I think that making teacher expectations explicit is the key to a smooth functioning classroom. As my field instructor says, “how can you expect kids to do what you want them to do if you don’t tell them what it is?” My cooperating teacher puts his expectations, policies, and teaching philosophy on the syllabus. The syllabus must be signed by the students and their parents within a week of the beginning of class. Requiring that the students and their parents enter a “contractual agreement" to these expectations shows the students that these policies will be enforced. The expectation listed on the syllabus as “ Be respectful of yourself and others and yours, other’s school property” establishes clear standards of conduct. This expectation promotes a safe learning environment in which all students are expected to be treated fairly. The statement “Be prepared. Be in class on time everyday. Bring all necessary materials” not only establishes standards for conduct but also establishes a daily routine of being prepared and on time for class. I think that it is imperative that students understand that it is an expected student routine to walk into the classroom everyday with needed materials. These are a couple among many of the positive highlights of the syllabus.
I plan to use the syllabus in the same way as my cooperating teacher when I get my own classroom.
What do you think about this idea? What do you do to establish norms in your classroom? I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Praise and Encouragement
I recently interviewed a teacher in Ann Arbor about praise and encouragement.
The teachers says that praise is good but he does not over do it. He compares over-praising students to an excessively doting aunt. After time, this praise appears to the student as disingenuous. His philosophy on excessive praise aligns with research. According to Margolis and McCabe, teachers should use “praise only when struggling learners have legitimately earned it; otherwise they may soon think it is insincere or perfunctory” (Margolis & McCabe, 2006, p. 224). In fact , Brophy (2003) asserts that “effective praise is delivered contingently, specifies accomplishments, is spontaneous, focuses attention on task-relevant behavior, and suggests competence” (Margolis & McCabe, 2006, p. 225). Task specific praise is a preventative measure against unearned praise, according to Margolis and McCabe.
The teacher also stated during the interview that public praise is not always the best choice. Some students like public praise and others do not. He suggests getting to know the students’ preferences before praising publicly. Good and Brophy (1987) suggest that teachers “praise students privately to avoid public embarrassment” ( Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008, p. 315). The interviewee also stated that praising students privately may mean more to certain students. Research about praise is important. However, this interview confirmed that research suggestions should not be followed rigidly. The suggestions can be modified depending on the personalities of the students.
How do you praise students in your classroom. How do you avoid overpraising and underpraising student efforts?
References
Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. (2006). What to do, What to say. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(4), 218-227.
Schunk, D., Pintrich., P., & Meece, J. (2008). Motivation in education: Theory, Research and Applications. New Jersey. Pearson Education Inc.
The teachers says that praise is good but he does not over do it. He compares over-praising students to an excessively doting aunt. After time, this praise appears to the student as disingenuous. His philosophy on excessive praise aligns with research. According to Margolis and McCabe, teachers should use “praise only when struggling learners have legitimately earned it; otherwise they may soon think it is insincere or perfunctory” (Margolis & McCabe, 2006, p. 224). In fact , Brophy (2003) asserts that “effective praise is delivered contingently, specifies accomplishments, is spontaneous, focuses attention on task-relevant behavior, and suggests competence” (Margolis & McCabe, 2006, p. 225). Task specific praise is a preventative measure against unearned praise, according to Margolis and McCabe.
The teacher also stated during the interview that public praise is not always the best choice. Some students like public praise and others do not. He suggests getting to know the students’ preferences before praising publicly. Good and Brophy (1987) suggest that teachers “praise students privately to avoid public embarrassment” ( Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008, p. 315). The interviewee also stated that praising students privately may mean more to certain students. Research about praise is important. However, this interview confirmed that research suggestions should not be followed rigidly. The suggestions can be modified depending on the personalities of the students.
How do you praise students in your classroom. How do you avoid overpraising and underpraising student efforts?
References
Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. (2006). What to do, What to say. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(4), 218-227.
Schunk, D., Pintrich., P., & Meece, J. (2008). Motivation in education: Theory, Research and Applications. New Jersey. Pearson Education Inc.
Derivative Lesson Idea
I am always looking for great math lesson ideas. You'll be surprised at the great ideas that you can find on the internet. I stumbled upon a blog by Steven Strogatz ( an opinionator for the NY Times, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/steven-strogatz/). He describes Michael Jordan dunks using the idea of derivatives. I would love to do this with my students.
Strogatz states, "Just after lift-off, his vertical velocity (the rate at which his elevation changes in time, and thus, another derivative) is positive, because he’s going up. His elevation is increasing. On the way down, this derivative is negative. And at the highest point of his jump, where he seems to hang in the air, his elevation is momentarily unchanging and his derivative is zero. In that sense he truly is hanging."
I think this is a fun and interesting way to look at derivatives. I could even have the kids trace out the path of Michael Jordan so that they can get a clearer picture.
Do you have any ideas of how to teach dervatives in a fun way?
Strogatz states, "Just after lift-off, his vertical velocity (the rate at which his elevation changes in time, and thus, another derivative) is positive, because he’s going up. His elevation is increasing. On the way down, this derivative is negative. And at the highest point of his jump, where he seems to hang in the air, his elevation is momentarily unchanging and his derivative is zero. In that sense he truly is hanging."
I think this is a fun and interesting way to look at derivatives. I could even have the kids trace out the path of Michael Jordan so that they can get a clearer picture.
Do you have any ideas of how to teach dervatives in a fun way?
Competition in the Classroom
Recently, I prepared a review activity for my Algebra 2 students in the form of the game Bingo. The purpose of the activity was for the students to prepare for a test on exponential and logarithmic functions. I organized the desks in pairs so that students could collaborate on 25 review problems. My mentor and I walked around the room to help individual pairs of students. The students were motivated to complete these review problems in a timely manner because they would need these answers to fill out their bingo card. Every pair of students had a different bingo card with the numbers 1 -25 pre-written in different locations in the 5 X 5 grid. Students were instructed to place their answers to the problems in the corresponding grid cell for that problem number. At the end of class, I called out the answers to the 25 problems in random order. The students crossed out answers on their bingo card as they were called. Approximately 4 pairs won bingo and I gave out candy as a prize.
The activity went very well. The majority of the student pairs were having rich conversations about the mathematics. I witnessed many “aha moments” when a student understood a concept after their partner explained it to him or her. I also witnessed student pairs constructing meaning and figuring out problems together. I believe that many of the students would not have done so well on the worksheet if it were not for the collective scaffolding that this activity provided. I also provided assistance to many student pairs. I was careful not to give the answer but to guide the students' thinking.
In this case, my competitive activity (Bingo) motivated my students and worked well.
What do you think about competition in the classroom? What are some important features of competitive activities that foster learning without undermining the teacher's efforts to build a safe learning community?
The activity went very well. The majority of the student pairs were having rich conversations about the mathematics. I witnessed many “aha moments” when a student understood a concept after their partner explained it to him or her. I also witnessed student pairs constructing meaning and figuring out problems together. I believe that many of the students would not have done so well on the worksheet if it were not for the collective scaffolding that this activity provided. I also provided assistance to many student pairs. I was careful not to give the answer but to guide the students' thinking.
In this case, my competitive activity (Bingo) motivated my students and worked well.
What do you think about competition in the classroom? What are some important features of competitive activities that foster learning without undermining the teacher's efforts to build a safe learning community?
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