Continuum of Responses

     Creating a learning environment that is conducive to learning begins with the teacher setting the tone for the rest of the students. This begins with the teacher and the students creating rules together that creates a positive classroom environment and does not tolerate actions such as bullying or being interruptive towards other classmates. When a teacher sets her standards high for her students and expects them to meet the standards then the students are more likely to rise to the occasion.      In the case of Lisa, after observing the group and seeing the new dynamics I would have a meeting with the group. In this meeting I would remember the essentials of preserving the students dignity, avoiding a power struggle, and checking your assumptions. I would then generate a discussion in the group about what they believe is going on in the group. I would let each child have a turn to voice their opinion and then I would also state what I saw in the group without specifically bringing attention to Lisa. I would then let them know that I would be monitoring the group more closely during the coming activities and if I saw a student or Lisa not participating I would first try to give them "the look" or approach the desk and just tap the desk or the table to let them know that I was watching.
     If the above strategies did not work I would then pull Lisa aside and have a discussion with her about her behavior and how it is not appropriate for the classroom and how everyone in the classroom must contribute to the learning environment. During the entire year I would be  incorporating self regulation into the curriculum using ideas from the responsive classroom (article below) to give students options on how to deal with their behavior. I would also work with the fellow teachers on my team to see if they have suggestions or ideas on how to address the situation.  If the behavior still does not change I would then contact Lisa's parents via telephone and ask if they have seen a change in Lisa's behavior and talk about how they might be able to address the situation with Lisa. If getting the parents involved still did not help the situation I would then go to the guidance counselor in the school and have a meeting with her about the situation. I would catch her up on what has been done and Lisa's response to the prior interventions and then see what she could do and if she has techniques that might vary than what I had originally tried. I do not think it would get to this case because I believe this situation could be taken care of in the first couple of steps with a diligent teacher that promotes a positive classroom environment. 

Article:

This is an article about the responsive classroom where it talks about how to help children care and work together in groups. It also focues on self control and the classroom community. They also have a book that is a great resource (used for another class) and a website that is great for teacher to get ideas. 

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED369531&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED369531

Motivation

Consider the theories of motivation that we discussed in class.   Which theories of motivation are most helpful and instructive for you?  How can they enhance motivation and affect your students?  

I think it is really important for teachers and educators to understand motivation. It is critical to be able to engage children and motivate them to learn and work in the classroom. I think personally it is important to know effective ways to motivate children but also the knowledge of how to encourage intrinsic motivation. Reading the story in class of a teacher who failed to realize how much children relied on homework passes shows how communication between teachers and honest feedback is very important and valuable to teachers.

I find the self-determination theory very interesting. I really like it because the teacher is really trying to build the intrinsic motivation within the student but they are still helping them by providing select extrinsic motivators.  If the teacher is not selective in what they are choosing to reward with an extrinsic motivator it could quickly turn into solely extrinsic motivation instead of trying to develop the intrinsic motivation. Young children often find things very interesting in school and if the teacher has created an environment that they will want to learn in the self-determiantion theory would be very useful. I think it is important to let the children take the lead because i have seen in my experience they will be more invested in the topic. 

Here is a blog that I found that had tips to help grow students intrinsic motivation. I found it helpful and very easy to read and it reminded me of some ways to fuel intrinsic motivation with the self-determination theory. 

http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2011/11/26/intrinsic-motivation/

Week 1

After the first class, take a moment to reflect on what was discussed. What are your personal objectives for the class? What do you want to explore deeper? What questions or concerns do you have?

I am excited t o explore the various topics in this course and hear other students point of view on different subjects. I loved getting to hear the different reasons that people wanted to be teachers. I also liked having the opportunity to reflect on why I chose this as a career. Recently I have just been trying to get through classes and sometimes lose sight of why I wanted to be a teacher. 

My personal objectives for this class are to get a better understanding of how to get children motivated, keep motivation, and create a learning environment that is conducive to all learning types and personalities. I do want to explore motivation and classroom management deeper. I do have a concern that the blogs could get overwhelming. I am a bit worried that I will not be able to keep up with them and am worried about forgetting one. My bigger concern is having to find something from an oustide source. That seems like a daunting task and very time consuming. I have had to do something similar in a prior class and I found it very difficult with certain topics to find any valuable information that did nothing but repeat the information that had already been noted.