’s finding that not all the students share his enthusiasm for learning. Wayne really enjoys the subject matter of his senior classes and spends a large proportion of his planning time ensuring he has the depth of content covered. However he is finding that his class is falling into two groups. In one a group a number of apparently highly motivated students are intellectually pushing him. Another group seems to consist of students who don’t really want be there. Both groups are causing Wayne concern as it appears that the ‘motivated’ group don’t engage at a deep level and instead want to know the ‘correct’ answers, while the ‘less motivated’ group are difficult for him to engage. A number of students seem to be distracted at school, he thinks they are tired or have perhaps been using drugs and alcohol. He is also concerned that a number of students seem anxious and fearful of not getting into the nearby University

Module B

Something that caught my eye with this scenario was the comment on how Wayne thought that some of his students had been using drugs or alcohol. Zeigler et al (2005) stated that adolescence is a high-risk period of initiating alcohol use and engaging in patterns of high risk drinking, this relates directly to Wayne's thoughts about his students taking alcohol or drugs.  At this stage of their life the human brain is still developing (Leinroot and Giedd, 2006) and studies have shown that Heavy underage drinking causes functional neurological deficits in areas such as verbal and nonverbal performance, memory and learning, problem solving and perceptual motor skills (Parsons, 1998). Another study found that verbal and full scale IQ scores were significantly lower for adolescent alcohol abusers who also displayed inferior reading recognition and spelling achievement (Moss et al, 1994).

All of the previously mentioned skills are of utmost importance to students because it directly influences their ability to learn as well as their ability to participate in the classroom. If Wayne's suspicions about the group that appear unmotivated are correct, then this could be the reason why they appear like they don't want to be there. Wayne would find it difficult to engage these students because the students might have difficulty remembering what was being taught in the previous lessons therefore do not understand the content of the current lesson. The students might also be finding the content harder to keep up with due to these developmental problems and so disengage and give up.

When relating this scenario back to the nine provocations, there are a couple that interest me. What kind of a teacher do I want to be? As we travel further and further into the course I'm slowly learning that I won't be able to connect with every single kid in the class and provide them with the support and encouragement that they need to strive in a positive learning environment. However if I were in Wayne's situation I would direct more of my focus and energy in engaging the unmotivated kids while simultaneously providing challenging and stimulating material for the students who are excelling. As well as that, I would like to be considered as a friend by the students, this would allow me to talk freely and openly among them with confidence about the effects of their alcohol use and how it influences their learning.

What will students want and need from me? In Wayne's case, the class demands a lot from him because of the different levels of engagement and content knowledge for the students. There may also be external factors that are influencing his class. There is only so much Wayne can do in this case. Wayne should obviously keep providing the positive learning environment for his students that he has been doing so far but at the same time maybe try and figure the reason why the other group of students don't really want to be there. Only then will Wayne be able to tackle this problem as he knows the reason and may be able to structure his class's better for them or offer external support/advice for the students.

Resources

Lenroot R.K., Giedd J.N., (2006) Brain development in children and adolescents: Insights from anatomical magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroscience and Behavioural reviews. Vol 30, p 718-729

Moss H.B., Kirisci L., Gordon H.W. and Tarter R.E. (1994) A Neuropsychologic profile of adolescent alcoholics. Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research

Parsons O.A., (1998). Neurocognitive deficits in alcoholics and social drinkers: a continuum? Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Vol 22, p 954-961 

Alyssa I found our critique interesting as I had really skipped over the importance of students requiring breakfast to enhance their learning opportunities.  You mentioned how students from the rural areas may be further isolated with the ‘breaky club’.  Perhaps an alternative could involve the school creating partnership with parents and the bus company and provide prepacked breakfast packs for students as they get on the bus?  This way student’s enter the school already fed and having fuel for the brain. 

One main point I took from this scenario is Jane’s inability to engage her students.  It is her first year out, so you can argue that she is still nervous and getting into the role of teaching.  I recall a comment from somewhere that first year teacher’s main role is to get to know their students, then after that year they can work on curriculum and being creative.  This could make for a long year, but Jane getting to know her students is one of the most valuable methods to know how to engage them (Bartholomew, 2007).  Once she knows the students Jane can tailor lessons to better engage them and improve student’s interest in learning (Leong, 2005). 

You also mentioned the importance Vygotsky places on social interaction to increase student development.  Getting to know her students and using their strengths will greatly increase the productivity of the group work you mentioned and so their social interaction abilities.  Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD, 1978) also comes into play here once she knows how her class as a whole works.  This may be something Jane can use to help engage her students and bring in external ‘parent’ support to help scaffold and assist student learning. 

I also couldn’t help but think that Jane had to work on how to engage her students to study/ do homework on the long bus trips home.  There is a bit of research on this and even a Facebook page… But that is research for another time. 

References:

Bartholomew, B. (2007). Why We Can't Always Get What We Want. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(8), 593-598. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Leong, L. (2005). Improving Students' Interest in Learning: Some Positive Techniques. Journal of Information Systems Education, 16, 2, pp. 129-132.