Module 5

Motivation

Woolfolk defines motivation as "an internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains behavior" (p.463). The key word in this definition is "internal"; it is something from within a person that drives them to perform at their fullest potential. It is the emotions that are experienced that motivate a person to overcome challenges into becoming successful. An example, is a pro-basketball player desiring to become the best because of the emotions that arose when playing basketball, simply having love for the game. When reading about motivation in chapter 12, the manner in which we are educating students in today's society was brought to mind. I believe there are various teaching methods that provide space for student motivation based on the connections made between the students and learning content, but underneath this superficial motivation, comes external motivations, grades and test scores, that initially forces students' motivation to learn. With basing students' motivation in regards to grade point averages and test scores, the "internal state" of motivation is being somewhat lost, students natural curiosity to learn about their world is lost when politics and administrators are impelling a rushed curriculum on both teachers and students. I believe it is important to find these natural needs and motivations to learn with following the students needs and interests. As a future educator, I aim to devise a curriculum plan that meets the students' educational needs and elicits a natural motivation to learn.

Module 3

Behavior is a learned through social interactions, and the reactions toward a certain behavior pose it  as favorable or unfavorable. As Woolfolk suggests, behavior can be shaped according to the expectations of the social setting. One way to shape a behavior is through "positive practice" or encouraging a person to replace an unfavorable behavior with a desirable action. I believe "positive practice" is another way of redirecting a person to choose a pleasant action. It does not shame the students for committing an error instead it influences other agreeable choices that lead to desirable behaviors. For example, a students runs from one side of the class to other in search of required materials. The teacher simply responds with acknowledging how fast the student moved throughout the classroom and suggests "I see that you can run really fast, but I want to see if you put away your things with walking and moving so carefully without bumping into anything or anyone". The teacher is encouraging a "positive practice" with acknowledging the negative action of running and encouraging the student to walk carefully within the classroom. This method of "positive practice" is used quite frequently within the classroom I work in. I will say ,although, it does not work for all behaviors, it still is an effective approach for positive behavior within the classroom. I feel when students are given harsh feedback for a mistake; it may heighten the situation in making the student and teacher upset and responding in an aggressive manner. Redirection and positive practice promote a peaceful and positive learning environment.

Mod 5

Way to go guys! We did it!!

Chapter 12 has hands down been my favorite chapter to analyze. There was so much to learn about from intrinsic to extrinsic motivation and students attitudes towards school. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs was an extremely interesting section to read. Self-actualization, or the fulfillment of one's own potential is the ultimate need that everyone should strive for, but it can not be reached until both the lower and higher level needs are met. Working in a special education classroom has taught me that not everyone has the capabilities to fulfill these needs, and that is why I think my role in the classroom is so important. Not only is it is my job to motivate my students to achieve their goals, but I have to help them learn how to set achievable goals for themselves. 

Work avoidance goals are a  particularly big challenge for me and my one on one student right now. Woolfolk defines work- avoidant learners as "students who don't want to learn or to look smart, but just want to avoid work." Although my student is considered one of the higher functioning students in the class according to his cognitive ability, he hates any assignment that involves exerting a little effort. It does not matter what the task at hand, whether it's related to his academic work, job skills, or even personal hygiene, he is content with constantly trying to avoid work. Originally I had thought he would for sure run out of ideas on how he can distract himself, but lately it has gotten so bad that he has been asking to take bathroom breaks that last for over fifteen minutes. To accommodate his work avoidant attitude, I decided to create his own bathroom passes. My goal is for us to create two scheduled routine bathroom breaks through out the day that are not in the middle of class periods. 

It is also my own personal goal to try to get him to adopt a growth mindset. A part of me feels like he is constantly trying to avoid work because he does not want to make mistakes or break any habits that do not support his learning. I want to get him excited about challenging himself to learn new things instead of avoiding them out of fear of failure.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope you all enjoy your time off

Module 5_Porter

Hi Guys! It’s our last week, can you believe it?!

I was really intrigued by the reading this week. Although, I found it to be difficult to complete all of it on time while trying to do my test analysis! One of the concepts in this week’s reading that interested me was figure 12.1 on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in chapter 12 (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 466). I have always been interested by this topic, so I was excited that it was in our reading this week. It always annoyed me when teachers would get frustrated with certain students in class, not knowing that they had outside factors that affected them so much and caused them to not be able to focus in class. Their physiological needs or even safety needs are not being met. It is impossible for a student to focus on geometry if they haven’t eaten all day or if they are worrying where they are going to sleep that night. That is why it is incredibly important for teachers to know background information on their students and understand their struggles.

Another thing I found very important in this week’s reading was the discussion about reflective teachers. Woolfolk defines them as “Thoughtful and inventive. Reflective teachers think back over situations to analyze what they did and why, and to consider how they might improve learning for their students” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 553). It has a huge effect on students when their teacher is a reflective teacher. If a teacher realizes something they do in their classroom is not working or helping their students, and they choose not to change it, they are doing a huge disservice to their students. We are supposed to educate them to the best of our ability and always encourage them to strive for success. If we do not give them to tools to do that, we are failing them.

Throughout this entire week’s reading, I think my favorite part was figure 14.9 in chapter 14. It is all about “Teacher Expectations and Instruction” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 583). It explains what a classroom with low expectations looks like and what a classroom with high expectations looks like. Then it describes the relationships and interactions that occur in each type of class. The classroom with high expectations has more time for questions to be asked and answered, more teacher praise, and more warmth from the teacher. This has a HUGE effect on students. I’m sure you all have been in both of these types of classes at some point in your lives, and we can probably all attest to the fact that high expectation classes are much more enjoyable to be part of. Nobody wants to be part of a class where the teacher never smiles, and it feels as if there is just not enough time. In my future classroom, I will definitely have high expectations, in hopes that it will create a more enjoyable environment for my students.

It has been a pleasure being in class with all of you!

Steph

Module 5

Module 5: Chapters 12, 14, and 15

Chapter 12 started by explaining what motivation is. It described how in psychology motivation focuses on five questions. It then proceeded to explain about needs and self-determination, Maslow called four lower-level needs deficiency needs which are survival, safety, belonging and self-esteem. Once they are met the motivation for fulfilling them decreases. What stood out to me in this chapter is how goals are most motivating when they are specific and attainable. When I make specific goals that are difficult yet attainable, I get very motivated to accomplish it. On the other hand if I make a general goal, I do not attain it most of the time.

Chapter 14, started with research on teaching and what methods have been used to study teaching. It then talks about what makes a good teacher, generally teachers that get proper training and certifications tend to perform better. I worked at a pre-school center at that time I had my associate and was in school for my education degree. They used to hire teachers that do not have any college background to avoid paying them too much, and their lack of capabilities was very easy to point out. The teachers that were certified were very few, however they were much more knowledgeable and better at teaching.

Chapter 15 talked about, basic assessments and how testing was creating in the twentieth century, and that is not what was used before to determine college admittance. Classroom assessment and testing is one thing I need to wrap around my head as a teacher, since I believe it is very important to assess students to see where they are at as of comprehension. However, stressing on grades so much wipes creativity. I do see that in the elementary years, grades are not very significant to not stress students they use numbers instead. However, in the secondary and college years I believe are too pressuring that I do most of my work because I want to pass my classes rather than wanting to learn. As a teacher I would want my students to meet standards smoothly without stressing them with grades the majority of the times, and also keep their creativity intact.

Module 4

Chapter 9: Meta cognition and Reaching Every Student

            Metacognition is the awareness an individual has about their own thought processes; the Woolfolk text refers to this as “Cognition about Cognition” or “Thinking about Thinking.” Metacognition is a complex system of learning and thought. So, metacognition is higher-order knowledge about your own thinking as well as your ability to use this knowledge to manage your own cognitive processes—such as comprehension or problem solving (Brazilai & Zohar, 2014).
            The Woolfolk text identifies three “essential” metacognitive skills: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Once an individual decides what it they want to accomplish or learn, they can begin to take the steps to plan out how they will execute their desired task and reach its outcome. This involves time management, specific strategies and resources, and what order to place all of this information in—this is the planning stage of metacognition. The next stage is the monitoring stage, that involves “real-time awareness.” During this stage, one evaluates their progress: Are they grasping the concept? Is their speed through-out the process too fast or too slow? Evaluation is the third stage of metacognition. During this stage the learner “involves making judgements about the processes and outcomes of thinking and learning (Woolfolk 2019).”
As a learner I have used various strategies to increase my learning capabilities. Metacognition has always been a tool of mine—long before I knew the technical term. I have always made an effort to be self-aware of my learning and to consider my own thought processes. As a child, one of the first reading techniques I was taught (by my mother) was to skim the text for important information, later I learned that skimming for important information was a strategy used in metacognition. As a “loner” who struggled in school, I learned the importance of “self-teaching.” If I was going to learn the information, I had to think of the various ways I retained information. I have always evaluated and re-evaluated through-out my student life. I believe metacognition and all that it entails is basis for the most important tools in learning.
              “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten,” this philosophy by American phycologist/behaviorist B.F. Skinner is right on target with learning and understanding the individual differences in metacognition. The Woolfolk text explains that the purpose of a lesson may be lost on our youngest learners— “Younger children, for example, may not be aware of the purpose of a lesson—they may think the point is simply to finish.” Younger students who do not yet understand the purpose of learning a concept may believe that they are only to learn the information to “get through” the lesson. What these students learns from the lesson is stored in their short-term memory and is forgotten without frequent practice. The best way to reach and truly educate these students is to help them understand why it is important to learn and retain the information they are using—their “real-world” applications.  The most common way I have observed metacognition within the classroom setting is by the use of “KWL charts;” I have seen these charts used in classrooms as young as pre-k.
K= What do I know about the subject.
W= What I want to know, or what I wonder about the subject.
L= What I learned about the subject.
This chart is a great strategy to expand on the students’ understanding and expansion of the subject. Children are full of wonder, when an educator inquires about a student’s interest—that’s where education truly begins.

Module 2

Chapter 4 discusses learning differences and the learning needs of students. This includes learning styles, IQ and intelligence, students with learning challenges such as learning or intellectual disabilities, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, RTI's, IEPs, the importance of creativity, and gifted students. One of the concepts that really stood out to me can be found on pages 149-149 and talks about learned helplessness. I never knew that this term existed and when I was reading, I could not believe how relatable this term was to me at one point. I do have a learning disability, and it was something that took me a long time to accept because I felt stigmatized by it. There have been times where I felt like I was experiencing learned helplessness. I knew many classmates who have felt the same way. What helped me to overcome this issue was the intervention of direct instruction. Looking back, I am so thankful that my teachers took time out of their busy day to assist me in understanding their content. This inspires me to be the type of teacher that will adapt their lessons to meet the learning needs of their students.

Chapter 5 discusses topics related to language development, language diversity, and teaching immigrant students who are ELLs. These topics include how and when language develops, diversity in language development, students with language disabilities, dialects and teachers, to name a few. The existence of the cultural deficient model (on pages 195-196) stood out to me. This is because it offends me that this concept was ever implemented in schools. However, I understand it was a product of the time. I am thankful it is not the case today. However, through my experience, I have seen some teachers with this mindset still to this day. This bothers me for two reasons. One is that shows the teacher is not adapting to the times. Secondly, it does not provide an accepting atmosphere for immigrant students. I believe in inclusivity, respect, and multiculturalism. I will bring those beliefs into my future classroom. 

Module 5

With the reading this week chapter 12 the one thing that jumped out was the Emotions and Anxiety. The reason being is I struggled with Depression and Anxiety starting in my late teens.I do see many of the students I work with having anxiety for simple reasons. For instance I had a student about two years ago were he felt nervous speaking with a person he did not know. They were asking him about emotional responses like they did the whole class, I noticed before he walked out and went with him. I allowed him to play with my hair and “translated” for him. He did not really need translation but he did feel more comfortable speaking with me. \

Currently in the school we are doing a Christmas program. Many of the students are nervous before coming on stage. You can see them talking to each other and holding on to each other, even jumping right before they perform. I remember one year a student threw up right before stage. It was his anxiety on going up to perform. We never made him go on stage after that. 

As I got older I was able to manage my anxiety to a certain point, but I still feel anxious from time to time. I believe that when I have my own classroom, I am able to recognize many of the signs of when a student is feeling anxious. I would be able to modify for the students who may have test anxiety or speaking publicly. An idea that I love that my daughter’s teacher, Ms. Flamini,  does is allow them to chew gum or eat mints while testing. She allows students to bring a blanket ,pillow or stuffy and allow students to sit in a “comfy” spot. Her room is a quiet room, so most of the time students are whispering or talking quietly. She plays music in the background and plays a fireplace on the smart board. Most of the time the classroom lights are dimmed. I know this helps a lot because my daughter, who is 9, said she feels so much more comfortable in her quite class, she states she feels very peaceful. It relieves a lot of her anxiety.

Woolfolk chapter 12, 14,15

In chapter twelve, Woolfolk talked about needs and self-determination. "Self-determination theory suggests that we all need to feel competent and capable, to have a sense of autonomy and control over our lives, and to be connected to others in relationship" (p. 466). The definition of need for competence is the person wants to be able to show they can do the task that is given to them. When a person can do all of these tasks, they feel like they have done an activity with success, have the feeling of self-efficacy, and show the students different learning goals they can use in the future. The need for autonomy is important because this is when someone has their own choices to determine their actions. The purpose of the need for relatedness is for someone to feel like they do belong and for them to have a connection with someone that does care for us (p. 466-467). "Student self-determination is influenced by several factors" (p. 467).  There was research conducted about both Korean and U.S schools.  What was learned was classroom goal structure and how the parent support can influence the students' motivational profiles. What was also learned was the older students were the parents' support tended to go down, but what did remain was the teacher's message. When a classroom can help the students' self-determination and autonomy the student will be interested in learning and be curious. Also, autonomy can interact with a student's interest (p. 467).

In my classroom this year we have a student who I do see self-determination in. He is always asking if he did a good job on an activity. When he does know he knows he has, he smiles and is happy for the fact he knows he did do something well. With him, I see this all of the time. With some of my other students, I see self-determination only some of the time. Most of the time the teachers are the ones trying to push them to do an awesome job. We try to show them they are capable of anything. Sometimes when I student does do the task well, they want to keep doing that task because they feel like they have done something great. Sometimes it is difficult to get a student to do something else because they do not want to do another task in case they do not do this task as great.

In chapter fourteen,  Woolfolk talked about direct instruction and six teaching functions. "For many people, 'teaching' means an instructor explaining material to students; lecture is a classic form" (p. 563). There was much research during the 1970s and 1980s about the different traditional forms of teaching. The results ended up showing a model that would help student learning. Barak Rosenshine and Robert Stevens name the model direct instruction. Tom Good created a teaching style, that was called active teaching, which ended up being similar. How researchers ended up coming up with the different elements was by comparing the teacher's students who ended up learning more of the information to teachers' students that were considered average or expected level. The research was mostly done in American classrooms. The researchers were more looking at the traditional style of teaching which lead to them not being able to know what the successful innovations were (p. 563). "Given these conditions, you can see that direct instruction applies best to the teaching of basic skills-clearly structured knowledge and essential skills, such as science facts, mathematics computations, reading vocabulary, and grammar rules (Rosenshine & Stevens, 1986)" (p. 563). The different teaching functions that Rosenshine created are: the teacher should check the work and also go over the day's before work, they should be teaching new material, the students should be able to do practice while the teacher is teaching the material, the teacher should provide feedback and also make corrections based off of what the student's answer is, the students should be able to practice the material by themselves, and also the teacher should review work that happened a month ago and a week ago (p. 563-564).

The case managers I work with are always trying to teach the students basic skills. This mostly in math and reading. Sometimes we work on sight words with the students so they can improve their reading level. Before we start class in life skills, the teacher always talks about what we learned the previous day. One of the lessons we learned last week as the different color zones you can be in. The teacher first talked about the yellow zone and all of the different feelings you could have with that. The next day, she first started class by going over the different feelings someone could have in the zone. That same day, the teacher went over the green zone and all of the different feelings someone could have with that zone. The teacher then had a worksheet which the class had to do with placing the feelings for the yellow zone in one column and green zone feelings in another. She then had them do another worksheet by themselves to see if they really did understand the material. When a student did get a feeling zone wrong, she would tell them why it was the wrong answer. This was an example of the five of six teaching functions.

In chapter fifteen, Woolfolk talked about informal assessments. "Informal assessments are ungraded assessments that gather information from multiple sources to help teachers make decisions (S.R. Banks, 2012)" (p. 603). Two informal assessments that were discussed in the textbook were Exit Tickets and journals. "The exit ticket is a simple assessment and can even be done 'on the fly' as you notice students struggling" (p. 603). When a teacher is done with the lesson, they will give the students a question or problem to do. The students will write the answer on a separate sheet of paper. This paper ends up being the student way out of class. The teacher then looks at all of the tickets. They then make small discussion groups. All the groups will have, at least, one person who understands the material and other people who do not understand the material. The teacher than reteaches the material and then has the groups discuss the exit slip. Another exit ticket that is used is a two-minute fast write where the students talk about the key concepts. This way can be confusing but does let the teacher know what they need to re-teach (p. 603) "Journals are very flexible and widely used informal assessments"(p. 603). When students write in journals, they tend to either write them personally or in a group and write on them daily. In Michael Pressley and his colleagues' study, they were looking at first-grade literacy classes. The teachers had three purposes for the journals: a way for the students to write about their own thoughts and their own ideas, they wrote about what they learned that day, and the journals were used in a way to practice fluency and creative expression. Teachers are allowed to use journals so they can learn more about their students and connect with them. More times, though, journals are used for academic reasons (p. 603).

During Geography, more towards the end of the lesson, the teacher and students have to explain what they learned in their journals and what they talked about today. They each have their own binders they use. As a group, though, they do fill out the topic of the day. They then write, by themselves, what they learned today. When I was in school, we had to do exit slips all of the time in math class. During my senior year, the teacher would write a problem on the board and before the bell ring we had to answer the question. We turned in our sheets at the door when we were walking out. When we got back the next day, the teacher would go over the answer to clarify some of the solutions. This did not always happen. This only happened when half of the class did get the answer wrong. Towards the end of the year, our exit slips where on a QR code. We had to get our phones out to be able to answer the question.

Module 5. chapter 12

Chapter 12 sparked a lot of interest while reading about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Though this dates back to the 1970’s it was interesting to read. Self-actualization is Maslow’s term for self-fulfillment, the realization of personal potential-”being all that you can be.” Each of the lower needs must be met before the next higher need can be addressed (p.448). As I understood where he was coming from and how he looked at ones needs using examples of when children are hungry they will not perform at their best of academic levels. We as teachers have to take that into consideration for every single student. We need to realize they are all going through different things at home, personally, and at school. Getting to know your students will be the best way to decide what their next level of needs are. Though Maslow has great things to read and take in there is a new theory that is very interesting. Self-determination theory suggests that we all need to feel competent and capable in our interactions in the world, to have some choices and a sense of control over our lives, and to be connected to others-to belong to a social group (pp.500). With this new theory states that we as humans want to master what we are given and continue to master as we move along. When students succeed and have self-determination in the classroom which also then sets the students up for success outside of the classroom and into their future. I feel as a teacher it is our responsibility to help students plan actions to accomplish self-selected goals. I know in the classroom I am currently in all of our students have their own IEP’s which then gives them their individual goals to accomplish. I notice how amazing students feel and how not only their grades but their attitudes change. It is very rewarding when children feel successful and as a teacher you can give noncontrolling positive feedback to.

module 5 chapter 12

Chapter 12 of the Woolfolk textbook was all about motivation. The two main factors of motivation are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation expresses Woolfolk on page 463. The intrinsic is the internal motivation and extrinsic is the external motivation. The reasons behind the students motivation is also differing. The intrinsic motivation is the natural tendency to conquer personal interests and capabilities that we don't have to do but personally want to. The extrinsic motivation on the other hand, is motivation to do it because of what someone will get out of it rather than an interest in the activity or subject matter.
Everyday I can see the difference of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in my students. For example, one of our students hates to do the five minuet rotation in occupational therapy. The only way we can actually get him to even transition into the group is by letting him know that if he goes and completes his work he can get his preferred activity or toy. However, I have also recognized his intrinsic motivation kick in when he realizes that his work is doing arts and crafts in occupational therapy. Then, he wants to rotate to occupational therapy and even tries to escape the other stations to get back to occupational therapy.
Additionally, chapter 12 of the Woolfolk textbook also discussed the teacher's attributions triggers the student's attributions. At first it seems trivial to explain that teachers act with sympathy when progress is due to external factors outside of the students control and reprimand the students who's progress is due to factors within the student's control, such as laziness, (Woolfolk, p.477). As I continued to read and comprehend this bit of the chapter I realized I never thought what affect this would have on the student. This action can actually indirectly be telling students that they are incapable of succeeding and the teacher will take pity on them by overlooking their failures. This is obviously not the message that teachers want to be passing along to their students.
Further, as a future teacher I will try hard to navigate how to motivate my students to get the most out of their own individual learning. I hope to be able to carefully navigate how to get students to want to learn and contribute to their society with intrinsic motivation intact because I would hate to lose it by over rewarding a student while assuming I am catering to their extrinsic motivation.

Module 5

We all humans have needs...
As I read chapter 12, I learned about the Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. To be honest, I do not think that i have ever thought of that. People do have needs, but they all start with a level and as you want more is starts to build upon. Not just now in present day, but back in the day as we humans began to develop we keep evolving with needed needs. It is true, i have applied it to my present days as a mother of one, and all I want to do is fulfill his needs and make him aware of what is the next step to get to the next. He is now aware that there is levels to wants and needs and how to get to them; as in matter in fact I also teach my students about it I just never thought where it had came from.
Although, people are not aware that having a positive growth mindset can really motivate each one of us. As a child I do not recall being reminded everyday to have a positive growth mindset, in which as a child it really affected me when I thought negative choices. being able to work in school settings , out of three schools I have worked for only one reminded each child through the intercom to have a growth mindset as they go on with their daily routines at schools. I really loved that part of the morning, 2 min out of the principals time really had an impact on the students.
In conclusion, reading chapter fourteen, was interested, because I was already aware of the Bloom Taxonomy system , but never really payed attention of its powers. I was amazed on how such a system is able to provide a powerful feedback regarding the results on our students test scores or coherence of the material taught. As I currently take quizzes i think about the order they are put in and i think about if I am actually understanding what I know. It is a good system to use to make sure our students are learning what they are suppose too.🙋

Module 5_Sutor

In Chapter 12 I found the section on Mindset and Beliefs about Ability interesting and important.  It states that there are two sets of mindsets, which are a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.  In a fixed midset a person believes “that abilities are stable, uncontrollable, set traits”(p 478).  In a growth mindset a person believes “that abilities are unstable, controllable, and improvable.”(p.479)  Growing up I feel that I had a fixed mindset and this lead me to self-doubt.  I would not want to try new things for fear of failing.  I can still hear the quote “failure is not an option”.  In a growth mindset “failure is not devastating; it simply indicates more work is needed.  Ability is not threatened” (p479).  It was not until I had children that I knew in my heart that this type of mindset was unhealthy for me, and for my children.  I feel that it is important for all students to understand that they are capable of great things if they believe in themselves.  Although learning can be challenging at times the children need to know that with hard work, mistakes, and a positive attitude they can be successful.  They are in control of their own destiny.  The children can have fun and learn even though they may not be good at it.  This will improve their self-esteem, which I believe is very important, so they grow as individuals.  There are many wonderful elementary books that teach a growth mindset that I look forward to reading my students at the beginning of the year.

In Chapter 14 about Taxonomy and our teaching approach so that we can educate our students not only to memorize information but for them to be able to apply the information and have a deeper understanding of the material is very important for teachers to understand.  I found the section on deep questioning, and group discussions beneficial.  “Through dialogue and discussion, students can collectively construct meaning and complex understanding.  Motivation and engagement can be higher.  They learn to express themselves clearly, to justify opinions, and to tolerate different views” (p572).  Personally, I think that with deep questioning, and group discussions the information will be learned at a higher level but the students will also be more engaged in the activity and they will not be learning for a grade but they will be on the path of becoming lifelong learners. 

Module 5: Motivation in the Classroom - Ashley Rogers

I really enjoyed reading chapter 12, as it closely correlated with the research paper I just wrote for class.  My paper discussed two different classroom management styles and how they can support or be a detriment to the students.  Teachers are very powerful and very influential, and if they do not use this power and influence in the right manner, it can really harm a students level of motivation and levels of confidence. 
One thing I learned from writing my research paper was that as a teacher, one of the best strategies for having a positive classroom environment is setting clear expectations for the students at the beginning of class.  The table on page 496 of Woolfolk clearly outlines some steps for setting a positive classroom environment by using strategies such as clearly communicating messages of accountability and the importance of work.  Another strategy as I just previously suggested was setting clear goals and directions.  Another point that was essential to a positive classroom environment was warmth.  With clear expectations and and understanding of accountability, a teacher should balance that with warmth and communicate caring.  The descriptions of these strategies describe an authoritative style of classroom management. 
Page 496 also states strategies that do not promote or support a students' motivation to learn.  These strategies include, "attributions to intellect rather than effort, teacher emphasizes competition rather than working together, and ineffective/negative feedback."  As I wrote in my research paper, these traits encompass an authoritarian style of classroom management.  With this style, teachers are the main focus of the classroom and often have the final word.  They do not encourage discussion, and have strict rules for their students.  Authoritarians do not try to build a connection with their students or show any warmth. 
As I wrote in my research paper, authoritative and authoritarian styles of classroom management sound like they would be very similar, but they are dramatically different.  One encourages teamwork and discussion, promotes growth through working together, and exhibits warmth while students also have a clear understanding of classroom rules and expectations.  Authoritarian, on the other hand, can be detrimental to a students learning and motivation levels.  An authoritarian style is almost like a dictatorship in a way.  It takes power away from the students and focuses mostly on the teacher.  Classroom expectations are not typically entirely clear, but punishment is strongly implemented when a student breaks a rule.  One major difference between the two is how a teacher handles a situation when students break a classroom rule.  Authoritative classrooms will inflict discipline.  Discipline allows students to learn and grow from their mistake through a positive method of teaching self-control, confidence and responsibility.  Authoritarian classrooms will inflict punishment, which does not promote student growth, and rather focuses on past misbehaviors.  Punishment doesn't offer anything to help a student behave better in the future.  Again, punishment and discipline are words that are often used synonymous of one another, like authoritative and authoritarian, but both have very different meanings.

Module 5_Muro

I learned a great deal of valuable information in these last few chapters.  I found the section in Chapter 12, Strategies That Support and Undermine Motivation in the Classroom, to be the most relatable (p. 496-497).  As I was reading the different types of strategies, I started laughing out loud to myself.  Not because I found the material humorous by any means.  It was as if I was reading an entry about an observation that someone had made about the school that I work at.  What really stuck with me was the strategies that do not support motivation to learn.  I have to say that all eight of the examples in the textbook are all strategies that I have seen used in different classrooms.  I actually witnessed a teacher using one of these strategies in her classroom just yesterday morning.  She used public punishment to single out students who had failed to return a note she gave them earlier in the week.  

It was a note to parents discussing holiday events she had planned for next Thursday.  She had all the students who did return the form, stand up, while the other students, which was exactly half of her class, stay seated and await a lecture from their teacher.  It is so fascinating to read about these strategies because they never work.  What is even more interesting, is that so many teachers continue to utilize these negative strategies in their classroom, expecting positive results (p. 496-497).  Responding to student answers made me think of certain situations I have been in (p. 571-572).  I have witnessed teachers respond effectively to a wide range of student responses.  For the most part, they are positive and promote group discussions and encourage participation in their classrooms.  “Hattie and Timperley argue that feedback about process and self-regulation is the most powerful because it helps students move toward deep understanding, mastery, and self-direction in learning” (p. 572).  Other times, I have seen students give well-thought responses to questions in class, only to be told, “Oh, ok. Good” by the teacher.  

There is usually no follow up to their responses, nor any further probing that would promote new perspectives, further discussions, or even encourage others to participate who typically do not feel comfortable doing so.  There are so many missed opportunities.  Standardized tests are always a constant headache for most teachers.  At least for many of the teachers that I work with.  Most of the teachers typically dread standardized testing (p. 615).  Tensions run much higher during testing seasons.  I think for the most part the frustration many teachers have with standardized testing is all the problems that go along with the actual administering of the tests.  As much preparation goes into standardized testing, I always notice how many technical issues teachers inevitably have during these tests.  Standardized tests come with a great deal of organization and homework for the teachers.  Two of the more “important” tests that are administered to our students are the P.A.R.C.C. and N.W.E.A. tests.

Module 4

As I read chapter 9 , two things got my attention  metacogniton and learning styles. 

Metacognition, is actually what now as adults we have. Now that I look back with out having the second part of thinking , I would have done unreasonable decisions in my early adulthood life. Not only did I read that part but I got so interested that I watched videos of it just to get more sense of it. I know in my prior psy classes it was probably introduced by this time I was interested on. as I had mentioned before I have an Eight year old that thinks different than I do of course. but, my point is we had an experience where I had punished him for something he did, by taking his phone away. So, days passed and I decided to give him his phone back. A soon as I gave his phone back he misbehaved again, so I took his phone away and then he began to cry. So I told him instead of crying why don't you just apologize and that's it you will get it back. I'm embarrassed, my husband heard me and told me well he doesn't think like that yet he is young his thinking is not matured yet. and that's why I wanted to research more about the expansion of thinking to understand my child more. 

Now, Learning Styles are a big issue in the educational field. i am currently writing about it on my research paper and a few interesting facts came along. I do believe that students and even other people are able to have a preferred learning style for their educational purposes. I, myself prefer to have visuals and some audio to understand my work. I am just not a reader or writer I struggle harshly. even to write this blog, it is very hard for me to reread and understand things when there is no visual or audio for me to look and listen too. So, if an online class is about just reading chapters instead of providing other sources to the students with preferred learning styles then that will be a big issue for those students that need visuals. As my part teachers need to do their best to accommodate their students needs. 

Chapter 9. Module 4

Though I feel I can go on about this entire chapter I will say that reading up on Learning Strategies seemed to catch me off guard. It caught my interest and pulled me in. It made me feel old (in the ways I was taught) as they talked about learning strategies. Learning strategies are a special kind of procedural knowledge-knowing how to do something. There are thousands of strategies(p. 331). Absolutely, there must be endless strategies. As I paused: I thought! What are my strategies. Well, I catch myself always having limitless highlighters and always when will make flash cards. Not because I came up with that technique but sometime in my schooling I was always taught to study that way to memorize things. I mean, I might not be the smartest person who passed grades with straight A’s but I did okay. The techniques worked for me so I thought. Then to continue to read and sure enough how wrong I was. Do you underline or highlight key phrases in textbooks? Underlining and note taking are probably two of the most frequent but ineffectively used strategies among college students. One common problem is that students underline or highlight too much. It is far better to be selective (pp. 333). Okay! So let me start the chapter over. I started to re-read the chapter and retired the highlighters. There it is right in the beginning. You can see from the first entry in Table.9.1 that learning begins with focusing attention-deciding what is important. But distinguishing the main idea from less important information is not always easy (pp. 332). So in chapter 9 in did not really think from the start about my future as an educator, or even the students that I help at work, or even for that matter my own children. I thought about all the ways I can take this chapter in for myself. I found this chapter very rewarding in a lot of ways.

Module 4_Porter

Hey everybody!

The reading this week had a ton of important information! One thing that I read in chapter 9 really resonated with me because it was an issue that I had a lot in high school. It is describing a math word problem, “The student saw two numbers and the word more, so he applied the add to get more procedure. Focus on surface features often happens when students are taught to search for key words” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 354). I have always been extremely good at math, and I knew it. So, I would go through assignments and quizzes very fast, and often overlook critical parts of the problems, which would cause me to get them wrong. Even though I knew the content, I wouldn’t read the entire problem or would see a “key word” and just breeze through it. It was very frustrating for me, but it was because I was taught to look for certain words or equations, instead of reading the entire problem before beginning to work through it. It was around junior year of high school when I finally began to slow down while taking tests and read each problem carefully, and it ended up really helping my grades. It is important to teach children to read the entire problem and take their time, it isn’t a race.

Another aspect of the reading that I really enjoyed learning about was the importance of cooperation in the classroom. Chapter 10, page 399 mentioned, “Despite some inconsistencies, the majority of the studies indicate that truly cooperative groups have positive effects-from preschool to college-on students’ empathy, tolerance for differences, feelings of acceptance, friendships, self-confidence, awareness of the perspectives of others, higher-level reasoning, problem solving, decision making, essay writing, and even school attendance” (Galton, Hargreaves, & Pell, 2009; Gillies & Boyle, 2011; Soloman, Watson, & Battistich, 2001; Zhang et al., 2016).  Growing up, I had several friends who had been home-schooled and were finally attending public school for the first time. You could tell that they didn’t have the social skills the rest of us had. When it would come to group projects, they did not really know how to interact and cooperate with others. I had never thought about it much, but now after reading this, I realize just how much of an impact cooperation has on students of all ages.

However, not all aspects of cooperation are positive. There are downsides to doing group work. Chapter 10 mentioned several negative aspects of group work, one being, “Students may simply shift dependency from the teacher to the ‘expert’ in the group; learning is passive and what is learned can be wrong” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 401).  I have experienced this far too often. I have been in the position where it felt like everyone in my group was relying on me to do all of the work. I have also been in the position where I relied on others to do the work. If group work is being done, it should be an entire group effort, that way everyone learns the material, if you are the “expert”, you end up being overworked, and if you are one of the slackers, you end up not knowing the content. It doesn’t turn out well for anyone.

Have a great week everyone!

Steph

module 4

This weeks reading included chapters 9, 10, and 11 of the Woolfolk textbook. Chapter 9 was the complex cognitive processes. I really liked this chapter because I am not only learning how to teach students I am also a student myself. That is important because the 9th chapter discussed the learning strategies in relation to the cognitive processing. It also covered critical thinking and problem solving is important to teach students so that they get the most out of the material they are learning. 

Next, chapter 10 of the Woolfolk text was on constructivism and the designing of learning environments. Constructivism is the view that emphasizes the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information. There are two types which are the cognitive constructivists, they make a sense of the world based on their beliefs and individual knowledge, and the social constructivists, who believe that social interaction, cultural tools, and activities shape individual development and learning as written on pages 383 and 384 of the Woolfolk textbook. I personally connect more with the cognitive because I believe that our personal lives greatly affect our ability to learn and think. However, I don't think that anyone could learn based on their personal beliefs alone. Instead I think its best that teachers understand that both effect the way that a student learns and need to take both into a account when they want to show the students new information. Further, the teacher also needs to ensure that they are setting up the learning environment to maximize this. Understanding that allows a teacher to create a scaffolding thinking. This means that they are connecting their cultural knowledge and the everyday experiences and knowledge of their students to make an environment that nourishes motivational and cognitive support. Finally the other impactful piece of this chapter, to me, was the flipped classroom created learning environment. This means that in a technology era students would learn at home at their own pace and in their own style as described by Woolfolk on page 418. Then, they would take the information to school and work on problems and applications of the knowledge in class so that they can further their understanding through teacher instruction. As a future teacher I know that I will be applying this type of learning so that I can maximize the in classroom time with my students. 

Last, chapter 11 of the Woolfolk text explains the social cognitive views of learning and motivation. The most impactful part of the chapter were the four perspectives on learning. These included behavioral, cognitive, constructivist, and social cognitive. It is important to keep in mind, as expressed on page 454 of the Woolfolk textbook, there is no such thing as the best approach which is why it is so important to understand all the perspectives rather than focusing on only one. So, in application the students would first understand and make sense of the material called the constructivist. Then, they would need to remember it called cognitive. Next, they would need to practice it till it became the behavior. Finally the social cognitive is established when the student takes the learning into their own hands. The table on page 455 of the Woolfolk textbook does a great job of displaying these learning views.      

Module 1

Chapter one started with learning and teaching today and what our classrooms look like. It covered diversity topics and how our future classes majority will be foreign-born. Although most of our classes are diverse, the teachers that are in the classroom are not.  It would be great to have teachers from different backgrounds, as it is important for students to see people who look like them in different positions and that they can do anything that they put their mind to. Another thing that stood out to me is how teachers can make a tremendous difference in students success. Different studies showed how teachers can have so much power over students lives. I personally agree with this myself. There were so many teachers that were the reason why I succeeded and they played a great role in my academic success. I believe that teachers have an influencing platform and they need to use it wisely. I hope to be a positive influencer on my future students, as I would love to do what it takes to help them succeed.

Chapter two talked about Cognitive Development. It started with describing different kinds of developments. Physical development which is the changes in the body. Personal development changes which covered how individuals personality develops over time. Social development is the change in the way an individual relates to others. Lastly, Cognitive development talked about the changes in one's thinking. Woolfolk also talks about what influences these developments, nature versus nurture. The nature versus nurture debate is something that I believe still has a strong impact on students today. Though I have not worked in the school system for every long, this past year and a half I have had the pleasure of working with a student who was adopted from Haiti. In Haiti, he did not have much access to education or what it was like to be in a formal classroom. In this case, I believe it was his nature that would take over when he was given something to work on. This is because he always wanted to take his materials home with him in order to work on it there instead of in school. We believe that back in Haiti that if he didn't finish working on something in the time given it was then taken away from him so here in the United States he had the association that the same thing was going to happen. Another way to consider nature versus nurture is with students who come from cultures that are different from their teachers. For instance, in Asian culture children are taught that it is disrespectful to look a teacher in the eye when they are talking to you, but here in the United States, we are consistently telling students to make eye contact so that we know they are listening. As teachers, we need to be aware of how different cultures are taught to handle different aspects of education in order to provide a safe and fun learning environment. 

Chapter three talked about the self, social and moral development. This chapter covered many interesting topics, such as family affects on students, how divorce affects students, peer relationships, different types of aggression, and child abuse. The above topics are all major factors in every student's lives. Our job as educators is to be aware of all the changes our students might be experiencing since it could have a dramatic effect on the students' academics. Unfortunately, many teachers do not care about what their students might be experiencing outside of class, and all they worry about is that they test high on their tests in order for their school to perform well. 

Module 3: The Core of a Well Maintained Classroom

For me, the two chapters that we read this week (Chapters were 7 and Chapter 13) were the most engaging and the most interesting. One of my biggest worries going into education is classroom management. How am I going to maintain a well-run classroom of 20 plus students on a daily basis? Between reading Chapter 13 closely, taking in the information that I found to be the most helpful to use, performing my interview, watching the additional resource videos, and working in a classroom with a teacher who has amazing classroom management skills I believe that I have a stronger understanding of how I can implement those same strategies and skills into my own classroom.

I like the definition that Woolfolk gives to describe classroom management.  Woolfolk stats that "the aim of classroom management is to maintain a positive, productive learning environment" ( Woolfolk 511). This way of defining classroom management can be interpreted in many different ways. For me, I believe that the way to maintain a positive, productive learning environment is by allowing students to be in control of how their day and even school year is going to look like. Students have to be allowed to take those risks and learn from their mistakes in order to learn even the simplest of tasks. If a teacher is constantly instructing a student in what he or she is doing wrong then the student is only learning how to annoy his/her teacher and will continue to do it either to get whatever negative or positive reaction to is resulting. Another key aspect of classroom management is the rules and procedures that a teacher sets in place. Woolfolk goes on to discuss these stating that as teachers we need to consider what kind of atmosphere you want to create in the classroom. In order to have good classroom management, you have to break down the purpose of each rule and procedure that you are expecting the students to follow. Students should also be told why such rule and/or procedure is important for them to understand. I also believe that allowing students to come up with reasonable rules that they believe should be followed as a classroom can be even more helpful because the student feels like they have some control of what they are being told to do. This concept would well with students in second grade or higher. That is because by second-grade students have an understanding of what rules are and how one should act in school. 

Module 4: Grit - Ashley Rogers

On page 442-443 of Chapter 11, there was a "point/counterpoint" section that asked the question, "Are 'Grittier' Students More Successful?" It stated that, "Grit is essential for student success, and teachers should therefore promote it" (Woolfolk, p.442, 2019).  This subject was attractive to me, because I see buzzwords like this all the time in corporate America. 

The ever popular buzzword we're using right now at my company is "courage."  What I personally hate about buzzwords, is the intent behind them is usually positive initially, but they quickly become overused or the meaning of them becomes twisted to something not so positive.  The buzzword where I work is currently "courage" as we've all been encouraged to use more courage in the workplace and say what's on our mind, even if our idea isn't popular.  Though the intent of this was positive, we've twisted it to say something like, "I'm going to use courage to speak up here," as an employee then proceeds to tear another employee's idea to shreds.  It's become a word that we're using to defend our bad actions. 

I agree with the text's counterpoint on page 443 which states grit appears to be a new buzzword for other words used heavily in the past, like persistence, resilience or willpower.  I do believe these words are important to a student's success.  Students need to have determination to succeed.  I can agree that if a student has more determination, grit or passion toward their goal, that they will most likely be met with more success.  But, having determination or grit is not everything when it comes to a student's success.  Unfortunately, socioeconomic status, family upbringing, and family support plays a huge factor in all of this.

Personally, I don't believe I've ever used the word grit to describe myself.  I would also say I've never heard a coworker, manager, or teacher use the word grit to characterize me either, yet I've been successful in both school and at work.  If this was something teachers or managers decided to promote at school or in the workplace, I would immediately feel disadvantaged, similarly to how I felt when our company announced "courage" would be one of our new ways of working.  I consider myself a very hard worker, but someone courageous?  Probably not.  I think measuring students on soft skills like these can be almost another way to separate one another, and put them into groups, rather than focusing on bringing everyone together.

module 4

In this week's readings, the one area that jumped out the most to me was chapter 11. What chapter talks a lot about the “selves”, self-regulation self efficiency, self reinforcement, self evaluation. I feel like all of these are very important for a student to grow.

 An aspect of this chapter that I really got to meet was the emotional self-regulation. It talks about self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These are very important for a student to develop before  they become an adult. a lot of these skills they will learn at school by dealing with other students and other adults. A lot of times if a student does not have self-management as the rest of the class the student will be considered a disruption. I currently work with a student who is much younger than the rest of the class. he has an August birthday so he just made the cut for the class. he is very silly, much sillier than the rest of the students. Sometimes he can be a  bit destructive in the classroom, but luckily for him he has a teacher who understands. Instead of getting him in trouble she works with his mother to help him. Controlling your own emotions is something difficult for adults, kids it's even worse. With certain students the littlest thing can set them off from not being able to sit next to their friends, to, you ran out of their favorite colored paper.

In Chapter 11 they do proposed that idea of learning through observation. “ Through observational learning, we discovered not only how to perform a behavior but also what will happen to us in a specific situation if we perform it.” (pg. 430).  I feel like this is important because a lot of the students learn from each other more than they do from adults. At the school I work at it is a K through 8 school. It may become difficult for the older kids because they get tired of hearing “you are a role model,  what will the little ones think”. I do observe that the younger ones to look up to the older ones and try to imitate their actions, whether they are positive actions or negative actions. A lot of the time so if it isn't negative action the students will be able to observe the consequences of the student and hopefully not repeat it. 

In the front room is where most of these types of actions may be observed. It is more of a “ ripple effect”, where a student might start yelling and then all of a sudden another kid from another table was also start yelling. A lot of these actions just come out of nowhere.

 In chapter 10 we discuss technology.  just coming from a tech class I was very knowledgeable of a lot of the sites they had mentioned. For instance the jigsaw classroom is one that we did practice in the tech class. I did enjoy learning from other students in my classroom but I did get nervous having to be the one speaking.  Beneficial I saw was how and she on the material, coming from dual- language classroom this will be very beneficial considering many of the Spanish speakers would be able to receive the English vocabulary from the English speakers and vice versa. Flipped classroom was another concept that we had gone over but I do not see myself using this with younger children.  This chapter also goes over collaboration and cooperation, that is a very important skill for students to have for their later years. They are always going to be working with other people that have different personalities. They are just going to have to learn how to check their emotions and work with others. 

Woolfolk Chapters 9,10, and 11

In chapter nine, Woolfolk talks about learning strategies. "Learning strategies are a special kind of procedural knowledge-knowing how to do something" (p. 344). There are strategies that can be general and are taught within the school. An example is outlining and summarizing. Then there are those which go with the subject which is being taught. Then there are those strategies that are just unique (p. 344). "Learning strategies can be cognitive (summarizing, identifying the main idea), metacognitive (monitoring comprehension-do I understand?), or behavior (setting a timer to work until time's up) (Cantrell, Almasi, Carter, Rintamaa, & Madden, 2010)" (p. 344). The different kinds of learning tasks are used when the general methods are not working and there needs to be a strategic effort. When someone starts to be able to become a master of the strategies, they will be using less effort. You will be going on auto-pilot when using these strategies. Until you need to create a new one because the old strategy does not work anymore (p. 344-345).  Learners, who are skilled, do have a lot of strategies they can implement right away. Strategies that are used for learning and skills for studying are used in high school and college's grade point average. The following are some important principles related to this. First, the teacher needs to teach their students different kinds of learning strategies. Not just the general ones, but the ones that go with the subject (p. 345). "Students should be taught self-regulatory (conditional) knowledge about when, where, and why to use various strategies" (p. 345). Next, the teacher must teach the students the desire to using this strategy. Next, the teacher must teach the student they are capable of being taught a different strategy. Lastly, the student needs to give background knowledge and schemas which are useful for the subject being taught. 

During my job, we do try to teach our students about the different strategies they could use. In cooking, we teach them how we can get the right amount of flour in the cup every time. We also teach them how they can put some of the flour back without making a mess. Either by getting a plastic knife and scraping the top flour off or having them shake it. In math when they are not able to do the problems in their heads, we give them counting blocks or a calculator. If a student does not know how to figure out what a word is, we either show them a strategy to figure it out so they have independence. Even in PE, we give the students different strategies to use. An example is shooting a basketball. We would tell them to reach your arm up high, and they use the other hand to help support the ball. They do a flick.

In chapter ten, Woolfolk talked about technology. "One review concluded that using computer tutorial programs appeared to improve achievement test scores for K-12 students, but simulations and enrichment programs had few effects-perhaps another example that when you reach and test specific skills, children learn the skills" (p. 410). The achievement will increase by using computers if computers are supporting the simple direction that ends up leading to learning. These are active engagement, talk about the feedback, have a real and true world connection, and do well in group work. With teaching the different reading processes, a teacher could use a computer. Computers could be used to teach word decoding, phonological awareness or number sense which is basic. The reason computers can do this is because of the different software which is out there. This software can give students quick feedback, motivate them, and also move at the pace of the student. Great programs can also help will listening and reading comprehension. The only thing is computers are a great resource, but they need to be used in a great way to be a great resource. The teacher should also keep in mind, academic achievement will not happen automatically because the student is using the computer (p. 410).

We use technology all the time at my school. We either have the students do the math on IXL or give them different reading programs. These do tend to give them feedback right away. For most of my students, though they tend to really only us their chrome books for YouTube. We sometimes do allow them to watch shows like Austin and Ally on Disney Channel, but most of the time we do try to find something on YouTube which is more educational. Some of my students do go to a general lesson classroom, and the teacher has different software they can use. In a musical sense, there are programs I do teach with that does give the student feedback while they are playing. One of those websites is Essential Elements. This website allows the student to pick a piece from the book and then they record themselves playing it. If a student does not understand a rhythm, they can hear the piece being played on their instrument and they can also play along with it. I know there is also another music software out there that has you playing with the software and it will tell you what rhythms or notes you got wrong. 

Woolfolk talks about elements of observational learning in chapter eleven. "Through observational learning, we discover not only how to perform a behavior but also what will happen to us in specific situations if we perform it" (p. 430). When we compare to what the child is doing through a model, we can improve the outcome. For someone to be taught a new behavior or improve current ones, Bandura said that someone needs to have the four different kinds of observational learning. These four are attent, retention, production, and motivation and reinforcement (p. 430). To be able to observe and learn through this, the observer has to be paying attention (p. 430). "This includes both selective attention (paying attention to the correct cues and information) as well as sustained attention (maintaining focus)" (p. 430). The teacher has to make sure the students are aware of the important points of the lesson by making these points clear and highlighting important information. When you are showing the students a new skill, you might want them to be right on top of your shoulder to see what you are doing. A student being able to see the skill in the right position will help the student know which features to do and make observing it a little bit easier (p. 430). For someone to be able to copy the movement, the student must first be able to remember each step. You might have to model the behavior or say the steps verbally or you might have to do both. A student can remember the steps by either picturing each step in their head or be actually practicing the behavior (p. 430). When someone does know the behavior and can do all of the steps, they still need someone's feedback. The last observational learning is motivation and reinforcement. We might not do the skill or behavior until someone encourages us to do it. Bandura does tell us there are three different types of reinforcement: direct, vicarious, and self-reinforcement (p. 430-431).

We other do hand over hand with my student to learn the skill we are trying to teach them so they know how they are supposed to feel when they are doing the skill. We then have them doing the skill by themselves. We then do provide feedback, and then motivate the student to practice the skill. One of these skills is hanging a coat in the closet. We first face the student in the direction they should be facing and first teach the student how do you put a coat on the hanger. We then have the student do it. We tell them our feedback. We then teach them how to put it in the closet and continue with the same steps. Every day or every other day we have the student do this skill. We do it until we know the student has mastered it. Another skill we sometimes do have to teach students is how to hold a fork. We teach them how to hold it facing the direction they will be facing, then have them do it, provide our feedback, and then have the student keep practicing that skill.

Module 4 Sutor

In chapter nine, it goes over Problem Solving.  I believe this is an important trait to have but never knew that this is one that could be taught.  I have met many people in the past that just did not have great problem solving skills.  These individuals were not able to effectively come up with a solution to their problems.  Most of the time the individuals could not think outside the box, Woolfolk states “People may miss out on a good solution because they fixate on conventional use for materials.  This difficulty is called functional fixedness.”(p.360)  In my experience great problem solvers move up the corporate later quickly because of their ability to find solutions quickly and effectively for situations that arise every day.  I enjoyed reading the guidelines for applying problem solving so that I can encourage my students to form problem-solving skills.

I believe that collaboration, group work and cooperative learning are important in the classroom, but I feel that at times they can be a negative if not done properly.  The goals of cooperative learning “are learning to collaborate and collaborating to learn” (p.399).  Woolfolk also goes into detail about setting up cooperative groups to achieve your teaching goal.  Most teachers follow this setup were students that are more tolerant are paired with others that are difficult to work with so that the cooperative learning goes smoothly.  While I understand this strategy and will most likely have to also pair my students this way, I can see how this may hinder the learning of the tolerant student.  After being paired with difficult students continually throughout the years, the tolerant student may have a negative view of collaboration, group work and cooperative learning.  Instead of experiencing how beneficial it can be for both their learning and their fellow classmates learning.  I feel that if a Jigsaw approach would be better choice in this situation.  I feel Jigsaw would be beneficial because “students have to learn and be tested on every piece of the larger puzzle, everyone’s contribution is important-the students truly are interdependent.” (p406)  I also feel that collaborative learning should not be assigned a grade.  This would help the student’s view cooperative learning in a positive light.  This way the students can focus on learning and not about getting a grade. 

Module 4_Muro

What stood out to me the most this week, was the section on Collaboration and Cooperation in chapter 10 (398).  This section talked a lot about how much companies value how well their employees are able to work well together.  “Most corporations are looking for employees who are not only good at the mastery of a particular set of academic skills but who also have the ability to work harmoniously with a wide variety of coworkers as a cooperative team, to demonstrate initiative and responsibility, and to communicate effectively.” (E. Aronson, 2000, p. 91) (398).  I wholeheartedly agree with this.  I believe it is very important for people who work together to share a mutual understanding of the greater good.  A shared objective or improvement in which all parties are working together to reach.  For teachers in a school, I feel this is even more critical considering there are children who rely on those teachers to maintain an environment for them full of safety and stability.  I do believe the students feel safe at the school that I work at.  As far as stability goes, I have to say that I am not so sure.  The climate of my school does not reflect a climate that revolves around healthy and positive relationships amongst the adults. 

Not all of the adults are focused primarily on their responsibilities as an educator.  Some are more concerned with petty squabbles with their colleagues.  Instead of supporting each other, they are too busy trying to tear one another down.  Far too often, I have witnessed teachers whose priorities are not what they should be and rather than engage their students meaningfully, they choose to place a Chromebook in front of them so that they can focus on other more unimportant issues.  This brings me to my next topic, Technology and Learning (410).  I have always had mixed feelings about technology in the classroom.  Yes, I do believe that technology can and has drastically improved student’s education on so many different levels.  I also believe that technology in the wrong hands can have a negative effect on a student’s overall education process.  Many teachers rely too much on technology to take on the role of teacher.  There really is no substitution for the real thing.  “Like any teaching tool, computers can be effective if used well, but just being on a computer will not automatically increase academic achievement” (410).

One last and vital component in learning is how a student views their own self-efficacy as well as their own self-concept and self-esteem.  How these three concepts are perceived can have a lasting effect on a student’s education as well as the roles they will be assigned to by their teachers, their peers, or even themselves.  I have been around students that I know are more than capable of understanding and accomplishing a particular lesson or assignment, but due to their own self-worth, they almost always shy away from taking on more assertive roles in the classroom.  “Most people assume self-efficacy is the same as self-concept or self-esteem, but it isn’t.  Although these terms refer to self-beliefs, they differ in important ways. Self-efficacy refers to a “context-specific assessment of competence to perform a specific task” (Pajares, 1997, p. 15). Self-concept, on the other hand, has historically referred to a more global self-perception. One’s self-concept is judged by both external and internal comparisons, using other people or other aspects of the self as frames of reference (Marsh, Xu, & Martin, 2012). But self-efficacy focuses on your ability to successfully accomplish a particular task with no need for comparisons—the question is whether you can do it, not whether others would be successful. Also, self-efficacy beliefs are strong predictors of behavior, but self-concept has typically shown weaker predictive power" (Anderman & Anderman, 2014; Bandura, 1997) (434). Adults also have to deal with these same concepts in their lives.    

Module 4

Chapter 10 discusses the roles of technology in the classroom. Before taking technology in education I always had the idea that technology in the classroom is just a distraction for students, but after completing technology in education, I realized that technology is an important tool that should be explored in the classroom. There are some really great programs available to enhance students' education, it would be foolish to not take advantage of something that is at almost every student's fingertips. On an individual level, technology offers students virtual simulations and scenarios that support problem based learning, as well as offering the chance for students to develop their own personal learning network through online interactions.  One thing that I found interesting from this week’s reading was about a simulation known as an immersive virtual learning environment (IVLE) on page 412. The book defines IVLE as, “a simulation of the real-world environment that immerses students in tasks like those required in a professional practicum.” The simulation takes exploring real world environments to the next level. Woolfolk gave the example of exploring a virtual rainforest which is really mind-blowing if you really think about it. You would think the easiest way for students from the midwest to explore a rainforest is through national geographic videos, but now there are programs that can take you on a personalized virtual tour with tour guides? How cool!
Exciting tools like these could easily be used in a special education classroom on a daily basis. The first place I would like to virtually introduce to my students is a grocery store. IVLE can help students master skills like learning how to navigate the store using aisle markers, learning how to have proper shopping cart etiquette, learning how to take a number to order something from the deli counter, and even learning how to pay for their groceries at the checkout line. We have studied how students learn more through first hand experience, and this would be an excellent way to give students a first hand experience without having to remove them from the classroom. IVLE can help students repeatedly apply information and practice skills they have accumulated in the classroom to everyday tasks.

Classroom Management Interview

I interviewed a teacher who has been working at the school for eleven years. She first started as an assistant, and then took the role as lead teacher in the primary classroom for 3 to 6 year old children. She has her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, and she is, also, certified as a Montessori early childhood teacher. She is very soft spoken, calm, patient, and dedicated to a positive learning environment for her students. She strives to meet the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional needs of her students, and she respectively takes the time to observe her students' learning habits and personal characteristics so she can offer them the proper learning materials. I find her classroom management approach to be one that respects the students' behavior. She does not view misbehavior "a student is hitting because he is bad" instead, she would say "hmmm…I wonder why does he feel the need to hit another person, is the student working on his communication skills and learning how to express and communicate with peers." After conducting this interview, she sees there is a reason for students "acting out" and "misbehaving", and she has the patience to observe and find the reason  for the students' behavior so she can resolve the students need to hit and replace it with skills to communicate better. I enjoyed interviewing her and getting her insight on how to maintain a positive classroom environment. I agree with her when she explains that is is necessary to stay calm when witnessing undesirable behavior in the classroom so the situation does not escalate, to take the time to explain the misbehavior that was witnessed and give clear expectations of what is expected of the student, and it is vital that "the adult must be the role model". To further explain the teacher is key to demonstrating and modeling how to speak, move, work, and communicate within the classroom. 

Interview on Classroom Management:

1. How long do you observe a student before determining if they have behaviors that need more than a reminder to change?

When the behavior starts effecting another students' ability to concentrate on their work it is time to step in with more than a reminder.

2. How long do you use a method before determining if it works or not?

If there is no change in the behavior and there is no positive response to the method, then it is time to reconsider. A child needs time for a method to become part of their own skills. 

3. How do you stop and correct a behavior without disturbing the entire class?

To stop a behavior with any child, it is important to go directly to the child and make eye contact. The adult needs to bend down to the child's level, and address the child calmly with a firm tone, state the behavior that was observed, and state positively what is expected of the child. An example "you are running…for your safety you need to walk."

4. When is it necessary to reach out for additional help? And from where?

It is necessary to reach out when previous methods have failed, and the child is incapable of working independently. Help can come from another teacher, the parent, or the administration. 

5. How do you approach students who are disturbing others from learning?

The teacher did not provide an answer for this question. "I feel that this question will receive the same response as question number 3."

6. What types of methods do you use to redirect students to positive behaviors so they are getting their full learning experience?

It depends on the type of behavior being observed and the work the child has chosen. If the child is missing a material, they are asked to put it away and try again tomorrow. If the child is frustrated with their work, then the child may benefit from a water break or some moral support from an adult. When a child has not made a work choice, it may help if the adult helps with some work choices. 

7. What are 3 rules/guidelines that you find are important for maintaining a positive learning experience?

To maintain a positive work environment, the adult must be the role model. It is important to be calm even when the child or the situation is overwhelming. The adults in the classroom should move and speak slowly; it helps maintain a clam and positive environment. Using positive language helps the children understand the adults expectations. 

Why do you think it is important to establish effective rules for classroom management?

Children need a safe positive environment in order to learn effectively. Rules need to be established and consistently managed for the children to build trust with the adult and the environment.