The First Year Teaching: Resolving classroom conflict

By Matthew Lynch

There is bound to be some tension at some point in your classroom, no matter how organized or even how well-behaved your students. Conflict can easily arise between you and your students, or among them.

It is part of the job of contemporary teachers to ensure that their students resolve conflict without verbal or physical attacks. You will need to teach the students that open discussion and empathy are the right ways to go about resolving conflicts. Instead of punishing students, you should try to share the power with students so that they learn to work on a resolution on their own. A peer mediation system is highly beneficial as it teaches students how to resolve conflicts and help others to do so.

But what do you do when all of your proactive approaches fall flat?

Using punishment

Planning will definitely help you to minimize misbehavior in the classroom.  There will, however, always be students who will sooner or later cause problems that call for you to administer punishment.  Before delivering punishment, you will have to ensure that the student knows that they are responsible for being punished by choosing to misbehave. You might need to find the appropriate punishment for individual students because every student sees punishment differently. For example, in the case of a student who misbehaves to get the attention of his peers, if punishment achieves this objective, the student may consider this action to be a success.

One common punishment is issuing a verbal reprimand, but many students may not respond well to this, as it may not be authoritative enough to make them reconsider the action.  It may be seen as a minor consequence, and the undesirable behavior may continue. You will need to personalize student punishment to a certain extent. The best way to verbally reprimand a student is to do so in private.  When students are in private, they are more likely to listen to teachers, even admit their wrongdoings and/or honestly explain the reasons behind their actions.  With such a positive outcome, teachers can build relationships with misbehaving students so that they can be more aware and be better able to manage the classroom.

If the problem is severe or ongoing, opt for greater consequences such as loss of privileges. If this continues to be ineffective, consult the principal to discuss harsher punishments, such as school suspension. Not all students have the same opinion of privileges and that might make maintaining the fairness in punishment difficult.

Punishment tactics to avoid

Here is a list of few forms of student punishment that are not recommended, along with the reasons why they are not good options:

  • Giving extra work: It may be difficult to maintain fairness as academically-challenged students will fall behind more, and extra work can make students stay up and come to school with inadequate rest, causing their concentration levels to go down. This may contribute negatively to student performance, which could be damaging for both the teacher and student in the long-term.
  • Deducting marks: This often gives students more reasons to harbor negative feelings towards not only the subject and school, but also education itself.  Linking academics with behavioral mistakes will foster further negative attitudes and behavior in students.
  • Corporal punishment: This has been made illegal in several states and overall, this type of punishment fails to address the problem. Students’ discontinuation of misbehavior would be linked only to the fear of physical pain, and not actually an understanding of why the behavior was wrong.

You will need to remain calm and direct when delivering punishment, acting with consistency and fairness. By quickly and effectively dealing with students, you are able to portray your professionalism and move the class forward in its studies.

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

A Metric for the Big Picture: The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Obtaining a National Board Certification is every teacher’s professional dream. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching created the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBTS) in 1987. The aim was to create a set of high standards for teachers and to certify teachers who meet those standards. The Carnegie Foundation has also established four steps in the career ladder of a teacher. These include the licensed teacher, the national board-certified teacher, the advanced teacher, and the lead teacher, based on several parameters.

The following are the requirements for applying for a national board certification:

1. Met all degree requirements

2. Certified by your state’s department of instruction

3. Minimum 3 years’ classroom teaching experience

The certification process lasts several years, and includes observations, assessments, and evaluations. Overall assessment is based on the following five items:

1. Commitment to students

2. Subject matter knowledge

3. Classroom management abilities

4. Instruction practices

5. Direct membership in the learning community

All these rigorous standards and procedures ensure that the teacher who emerges is at the top of the profession and a master of the art of the teaching. This is the greatest challenge to American teachers, who must strive to meet these high standards.

Whether it’s your first year or your fifth, orienting your teaching career towards the goal of obtaining a National Board Certification can keep you sticking to best practices and feeling motivated. Having a direction you’re working towards going will keep your teaching from getting stale or stalling. Being a teacher – like being a student – is about striving and thriving and growing from what you learn. National Board Certification will be a testament that you live that philosophy!

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

Designer Learning Experiences: Bridging the Gap for Low-Income and Minority Students

The number of minority students outweighs the number of white students—yet underrepresented minorities still often face a worse quality education than their white counterparts. It’s prime time to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, and fortunately, as a society, we are actively looking for ways to do just that.

As of 2014, minorities have been projected to be over 50 percent of the K-12 student population, according to the U.S. Education Department’s Nation Center for Education Statistics.

In the fall of 2014, about 49.8 million students attended public elementary and secondary schools. Of these students, 35.1 million were in prekindergarten through grade 8, and 14.7 million will be in grades 9 through 12. Another 5 million students attend private schools.

Out of these 49.8 million students, White students account for just under half at 24.8 million. The other 25 million are composed of 7.7 million African American students, 12.8 million Hispanic students, 2.6 million Asian/Pacific Islander students, 0.5 million American Indian/Alaska Native students, and 1.4 million students of two or more races.

Taking this even further, the percentage of White students is predicted to continue decreasing the next several years as enrollments of Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders increase through 2023.

Of course, I am pleased to see the numbers of minorities attending school on the rise this year. In the best interest of our country’s future, I believe that all Americans should attend school. These projections show that our nation is on the way to decreasing the education gap, and that makes me proud.

That said, even though we have a growing number of minority students attending school, we are still facing some racial, ethnic, and income-based inequities. Poor schools see less funding than their more affluent counterparts in 23 states, according to data reported in The Washington Post. On average, states and localities spend 15 percent less per pupil in the poorest districts than in the most affluent ones—but in states like Pennsylvania, this difference is even more pronounced (33 percent)!

The issues are not just income related. They are most certainly racial and ethnic in nature as well. For example, in Illinois School District U-46, over 40 percent of the student population is Latino, but only 2 percent of the gifted program is from this demographic. In July, a federal district court judge found that the school system had discriminated against its gifted Latino students by placing them in a program separate from white peers. The judge also ruled that the policies in place to identify gifted students had a “disparate impact” on the Latino school population. The lawsuit was spearheaded by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

In this particular case, the Latino students who were placed in separate gifted programs had English as a second language or were bilingual at least. In this case, the language barrier appears to be the excuse used by district leaders for separating Latino students from their white counterparts.

Another sign that not all is well is the school-to-prison pipeline.

Perhaps a great illustration of this phenomenon is the story of Ahmed Mohamed.

In September 2015, officers detained Ahmed Mohamed from the Irving Police Department for bringing in a homemade clock to school. His teacher had mistaken it for a bomb, and as a result, Ahmed was arrested for bringing a “hoax bomb” to school.

Officials later learned that Ahmed’s faux bomb was just a homemade clock and he had no intention of harming anyone. It was all, as stated by the police, just a misunderstanding.

If only it were that simple.

Since the melee, Ahmed has been invited to the White House, MIT, and Facebook for his creativity. Each organization or group has shown support for Ahmed due to his unfair arrest.

But the unfairness tagged to his arrest has more to do with Ahmed’s culture and skin color than safety.

Ahmed Mohamed was born in America, is Muslim, and his parents aren’t native. The stereotypes associated with Ahmed’s existence led to his arrest, not a clock misidentified as a bomb.

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, students of color, specifically black students, are suspended at a much higher rate than white students. While Ahmed isn’t black, he is considered to be a student of color.

The study also notes that in 84 districts within the 13 states studied, “Blacks were 100 percent of students suspended from school.”

This perpetuates an unfortunate theory that students of color are pushed towards prison instead of higher education.

We need to push more kids like Ahmed to advance boundaries—but this will not happen as long as we punish their ability to blow by them.

That’s not all.

Minorities are not college ready. While the high school graduation rate has increased to around 80 percent, this hasn’t translated into college readiness for students. A report from the College of Education at the University of Arizona found that less than 1 in 10 minority high school graduates in the state are adequately prepared for college. Granted, non-minority students are doing much better. Only 2 in 10 are prepared for college after graduating high school.

These are just a few things to be concerned about. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. In fact, in this chapter, we’ll be looking at yet another emerging trend—specifically technology as the great equalizer of education for low-income and minority students.

Technology: The Great Equalizer?

The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2009 that 97 percent of K-12 teachers had computers in their classrooms every day. Also, 54 percent were able to bring a computer into the classroom. The overall ratio of students to classroom computers was 5.3 to 1.

Well that was then, and this is now. Since 2009, teachers have made the shift to include mobile devices like tablets and Smartphones as part of the classroom culture. Computers are still there but are quickly playing second fiddle to smaller, faster and just-plain-cooler pieces of technology.

In its widest definition, technology has always been associated with the creation of a level playing field for students. Bernard John Poole of the University of Pittsburgh wrote ten pillars of technology integration in K-12 schools, and his final point reads: Recognize that technology is for all, and involves all, in the process of lifelong learning.

At the public school level, all students have equal access to classroom computers and mobile devices. This is even for these youngsters who have no electronic access at home. (In this day and age, this is more prevalent than it should be. For example, a survey done in Madison, Wisconsin found that one-quarter to one-fifth of low-income, black, and Latino students in the city’s school districts do not have access to the Internet. ) Upon entering a classroom they can interact with technology and keep up with their peers.

Make no mistake, though—I do not think that technology itself is a panacea. It is the implementation of the technology that matters. Let’s talk a bit more about exactly what this implementation entails.

How to Use Technology to Transform Education

Students in urban schools are often seen as lost causes. They tend to have stereotypes attached to them and are not seen as individual learners. Then there are problems like deteriorating buildings and overcrowding, which often become too overwhelming for well-meaning reformers.

In a 2009 article in the Harvard Political Review, writers Tiffany Wen and Jyoti Jasrasaria discuss the “myths of urban education.” The article points out that many people are quick to label urban schools as lost causes without actually investigating individual issues or how they can be resolved. The authors also shed light on the juxtaposition of the basic American ideal that anyone from anywhere can make it big with some hard work and the reality of urban schools. If urban students are truly not at a disadvantage, per the American dream, then why do they graduate from high school at a rate of nearly 20 percent lower than their suburban counterparts?

In an Education Week guest blog post, urban music teacher Mike Albertson said that “overcrowded classrooms are one of the most common qualities of urban schools.”

He went on to say that the students themselves are not the actual problem in urban schools but that the overcrowded conditions are to blame for many perceived behavior issues and academic disengagement. More likely, it is a combination of high student-to-teacher ratios and behavior problems.

Studies have found a correlation between overcrowding and lower math and reading scores. Teachers also cite overcrowding as a definite contributor to student behavior problems. Too many kids in classrooms means too little individual instruction. It also means that academic time is spent dealing with issues that distract from education. Overcrowding is only one problem that contributes to urban student disadvantages but one that deserves the spotlight.

As with all aspects of K-12 improvement, finding the answers to higher achievement for urban students is a complicated process. I believe that technology can work to teacher and student advantages, though. The implications of mobile technology in K-12 classrooms are still being realized, but one thing is certain: more individualized learning is now possible. In cases where overcrowding is detrimental to learning experiences, mobile technology can serve as a placeholder teacher regarding directing students and keeping them engaged in learning when the physical teacher is unavailable.

Fortunately, it seems like most people get this—from teachers to the government

One D.C. school integrated technology into their school with a significant homeless student population. Ketcham Elementary school saw an 11 percent bump in math proficiency this past spring and a 4.5 percent rise in reading proficiency after less than two years implementing a computer-learning model that combines face-to-face teacher instruction with personalized online learning paths for students. To put those numbers in perspective, other test scores in the District barely moved in the same time frame.

Under these blended learning models, the computers serve as complements to the teachers. Teachers can set up one student on a customized learning task on a computer while working one-on-one with another group of students, for example. The blended learning allows for more personalization that is strengthened with educator insight.

As a former public school teacher, I do have my doubts. Proponents of blended learning say that it will never replace actual in-person instruction, but I worry that too much reliance on technology could lead to students who skate by but do not comprehend what they are learning. A computer can never replace the insight an educator gleans by working directly with a student.

On the other hand, I completely understand that teachers simply do not have enough hours in a school day to meet the individual needs of every student and technology can help bridge that gap. On that level, I think blended learning programs can make a positive difference when it comes to students getting more practice in areas where they need it and on an individual level.

On the national level, President Obama has acted to ensure a better education for disadvantaged minority groups as well. In particular, his budget request has included $1 billion for Native American schools. Obama wanted to help restore crumbling buildings and connect classrooms via broadband Internet.

Administrative officials said the President was inspired to increase funds to better serve this population partially as a result of last year’s visit to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. He and the First Lady traveled to North Dakota and met with young people who shared how drugs, violence, and poverty impacted their lives.

The federal government reports that around one-third of Bureau of Indian Education schools were in poor condition last year. This has forced students to learn in classrooms that fail to meet health and safety standards.

The BIE oversees 23 states and serves over 40,000 children in nearly 200 schools

In addition to renovations, Obama’s budget includes funds to expand broadband access at BIE schools, expand scholarships for post-secondary education and help tribes deliver their education programs.

Young people in Indian Country are some of the most at-risk in the United States. Many grow up in communities suffering from poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse. More than one-fifth of Native Americans over 25 years of age never earned a high school diploma. Of those who attend college, only 39 percent earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.

But Does Technology Improve Educational Outcomes?

As you can see, getting technology in the classroom is a priority in many cases. However, according to the founder of the popular Blackboard software, we are still in the “really early days” of truly integrated technology. Furthermore, Troy Williams of Macmillan New Ventures pointed out during a technology summit that companies like his do not “have the outcomes yet to say what leads to a true learning moment.” He added that it would still be another three to five years before those numbers can truly be analyzed.

The data is not quite there yet for K-12 schools, but if the positive trends related to college graduation rates is any indicator, there is a lot of reason to be encouraged.

The availability of online course options is a large reason for the increase in the graduation rates of many different types of people. With less red tape than the traditional college format, online students can earn credits while still working full time, maintaining families and dealing with illnesses. Whether students take just one course remotely or obtain an entire degree, they can take on the demands of college life more readily – leading to a student population with more variety.

The flexibility and convenience of online learning is talked about, but the diversity of the college population that results from it is not.

The Babson Survey Research Group recently revealed that while online college student enrollment is on the rise, traditional colleges and universities saw their first drop in enrollment in the ten years the survey has been conducted. This drop is small – less than a tenth of one percent – but its significance is big. A trend toward the educational equality of online curriculum is being realized by students, institutions, and employers across the board. The benefits of a college education through quality online initiatives are now becoming more accessible to students that simply cannot commit to the constraints of a traditional campus setting.

Similar benefits can be passed onto K-12 students as well—flexibility, convenience, and personalization. It will be interesting to see if technology will help education equity improve over the next few years.

 

Hope for High School Dropouts: How Increasing Graduation Rates Will Transform Our Country

Are math and science killing our high school graduation rates?

More rigorous math and science requirements for high school graduation are in place. At the same time, dropout rates in this country are up.

Is this a coincidence?

Research back to 1990 showed that the US dropout rate rose to a high of 11.4 percent when students were required to take six math and science courses, compared with 8.6 percent for students who needed less math and science courses to graduate.

The dropout rate is up to 5 percentage points higher when gender, race, and ethnicity are considered.

Andrew Plunk, a postdoctoral research fellow in the psychiatry department at Washington University School of Medicine, says the study highlights that the one-size-fits-all approach to education requirements is not ideal due to various demographic groups, states and school districts that are all different.

When educational policies cause an unintentional consequence of an increase in students dropping out, the effects reverberate far beyond the classroom walls.

“Communities with higher dropout rates tend to have increased crime,” says Plunk. “Murders are more common. A previous study estimated that a 1 percent reduction in the country’s high school dropout rate could result in 400 fewer murders per year.”

Maybe this is all true. Maybe the high school dropout rate can be blamed on math and science courses.

However, I don’t feel like the answer is for schools to ease up on these requirements.

No, the key is to better prepare the students for these classes. These classes may be difficult, but life after high school is even harder.

Let’s raise our standards. Let’s start thinking about how we can help all students graduate high school.

Are we in the midst of a high school dropout crisis?

Doesn’t it seem like the phrase “high school dropout” is often accompanied with the word “crisis”? Depending who you ask, kids everywhere are giving up on education before they obtain a diploma and the situation has never been worse.

But is it that bad? Is the state of the high school dropout rate in the U.S. deserving of the “crisis” label? Let’s look at the facts.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the national dropout rate was 7 percent in 2011. The number is calculated by taking the number of 16 to 24-year-olds that are not enrolled in school and do not have a diploma, or a general educational development (G.E.D.) certificate. In 1990, that number was 12 percent so based on that criteria; the dropout rate has dropped in the past two decades. In fact, dropout numbers have been on the decline since 1970 when it was 15 percent.

Perhaps a more interesting stat is that the percentage of 16 to 24-year-old dropouts who were in employed in 1970 is the same as 2011 – 49.8 percent. As dropout rates have declined, the importance of finishing high school has increased in America. One big problem with the NCES dropout calculations is that they imply that a high school diploma and G.E.D. are equal when it comes to opportunities for earners. In reality, studies have found that G.E.D. holders earn about the same amount as dropouts long term.

Based on these numbers, it may seem like the high school dropout problem is much, much better than it was just a few decades ago. But consider that more jobs demand post-secondary education than back then and that today there are so many alternative options high school students have to finish their diploma outside the traditional classroom setting.

We’re not where we need to be yet. The dropout rate should be negligible at this point.

Who is dropping out?

In 1972, when the government started tracking the dropout rates for Hispanic students, over one-third of all Hispanic students dropped out of high school!

Today, that number is much lower—down to 13.6 percent—but this group still leads all races and ethnicities when it comes to young people out of school with no diploma or G.E.D.

A similar trend exists for black students. Black students dropped out at a rate of 29 percent in 1967 (the first year the group was tracked), and that number is down to 7 percent (the same as the national average) today.

White students had always held on to the lowest percentage of the dropout pie chart, even when their numbers represented a larger majority of total student populations. In 1967, 15 percent of white students dropped out of high school; today, just 5 percent do.

When it comes to gender, there has not been much differentiation when it comes to dropout percentages in over 40 years. There have been four years since 1972 when the rate for young men dropouts was noticeably higher than young women: 1974, 1976, 1978 and 2000.

As far as economic backgrounds, lower-income students have always been at a high school graduation disadvantage. In 2009, students from families in low-income brackets ran a risk of dropping out that was five times higher than high-income peers. Still, the future is not completely bleak for kids from disadvantaged economic environments. In 1975, low-income students dropped out at a rate of 16 percent, but that number now sits comfortably under 10 percent.

Household income is the not the only disadvantage many dropouts have, though. Students with learning or physical disabilities drop out at a rate of 36 percent. Overall, a student who does not fit the traditional classroom mold, or who falls behind for some reason, is more likely to lose motivation when it comes to high school and decide to give up altogether.

Why you should care about high school dropout rates

Let me be blunt: Dropping out costs money.

It costs the individual who drops out money. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that dropouts bring in just $20,241 annually, which is $10,000 less than high school graduates and over $36,000 less than a person holding a bachelor’s degree. The poverty rate for dropouts is over twice as high as college grads, and the unemployment rate for dropouts is four percentage points higher than the national average. In the end, the lifetime earnings of high school dropouts are $260,000 LESS than peers who earn a diploma.

It costs taxpayers money. An estimated half of all Americans on public assistance are dropouts. If all of the dropouts from the class of 2011 had earned diplomas, the nation would benefit from an estimated $154 billion in income over their working lifetimes. Potentially feeding that number is the fact that young women who give up on high school are nine times more likely to be, or become, young single mothers. A study out of Northeastern University found that high school dropouts cost taxpayers $292,000 over the course of their lives.

Did I mention that it costs taxpayers money? We’re not just paying for public assistance programs for dropouts—we’re paying to protect ourselves against them through incarceration. Over 80 percent of the incarcerated population is high school dropouts – making this an issue that truly impacts every member of the community. Numbers are higher for dropouts of color; 22 percent of people jailed in the U.S. are black males who are high school dropouts.

Imagine what would happen if we took the nearly $300K that taxpayers put in over the course of a dropout’s lifetime and deposited it into their K-12 learning upfront. If we invested that money, or even half of it, into efforts to enhance the learning experience and programs to prevent dropping out, what would that do to dropout, poverty and incarceration rates?

It’s not just about the money, though

Why graduating more students from high school helps us all thrive

Think of the quality of life experiences, we, as Americans, can enable for as many citizens of our country as possible. As it happens, when students graduate from high school, opportunities open up for them.

When students stay in school, they are more likely to value a career path over a job. Over 68 percent of high school graduates begin college coursework the following fall. Students who earn high school diplomas are that much more inspired to continue their academic journey and seek out a lifelong career match, not just clock hours at a “job” until retirement.

And the fulfillment people receive from a job they enjoy should not be underestimated. Studies have found that happier people are healthier and are even able to better fight off common illnesses like colds and the flu. Considering more time is spent working than in any other pursuit, job satisfaction plays a major role in overall happiness.

Job satisfaction aside, as a nation, everyone benefits from well-educated workers who earn a living in areas where they possess natural talent too.

Staying in high school also allows students to have valuable experiences. The childhood years go by so quickly, and high school represents the last stage before adulthood. The social opportunities that high school provides are not duplicated anywhere else except in college—and high school dropouts miss out on both. What’s more, high school dropouts tend to get into more trouble than their in-school peers. The National Dropout Prevention Center reports that 82 percent of U.S. prisoners are high school dropouts. The life lessons found in the later years of high school are more valuable than they get credit for and the peer-level socialization is a vital part of late-childhood development.

Finally, there’s much to be said about learning for its sake. In our material society, it is difficult to explain the intangible value of things like intellectualism, particularly to young people. Until greater value is placed on obtaining knowledge for no other reason than to broaden individual and societal wisdom, students will continue to drop out of high school.

After all, how can the economic importance of a high school diploma be explained to children who have never had to earn their living? Even those in dire socio-economic conditions do not have a grounded concept of what money means in the quality of life and long-term happiness.

Sometimes the best way for young people to learn about these abstract concepts is through experience. Going to school will teach all young people more than the subjects they learn at school.

How do we make sure kids stay in school?

Let’s go beyond telling kids to stay in school. Here we’ll look at the secret weapons we can use to solve this problem at a structural level.

As we learned at the beginning of this chapter, it’s not about loosening standards so that children can more easily finish school, but preparing people for the demands of the workforce.

Here’s what we can do to make sure we help students meet these high standards.

First of all, get the business community involved. The economic impact of high school dropouts cannot be denied. The nation as a whole will miss out on an estimated $154 billion in income over the lifetimes of the dropouts from the Class of 2011 alone. From a business perspective, this is a missed opportunity. There is money to be made and an economic boost is possible – but only if these students stick around long enough to obtain a high school diploma and potentially seek out college opportunities. Georgia is a great example of a state that has taken advantage of the business community to help improve graduation rates. Areas like Atlanta Metro have some of the strongest business leaders in the nation, and school officials have begun to call on them for guidance and funding when it comes to improving graduation rates.

The report Building a Grad Nation 2012 found that between 2002 and 2010, Georgia showed high school graduation rate improvement from 61 to 68 percent, in part because of involvement from the business community. In that eight-year span, the number of “dropout factories” (schools with 60 percent or lower graduation rates) fell from 1,634 to 1,550. Making graduation numbers an issue of economic stability, and having a backup from business leaders, is just one step toward reducing dropout numbers.

The next step is to look for support beyond the classroom. As discussed already, risk factors for dropouts include coming from low-income or single-parent families. Teachers simply cannot address the academic and emotional needs of every student within normal class time, so programs need to be in place for students who are at risk for dropping out. A pilot program in San Antonio called Communities in Schools has taken on this challenge by offering on-campus counseling services for students on the fence about dropping out.

The program offers a listening ear for whatever the students may need to talk about, from lack of food or anxiety about family financial woes. Of the students in the program in the 2012 – 2013 school year, 97 percent obtained a high school diploma instead of dropping out. While students can certainly talk about their studies, the main point of the program is not academic. It is simply a support system to encourage students who may be facing life obstacles to keep pushing forward to finish high school. These programs are often what students need to feel accountability toward the community as a whole and also worthiness for a high school diploma.

Another, perhaps surprising way to reduce the high school dropout rate is to prioritize early childhood education. Much of the attack on the dropout rate happens when teens are already at a crossroads. In truth, the learning and social experiences they have from birth influence their attitudes about education, society, and their lives. Perhaps the dip in dropout rates in the past four decades hinges on another statistic: from 1980 to 2000, the number of four-year-old children in the U.S. enrolled in preschool programs rose from half to over two-thirds.

But currently, pre-K learning is only an academic right (free of charge) in 40 states and 2012, total funding for these programs was slashed by $548 million. Instead of putting money where it belongs – upfront, at the beginning of a K-12 career – lawmakers could be contributing to a higher dropout rate, and economic cost, in future decades. It’s time to stop making the high school dropout issue something that is confronted at the moment; prevention, as early as pre-K learning, is a long-term solution.

It’s great that we know of possible solutions to the high school dropout crisis. Now it’s time to spread awareness of this issue, promote possible solutions, and implement them for the good of our country.

 

 

 

15 Tips To Take The Stress Out Of Teacher Evaluations

Across the United States, teacher education programs do the hard work of training tomorrow’s educators for the classroom. But with only so many hours in the day, it’s hard for professors to cover all the intricacies of the teaching profession. This survival tip will cover the often overlooked but very important subject of teacher evaluations. For many new teachers, the fear of being evaluated is a clear and present danger; not because they lack confidence, but because of the fear of the unknown.

Each school system has a process for measuring and evaluating its teachers. In most districts, all teachers are evaluated by an administrator and are given feedback at least once annually. New teachers, however, typically undergo more than one evaluation. Below is an overview of what to expect before, during, and after an evaluation, as well as how to prepare for each.

Before an Evaluation

Before an evaluation, most administrators will schedule a time with you, and some will even let you choose the class that you know will be the most likely to shine the best light on your skills as a teacher. Here’s a quick checklist of ways to prepare for the evaluation.

• Ask for the rubric they will use. The rubric allows the administrator to score each teacher equally and accurately by looking for specific skills and dispositions during the lesson. Knowing what the administrator will be looking for will allow you to cover all the bases.

• Consider the audience before choosing a topic. Know the educational interests of the administrator. Was he or she a math teacher? A special needs teacher? Is he or she a proponent of technology? Think about what you know about the administrator personally and professionally, and consider his or her interests when selecting a subject, a topic, and a time of day.

• Choose an easy topic. You don’t want to choose a topic that you know is difficult for some students to grasp. For example, introduction to long division may not be the best topic, because you know that it is a multistep process that’s difficult for some students.

• Prepare a detailed lesson plan. The lesson plan for an evaluation is not your typical everyday lesson plan. It’s the extended version that includes details, commentary, and all of the bells and whistles that go along with it. Be sure to include the objectives, materials needed, an introduction, developmental activities, a closing, accommodations, an assessment, and so on.

• Prepare your class. Talk to your students about what to expect. Let them know who is coming, and explain why. Let them know that they’ll be rewarded for their good behavior. It might not be a bad idea to do a practice run and pretend that you’re being evaluated before the scheduled evaluation. This may all seem like window dressing, but it will help to put your mind at ease.

• Prepare your classroom. De-clutter, decorate, and clean everything. Be sure to have your desk cleared in case the administrator wants to sit there to evaluate.

• Be flexible. Administrators are always busy. They have unexpected meetings, misbehaving students who must be attended to at inopportune times, and limitless paperwork. If he or she must reschedule, just put aside your prepared lesson until another day.

During an Evaluation

If you are thoroughly prepared for your evaluation as described here, the evaluation itself should be a breeze.

• Remember that the administrator has probably already figured out that you are an effective teacher. The administrator wants you to do well and wants the students to do well. She or he is not out to get you or hurt your career.

• Relax! Again, the administrator is not looking for an excuse to fire you. Just relax, and do the best you can.

• Write your objectives on the board.

• Have fun! By having fun, you will engage the administrator and the students alike.

• Discipline as you always would. If a student misbehaves, be careful not to overreact. You won’t get a lower score because your students are children and occasionally misbehave.

After an Evaluation

Be prepared for feedback and constructive criticism. The administrator doesn’t intend to tear you down and is not out to get you.

• Thank the administrator for his or her feedback and honesty.

• Never argue! It will only lessen his or her opinion of you.

• Sincerely apply the suggestions to your teaching style.

Remember, evaluations are meant to gauge your teaching effectiveness. They’re not a pretense to get rid of you. Even if you score poorly during your first year, your administrator will use your evaluations to help you create an improvement plan.

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

The First Year Teaching: The desist approach to classroom discipline

By Matthew Lynch

As you look for your own way of operating your classroom efficiently, there are several styles of teaching discipline to consider. One that is often used because of its easy-to-implement practices is the “desist” approach. Unlike the self-discipline approach where students are responsible, the desist approach places teachers as the responsible ones. This approach can be viewed as a power system, as teachers have the power and they set the specific rules to give students discipline and correct students’ behaviors. Here is how this method is put into practice:

Assertive Discipline

This approach bases itself on the fact that teachers have the power to ask and require specific actions from students. However, this discipline still has students’ best interest in mind. Canter and Canter, in their historical study conducted in 1992, found that teachers who use this discipline are actually calm when it comes to the rules and limits. This discipline makes teachers assert clear rules.  It gives students the clear idea that misbehavior has consequences and if students want positive consequences, they know how to achieve them.

Behavior Modification

This approach centers around four types of punishment/reinforcement.  These are:

  • Positive Reinforcement: Giving extra credit for a question answered with much thought
  • Positive Punishment: A meeting with a Principal
  • Negative Reinforcement: Removal of an activity that the student does not enjoy
  • Negative Punishment: Decrease in free time

This approach finds the positive reinforcement to be the most effective while punishments are comparatively ineffective. It goes without saying then that teachers are expected to encourage students’ good behaviors instead of criticizing the misbehavior.

In both cases, a lot of the responsibility of the enforcement of acceptable classroom behavior falls on the shoulder of the teacher but for individuals who want to have a tighter control over how things operate, this may be favorable. In classrooms with younger students, this may also be something that is desired as students, particularly in grades K-3, have not yet had enough classroom exposure to really understand how to implement self-discipline models.

In most cases, teachers will subscribe to more than one type of classroom management when it comes to discipline and order. If you are a teacher with different students depending on the period of the day, you may find that one style is preferable over another based on the personalities in your specific class. Conversely, you may go into the process with one style in mind and then find that in practice, something else works better. The main thing is that you at least consider how you want your classroom to operate before going into the process blindly, hoping for the best.

It may be hard to believe, but at some point you won’t need to put so much upfront effort into determining the kind of teacher you want to be — it will just come naturally. In the mean time, consider the best ways to function in your classroom to benefit your students and make your early teaching years more manageable for you.

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

The First Year Teaching: Getting to know your students

By Matthew Lynch

During the early days of your teaching career, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the all the tasks associated with your occupation, and to forget the real reason you are in the classroom: your students. Good relationships with students will help you to create and maintain an effective learning environment. If students see that you truly care, they will trust you and want to learn what you are teaching.

It is for these reasons that your relationship with your students is crucial for effective classroom management. As every student is different in many ways, from academic ability to personality, try to learn as much as you can about every student. With large class sizes in higher grades, it might not be easy to get to know each student personally, but you should try. The goal is not to be a “friend” to your students, or act as a peer, but to really know and care about who they are and how they best learn.

Start with the basics

Start by remembering their names as quickly as possible.  A well-prepared seating chart can be extremely useful in this regard. Students are less likely to misbehave when they know that you can identify them by name. You could ask students to bring a picture as an assignment.  Consider structuring an assignment that allows students to give you details about their home environment, background, parental occupations and any other things that make them who they are.

You should also plan to learn more about their family lives, where they come from and how they view learning (as best you can). What outside factors impact the learning methods and styles of your students? How can you best shape those experiences for a successful school experience?

Be the boss

Young teachers face the toughest spot when establishing an authoritative stance with their students, especially if they are teaching middle or high school courses. There is certainly some appeal to being the “cool” teacher, but not to the point that your students are not respecting you, or even worse, not learning anything. Establishing classroom rules and reminding those who sidestep them will help you manage your classroom efficiently all year round.

Learn their learning style

You probably already observed this during the student-teaching process, but every student learns in a different way and with a different style. There is simply no way to take the one-on-one time to address these needs, but you can at least observe the way that different students respond to certain assignments or activities. This will guide you as you plan future in-class and at-home projects, giving your students an opportunity to shine. It is not enough to simply know WHO they are as individuals — you should also consider who they are as students to best guide them to optimal learning experiences.

You will quickly find that you will learn just as much from your students as they will learn from you. Take the time to get to know them — it will benefit your teaching style and their achievement.

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

The First Year Teaching: Should I join educational associations?

By Matthew Lynch

New teachers will sooner or later consider the option of joining an educational association. The groups not only provide support, but also continuing education for teachers. There are two main associations in America, and several smaller ones that are also worth consideration.

NEA

With approximately 3 million members, headquartered in Washington D.C., and having affiliates in every state and a total of more than 14,000 local affiliates, The National Education Association’s history datess back to 1857. Historically, one of the NEA’s main goals has been to nationalize the American school system. Its first meeting was held in Philadelphia, its nominated birthplace, where teachers gathered to propose curriculum and policies that could be adopted at a national level.

The NEA provides support for teachers from job placement to teaching tips to professional development opportunities. In the 1960s, school directors, officers and university professors carried out the work of the NEA predominantly. These leaders would take the discussed proposals to their respective local communities for possible implementation. Proposals were mostly concentrated on collective bargaining for teachers’ rights protection and lobbying for educational issues.

Since the late 1970s, the NEA’s collective bargaining legislation has been its main aim.

The NEA has supported many political causes and some include:

  • The bills to amend the measurement of students’ abilities based solely on test scores.
  • The legislation that would ensure the civil rights laws applied to faith-based education providers.
  • Help in creating the school transformation capacity at both the local and state levels.
  • Stronger enforcement of civil rights laws to widen the access to education.
  • The legislation supporting No Child Left Behind Act and later versions of the law.
  • Endowing teachers with funds and flexibility to meet the high standard of the No Child Left Behind Act and later versions of the law.
  • Holding onto the Class Size Reduction program for higher-quality education.

The NEA’s goal has always been “to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of education in the United States.”  With such goals, the NEA is against competency testing of teachers. However, the NEA has supported the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and also for special programs for linguistic and ethnic students.  The NEA has been against any public funding for religious and private schools.

AFT

With more than 1.4 million members, affiliated with the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) and having 43 state and 3,000 state affiliates, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is a union organization representing classroom teachers. Founded in 1916 by prominent education reformer John Dewey, the AFT goes hand in hand with the American labor movement. Due to the AFT’s focused coverage of the main urban areas, member size is approximately one-third of that of the NEA.  Here are the following locations where the AFT currently helps teachers with bargaining: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Washington, D. C.  However, when counting the AFL-CIO members, the total number is more than 14 million.

The AFT’s main activity is to help teachers with annual collective bargaining for a salary increase. The AFT’s beginning was not one of national policies, but the fight for a pension law for female teachers in Illinois. In 1897, the Chicago Teachers Federation was the first union in the area to be set up under the leadership of Catherine Goggin and Margaret Haley. The Chicago Teachers Federation was focused much on pension benefits and teachers’ salaries.  After the successful increase in teachers’ salaries, in one year, the number of members jumped to 2,500. Taking the advice from famous reformer, Jane Addams, the Chicago Teachers Federation placed itself under the AFL (American Federation of Labor) by joining the Chicago Federation of Labor.

Between the years of 1966 and 1981, the AFT saw an increase of over 450,000 members as more teachers around the country accepted the ideas of collective bargaining. The AFT has supported higher minimum standards and more training for teachers.  The AFT provides continuous training for teachers. The AFT’s official website is a valuable resource for teachers and other professionals in the education field.

Differences Between the Two

The biggest difference between the NEA (National Education Association) and the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is the historic separation — the NEA is a professional organization and the AFT is traditionally a union organization. NEA membership is offered to the individuals who are “public school teacher, faculty member, education support professional, retired educator or a student preparing to become a teacher” (NEA). AFT membership is offered to individuals who work in “Pre K-12 school system (public, private or charter), early childhood center, college or university system, healthcare facility or local, state or federal government office.” Unlike the AFT, the NEA remains unaffiliated with the labor movement, however the NEA’s involvement in politics can be said to be greater.

It is wise to consider the following questions in the context of the NEA and the AFT:

  • Should teachers be joining forces to protect and improve their own working conditions, salaries and other benefits?
  • When legislation is related to education, should teacher unions be actively involved in campaigning?
  • Do teacher unions have the responsibility of bringing about the reform of the education system?
  • Should teacher unions have control over school budgets?
  • Should teacher unions use collective bargaining to control school matters such as class sizes and the curriculum?
  • What is the optimal level of involvement in a teacher organization (Danielson, 2007)?

For your own professional development, you can look further than the NEA and the AFT.  Prominent publications like Education Week and Teacher Magazine provide a wide range of training materials for teachers. The websites of these two publications can be found at the following addresses: http://www.edweek.org/ and http://www.teachermagazine.org/. New and veteran teachers can refer to many resources such as those publications, courses provided by universities and professional associations for continuous development and refinement of teaching skills.  You can also refer to the Internet for helpful and easy-to-access materials for activity ideas (Inspiring Teachers, http://www.inspiringteachers.com/) to connecting with other teachers (Education World, www.education-world.com) (Smith & Coffin, 2004).

Other organizations to consider

Below are the links to few more organizations that teachers might find useful:

  • The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (www.ascd.org)
  • National Middle School Association (www.nmsa.org)
  • National Association for the Education of Young (www.naeyc.org)
  • National Association for Gifted Children (www.nagc.org)
  • The Council for Exceptional Children (www.cec.sped.org) (Smith & Coffin, 2004).

For specific subjects, a quick Internet search will give you numerous resources provided by organizations and journal articles. Below are a few examples:

  • American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (www.aahperd.org)
  • American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (www.actfl.org)
  • National Council for History Education (www.nche.net)
  • National Council for the Social Studies (www.ncss.org)
  • National Council of Teachers of English (www.ncte.org)
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (www.nctm.org)
  • National Science Teachers Association (www.nsta.org)
  • Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (www.tesol.org) (Smith & Coffin, 2004).

Immersed in a learning community, you will find yourself not only teaching, but continually needing to and wanting to improve your knowledge and refine your teaching skills.  All the resources mentioned in this section will provide good guidance towards the path of continuous education as a K-12 teacher.

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

The First Year Teaching: How do I handle misbehavior?

By Matthew Lynch

New teachers will find that one of the most frustrating parts of teaching is classroom misbehavior. This misbehavior is easy to identify, but finding the solution to effectively deal with it by finding the causes may be more difficult. As misbehavior will continue if not successfully dealt with the first few times, teachers need to get to the root of the problems that are the causes of students’ misbehavior as soon as possible (Moore, 2008). Teachers should take close looks into students’ behaviors to find the influential factors that are shaping students’ behavioral patterns.

Consider Background Factors

One notable place to start is by examining students’ home environments. Children model their behavior on that of their parents, and their parents are also likely to have a high degree of influence over their point of view.  Students with well-educated parents are more likely to have been instilled with respect for education and the institutions and authorities that accompany it. It follows that these children will be more likely to maintain a high level of personal discipline because they see the purpose of their presence at school and understand what they will achieve from adhering to prescribed behavior. On the other hand, it helps to be aware that there are also students whose parents expect perfect scores, forcing their children to take the most advanced courses offered, against the wishes of the child.

Rules and customs that are set by parents for children directly influence students’ behaviors. Students with extremely tolerant parents who let their children have things their way all the time will talk back to teachers and get into trouble with other students who disagree with them.   The student may struggle to understand why such behavior is not allowed at school but is allowed at home. Students who grow up under authoritarian-style also exhibit classroom misbehavior, although this may be manifested in a different way. These students may show overt fear and anxiety in response to authority figures, including teachers.  This may result in under-performance, lack of engagement in activities or an inability to focus appropriately. On the other hand, these students may feel that they are able to release their frustrations on other students, whom they see as their equals.

Poverty, among other socioeconomic factors, is cited as being a particularly important factor in understanding why students misbehave. This is not necessarily because there is a direct lack of discipline in homes affected by poverty. It is a reflection of the different values that are present at different socioeconomic levels of society. If children grow up in a home where they are unsure of where their next meal is coming from, or are unable to rely on parental support (parents who work multiple jobs, for example), their values will be fundamentally different than children who grow up in homes where they have the privilege of being able to take these things for granted. People living in poverty, particularly in extreme poverty, will value survival more highly than academic achievement. Other values will include interpersonal relationships and entertainment, the former likely to assist with survival and the latter because this will allow them to temporarily mentally escapes the confines of their situation.

Conversely, high-income families may come about as the result of parents allowing inadequate time for effective parenting. Parents may have demanding jobs, leaving their children unsupervised during this time, particularly once they are old enough to look after themselves. Parents who show over-involvement in their work for any reason may also play a less active role in their children’s lives. Increasingly, parents of high-income families are also providing their children with access to their credit cards. These children now have the ability to live and function as adults in every other aspect of their lives, other than at school. This may have an influence on their behavior at school.

Consider Classroom Factors

Various factors within the classroom may also affect whether or not students behave appropriately. Good air circulation in the classroom is essential and should never be compromised. Students should be made as comfortable as possible in their environment, as discomfort may prompt them to engage in undesirable behavior. Observe whether or not students are seated at desks and chairs that are suited to the size of their bodies. It will be impossible to accommodate every child, but various efforts can be made.

Mismatches between the abilities of the students and the learning material being presented will also tend to encourage misbehavior. Students who are being insufficiently challenged will display a lack of interest in various ways. This may take the form of abject disinterest in the teaching, or may result in them being disruptive to other students. It is important to adjust your teaching to make the lesson interesting to even the most gifted students in the class, while also taking into account the interests of all your students. Conversely, students who are unable to grasp the material being taught, or who are being presented with material that they are completely unfamiliar with, will also be more likely to misbehave. Bear existing levels of knowledge in mind when you plan lesson content,and conduct frequent informal assessments, to ensure that you understand what is appropriate for your students to be learning.

In some cases, misbehavior may be due to factors arising from the teachers themselves. In some cases, teachers are not aware that they are indirectly a cause of the poor classroom behavior, making it clear why you should conduct regular self-evaluations and self-reflective exercises. Continuing your professional development is important to enable you to remain in touch with effective teaching practices. There is always room for improvement to your personal teaching methods and your approach to teaching. In particular, ensure that you identify situations which you are unable to cope with early and seek assistance from other teachers, principals or school counselors — all of whom may offer creative and innovate ways of addressing classroom behavior problems.

Ensure that you strive to treat all your students with respect as individuals as well as in terms of their cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. If you set a good example of behavior for your students, they are likely to pick up on this and treat you with respect. Avoid raising your voice or using a disparaging tone, and always ensure that you respond to students with appropriate validation where necessary.

Never humiliate or embarrass your students, as this is highly counterproductive, and is never in the best interest of your students. Students may try to provoke you during classroom time, which requires you to be able to identify these attempts without reacting to them and without losing self-control. You need to demonstrate adult methods of conflict management when dealing with your students at all times. This may be difficult when you are dealing with personal difficulties or frustrations, which is why it is important for you to remain aware of the boundary between your duties as an educator and your personal duties towards yourself. Leave your own personal frustrations outside the classroom as much as possible.

It is important to be clear with your students about what behavior will be tolerated and what will not, as consistency in your approach to them as students will encourage them to adhere to your requirements of them. Always aim to plan effectively and avoid frequent and unnecessary disruptions to your teaching plan, as this may contribute to misbehavior by allowing students idle time. Prepare class materials and be ready to deal with any unexpected disturbances, giving students minimal idle time and ensuring that there is something to keep them adequately occupied should anything unplanned arise.

Consider Physical and Psychological Factors

Although there are differences in behavior of students according to their age, many physical and psychological factors can have an influence at different stages of their school career. Children are unable to make adult-like choices in how they behave, but are often trying to communicate a need or desire. It is important to be able to determine whether or not this behavior is under their control to determine whether or not there is a need or desire that you can assist in addressing.

It would likely be unwise to determine that misbehavior is the result of a physical or psychological problem in a child who commits a single act of undesirable behavior, but it would be as unwise not to consider these factors in a repeat offender. Sometimes students will simply be acting on the desire to break any rules that have been imposed on them. Some students, however, are subject to various medical conditions or are exposed to environments that have severe effects on their ability to function normally. Enlisting the assistance of a school nurse or school counselor is crucial in ensuring that these students also receive the same standards of education as their peers.

A commonly encountered disorder is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD. Children who suffer ADHD will commonly have a reduced ability to control their impulses and have bouts of hyperactivity, which are disruptive to both themselves and their peers. On the opposite end of the spectrum are Autistic Spectrum Disorders, in which children have difficulty with social interaction and perform compulsive, repetitive behaviors which may equally be perceived as disruptive to themselves and their peers.

There are also mental health problems that are more commonly encountered in adults which may present during later childhood years, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, in which sufferers cause severe difficulties in interacting with them due to their excessive and sometimes unprovoked aggression. These students will often be a source of extreme frustration to teachers, but may also be so aggressive that they cause physical harm to teachers, and therefore there may be teachers who are simply afraid of them. Other mental health conditions include Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorders, all of which are much more difficult to diagnose in children than in adults. It is imperative that you consult with your school counselor or similar mental health professional in order to determine if your students is suffering from any of these disorders.

Behavior changes may also result from the intake of substances, whether narcotic or simply unfamiliar to the body. Students who are taking medication for any condition, including antibiotics or anti-epileptic medication, may show changes in their behavior. These will be more easily disclosed to a teacher than the taking of narcotic or illegal substances, and you will be required to maintain a certain degree of suspicion with regard to children whose behavior changes drastically during the course of a school day.

Medical conditions such as viral infections and meningitis may also cause changes in a student’s behavior. Some medical conditions are so subtle that children may not even realize that they are sick because they are not feeling any obvious symptoms. In many cases, however, they may be feeling quite marked symptoms, which have either not been addressed by their parents or caretakers or are ignoring these symptoms out of fear. Changes resulting from medical conditions have the advantage of being easier to detect as they are more likely to occur suddenly, giving a clue as to their cause. With experience, you will learn to identify different behavioral problems more effectively.

If you are a veteran teacher, how did you get a grip on behavioral issues in your classroom when you were first starting out?

photo credit: Lotus Carroll via photopin cc

Check out all our posts for First Year Teachers here. 

The First Year Teaching: How will I motivate my students?

By Matthew Lynch

One of the pitfalls of motivating students is that teachers are too fixated on curriculum. Teachers are afraid that when students fall behind the set curriculum, it will be reflected on external examinations. Your goal as the teacher is to prepare students for their later lives, and to educate and guide them for further learning and fulfillment — which means not everything should be about what a test will show.

Connecting curriculum with the real world

The challenge for teachers to make classroom learning interesting and fit the curriculum has always existed.  Even over a century ago, the reform movement to engage students in school learning was a big goal for teachers and education philosopher John Dewey pioneered this topic. Dewey promoted the idea that school learning should relate to skills and knowledge that will be useful for life outside of school, advocating that students would have a better learning experience by relating the two different world. In turn, students would be motivated for further learning. Dewey believed that a classroom of passive students, with the teacher simply feeding the knowledge, was ineffective and that a mutual effort was necessary for an optimal learning experience.

Dewey suggested that the prevention of classroom misbehavior, and the encouragement of student participation, had to have a link between a student’s classroom learning and current interests and experiences.  This suggestion does not mean that Dewey disregarded school curriculum in support of individual learning – just that learning should not be in a classroom vacuum.  His suggestions and examples are summed up here:

  • Students help teachers select specific reading assignments after they get a clear idea about the goals of the class.  Example: Teachers want to teach students about creative writing and students choose to read a recent bestseller instead of a classic book.
  • Students should be able to decide on and work on topics that are of personal interest.  Example: When learning astronomy, a student can choose to research black holes instead of the conventional solar system.
  • Teachers should be open to learning from students while bringing their own experience and interests to the class.  Example: Students are learning about different cultures, and a student talks about how his family celebrates a certain ethnic holiday.
  • Students should gain in-depth knowledge by participating in the world away from the classroom.  Example: Students working on writing a letter should choose an elected official to address, and on a specific topic.

As you can see, such classrooms have much flexibility.  Although teachers should have plans to meet the goal for the whole class, there should be enough flexibility to facilitate individual students’ goals. This approach will facilitate student willingness to learn effectively. Students do not merely memorize, but gain the advantage of understanding and take the learned skills with them for the rest of their lives.

Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation

Motivation can come from within (intrinsic), or outside (extrinsic), or both. Intrinsic motivation is something that is difficult to change, as it is a somewhat built-in part of an individual and traits are much harder to change than behaviors.  You will need to know how to stimulate students who rely on intrinsic motivation.  Intrinsic motivation to learn is the key to an optimal learning environment.  External motivation occurs when students are absorbed in tasks, challenged and motivated by their own choices.

Remember that your job as a new teacher is not to make education entertaining for your students, but rather to motivate them to seek it out on their own. You want to guide them but to still allow them room to be inspired all on their own.

Check out all of our posts for First Year Teachers here.