Reflections and insights on Professional Development at Githens Middle School
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Building Relationships and Motivating Students
October 28, 2009 Please share your comments, successes, questions, or concerns about the topic we discussed or any of the strategies used in the presentation.
I find that although motivation is usually a crucial factor, it can also be the most difficult to achieve. When I use a personal anecdote or comment on something of direct interest to students' lives, I notice an immediate increase in attention. I also used to do lots of hands-on projects such as Chinese New Years Festival, and making advertisements. These have been proven over and over to motivate the students to learn and be interested. Now, I find that teachers don't have the time to do these projects with me because of the constraints of the pacing guide and testing. But I can guarantee that the students who made the Chinese New Years projects with me have retained much more information about the culture and traditions of China than have the kids who watched videos and read hand-outs.
Capturing Kids Hearts helped me realize how important positive interaction was in building a good rapport with students. The excel steps: engage, explore, communicate, empower, and launch have proven effective in motivating children to perform well. Usually the higher the expectation for the student, the better the effort and result. They always respond well when I express my confidence in their ability, show my interest in their success, and recognize their progress. In the 8th grade I also find it important for me to empower them by encouraging their attendance at IEP meetings so they can have a voice about what they need in order to be more successfu.
The students I have good rapport with may not be the ones who are excelling in class. They will, on the other hand, put forth a lot of effort, even when the tasks are difficult for them.
One of the things I am learning is how challenging some of the students' personalities can be. It is hard to smile (and mean it) sometimes. I do know what one student really wants from my class. She wants a good grade. This will help infom how I proceed with discipline for her. She could easily end up suspended, if I "get tough", but since she wants a good grade, I have given her a closer seat, and will pull her in for tutoring after school, if mom agrees. Because of her defiance, it is hard to tell what she knows, and what she doesn't want others to know she doesn't know.
Teachers who feel valued will indubitably reflect that valued feeling on their students. When we feel stressed, and underappreciated, we may inadvertently pass that onto the students. It can spiral up or down. That is the choice at Githens. Emily
Our goal for professional development this year is to meet the specific needs of members of our Professional Learning Community. After each professional development opportunity, participants are asked to reflect and then comment on the presentation and on the implementation of the strategies in your classroom.
We believe we can build a core of professional knowledge that will benefit each of us.
Additionally, independent professional development will be offered online. Staff members who participate in online p.d. should write a reflection of their work on the blog.
3 comments:
I find that although motivation is usually a crucial factor, it can also be the most difficult to achieve. When I use a personal anecdote or comment on something of direct interest to students' lives, I notice an immediate increase in attention. I also used to do lots of hands-on projects such as Chinese New Years Festival, and making advertisements. These have been proven over and over to motivate the students to learn and be interested. Now, I find that teachers don't have the time to do these projects with me because of the constraints of the pacing guide and testing. But I can guarantee that the students who made the Chinese New Years projects with me have retained much more information about the culture and traditions of China than have the kids who watched videos and read hand-outs.
Capturing Kids Hearts helped me realize how important positive interaction was in building a good rapport with students. The excel steps: engage, explore, communicate, empower, and launch have proven effective in motivating children to perform well. Usually the higher the expectation for the student, the better the effort and result. They always respond well when I express my confidence in their ability, show my interest in their success, and recognize their progress. In the 8th grade I also find it important for me to empower them by encouraging their attendance at IEP meetings so they can have a voice about what they need in order to be more successfu.
The students I have good rapport with may not be the ones who are excelling in class. They will, on the other hand, put forth a lot of effort, even when the tasks are difficult for them.
One of the things I am learning is how challenging some of the students' personalities can be. It is hard to smile (and mean it) sometimes. I do know what one student really wants from my class. She wants a good grade. This will help infom how I proceed with discipline for her. She could easily end up suspended, if I "get tough", but since she wants a good grade, I have given her a closer seat, and will pull her in for tutoring after school, if mom agrees.
Because of her defiance, it is hard to tell what she knows, and what she doesn't want others to know she doesn't know.
Teachers who feel valued will indubitably reflect that valued feeling on their students. When we feel stressed, and underappreciated, we may inadvertently pass that onto the students.
It can spiral up or down. That is the choice at Githens.
Emily
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