Module 5: Catching and Holding Interest, Rosenshine's Six Teaching Functions, Teacher Expectations
Catching and Holding Interest:
Summary:
As teachers whenever we have the opportunity to get students' attention in class and to hold that attention we will try almost anything. Woolfolk mentions on (page 483) how this might be a difficult situation to be in considering what content is being taught is determined by state standards in most classrooms. It will be difficult to tailor every lesson to each student's interest. We will have to rely a lot more on triggering and maintaining situational interest.
Reflection:
I have to admit that I am much more focused in school today and determined to do whatever means necessary to pass a class than I was when I was younger. Beginning at the elementary school level all the way through high school education was boring to me. It didn't peak my interest unless somehow the lesson for that day was involving sports. I pretty much coasted through my educational career by just getting by and doing the bare minimum in order to play sports. I don't really blame the teachers for not keeping my interest because they were doing the best they could on what they had to teach. When Woolfolk mentions about the content that we are allowed to teach is passed through the state standards it's almost like trying to carry your groceries and open the door at the same time while having one arm tied behind your back. Difficult but not impossible. As teachers, we will try to modify the lesson that we must teach to better fit our students' needs. After all, we know our students a lot better than the state knows them. I think there should be some freedom in being able to come up with our own lessons that better suit the needs of our students but still fall under the state standards. I believe classroom grades and test scores would go up if we were able to modify our individual students' needs.
Rosenshine's Six Teaching Functions:
Summary:
Rosenshine along with his colleagues designed a checklist or framework for teaching basic skills. Review and check, Present new material, Provide guided practice, Give feedback, Provide independent practice, and Review weekly and monthly learning. (pg. 563)
Reflection:
I believe that Rosenshine's checklist can be very beneficial in all classrooms and outside of classrooms as well (sports, clubs, etc.) Review and check makes a lot of sense for students that might not understand what is being presented in the classroom. Reviewing what is being taught might also be beneficial to students that partially understand but still need that extra support. Like with teaching in the classroom or in a sport you want to introduce new material or technique but you want to do it slowly. I had to make adjustments for this as well when I first started to work in education and coach. I thought my students and players could all catch on to what I was instructing and pick it up right away. Going at the students' pace and introducing it into small steps is the best option. We can also learn how to question students on the material they already know and the material that they are being introduced to. Taking your time as a teacher to see if your students are understanding or misunderstanding can be crucial. If you don't think the classroom is ready to advance then don't and go over the material again. I feel the providing feedback should be a given but there are some that don't provide it and it can be detrimental to the students. If we are going to teach in the classroom then we must provide feedback for all students regardless of what grade they are getting. Lastly, I believe that independent practice and reviewing of weekly and monthly learning is important because it allows the student to work on their own and to test themselves on the material they know, needs improvement with, or needs work on. That is where I can see weekly and monthly learning reviews also being beneficial to teachers and students as well.
Teacher Expectations:
Summary:
Teachers need to have expectations for themselves and for their students. Woolfolk says on page 583 that students that low-expectation students tend to be more disruptive in the classroom.
Reflection:
There is no question that teachers and students need to have expectations for themselves on the first day of school and see it out until the end of the school year. Sometimes, I feel teachers don't have to set expectations for themselves. That expectations only need to be set for students because they are the ones that need to learn. Well, we are all human, even teachers and at times we can get lazy just like at times students can get lazy. When we set expectations as teachers I feel that we can hold ourselves more accountable for our attitude in the classroom, in the hallways, in the teacher's lounge. When we set expectations for ourselves I believe it blocks out the negativity that can be present without us even noticing. Some of us have been inside that teacher's lounge and it can be pretty negative at times and if you haven't been in a teacher's lounge yet well you can be that positivity that could be needed. I believe that expectations also helps us as teachers from getting complacent with what we are doing. I don't know about anyone else but I have had quite the journey in getting here and I hope I never forget where I have come from but it happens at times. We take things for granted that we might not know we are and expectations could help a person stay humble and keep that passion alive for wanting to impact students lives.
Summary:
As teachers whenever we have the opportunity to get students' attention in class and to hold that attention we will try almost anything. Woolfolk mentions on (page 483) how this might be a difficult situation to be in considering what content is being taught is determined by state standards in most classrooms. It will be difficult to tailor every lesson to each student's interest. We will have to rely a lot more on triggering and maintaining situational interest.
Reflection:
I have to admit that I am much more focused in school today and determined to do whatever means necessary to pass a class than I was when I was younger. Beginning at the elementary school level all the way through high school education was boring to me. It didn't peak my interest unless somehow the lesson for that day was involving sports. I pretty much coasted through my educational career by just getting by and doing the bare minimum in order to play sports. I don't really blame the teachers for not keeping my interest because they were doing the best they could on what they had to teach. When Woolfolk mentions about the content that we are allowed to teach is passed through the state standards it's almost like trying to carry your groceries and open the door at the same time while having one arm tied behind your back. Difficult but not impossible. As teachers, we will try to modify the lesson that we must teach to better fit our students' needs. After all, we know our students a lot better than the state knows them. I think there should be some freedom in being able to come up with our own lessons that better suit the needs of our students but still fall under the state standards. I believe classroom grades and test scores would go up if we were able to modify our individual students' needs.
Rosenshine's Six Teaching Functions:
Summary:
Rosenshine along with his colleagues designed a checklist or framework for teaching basic skills. Review and check, Present new material, Provide guided practice, Give feedback, Provide independent practice, and Review weekly and monthly learning. (pg. 563)
Reflection:
I believe that Rosenshine's checklist can be very beneficial in all classrooms and outside of classrooms as well (sports, clubs, etc.) Review and check makes a lot of sense for students that might not understand what is being presented in the classroom. Reviewing what is being taught might also be beneficial to students that partially understand but still need that extra support. Like with teaching in the classroom or in a sport you want to introduce new material or technique but you want to do it slowly. I had to make adjustments for this as well when I first started to work in education and coach. I thought my students and players could all catch on to what I was instructing and pick it up right away. Going at the students' pace and introducing it into small steps is the best option. We can also learn how to question students on the material they already know and the material that they are being introduced to. Taking your time as a teacher to see if your students are understanding or misunderstanding can be crucial. If you don't think the classroom is ready to advance then don't and go over the material again. I feel the providing feedback should be a given but there are some that don't provide it and it can be detrimental to the students. If we are going to teach in the classroom then we must provide feedback for all students regardless of what grade they are getting. Lastly, I believe that independent practice and reviewing of weekly and monthly learning is important because it allows the student to work on their own and to test themselves on the material they know, needs improvement with, or needs work on. That is where I can see weekly and monthly learning reviews also being beneficial to teachers and students as well.
Teacher Expectations:
Summary:
Teachers need to have expectations for themselves and for their students. Woolfolk says on page 583 that students that low-expectation students tend to be more disruptive in the classroom.
Reflection:
There is no question that teachers and students need to have expectations for themselves on the first day of school and see it out until the end of the school year. Sometimes, I feel teachers don't have to set expectations for themselves. That expectations only need to be set for students because they are the ones that need to learn. Well, we are all human, even teachers and at times we can get lazy just like at times students can get lazy. When we set expectations as teachers I feel that we can hold ourselves more accountable for our attitude in the classroom, in the hallways, in the teacher's lounge. When we set expectations for ourselves I believe it blocks out the negativity that can be present without us even noticing. Some of us have been inside that teacher's lounge and it can be pretty negative at times and if you haven't been in a teacher's lounge yet well you can be that positivity that could be needed. I believe that expectations also helps us as teachers from getting complacent with what we are doing. I don't know about anyone else but I have had quite the journey in getting here and I hope I never forget where I have come from but it happens at times. We take things for granted that we might not know we are and expectations could help a person stay humble and keep that passion alive for wanting to impact students lives.
I think that as long as teachers are teaching the state standards, most have the freedom to use the strategies that work for them. Usually administrators don't tell teachers how to teach if their students are meeting the standards and demonstrating competence on standardized tests.
ReplyDeleteI think a key to motivating students is to make what they are learning relevant for them. If they can see the benefit of learning what you're teaching, then they are far more likely to want to learn it. I know that for me, if I want to learn something, I will do what it takes to learn it. For example, I wanted to remodel my bathroom. I had never tiled before, so I read what I could and watched a lot of YouTube videos so I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing. Then I tiled my own shower and bathroom floor. I learned it because I wanted to. Now how can we get students to want to learn? I believe the key is get them to see the relevance.