February Update - Engaging Students
For the past week and a half, I have been doing a lot of research on student engagement. This week’s module challenged us to think about teachers we have had who were engaging, as well as those who were not engaging. When I think about the most engaging teachers I have had, I can think of one thing they all had in common - positive relationships with their students. I remember having a teacher in high school who worked tirelessly to have a positive relationship with each student. She talked to students individually about their plans for the future, helped them figure out how to grow, and always encouraged a positive classroom environment. I was always excited to go to her class every day because I knew that she cared about me and my learning. With this teacher in mind, I started looking into the articles on student engagement. I was not surprised to find the need for positive teacher-student relationships mentioned in two of the articles. According to an article from Edutopia entitled “Golden Rules for Engaging Students in Learning Activities,” when students have a strong relationship with their teacher, they fulfill their developmental need for connection (see article). When teachers forge a strong relationship with their students, they find what each student needs in order to grow and can better foster an environment where growth is possible. This applies especially well to Standard 2a of the NCTCS, which states that teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive and nurturing relationship with caring adults. I have begun to realize that I may be the only smiling face some of my students see. My future classroom will be a place where students feel loved and valued. By getting to know each student individually, I will show students that I care about their goals and unique learning needs.
Another point that stood out to me was from the Inservice article. The article pointed out the need for designing a classroom where learning could take place. I have been thinking a lot about what my future classroom will look like and how to make it inviting for students. I had never considered the role the physical classroom could play in student engagement but I can now see the vital role that it plays. I would like my future classroom to be bright and cheerful, a place where my students feel welcome but do not get distracted. In the coming weeks and months, I would like to continue looking at ways I could design my future classroom to maximize student learning and I’m looking forward to the Classroom Environment task in EDUC 350.
I have also done research outside of EDUC 251. Before I had realized that this week’s module was on student engagement, I had actually started researching ways to engage students in the classroom. I was looking for methods that I could use in planning my lesson for EDUC 350 and had found an article that had given me a couple of ideas. I was excited when I realized that I could apply the article to the module on student engagement. An article I found on Edutopia had two points that I really liked. The first was about asking questions. The author recommended pausing after asking the question and again after a student answers. This provides students a chance to process what they’ve heard (see article). I know that when I ask questions in lessons, I am usually focused on getting through the questions and don’t really think about giving students a chance to process what they have heard. The technique of pausing after the answer to a question is one that I can definitely see myself using in my future classroom. The second point I liked was about creating controversy, especially in a literary lesson. In my future classroom, I could pose a question about a character’s motivation or a theme or I could push students to make predictions about what will happen next. This would expose students to the opinions of their peers while giving me a chance to show students the value of looking at a question from different sides. A large part of Standard 4e of the NCTCS is being able to develop critical thinking. Through introducing debate in literacy lessons, students are encouraged to think critically about what they are reading so they can discuss it with their classmates.
I continue to be amazed by how much I have learned and experienced in the last few weeks. The connections I was beginning to see a couple of weeks ago between my School of Ed classes and classes like Developmental Psychology have become more clear. I can honestly say that I get more and more excited about teaching every single day. I have also been exposed to a lot of new ideas. Standard 5c of the NCTCS says that teachers are able to function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment. This dynamic environment includes actively researching and considering new ideas. As I have already mentioned, I have already considered and made connections between a lot of new ideas this semester. Many of these ideas have the potential to shape my classroom and make it a welcoming environment for all students. I know that are many more ideas to explore in the coming weeks and months, some of which I will use and some of which I will not. Either way, I cannot wait to continue my research and find even more ways to engage my students.
Allyson,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post! I like how you made connections between this class and other classes, like developmental psychology. I also enjoyed how you included some outside research that you have been doing. I think it is so important for us to continue our education outside the classroom because it allows for more growth. Great job!
Fantastic job, Allyson! I loved reading your awesome blog post! I love how you reflected on your past teachers. I had a teacher that was very similar, she was loving and caring. I definitely knew that she cared about my learning. I like how you made connections to the NCTCS, it is important for us as teachers to always refer back to the NCTCS. You did an amazing job with this blog post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good post. I like how you connected this class to your other classes, and your enthusiastic writing gave a good touch to the post. If you have that same enthusiasm in your classroom you will have no trouble at all keeping students engaged.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Allyson! This is very well-written! I like how you included giving students a chance to process the questions we're asking. I think there's definitely strategy in asking questions; asking the right questions, which challenge thinking and encourage students to make connections, as well as the timing of when to ask them and when to require response.
ReplyDeleteAllyson, you'll definitely learn more about classroom set-up and how it can impact your students in 350 but it's awesome that you're able to see and recognize that before getting into it in class. As much as it may seem like a small thing, classroom set up is huge! Getting to know your students will also help with the best way to arrange seats in your classroom. Who does not work well with each other, who distracts each other, etc. and where to place them! I also really liked what you included about pausing after asking a questions and receiving an answer. It's incredible how such small things you can implement, can make a big difference for your students :)
ReplyDeleteAllyson, you did a fantastic job on this forum post! I enjoyed reading about your own personal classroom expectations and how you envision your classroom. I loved reading the article you included from Edutopia and how it relates to asking students questions and pausing before giving them an answer. This gave me a lot of guidance on how to run my future class room. Great job!
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