In describing an event from school when I was inspired to
perform, I recall the time I had to make an I-movie and I knew nothing about
the project. My inspiration was that I
wanted to keep straight A’s, but it was overtaken by the fear of not knowing a
thing about this app. From the moment I
began school I have always been inspired by the MIT philosophy of learning;
“from head to hand.” This action of
building, making, creating and producing versus just passively watching is
still what inspires me today. The idea
of making an interesting movie with edits, split screens, lead-ins, etc. was so
far from my reality I knew I would need to find the intrinsic motivation just
to get started. I ultimately received an
A on the project and jumpstarted the idea that I just found another way to
display learning. To me this was an
epiphany. I could show my knowledge from
another media source that was completely foreign. This greatly increased my confidence as a
teacher and I will value that lesson forever.
Conversely, in describing an event where I was completely
deflated was when I was given an assignment to write an opinion paper regarding
bilingual education. In this paper I
referenced hyperlinks to websites that supported my opinion. I referenced them and cited them. I thought the paper explained my position
well and I made sure it was objective.
In explaining my objective opposition the teacher complained that my
thoughts were scattered and disorganized.
She made reference that she could not find the hyperlinks I listed. She would not give me an opportunity to re-do
or direct her to the links and simply gave me a C- on the paper. I was deflated and knew that this was not a
fair grade for the work. I reported the
incident to the Master Teacher for the course and requested a review. From here, I was commended on the paper based
on the rubric that was provided. I was
able to explain my position paper and all the references and ultimately
received an A on the paper.
In the “do’s” and “don’ts” of motivating my students I am
outlining the positions I feel most strongly about:
Do’s
·
I will make sure student readiness aligns with
the tasks at hand.
·
I will use consistent, frequent, and targeted
praise to improve upon success.
·
I will create lessons where students do not have
to fear failure.
·
I will adhere to “head to hand” learning that
engages students.
·
I will differentiate instruction allowing for
multiple ways to prove learning.
·
I will create a positive environment that
promotes risk-taking.
·
I will encourage higher-order thinking and
investigation by asking “what if” and “open-ended” types of questions.
·
I will connect lessons to the real world.
·
I will own the respect that I give to my
students and will always give them a chance to explain their work and/or improve
upon it.
Don’t’s
·
I will avoid negative punishments and focus on
the positive reinforcement.
·
I will not criticize effort.
·
I will not create unpleasant consequences that
may hinder relationship building.
·
I will avoid excessive lower level thinking
questions that rely heavily on lower order thinking knowing that understanding
involves activity.
·
I will not ask students to do things they are
unprepared to do.
·
I will not use discouraging words in the
classroom.
·
I will not isolate students if performance falls
short of projected goals.
·
I will not tolerate low expectations from any of
my students.
