Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw- Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 7 Motivating, Managing, and Assessing: How Will I Teach?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Motivate My Students? Keeping school interesting for students was a major reason behind progressive education movement Dewey believed that for school to stay interesting, it should connect to “real life” experiences of students –Traditional way of schooling was built on handing down knowledge to receptive student –Dewey insists that “the only way to teach the new was to connect it to what the student already knew and on what the student wanted to know”

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Motivate My Students? Vito Perrone’s “teaching for understanding” –Students choose materials, such as books, after the teacher has outlined clear goals –Teachers learn from and respect the opinions and experiences of their students –Students connect with the outside world through service-learning and letters

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What About Me? How would you describe the characteristics of your best teachers and your worst teachers? What aspects of your best teacher kept you motivated?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Control My Classroom? Zero tolerance –Tough discipline code that expels students on the spot for breaking certain school rules –Lee Canter, a zero tolerance advocate, contends: Students must know rules and consequences Students can decide to enjoy the rewards for following rules or accept the consequences for breaking them –Canter’s approach is similar to B.F. Skinner’s behaviorist approach

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Control My Classroom? Critics of zero tolerance discipline –Landon Beyer claims that with a strict approach to classroom discipline: Students become people whose interests and backgrounds are largely ignored Students need to be coaxed to do the right thing Tasks are created and imposed on students by others –Beyer believes that students should be brought into the classroom decision-making process

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Control My Classroom? Establishing expectations –Barbara McEwan favors a classroom management process that focuses on thoughtful decision-making Creates a classroom that is conducive to learning Prepares students to be citizens of a democracy –By establishing expectations and thinking of the needs of each individual student, classrooms can become effective places for learning

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Control My Classroom? Teacher behaviors in the classroom –Perrone’s list of principles for developing and maintaining productive classrooms: Be well-prepared for each day Use challenging ideas and materials Be reasonably consistent Be clear about what really matters Show respect for the students Know the students Be physically present

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Control My Classroom? Teacher behaviors in the classroom –Harvard psychologist, Ross W. Greene proposed “Collaborative Problem Solving” approach for classroom management Assumes students are acting out for a simple reason, such as embarrassment or inability to sit still for a long period of time Teachers need to develop a collaborative relationship with student to solve the problem

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Assess My Students in a Fair and Meaningful Way? Teachers face more pressure about assessment than any previous generation of educators –Students, parents, and administrators expect grades –States and federal government are giving students more and more tests NCLB tests students every year, with teachers and school measured by results National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Multiple levels of classroom assessment –Informal classroom assessment –Quizzes and longer exams and assignments –Student portfolios Teachers need to provide timely and detailed feedback if students are to learn from their work –Rubrics provide students a clear set of standards for work How Will I Assess My Students in a Fair and Meaningful Way?

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Assess My Students in a Fair and Meaningful Way? High-stakes assessment –Standardized testing has been supported by many state legislatures, Congress, and the last three U.S. presidents –Advocates for standardized testing claim: There is no seriousness about the quality of education without student accountability and ways to measure student achievement

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. How Will I Assess My Students in a Fair and Meaningful Way? High-stakes assessment –Those critical of standardization claim: Large gap exists between goals of NCLB and reality High-stakes testing increases the dropout/pushout rate for students of color –Many educators are now looking for ways that teachers can balance test preparation and truly engaging instruction

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: From I Won’t Learn from You! by Herb Kohl Students often don’t fail or have the inability to learn, but rather choose to “not-learn” Kohl examines his personal experiences to understand why students choose to not-learn Students who choose to not-learn engage in a struggle of will with authority, with the student’s pride and integrity at stake

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: From Experience and Education by John Dewey Traditional education focused on transmitting past knowledge to new students –Dewey writes that knowledge is “taught as a finished product, with little regard…to changes that will surely occur in the future.” Progressive education develops such values as learning through experience, and expression and cultivation of identity –New problems appear with progressive education that must also be solved

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: From Lost at School by Ross W. Greene Greene claims “school discipline is broken” Greene contends that “kids with behavioral challenges lack important thinking skills,” including: –Regulating one’s emotions, and considering the outcomes of one’s actions By approaching challenging students as we do students with learning disabilities, we teach them skills that they lack With the Collaborative Problem Solving approach, the child and adult work together to resolve a problem or unmet expectation in a mutually satisfactory manner –Includes examples for crisis management and prevention

Fraser TEACH © 2011 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reading: New Design High School Community Habits Rubric Rubric “spells out very clear criteria for exceeding, meeting, or failing to meet a long list of clear goals that the school holds for its students” Areas used for student assessment include: –Personal responsibility –Social responsibility –Critical and creative thinking –Application of knowledge in subject area –Communication