Week of November 2

There is so much going on in my mind this week: case based learning, 25% of my students with swine flu, the end of the quarter, and thoughts of APA documentation style. When I stop to think about learning, I think about synthesis. I don't think that true learning can really take place until you stop and think about, reflect and ponder that learning. With so many new teaching ideas, responsibilities and mandates, I don't know if I have my students stop and reflect and evaluate their learning as much as I should. I think that when you reflect about learning and really think about what you have learned and how you will use it, you are more likely to value that learning and continue to build on it. My students really need time to reflect on learning because sometimes they don't see the big picture. They don't know why it's important to do independent reading, learn new vocabulary and make meaning out of text. Whole class reflection is very beneficial. I need to make more time for this in my classroom. The day before Halloween is not a great time for reflection, so I'll try it during the first part of November.

Learning can best be effectuated by setting time aside to think about and reflect on the things that we are learning and how they will be helpful in the future. This time could be 5 minutes of class time or 20 minutes of individual journaling time or anything in between.

Week of October 19

I really enjoyed the readings this week concerning motivation. I really think that motivation is one of the most important parts on the classroom. The readings this week focused on how students ask for help and how teachers can help students ask for help. I think that before we even think about that, teacher enthusiasm should be taken into consideration. If a teacher is not enthusiastic and does not care about the content, students sense that and become apathetic to the content taught in the classroom. I remember the first year I taught. I taught texts that were available and texts that other teachers taught and had success with. I was so fortunate; I had the best mentor teacher ever (literally, she became the Utah Teacher of the Year a few years later). I thought that everything was in place for me to have a great year. That year, I tried to teach pieces of literature that I didn’t love. I think that really came through to the students. I didn’t feel a lot of success with some of the units that I tried. I was frustrated because my mentor teacher loved those pieces of literature and it seemed that her students did too. The next year, I was able to order my own set of books. I chose a book that I loved, that filled the curriculum standards and that I felt I could teach in an impactful way. That really changed everything. I could look at my kids and say “I love this book and I think that there is a lot that we can learn by reading it together.” That enthusiasm changed my classroom that year. Since that experience, I try to get enthused about everything I teach. Sometimes we are mandated to teach certain curriculum that doesn’t excite us, but we can put our own stamp on it and add our own personality.

So I guess I think that learning can best be effectuated by really motivating students with our enthusiasm. If students see that we love the things we teach, they will be more motivated to learn.

Week of October 8 What is Learning?

This week I’ve been thinking about learning according to schema and of course Piaget’s developmental stages, but I’ve also been thinking about my own classroom and my school. When I am asked “What is learning” I have to say that student motivation is a huge key. I work in an amazing school and I work with wonderful teachers. I can’t help but think that some of the success I see in the classrooms of my fellow teachers comes from the motivation that these students feel when they enter the classroom. The classroom environment makes such a huge impact on student learning. If students feel like they are valued and cared for, they will do anything for a teacher. I just wonder if we will talk about that in class. My faculty has been working on positive reinforcement and specifically sending home two positive postcards a week. Teachers choose any two students in class and send home a postcard telling parents about a positive thing that happened with the student that week. This has been very powerful and there has been great feedback from parents and students. I think that when students get one of these postcards, their motivation goes up and they are willing to try that much harder in class. So is there a theorist that has done research on this, or should I start my research process so I can make millions of dollars selling books with my findings?

I think that one of the best ways to effectuate learning is to try to get to know students. (Of course everyone in my Masters classes understands this because I’ve seen your lesson plans and I know that you are amazing teachers.) Students need to know that a teacher cares about them. They also need to know that the teacher cares about them enough to put a foot down when they are out of control. So, there are my thoughts about learning and effectuating learning for this week.