I believe that the motivation of students is the most important thing in the classroom. Students that are motivated to learn and enjoy coming to class will exit the classroom feeling fulfilled from having learned, and come back eager for more knowledge. Maintaining an orderly classroom is instrumental in motivating students; students that are worried about being scrutinized by peers are unlikely to share their ideas, and will feel neglected in the classroom. INTASC 5 ensures instructors know how to motivate students to perform well in the classroom, and that teachers know how to maintain control over the classroom and ensure students feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. Motivation in the classroom can be something as simple as informing students how they will use the material in their daily lives. For instance, in a math class if the instructor tells students how to use fractions/ decimals in their daily lives at the grocery store, they will be more inclined to listen and perform well as they see how it directly impacts their lives. Controlling the behavior of students can be done through discipline and ensuring students know the rules of the classroom. Students need to feel safe in the classroom, and if their peers are well behaved and under control then learning can take priority. In the English classroom, motivation can come easily through relevance. For example, if an instructor were to tie Romeo and Juliet to a modern couple of today, Edward and Bella from the Twilight series perhaps, then students would immediately find the material more interesting to them, and they would be more motivated to pay attention and participate. In the English classroom there will portions where students read aloud and share their ideas. Ensuring students feel comfortable reading in front of their peers and feel their peers will respect their opinions will make students more willing to participate. Motivation and behavior work well with each other; by ensuring students are well behaved, the classroom can become a place where learning takes top priority. This cannot happen if student feel somehow threatened or intimidated by their peers. Motivation in instrumental in improving student performance. Students that are highly motivated perform better, and are more willing and eager to engage in classroom activities.
Artifact A is a classroom management plan that I created during my professional year at Towson University. The classroom management plan was created in order to determine how I would lead a classroom. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I create a detailed set of guidelines for how I will control different events that occur within the classroom. In order to provide an effective learning environment for the students in my classroom I have set forth methods of maintaining a consistent atmosphere in the classroom, and have made sure the classroom will remain organized in the event of distraction. In order for students to allow themselves to learn, they must feel safe in the classroom environment. In order to ensure students feel comfortable in the classroom at all times I keep the environment very stable. In the event of unpredictable events the students will know exactly how they should behave, and students that misbehave will know the consequences for their actions. By having a detailed list of classroom procedures students will know what is expected of them at all times. Rules for misbehavior are to be very clear in order to make sure students know they are safe in the classroom. If students see their peers misbehaving, they will know that discipline is to be expected. The classroom management plan encourages positive social interaction by condemning social interaction that is unproductive or inappropriate. The classroom management plan has a positive impact on student achievement because students need to feel safe in their environment in order to learn. Students that feel uncomfortable or unsafe in their environments are unable to allow themselves to open up to learning, and will be resistant to new information. By creating a constant atmosphere of safety the students in the classroom students have their most basic of needs met and feel comfortable enough to open themselves to learning. Students benefit from having a constant environment, and the classroom management plan allows them to know what actions will lead to what results. This classroom management plan demonstrates the "reflecting" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I use my knowledge of different classrooms to determine what methods of management work. By determining the methods of management that are effective, I can be the head of a classroom that runs smoothly and ensures students feel safe and comfortable. This artifact demonstrates my ability to reflect on what I have seen in various classrooms, and my ability to develop a classroom management plan that ensures a positive, safe learning environment for my students.
Artifact B is a Directed Reading Lesson (DRL) that was created during a class I completed at Towson University. The DRL was intended for a class that had students at varying proficiency levels. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I frequently have students involved in active learning. From the very beginning of the DRL I have student working as a collective group to learn. Students share their experiences with the class and other students reflect on the responses of their peers; the lesson, from the beginning, is based around students working with each other to achieve goals. The active learning within the DRL continues into the vocabulary priming portion of the lesson. Students work as a group to create definitions for difficult words that will be used within the texts. The DRL illustrates my belief that active learning is an incredibly important aspect of teaching. While students often benefit from direct instruction, they can also benefit from learning from each other. Students approach difficult information by utilizing the strengths of their peers. In heterogeneous groups the students have the benefit of working with students of different ability levels. High performing students benefit from teaching the material, and low performing students benefit from listening to their peers describe concepts in words they understand. The Directed Reading Lessonhas a positive impact on student achievement because it ensures students are working together to achieve common goals. Students benefit from working with each other, and the heterogeneous groups that the students are placed in allow them to learn from each other. In a classroom that relies completely on direct instruction, the students do not have the benefit of hearing each other's prior experience. The DRL encourages active learning, and proper inclusion of group learning can have great impacts on student learning. Active learning is used only when appropriate, and direct instruction is still used when necessary. This unit plan demonstrates the "planning instruction" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because through careful planning I was able to plan active learning segments of the lesson that would benefit student learning. Entering the classroom unprepared would lead to a classroom that was based solely on direct instruction, but active learning has such a great impact on student success that it should be included whenever it is advantageous. This artifact demonstrates my ability to instrument active learning in a lesson that features difficult material; careful planning gives time to reflect on when group work can be beneficial.
Motivation and Behavior
A. Provides an effective learning environment and can organize and manage a classroom that encourages positive social interaction, and
B. Plans active learning experiences involving ALL students
Reflection
Reflection on INTASC 5.docx
- Details
- Download
- 13 KB
I believe that the motivation of students is the most important thing in the classroom. Students that are motivated to learn and enjoy coming to class will exit the classroom feeling fulfilled from having learned, and come back eager for more knowledge. Maintaining an orderly classroom is instrumental in motivating students; students that are worried about being scrutinized by peers are unlikely to share their ideas, and will feel neglected in the classroom. INTASC 5 ensures instructors know how to motivate students to perform well in the classroom, and that teachers know how to maintain control over the classroom and ensure students feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. Motivation in the classroom can be something as simple as informing students how they will use the material in their daily lives. For instance, in a math class if the instructor tells students how to use fractions/ decimals in their daily lives at the grocery store, they will be more inclined to listen and perform well as they see how it directly impacts their lives. Controlling the behavior of students can be done through discipline and ensuring students know the rules of the classroom. Students need to feel safe in the classroom, and if their peers are well behaved and under control then learning can take priority. In the English classroom, motivation can come easily through relevance. For example, if an instructor were to tie Romeo and Juliet to a modern couple of today, Edward and Bella from the Twilight series perhaps, then students would immediately find the material more interesting to them, and they would be more motivated to pay attention and participate. In the English classroom there will portions where students read aloud and share their ideas. Ensuring students feel comfortable reading in front of their peers and feel their peers will respect their opinions will make students more willing to participate. Motivation and behavior work well with each other; by ensuring students are well behaved, the classroom can become a place where learning takes top priority. This cannot happen if student feel somehow threatened or intimidated by their peers. Motivation in instrumental in improving student performance. Students that are highly motivated perform better, and are more willing and eager to engage in classroom activities.Artifact A
Classroom Management Plan.docx
- Details
- Download
- 1 MB
Artifact A is a classroom management plan that I created during my professional year at Towson University. The classroom management plan was created in order to determine how I would lead a classroom. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I create a detailed set of guidelines for how I will control different events that occur within the classroom. In order to provide an effective learning environment for the students in my classroom I have set forth methods of maintaining a consistent atmosphere in the classroom, and have made sure the classroom will remain organized in the event of distraction. In order for students to allow themselves to learn, they must feel safe in the classroom environment. In order to ensure students feel comfortable in the classroom at all times I keep the environment very stable. In the event of unpredictable events the students will know exactly how they should behave, and students that misbehave will know the consequences for their actions. By having a detailed list of classroom procedures students will know what is expected of them at all times. Rules for misbehavior are to be very clear in order to make sure students know they are safe in the classroom. If students see their peers misbehaving, they will know that discipline is to be expected. The classroom management plan encourages positive social interaction by condemning social interaction that is unproductive or inappropriate. The classroom management plan has a positive impact on student achievement because students need to feel safe in their environment in order to learn. Students that feel uncomfortable or unsafe in their environments are unable to allow themselves to open up to learning, and will be resistant to new information. By creating a constant atmosphere of safety the students in the classroom students have their most basic of needs met and feel comfortable enough to open themselves to learning. Students benefit from having a constant environment, and the classroom management plan allows them to know what actions will lead to what results. This classroom management plan demonstrates the "reflecting" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because I use my knowledge of different classrooms to determine what methods of management work. By determining the methods of management that are effective, I can be the head of a classroom that runs smoothly and ensures students feel safe and comfortable. This artifact demonstrates my ability to reflect on what I have seen in various classrooms, and my ability to develop a classroom management plan that ensures a positive, safe learning environment for my students.Artifact B
DRL Teaching Reading and Writing (EDITED).docx
- Details
- Download
- 28 KB
Artifact B is a Directed Reading Lesson (DRL) that was created during a class I completed at Towson University. The DRL was intended for a class that had students at varying proficiency levels. This artifact demonstrates my proficiency in this principle because I frequently have students involved in active learning. From the very beginning of the DRL I have student working as a collective group to learn. Students share their experiences with the class and other students reflect on the responses of their peers; the lesson, from the beginning, is based around students working with each other to achieve goals. The active learning within the DRL continues into the vocabulary priming portion of the lesson. Students work as a group to create definitions for difficult words that will be used within the texts. The DRL illustrates my belief that active learning is an incredibly important aspect of teaching. While students often benefit from direct instruction, they can also benefit from learning from each other. Students approach difficult information by utilizing the strengths of their peers. In heterogeneous groups the students have the benefit of working with students of different ability levels. High performing students benefit from teaching the material, and low performing students benefit from listening to their peers describe concepts in words they understand. The Directed Reading Lesson has a positive impact on student achievement because it ensures students are working together to achieve common goals. Students benefit from working with each other, and the heterogeneous groups that the students are placed in allow them to learn from each other. In a classroom that relies completely on direct instruction, the students do not have the benefit of hearing each other's prior experience. The DRL encourages active learning, and proper inclusion of group learning can have great impacts on student learning. Active learning is used only when appropriate, and direct instruction is still used when necessary. This unit plan demonstrates the "planning instruction" aspect of the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle because through careful planning I was able to plan active learning segments of the lesson that would benefit student learning. Entering the classroom unprepared would lead to a classroom that was based solely on direct instruction, but active learning has such a great impact on student success that it should be included whenever it is advantageous. This artifact demonstrates my ability to instrument active learning in a lesson that features difficult material; careful planning gives time to reflect on when group work can be beneficial.Motivation and Behavior