Elise Johnson

CTER 5

EdPsych 399OL

January - May, 2003

Lesson 1 – Behavior Contracts

Contracts are very effective behavioral tools in the educational setting. We use it daily without realizing - i.e. "If you are not quiet, then we won't be able to get to gym on time." or "If you don't finish your homework, then you will miss recess." Children are used to this, since parents are using informal contracts to get their children to behave every day. i.e. "Clean your room or you can't play Nintendo".

Classroom management would be difficult without the use of a variety of techniques. Contracts, both formal and informal, are an integral part of teaching an elementary classroom. I did not realize until after reading the Mayer chapter and the comments of others, exactly how much we use contracts in my school.

Along with Dia, our school just introduced the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies) program this year. (Langellier, 2003) We have narrowed the desired learning outcomes to three. For example, if a student does not go to study hall (if missing an assignment) for an entire quarter, then he/she will be rewarded with a special event such as a party, treasure hunt, etc. Since we have just started this program, it is too early to tell if an improvement has been seen in the area of missing assignments. I personally don't notice that the number of students missing assignments has changed very much.

I have formally used contracts when assigning a particular project to the entire class. I discuss all of the requirements of the project and also have the contract signed by the parent that he/she will be just the "Encourager", and not the one who completes the assignment. Most of the time, this project has had great results, since the parents are aware of what is required and also when the project is due. At this age, students still need to have the encouragement of their parents. This is an example of a learning contract.

I have also used the behavior contracts in the past with a few students in my class, often those with special needs. In the 1997-1998 school year, I had a child who consistently acted out and became violent at times. Inclusion did not exist in my district until a few years later. This student was put on a simple behavior contract and was rewarded for staying in her seat and keeping her hands away from others. It was difficult for the other students to understand why "Mary" was able to have a special reward from the principal (i.e. extra computer time, play a game with the principal) when she behaved well in the morning, but then went back to her old ways in the afternoon. They behaved and didn't get a reward. How unfair! I must admit that I felt very uncomfortable rewarding this student in front of the other students. Here, the behavior contract did not seem to work, since it was at the expense of the other students' understanding. Should they act out so they can get a reward?

I have used contracts with the entire class in the way of a token reward. Our grade level instituted "bonus bucks" where the bucks are distributed at each teachers' discretion for returning papers signed by parents, helping another student, politeness, working quietly, etc. At the end of every month, the students may use their bucks at an auction, where they bid on items donated by businesses, other teachers, and other students. The students are very proud of their "bonus bucks" and look forward to purchasing various items at the auction. I have noticed that some students find it difficult to earn bucks and are not able to take part in the auction, thus causing the grade level team to vary their reasons for rewarding certain behaviors.

Our school district is involved in an Accelerated Reader program where the students read a book, take a test, and is awarded points. These points are tickets to get to a free breakfast, enter a raffle and eventually go to a Pizza Party at year's end. Mayer explained a similar case where a teacher gave a student a gold star for every book read. (Mayer p. 252). Vanessa also explained about a reading program at her school. (Udry, 2003). It has been noticed that now the students only will read a book if it is an "AR" book and do not seem to be enjoying reading as much as before. It seems, as Dia wrote,
"What do I get if I do this?" that our students are always expecting a reward if they do what is supposed to rewarded intrinsically. (Langellier, 2003)

After discussing this lesson, I hope to make an honest effort to explain to my students that they should want to do "this" or "that" because it is right, and not because they will be rewarded. There are positives and negatives to all types of contracts. UntilWe may have to change our Auction activity, since as demonstrated in Mayer, once the rewards are taken away, the same behavior returned. (Mayer p.254-255) It would be interesting to ask the fifth grade teachers who do not give out "bonus bucks", if their students return homework, signed papers, etc, with more success than in previous years when the fourth grade did not have an auction.

A few years ago, I was fortunate to hear Barbara Coloroso speak on "Kids Are Worth It!". She explained how stickers are not a good idea, since the students should not be rewarded for every little thing. It is their responsiblity to respect others and do their best. Some of her principles are listed in our other required text by Charles.

In conclusion, there are positives and negatives to all types of contracts. One has to be reminded that contracts are also somewhat informally used in the business world where an employee receives a free trip or a bonus if they work hard and meet their monthly quota. We are so used to making contracts that it is no wonder that our students may eventually expect a reward for coming to school!

Resources:

Mayer, Richard Learning and Instruction, Ch. 7

Charles, C.M. Building Classroom Discipline p. 156-158 (Principles of Coloroso)

Coloroso, Barbara (2001) Teacher’s Institute Guest Speaker, “Kids Are Worth It!”

Langellier, Dia, 2003 Lesson 1, retrieved website at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Udry, Vanessa, 2003 Lesson 1, retrieved website at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Johnson, Elise, Franklin Park S.D. #84, Franklin Park, IL(1997,2002)

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Lesson 2 - Assertive Discipline

Assertive Discipline, according to the Canters, “helps teachers interact with students in a calm, helpful, and consistent manner. The goal is to help teachers establish classrooms where students may learn and teachers may teach effectively.”

Furthermore, the Canter model emphasizes
· stating rules/expectations clearly,
· applying positive consequences when expectations are met and negative consequences when they are not met, and
· being assertive rather than passive or hostile. (Charles, p. 33)

Thorndike’s law of effect is “the idea that if a behavior is followed by a pleasing state of affairs, it is more likely to occur again in the future under similar circumstances, and if a behavior is followed by a displeasing state of affairs, it is less likely to be given again in the future.” (Mayer, p. 271)

Lee and Marlene Canter’s ideas seem to focus more on the positive than even considering the negative responses. They believe that when a discipline plan is outlined for all parties concerned, the students know what is expected of them and will more often than not, act accordingly. Certainly, we often see students who must “test us” to see if we will actually follow through with the consequences, but those students can be examples for the rest of the class. As teachers, we all have “memorable” students every first week or so of the new school year, who unknowingly “aid” us in teaching these rules to the rest of the class. As the Canters state in Charles on page 40, “In order to make a discipline plan work effectively, teachers must actually teach the discipline plan to their students.” I personally send home a copy of my discipline plan and have parents sign and return so that all parties involved know the expectations and consequences. The list is very short, just 5 or so rules that emphasize the Canters beliefs that “Teachers have a right to teach as they see best, without disruptions, and students have a right to learn in a safe, calm environment with full teacher support. (Charles p.33)

Assertive discipline is effective for most students and in most situations. Does it change student behavior in a “meaningful” manner? It all depends on what behavior is supposed to be learned. In an elementary setting as a fourth grade teacher, I often wonder, if the expected behavior of the students in my class is supposed to be long term, why do I have to teach it year after year? The previous years’ teachers have similar rules and consequences in effect. Perhaps the rewards change, but the basic rules of respecting each other and each other’s things must be reinforced year after year. Does that mean that the behavior is only learned for a short period of time and depends on who is the teacher? Then, in an ideal world, after a few years in school, some behaviors will been no longer have to be taught? Wouldn’t it be nice? Just think, when I allow someone to cut in on me on the tollway, they would say thanks, since they had learned that in a school using assertive discipline? Applying assertive discipline as an adult just doesn’t seem to work the same way!

The following set of facts (found in an article linked on this lesson by Dr. Mac) listed by Fred Jones was interesting to note when discussing assertive discipline:

About 50% of classroom time is lost due to student misbehavior and being off task.
80% of lost time is due to talking without permission.
19% is lost to daydreaming, out of seat, making noises, etc.
1% is lost to more serious misbehavior.
He ends with the following statement that we all know, but need to remember:
No one benefits when a student is allowed to misbehave.

Resources:

Charles, C. M. (2003) Building Classroom Discipline. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon

Mayer, Richard (2003). Learning and Instruction. New Jersey: Pearson Education

Assertive Discipline: Article written by Dr. Mac found at http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/AssertiveDiscipline.html

Lesson 2 - Assertive Discipline - (Listen here!)

Like the others, I, too, can’t remember having to use assertive discipline in my personal life, except when trying to get my daughters to behave at home. They are now both teenagers, but I do remember how I sometimes used one of my daughter’s good behaviors to persuade the other one to change. One example I remember is when I wanted my oldest daughter to clean her room. I began playing a game with my younger daughter, whose room had been picked up earlier. When my older daughter wanted to be included, I said how wonderful her sister’s room looked and that now we had time to play. She got upset with the attention her sister was receiving, went up to clean her room, and then was able to play a game with us. It was less stressful on me since I did not have to raise my voice and nag her about cleaning her room. By using her sister as a good example, she decided she too could have a clean room and then play a game with Mom. Too bad this strategy doesn’t seem to work when they get older!

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Lesson 3 - Punishment

Our school has a very structured punishment plan, with detentions given for misbehaviors both in and out of the classroom. If a student does not finish their homework 5 times in a marking period and goes to study hall (misses recess) to finish their work, then a detention is given and they stay after school. Most of the detentions are given for misbehaviors in gym, recess, lunchroom, and other unstructured times. After a certain amount of detentions, the parents are asked to come in and talk with the principal and involved teachers.

Personally, in my classroom, I “rule” with a firm, but understanding hand. I usually don’t have to impose a harsh punishment, but often find simply moving a troubled student to a new location helps to change the situation. Right now, I have a student who has been identified as ADD, but his parents are afraid of trying any type of drug, fearing that it will harm him in the future. Thus, I find that I must show lots of patience and understanding with this student, since most often, his behaviors are uncontrollable for him. Proximity helps, so I usually seat him right by me when I am teaching a lesson. I keep in eye contact with him often, so he knows that I am watching his every move. However, when he does act out and cannot restrain his actions, then I find that I must remove him from the classroom and ultimately use the school’s detention plan. This upsets me, since this child finds it so difficult to control himself and desperately wants to “fit in”.

A few years ago, when I did have an extremely difficult student who could become physically violent, I was able to remove the student from my classroom, where others took care of the punishment method. To her classmates’ and my relief, she was eventually removed to a special education setting.

I can imagine, after reading some of the high school teachers’ accounts, that the methods of punishment have to be determined before the first day of class. I guess that I am lucky in that I have not had to use any extraordinary types of punishment in my classroom. Mainly, some students talk at the wrong time or don’t pay attention. These misbehaviors can be easily controlled with a firm look, or just the mention of their name. Frequently, I have given other students extra free time (to read or use drilling software on the computer) if they behave and finish their work on time. This seems to work for me, though I think having a school discipline plan to back me up, if needed, is a big help in my classroom management.

Resources:

Johnson, Elise, Franklin Park School District #84, 2002

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Lesson 4 - Jones’ Model of Discipline

Of the methods listed for classroom management, I think Preferred Activity Time, better known as PATs, is the most commonly used among the staff at my school. PATs, as stated in Charles’ book, Building Classroom Discipline is “time allotted for any activity that can serve as an incentive. ‘Preferred activity’ means that the activity is one students enjoy, such as learning games, activities, and projects.” (p. 59). According to Jones’ model, as listed by Thomas H. Allen, “incentives like stars, being dismissed first, having work displayed, grades, etc motivate only the achievers…the also rans have no realistic expectations and so, no motivation. PATS can provide motivation for the whole class.”

As listed in the Education World website, “PAT is all about teaching students time management and responsibility. Jones suggests that the teacher gains instructional time by having students be on task during teaching and then gains additional learning time by selecting PAT activities that are educational, but fun, or preferred by students.”

When reading all about Fred Jones’ ideas about classroom management, I was surprised to see how many of those listed were ones that I already do in my classroom. I never realized that they were called “PATs”, but now I will use the term to identify these incentives, both in my response here and in my classroom. In the past, I have used PATs to encourage good behavior from my students. Teacher read aloud, videos, computer time, popcorn, working on fun packets with partners for holidays that include math and reading skills, class pizza party, and the distribution of bonus bucks to be used at a monthly auction are a few of the PATS that have been successful for me. I am amazed and thrilled that buddy reading has become a desired PAT in my classroom. How can a teacher say no when most of the class wants to read during PAT time?

However, I have found some problems with the PAT system. It does not work for all of my students. Students that have behavior problems find it difficult to achieve the goals set up for the entire class. If one student in my class causes the rest of the class to miss out on PAT, then I find that the student is singled out and no longer has a friend in the class. Usually, this is a child who needs all the friends he can get. This has been a dilemma for me, since the goal of PAT, as listed in the article in Education World “is given as a result of accumulated positive class behavior over a period of time. I have read that the problem students should be exempt form the PAT situation and another reward strategy might be implemented with them. What do I do with the student when the rest of the class receives their PAT? If I remove him/her to another classroom, I am defeating my purpose of good class behavior and continuing to ostracize him/her. Most of the time, peer pressure has helped this situation to appear less often, but as I have mentioned before, I have an ADD student whose parents refuse to help him with the proper medication and so he is usually the one who finds it difficult to achieve the PAT with the rest of the class. If you have any other suggestions on what to do with this student during PAT, I would be happy to hear them.

Resources:

Charles, C. M. (2003) Building Classroom Discipline. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon

Education World, “Preferred Activity Time (PAT) is preferred by Kids and Teachers!” http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr315.shtml

Thomas H. Allen, Optional Elements of a Discipline Plan.
http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/discip-options.html

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Lesson 4 – Metaphor for Teaching – (Listen here!)

Until reading about the orchestra conductor metaphor, I had never thought of myself as a conductor. Sure, I do try to give special help to those who need it and perhaps give some alternate work to the struggling learners, but I must admit sometimes I feel like I have to be somewhat of an entertainer to motivate my students. I can’t just get up in front of the room and begin discussing a chapter on slavery with my 4th grade students. First, I need to grab their attention, much like Nintendo and Playstation games and then keep the “action” going or I will lose some of the less attentive students. For example, I use a situation that actively involves my students to demonstrate how the African slaves were brought to this country. I squeeze them all standing on a small rug and explain that this is how crowded the boats were. I also might play the role of a plantation owner and make them work a long time without getting a drink. Some days, I go home exhausted from always playing the “starring” role! It’s worth it if they understand the concepts by test time. Who knows – maybe an academy award is in my future!!

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Lesson 5 - Wonderments

1. I wonder why the “wild boy” was insensitive to temperature and pain. (Mayer p. 2) Those feelings cannot be learned with society. They are innate. Perhaps he was brain damaged in some way, hence the lack of sensitivity.

2. I wonder why the boy never learned to speak effectively? (Mayer p. 2) I would have thought he could have mimicked the sounds he heard. Again, this leads me to believe that he had some type of brain damage, though perhaps he missed the critical stages of development.

3. I wonder whether I have learned very much at all. For example, in my high school years, I learned all about the parts of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. If learning is always long-term and permanent, as stated in Mayer p. 5, then how is it that I cannot remember all of the parts of the Declaration and the Bill of Rights today? I thought I had learned it well. I definitely must not have learned anything from my geometry class since I cannot prove a theorem today, as I was able to do in high school. Doesn’t it make a difference if the information that was learned is used frequently? I learned it, but just didn’t retain it since I was not using it in my life as a 4th grade teacher.

4. The contextual approach to learning that focuses on how instructional methods are used in real classroom settings (Mayer p. 6) makes the most sense to me. I often wonder how we can equalize the learning outcomes when one district, known for its “richer” social and cultural backgrounds, usually does better on standardized tests?

5. I wonder, just as William James (1899/1958, p.22), about the obstacles blocking the application of psychology to education. (Mayer, p. 11) He warned, “Psychological research results and theories would not translate directly into prescriptions for classroom practice.” People frustrate me who are not teachers explaining how I should teach my class. Some do not have any classroom experience, yet they are known as the “experts”.

6. I wonder how I could make sure my class sees that “learning is like building a model - the idea that students actively create their own learning by trying to make sense out of their experiences.” (Mayer, p. 12) All too often, students think that they have to memorize facts in order to learn. They don’t realize that knowing how to apply that learning is more important.

7. Wouldn’t it be nice if some of the ISAT tests allowed us to measure a student’s understanding of a concept and not just ask for a memorized fact? Learning as Response Strengthening, according to Mayer (p. 13), emphasizes teacher as a feedback dispenser. It is so hard to stay away from that metaphor, but in some cases, it is the only way to learn (i.e. basic math facts).

8. I wonder when my district will begin to see that “according to the knowledge- construction metaphor, basic skills should be learned in the context of larger academic tasks rather than in isolation.” (Mayer, p. 14). It would be nice to be able to teach the entire language arts curriculum together rather than as separate entities such as spelling, English, reading, and creative writing. (We did do this when I first started teaching, so I can’t understand why we now teach the subjects separately?)

9. I wonder why we have to have knowledge divided into so many different kinds. (Mayer p. 15). I counted 9 different kinds of knowledge listed in Mayer. I will be interested to see in later chapters how each kind of knowledge is related to school tasks, and whether it makes a difference to classify it as such.

10. I wonder if we are aware how much our short-term memory corresponds to our active consciousness or awareness. (Mayer p.16) Is my short-term memory working all the time? How do the psychologists know that items are lost after about 18 seconds? What experiments did they do to arrive at this number?

11. I often wonder if my long-term memory is decreasing as the years go by. (Mayer. p.16) It seems that I can’t remember where I have put things in my classroom, despite that I am thought to be a very organized teacher. I am hoping it is because we have so much to teach in so short a time, not that it has to do with age!

12. The conditions of meaningful learning called nonlearning and nonunderstanding bother me, since I can identify a few learning-challenged students in my class as being this way. It saddens me how difficult it is to help those students progress into the stage of understanding. That is probably one of the most frustrating situations that a teacher faces. (Mayer, p. 18-19.)

13. I wonder how the learning by understanding model (Mayer p. 24) can be emphasized more in the classroom. We need to teach our students how they can use these skills in their everyday life. More hands-on training is needed. High school classes often do this, but in the elementary grades, the students find it hard to see the relation between school and life outside of school. This can best be shown by the student who comes home everyday from school and replies, “Nothing,” to his mother’s question, “What did you learn in school today?”

14. I wonder if this book will give us specifics on how to promote meaningful learning? (Mayer, p. 27) I guess the future assignments may explain this.

15. I wonder if I will retain all that I have read in this chapter, or will it revert to my short-term memory? I don’t recall identifying so many aspects of learning in my past college pre-teaching classes. I think I can understand this better now since I have seen some of these types of learning in my classroom.
Resources:

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

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Lesson 6 - Memory (continued)

At the beginning of every school year, the fourth grade classes take the time to learn map skills. The 4th Grade Social Studies ISAT test incorporates a variety of charts, maps, and graphs, so learning how to understand and interpret maps, etc. is an important skill. We begin by practicing with a simple map of our classroom, designating the location of particular items by using pictures to denote these objects. We then draw maps of the school and neighborhood, eventually creating our own neighborhoods of the future. While creating these neighborhoods, I explain how much simpler a map would look if we used a key to show what symbols mean rather than writing underneath the names of each symbol used. I do the same with the other parts of a map such as a scale, grid, title, and compass rose.

Once we have established these basic steps, we move on to the reading of an atlas, including maps of the United States and the continents of the world. Since we have introduced these maps slowly, the confusion level decreases as weeks go by. As Anderson stated, “As a particular IF-THEN bundle is exercised through practice, it will usually become smoother, faster, error-free and more elaborate.” (Tom Anderson,.paragraph 12) I find that since we have started with maps of what they know (school, neighborhood), the transfer of this information is much more smooth.

Weekly, I use Daily Oral Geography questions to further enhance these skills and have found the students eager to decide which map in their atlas would be appropriate to use to answer the question. (i.e. Does the question ask, “What state, what country, or what continent?”) Ultimately, the “procedures seem to be on automatic pilot.” (Tom Anderson, paragraph 13) They realize that they must read a map first and become familiar with its components before even attempting to answer a question about it. They have learned about tables, graphs, and charts in the same ways.

When I first started teaching 4th grade social studies map skills, I started right in with Daily Oral Geography questions as the preceding teacher had suggested. I found that the students became frustrated since they had not learned the procedural knowledge about maps first. Once realizing this problem, (it didn’t take me long – like 1 week!!), I developed my own unit on map skills that we begin with every September. It definitely improves our learning for the rest of the school year (and our ISAT scores, too!).

References:

Anderson, Tom. Commentary. Lesson 6 — Memory Continued. 2002, from: http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Johnson, Elise, Franklin Park SD #84, 2002

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Lesson 7 – Computers and Building Lessons

Mayer states that “computer-based visualizations seem to work because they help students build general principles or strategies that apply across situations” and that “encouraging students to interact, think about, and talk about concrete representations of otherwise abstract ideas provides a potentially useful path to meaningful learning.” (Mayer, p. 287).
When researching the question of what role might computers play in building lessons that teach meaningful learning using concreteness, activity and familiarity, I discovered that Norman (1993) distinguishes between “experiential and reflective cognition when describing the role of technology in learning. Experiential cognition is based on reactions to moment-to-moment events that we encounter, whereas reflective cognition requires careful and deliberate thought and consideration over time. Each leads to qualitatively different kinds of learning - experience leads to understanding embedded in a particular task and reflection leading to explicit understanding that can be articulated and applied to other problems.”
Norman (1993) warns of “the danger of technological-based learning environments which fail to promote reflective cognition. Educational computer games seem particularly prone to this shortcoming. On one hand, games may provide an intrinsically motivating learning environment where students intensely complete the activity. However, unless steps are taken to encourage reflection, deeper levels of learning that transfer beyond the gaming context itself may not occur. Gaming also walks a fine line between enabling organization and promoting distraction. The game may help students to organize content into meaningful patterns and help them set up and monitor learning goals. On the other hand, games may serve to distract students away from learning goals if the gaming activity is particularly intense.“

One excellent computer simulation that I use that tries to promote reflective cognition, in my opinion, is “The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis” by The Learning Company. For those of you who may not be aware of this game, here is a summary:

Zoombinis are funny looking creatures that live on Zoombini Isle and look slightly different from each other -different eyes, noses, hair, and feet. They live peacefully on the Isle until the Bloats take over everything and steal profits, cancel holidays, and pile on homework! The Zoombinis decide to leave the Isle and venture to a new home, by way of twelve puzzles. The puzzles in Zoombinis builds advanced math and science thinking skills, such as observation, data sorting and ordering, pattern finding, theory testing, graphing, logical reasoning, and problem solving. (Hands-On! 1996)

When a player first encounters a puzzle, there are no instructions: just a challenging obstacle (a pizza troll, a ferryman, a machine) that is behaving in its own peculiar way. The player must look for patterns in this behavior before the player can determine what the problem is, and then work on ways to solve it. As bands of Zoombinis pass through the game, the player has the opportunity to play each puzzle many times. Each time, the puzzle is changed to require a different solution. As the player becomes more effective at getting the Zoombinis through, the puzzles also progress through four levels of difficulty. It is supported by the math standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

When the class begins working on the Zoombini game, I let them experiment for a short while. For example, in one section of the game, the student has to decide which Zoombini can cross a bridge, depending on certain attributes. Using the inductive strategy, I let them investigate and then we search for similarities in Zoombinis that are successful and those that are not. We then create a rule for how a Zoombini can successfully cross the bridge. Once this rule is established, then the rest of the class can continue to the next section. We do this throughout the simulation, all the while they are transferring what they learned in the previous situation to the next problem encountered. Once a few lessons are explained, I like to let them move at their own pace, stopping now and then to reinforce some problem solving strategies to help them succeed.

The best thing about this simulation is that there are many big decisions for kids to make, and they must decide what to do next. It gives kids the freedom to figure out potential problems and invent solutions that stimulate curiosity and creativity.
Yet despite the fact that Mayer states how computer simulation games are aimed at teaching problem-solving skills (Mayer, p. 304), I still question if transfer is really taking place or are the students just having fun? This caused me to develop some in-class problem solving exercises that hopefully assess whether the students can effectively transfer what they have learned from the “Zoombini” simulation.

References:

Norman, D. A. (1993). Things that make us smart: Defending human attributes in the age of the machine. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.

Rieber, Lloyd P. and Noah David (1997) Effect of Gaming and Visual Metaphors on Reflective Cognition Within Computer-Based Simulations, The University of Georgia http://it.coe.uga.edu/~lrieber/gaming-simulation/

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Hands-On! Volume 19 No. 1 Copyright © 1996 by TERC.
http://www.terc.edu/handson/s96/zoom.html

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Lesson 7 – Mnemonics

I agree with Mayer (p. 370) when he states that “Mnemonic strategies may positively affect transfer because they allow the learner speedy access to relevant knowledge that is needed on transfer tests.” Pressley and Levin make a valid point in that “mnemonic strategies need to be adapted to the needs of the student”. (Mayer, p. 370) Every year, the different students I see cause me to constantly adapt my lessons and strategies. Of course, I would definitely have to devise different keywords and pictures, depending on the makeup of my classroom.

Mnemonics is a wonderful memory tool, one that helped me make it through some difficult science and math exams in high school and college. It seemed that all I needed was that one little push to my memory and everything was able to come back to me. I am a visual learner, so using mnemonic strategies to get through life is one that I still use today. To remember phone numbers of some friends, I often can remember their numbers as years, such as 310-1926. Somehow, I can remember the year 1926 easier than remembering 1-9-2-6.

When using computers, the memory may not be challenged, because with some programs, all you need to type is a few letters and the computer types the rest of the word or web address. However, it is a wonderful asset for those of us needing that bit of extra help in remembering the little things.

In the classroom, I continue to use the HOMES strategy to help my 4th graders remember the names of the Great Lakes, (Anderson) but also use the Never Eat Soggy Waffles strategy to remember the order of the directions in the compass rose, as also mentioned on Amanda’s Mnemonic Page (2003). I go one step further here, because my students tend to forget to go clockwise with the Waffle sentence, hence I explain that the order of West and East should spell WE when shown on the compass rose, not EW! Sounds crazy, but it always work

Students in my class love to construct their own mnemonic devices, perhaps updating them to the latest slang words. For example, when teaching the long division method to fourth graders, I teach them to use Does McDonald’s Serve Burgers for the order of operations (Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bringdown). They like to think of other sentences here such as Did Mom Send Breakfast or Dad Might Slurp Broccoli. I tell them to think of one that will work for them and it is okay with me!

Mindtools, LTD (1995-1996), explained some good ideas in how to create a mnemonic such as “using positive pleasant images, using humor, and movement. The important thing is that the mnemonic should clearly relate to the thing being remembered, and that it should be vivid enough to be clearly remembered whenever you think about it”. This reminded me of a silly thing I find is useful when teaching 4th graders multiplication by 2 digits. At first, they always forget to “Put the zero down” when multiplying by the numbers in the tens columns. When I teach this lesson, I make a wiggle move (Don’t worry – it’s not very suggestive!) and recite, “Put the zero down”. You would be amazed at how most of the class will remember that part of the lesson. I do explain to be very careful in other classrooms in the future if they continue using this memory strategy, since other teachers may not appreciate it, but right now it works for us!

References:

Mindtools, LTD, 1995-6, Using Mnemonics to Learn More Effectively http://www.demon.co.uk/mindtool/mnemeffc.html

Amanda’s Mnemonic Page, 2003, http://www.frii.com/~geomanda/mnemonics.html

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

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Lesson 8 - Phonics vs. Whole Language

According to Mayer, (p. 39), “The phonological awareness hypothesis is a prerequisite for learning to read, so that students who lack skills in phonological awareness are likely to have difficulty in learning to read. It predicts that students who have difficulty in reading tend to have difficulty on tests of phonological awareness. It also predicts that a child’s level of phonological awareness at an early age is related to his or her level of reading performance in the primary grades.” In contrast, “whole language,” explains Williams (1994), “is the idea that students learn best by reading and writing”. (Mayer, p. 46)

Phonics versus whole language has been (and still is) a conflict for many years. When I was in elementary school, I remember that the teachers taught phonics in the lower grades before we really were able to read more than “See Dick run!” (Guess I am aging myself here! J ) Later, the whole language approach appeared. After receiving my degree, we were using both the DISTAR (Anderson) approach for one group and the whole language approach for the other group. We thought that we were meeting the needs of all of the children, by offering both styles. I returned to teaching after being a stay-at-home mom, and again found we were to use a phonics approach. Now, the primary grades in my school have been participating in “Phonemic Awareness” seminars to help the students with the phonics approach and also have a more advanced group using a whole language approach.

Much of the research seems to support a combination of the two approaches. Curtis (1997) states pros and cons of each program. “Phonics-based reading programs tend to build better pronunciation and word recognition. Phonics critics also state that the rules and rote learning it entails are stifling and may cause children to develop the attitude that reading is a chore. Whole language learning is thought to provide a better understanding of the text, and a more interesting and creative approach to reading. However, whole language learning may come at the expense of accuracy and correctness.”

I can see how the phonics approach can seem stifling and much of a chore to many students. I teach a reading group that includes students with learning disabilities. They struggle with the written word and usually do not comprehend what they are reading. Often, they see the beginning letter, guess as to what the letters say, and hope they are correct. However, they seem to display remarkable auditory skills when a story is read to them, so at least they are able to enjoy and comprehend a story. Since my reading group has a variety of reading levels, it is important to me to keep them excited about reading books. Given that my school is involved in the Accelerated Reader program, my reading group struggles to complete many novels. Therefore, I usually include a 10-minute read aloud time, rather than a sustained silent reading time, as suggested by Mayer (p.60) with this group. They listen very well to the novel being read and can participate in the program without the struggle of always trying to read on their own. Curtis concludes, “Despite the differences in how children learn, most learn through a combination of techniques. That fact, plus the different strengths that each method offers, suggests that a mixed approach for each child will probably be most beneficial.”

Diegmueller (1996) agrees, “Balanced instruction combines the best elements from phonics instruction and the whole-language approach. That is, children are explicitly taught the relationship between letters and sounds in a systematic fashion, but they are being read to and reading interesting stories and writing at the same time.”

When using computers to assist in reading instruction, Singhal (1999) explained a few concerns that a teacher must recognize. “Before computers are used in the reading class, teachers should have clearly identified objectives and goals for their class. Specific goals will of course vary, but they may include developing an awareness of reading strategies necessary for efficient reading, expanding vocabulary, developing an awareness of rhetorical structures found in academic texts, and so forth. Second, teachers must also be aware that there are many different types of software available for reading. Some of these programs focus on specific skills, and others focus on a wide range of reading strategies and skills.” There is an abundance of poor software available, so the teacher must be sure to choose one that is focused on the right strategies and skills.

Personally, I have witnessed how computers assist me in the instruction of reading. I use a few reading programs, as part of a reward (PAT) system for staying on task, that emphasize comprehension and word attack skills, along with problem solving and reasoning. One is called “Super Solvers Reading Adventures” and the other is “Carmen Sandiego, Word Detective” both by the Learning Company. The students love to be able to solve the problems and don’t realize that they are using their reading and word attack skills in the process. This last program fits the criteria stated by Singhal. “Well-designed multimedia computer programs can allow students to apply what they learn in meaningful reading activities that meet their individual needs, and such programs can also stimulate interest and increase motivation.”

There is definitely a place for the computer in reading instruction. It must be an added addition to the curriculum and used properly in order to see progress. It would be great if I had more than one computer in my classroom so that I could utilize many other good software programs to promote enthusiasm among my students. I agree when Singhal concluded that “Reading instruction via the computer has the potential to actively engage students in the reading and learning process because of its capabilities to meet their varying needs, and can help students perceive the value of success, and their own potential as readers.” In my opinion, this occurs whether we use a whole language or phonics approach. My group feels very successful when they do well in the computer-assisted programs we use and transfer many of the skills used in the program to the classroom.

Resources:

Anderson, Tom, retrieved at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Carmen Sandiego, Word Detective and Super Solvers Reading Adventures, The Learning Company, Broderbund, 2000, http://support.broderbund.com/faq_list.asp?id=1294818021

Curtis, Jenny, (1997) “Phonics vs. Whole Language: Which is Better?” http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/features/reading/phonics.shtml

Diegmueller, Karen, “The Best of Both Worlds” (1996) http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-15/26read.h15

Singhal, Meena, Reading and Computer Assisted Instruction: Applications and Implications, (University of Arizona, U.S.A.) 1999, http://www.lerc.ritsumei.ac.jp/callej/3-2/singhal.html

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Lesson 8 - Website Analysis

Since I am an elementary teacher, I am always trying to find different, educational sites for my students. Many do not have computers and/or the Internet at home, so computer time is always of high interest to my class.

When reading Mayer’s techniques about improving the understandability of a textbook lesson, he stated some examples of “how instructional methods influence the learner’s meaningful processing of information.” (Mayer, p. 358) He explained how adjunct questions, should be meaningful and encourage learners to organize material into outlines, rather than memorize a list of facts… He also explained how signaling “emphasizes the conceptual structure or organization of the passage.” (Mayer, p. 341). Signals help the student to organize his thoughts and give cues as to the importance of the information to be learned. Another method discussed was the use of advance organizers that help the students who lack prior knowledge and assist them with the organization of incoming information.

Keeping these techniques in mind, I searched the web for a good educational site, using Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators (1995-2003) to assist me in ways to analyze websites. One example I have used in the past was the Web Site Evaluation for Educators located at Ed’s Oasis. Here it listed other criteria such as information quality, design, navigation, information quality, curriculum, and technical features.

The first site, one that I have used in my classroom recently is the Seussville site, dedicated to the books of Dr. Seuss. Since it was Dr. Seuss’ birthday last week, my class used this site to learn about the author, his books, and also allowed them to play a few games. The main page of this site is well organized, using just the right amount of signals to show the various sections of the site such as biography, catalog, playground, and events. One page was called Storymaker, where the students could write their own story, using some of the Seuss characters. Prompts were given for each page to help the learner decide what needed to be included in the story. The students found it easy to navigate and I was glad that an on/off button was included to turn off the sound at one point! The transitions were especially good in that while the different pages were loading, an excerpt from a Dr. Seuss book appeared on the screen. This is great for the primary grades who keep clicking on the button, instead of waiting patiently for the page to load. The graphics were colorful, including the way some of the images moved on the screen. It even included a “Did You Know” button that gave some trivia about Dr. Seuss and/or one of his books. The links worked well, making the navigation from page to page very smooth. One drawback last week occurred when some of the pages were loading, but we figured out that classes across the country were celebrating the birthday, so the site was extremely busy. All in all, a very well designed site, promoting learning, reading, and fun for the students.

When searching for a poor website, I found one at Nathan.com. I guess it was about a person named Nathan, but there wasn’t any title on the main page to tell me. The signals are hard to read since the size is so small. A visually impaired person would have much difficulty seeing the categories. The background image is strange, (though I found out later he must be some kind of an artist), and the chosen colors (light blue and dark blue) made the page hard to read. The links throughout the first page seemed to all run together. Some of the links took a long time to load or did not work at all.

Another site that disappointed me was found at 50states.com. It was not very easy for my students to navigate. I had used this site in the past for research for state reports, but it had changed recently and was not as kid-friendly as before. Yes, the signals were there for all of the links, but when the students clicked on the links, they found it difficult to determine where their information was. For example, when they clicked on their state’s name, the top lines left spaces for finding a hotel in the state, the yellow pages, or white pages. A virus warning commercial and a congratulations message kept flashing at the top on one page causing me to explain often that the students should just ignore it. Once we got past those problems, the students found lots of information, including some graphics that were very nice. It was very well organized, in that the lists were easy to read and the links, once they found them, worked well. Since I have a class of 22 students and am the only adult in the lab, I found that the kidskonnect site was much easier to understand and locate information that 50states.com.

Resources:

Schrock, Kathy, Guide for Educators, Discovery School, 1995-2003 http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html

Ed’s Oasis Evaluation Guidelines, Website Evaluation for Educators
http://www.classroom.com/edsoasis/2guide3.html

Seuss, Dr., Seussville, Random House Inc. 2003, http://www.seussville.com

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Kidskonnect, Safe Search Site for Children, http://www.kidskonnect.com

Weber, Ray, 50 States & Capitals, 1996, Santa Clarita, California http://www.50states.com

Shedroff, Nathan, Argus Center for Information Architecture http://www.nathan.com

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Lesson 9 – Metawriting

When thinking about the concept of metawriting, I found myself going back to Chapter 3 in Mayer to see exactly what was meant by metacognition. Since Mayer defined metacognition as “knowledge and awareness of one’s own cognitive processes” (p. 100), then I surmise that metawriting must be the knowledge and awareness of one’s own writing process.

The 3 stages of writing by Flower and Hayes (Mayer, p.116-117) are planning, translating, and reviewing. They are explained as follows:

1. Planning involves searching for information from one’s long-term memory, from the assignment, and from what has been written so far, and using this information to establish a plan for producing text.

2. Translating involves producing text that is consistent with the plan, that is, the act of putting words on the page.

3. Reviewing involves improving the written text using the sub processes of reading and editing.

When reading about the 3 stages set up by Flower and Hayes, I recognized similar stages of writing that I use in my fourth grade classroom. First, I might give the students several ideas on which to write, assuring them that they are free to choose another topic if they desire, provided they have it approved by me. This teacher-approval step is important in fourth grade. Without it, the students may constantly write about adventures with Captain Underpants, Animorphs, or whatever superhero is popular on TV or Playstation at that time!

Once the students have decided upon a topic, we brainstorm (or generate and organize, as in Flower and Hayes), either by drawing pictures or using webbing/clustering models. We then use the “Tell Me More” model to further enhance the details that the student wants to add to their stories. This way, once we have completed with the brainstorming stage of the writing, the students have most of their ideas written down and are ready for the next stage.

The second stage is the drafting or “sloppy copy” stage. “Good writers think about what they are going to write and organize their ideas.” (Knezacek, 2002) My students begin writing their stories by adding details to their model. They do not use a dictionary or thesaurus at this point, but just get their sentences down on paper. If they cannot spell a word, they simply circle it, allowing them to look it up after their ideas are down on paper.

Then the students may choose a peer to read and edit their stories. After this is done, the student and teacher read the story together, making any final corrections or adjustments. After this is complete, then the student proceeds to write their “good copy” in pen or they can type it on the room computer or at home.

Here, I agree with Mayer (p. 133), “Children have difficulty not only in detecting referent errors, but also in making the appropriate correction.” I realize that many of my students (especially the inclusion students), have difficulty finding errors in their peer’s writings, but I find it is a good way for students to see that the other students’ writings are not perfect and that it is okay to make mistakes. It also is difficult for my students to use the “Spell-check” feature on their word processing programs. They often cannot choose which is the correct spelling of the word they want. It seems you have to know how to spell a word in order to choose which is the correct choice!

When thinking about my inclusion students and their difficulty in getting ideas down on paper, I particularly was drawn to the article by Donald Grave titled, “All Children Can Write”. “The most critical factor for children with learning disabilities is the meaning-making question. Teachers need to first believe they know important information, then work overtime to confirm for the child the importance of that information. The children see their teachers write; they see and hear them struggle for meaning on an easel or overhead projector as they compose before them. The children become apprentices to the use of words.” (Graves, 1985)

Since writing and spelling are a struggle for most inclusion students, I often allow them to dictate their ideas to me. I write down exactly how they tell me the story, thus removing some stress from their lives. They now can think about their writing and revise and/or edit where needed. They are not scared to have a peer help them edit their stories.

Graves further explains “Our data show that children need to write a minimum of 4 days a week to see any appreciable change in the quality of their writing.” Graves must not have lived in Illinois nor heard of the ISAT tests. Time is a problem during the class day, since we have to work on a variety of skills so the students can succeed on the ISAT tests. Fourth grade is tested in Science and Social Studies, while third and fifth grade have tests in reading, writing, and math.

In what has been called “the ISAT writing method”, students are given points as to whether they have a particular amount of paragraphs, explain a certain number of details, and until recently, were given points if they included transitions such as “first, second, next, finally, etc. In the past, when I have given my students writing assignments, the question often asked was “Do we have to do it the ISAT way or can we just write?” or “Do we have to put in first or second?” ISAT testing has, in my opinion, stunted some of the creativity of our students’ writing. Until Illinois realizes that there are a variety of successful ways to write, our students will continue to lose some of their creativity.

Therefore, because of the emphasis on ISAT scores in our schools, I must admit that my class does not write as often as they should. I do have a daily journal exercise where they are to write a paragraph or two on a particular topic, but this is not sufficient to help them improve in the process of metawriting. After completing the readings for this lesson, I am more aware how to achieve success and will try to concentrate more in the future on the process of writing.

Resources:

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Graves, Donald H., All Children Can Write, University of New Hampshire, Learning Disabilities Focus, 1985 http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/writing/graves_process.html

Knezacek, Marlys, The Writing Process, 2002, The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com/education/cjya/process.html

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Lesson 10 - Wonderments about Problem Solving

1. I wonder if my students could solve the pizza problem with ease, since they have some experience with pizza and toppings from playing the computer simulation logic game “The Logical Ways of the Zoombinis”? (p. 400)

2. I wonder if my methods of teaching problem solving are similar to the author’s? Are my methods going to be explained as inadequate? (p.400)

3. I wonder if the students that I worked with in the HeadStart program in college are successful in their lives today? (p. 401)

4. I wonder if the IQ test itself had changed from 1918 to 1995, to reflect the increase in scores? Is it because our methods of teaching changed over time? (p. 401)

5. When reading about the four issues of a thinking skills program (what to teach, where to teach, how to teach, and when to teach, p. 402) I wonder if the question “Do we now change the test to measure a student’s IQ” ever came up? (p.406)

6. I wonder if I should give partial credit on some math problems, since the student may know how to multiply by double digits, but they simply added or multiplied wrong? Should I be scoring the process in addition to the product? I will have to think about that. (p. 408)

7. I wonder if the book series, Encyclopedia Brown and Nate the Great (Detective series that gives the readers clues to solve mysteries) can be used to help elementary students learn problem-solving skills similar to the productive thinking example on pages 414-415.

8. I wonder at what grade levels the problem-solving skills explained on page 417 should be taught? Can they be applied to all subjects?

9. I wonder if some of the low-functioning students in my class would benefit from an instructional enrichment program similar to the one outlined by Feuerstein? (p. 420).

10. Does the background of the seventh-grade students in Venezuela have anything to do with their improvement in their cognitive skills? What is the education of their parents? (p. 423)

11. Should we as educators be prepared to target more on thinking skills as separate lessons or are we better to incorporate it into our everyday teaching?

12. I wonder how I can better teach my students how to problem solve in subjects such as social studies or science, since fourth graders are tested in these subject areas on the ISAT tests?

13. If problem-solving skills are so important, why aren’t my fourth graders scores on their social studies and science ISAT tests higher? I spend so much time teaching them how to solve particular type of problems, but they continue to struggle when deciding which answer is correct.

14. Will working harder on the 4 comprehension strategies defined on page 425 (questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting) help my lower level reading students? They struggle so much with these strategies since they are still trying to decode words.

15. I wonder when school districts will agree with the statement on page 425: “Rather than seek to improve scores on intelligence tests, the goal is to help students develop cognitive skills they need to excel on real academic tasks ranging from comprehending a passage to writing an essay to solving a mathematical business problem to testing a scientific theory.” There continues to be so much emphasis on test scores in most school districts. Sometimes I wonder if we just simply test these students to death? In my district, we test with the Iowa Tests in October, then ISAT in April and finish up with Iowa tests in May. I become frustrated at this time of year when I run out of class time to teach all of the skills required in fourth grade.

Resources:

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

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Lesson 11 – Misconceptions

According to Jeremy Roschelle, “Prior knowledge affects how students interpret instruction. While it may not prevent them from carrying out procedures correctly, it frequently leads to unconventional and unacceptable explanations.” Often throughout the school day, prior knowledge sometimes gets in the way of learning new concepts. When reading the chapters in Mayer, (2003) and perusing through the various websites, I thought of a few ways in which some misconceptions have frustrated some of my students when presented with new problems.

When completing math word problems, my fourth graders come to class with the prior knowledge of searching for key words to help them determine the operation needed to complete the problem. If a word problem includes the words “in all, total, or altogether” then the problem must be an addition problem. This is fine for the primary grades, but it is confusing when multiplication enters the picture. The students now have to realize that those words may also mean using multiplication skills to complete the problem. Word problems are often a source of frustration for my students, just like it was for me years ago. Being the daughter of a math teacher, I remember struggling with “story problems” and looked for my dad to tell me how. What a disappointment when my dad refused to tell me the operation needed and explained that in order to really understand the problem, I should copy it, word for word, on notebook paper. He said that writing down the problem would help me figure out the answer. Needless to say, being the kind of student who just wanted to “get it done”, I rarely asked him for help with story problems again! Years later, now that I struggle with my own class, I think he was on the right track. Students don’t really read the word problems carefully, often confusing the operations used in the process.

I agree that a good way to help students understand how to solve word problems is to show some examples. “The most commonly used technique in mathematics textbooks for helping students acquire a useful collection of base problems is to provide worked-out examples. (Mayer, p. 171). I know this will be unbelievable to my classmates who are high school science teachers, (I am an elementary teacher, don’t forget!) but I remember how one college chemistry professor allowed us to bring one index card with formulas, etc to a test to help us find the answers. My index card was not only filled with formulas, but also had sample problems to show me the way. That is the only way I survived that year. The obstacle here is that not all problems fit the examples, so prior knowledge may continue to confuse the student.

Students’ prior knowledge in science can also cause difficulty. One example comes to mind when I teach a unit working with the scientific method called “Mystery Powders”. I usually start this unit in the spring, on a warm day. I begin by telling the class that we are going to make Kool-aid to quench our thirst, and display 5 different white powders. Our problem is deciding which powder we are supposed to add to the Kool-aid. Most of the students, using their prior knowledge of sugar (like all children know!), merely look at the powders and make a decision. “Scientific thinking requires a sensitivity to evidence that refute one’s theory.” (Mayer, p. 224) I then ask if they are willing to take a risk once I explain that some of the powders are poisonous? Despite the fact that some children are willing to take a risk, we then proceed performing a variety of experiments, allowing them to realize that their conceptions about sugar (being white and powdery) may not be enough to solve this problem. Eventually, after a fair amount of research, we come to a conclusion based on fact, not just prior knowledge, and enjoy a glass of Kool-aid. This unit has been around a long time, but continues to reinforce the lesson, especially when experimenting, that despite prior knowledge, you can’t always be sure.

When Misty Mapes described the misconception in her essay about words ending –ly being adverbs, language lessons we teach to our new students from other countries came to mind. (Mapes, 2003) The students are taught how to pronounce words using a variety of rules. These students are continuously frustrated when they are trying to read aloud in class and the rules change! Some examples such as “horse” and “hour” (You pronounce the h sometimes and not others? Why is the h there?) and “church” and “chemistry” (Why is ch pronounced as a k?) annoy these ESL students to the limit. They look at me puzzled, and I can only answer, “The English language is the hardest one to learn. Hang in there!”

Misconceptions occur everywhere in education. When students learn to solve problems, they must realize that sometimes their prior knowledge may have to be changed. “Finally, students need to acquire the knowledge needed to change from novices to experts.” (Mayer, p. 235)

Resources:

Roschelle, Jeremy, Learning in Interactive Environments: Prior Knowledge and New Experience, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth (1995) http://www.astc.org/resource/educator/priorknw.htm

Mapes, Misty, Lesson 11 – Misconceptions, 2003, retrieved on April 3, 2003 at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

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Lesson 12 – Needs of Students and Teachers

William Glasser contends that behavior is never caused by a response to an outside stimulus. Instead, the control theory states that behavior is inspired by what a person wants most at any given time: survival, love, power, freedom, or any other basic human need. (Glasser, 1990) If students are not motivated to do their schoolwork, it's because they view schoolwork as irrelevant to their basic human needs.

Glasser further states, “Students are in control of their behavior, that no unseen factors are forcing them to do this or that, and that they actually choose to behave the way they do. (Charles, p. 122). In most cases, this is probably true. However, I have had some students in the past (and one right now) that could not control their actions no matter how hard they tried. One student was diagnosed as ADHD, but was not allowed any medication. I am not sure that fourth graders are always in control of their behavior.

When I first began my teaching career, I must admit that I was very naïve as to what to expect from my students. The college classes that I took really did not prepare me for the variety of students whose lives I was about to touch. When a student was late to school, I reprimanded him and enforced the punishment set up by the principal. Later, when I had time to ask the student why they were late, I discovered that a younger sibling was sick, Mom had to go to work, and my student needed to babysit until his grandmother arrived. Now when a student is late, I say, “I am glad you made it today. Is everything okay?” My own goals as a teacher have been altered over the years, because of the changes in the family backgrounds and lifestyles of my students. Right now, I am better able to understand why a student’s parents cannot help them with their homework. Perhaps the parents are divorced, working a night shift, or don’t speak English. Therefore, one of the needs of my students have is simply to get them to come to school. Often, school is the only place where they can succeed for themselves. Students should have a classroom that is free from disruptions and behavior problems, that allows them to be a productive participant of the class.

This year, my school has introduced a program called Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS). With PBIS, the staff decides what rules need to be established for success in school. Our school decided upon 3 rules to practice and enforce for this school year. They are:

1. Be safe.
2. Be ready to learn.
3. Be here on time.

I realize that these really are not the same as the educational goals in our School Improvement Plan, such as to raise our ISAT scores, but for our community, the establishment of these rules is important. All students are given some reward monthly if they successfully follow those rules.

As a teacher, my goals have changed throughout the years. This has to do with the establishment of goals by the state of Illinois. Now my goals in the classroom seem to be more test related than I’d like them to be. Will my class score higher on the ISAT tests than last year’s? Have I prepared my students enough so they can succeed and show growth on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills? Each year, I check to see if I am on track with the previous year’s lesson plans or have I fallen behind.

The classroom rules explained by Professor Anderson are very similar to those established in my classroom. One that was discussed was that conflicts were to be resolved using mature techniques. I am not sure what “mature techniques” fourth graders may use, but perhaps the conflict resolution program at my school could help in that area. My rules in the classroom seem to be the same every year, even though we create the class rules together:

Respect your classmates and teachers
Respect others’ property.
Pay attention in class.
Use your time wisely.
Practice self-control.

By fourth grade, most students know how to behave and what is expected of them. They know that their teachers want the best for them and are there because they care. Sometimes, no matter what happens in school, the troubled home lives of some students play a bigger role than we, as educators, would like.

Yes, I do agree with Glasser on some of the basic needs students have in their lives. However, I don’t agree about the need for motivation to complete schoolwork. One of life’s lessons is that sometimes we have to do things that we don’t like (such as cleaning the house, washing clothes, mowing lawns, etc). There are just some things that we have to do whether we like it or not. The students in my class who don’t complete homework are usually the same ones who are often just lazy or forgetful. Also, their homelives do not emphasize the importance of schoolwork. Some of these parents are just trying to put dinner on the table! They don’t have the time or energy to encourage their children’s work at school.

At this time of year, my goal is to hopefully make a difference in my students’ lives. Do they realize how much time and effort it takes to give them the quality education they deserve? Right now, I know my fourth graders aren’t thinking that at all. The reward comes in the future, when they see me at a high school basketball game and they tell me how they have been accepted to a college, have made the honor roll, or have been voted most likely to succeed. So, maybe some of my rules may not be in agreement with Glasser, but they work for me!

Resources:

Glasser, William, Funderstanding, The Quality School, Harper & Row, 1990.
http://www.funderstanding.com/control_theory.cfm

Charles, C.M. Building Classroom Discipline. 7th edition. Allyn and Bacon, 2002.

Anderson, Thomas.(n.d.). Lesson 12 - A Social Information Processing Model. Retrieved on April 4, 2003 from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

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Lesson 13 – Wondering about Glasser

1. I wonder what made Glasser change careers from chemical engineering to psychology and then to psychiatry. These careers are not even related. Could it be that he wanted to work with people and he had some thoughts as to how children can better learn? (p. 122)

2. I wonder if Glasser’s book Schools without Failure explained how children with behavior disorders or learning disabilities could behave better in school. What about the student’s frustration level when they can’t read, but are really trying? (p. 122)

3. I wonder if Glasser’s concept of classroom meetings influenced the formation of Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation groups. Here, students discuss and find solutions to problems of behavior, with a teacher in attendance. Classroom meetings involve the whole class, yet it sounds a lot like our Conflict Resolution program at school. (p. 122)

4. I wonder if any of the strategies I use to motivate the students in my classroom are similar to those of Glasser’s. I agree that forcing students to behave properly does not succeed. (p. 123)

5. When Glasser’s new vision of Control Therapy in the Classroom is explained, I wonder why he never explains anything about the role of the parents in the commitment towards quality education? Often, no matter how hard I try to help a student choose good behavior, the attitude of the parents overrides anything I say. When parents do not worry about the quality of their child’s education, then often the student does not care. (p. 124)

6. Glasser explains that quality teaching is about the teacher befriending his students, providing encouragement and stimulation, and showing an unending willingness to help. I wonder if the classrooms he is talking about had such a variety of learning levels, ESL students, inclusion students, etc. Quality teaching is easy when the “right” students are in the class. (p.125)

7. I wonder how I can become a better “lead” teacher, especially when some of the subjects I have to teach are not interesting to all of my students? Since every student is different, I don’t see how a teacher who is following a district’s curriculum guide can succeed in motivating all of the students all of the time? It just doesn’t seem realistic to me. (p. 125)

8. I wonder if the schools in Illinois will abandon the ISAT testing someday and perhaps follow Glasser’s proposition that the school curriculum must be organized to meet student’s needs for survival, belonging, power, fun, and freedom, and not force its students to read and write in only one way. (p. 126)

9. I wonder why school districts don’t agree with Glasser when he explains that quality education is not measured on standardized achievement tests. School districts have to show results of what their students are learning, so unless someone designs another method to assessing learning, then the ISAT and other achievement tests will prevail. (p. 127)

10. Glasser’s techniques of providing quality teaching and quality learning, as outlined on p. 127-128, are those qualities I see every day at my school. Yet if I am already trying to do those things to provide quality teaching, why don’t I feel like I am getting through to some students? It is truly frustrating at times to be a source of positive encouragement to a child, only to see that the end result is not changed. I must admit that most of the time, I do get better work out of students when using these techniques, but there is always a few that just aggravate the heck out of me! (p. 127-128)

11. I wonder how many classrooms Glasser used to see if his techniques were successful? Did he ever have a classroom of his own for an entire school year? Where did he see his techniques in action? Were they always successful?

12. I wonder what would happen if Jonathan had actually injured the Michael seriously? Would Glasser suggest that the teacher still allow Jonathan to remain in the classroom until he “calms down”? Probably not, yet it seems to me that valuable class time would be taken to discuss all of the misbehaviors in the classroom during a normal week. I don’t see how I would be able to use class instruction time very often to resolve student problems. (p. 131)

13. I wonder if I will consciously try to implement more of Glasser’s procedures in the future? It seems like there are more discipline problems in our schools than ever before, so perhaps it is worth a try. (p. 132)

14. I wonder how often I can hold class meetings when I have so much curriculum to cover by June? There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the school day to accomplish this effectively. (p. 133)

15. I wonder why a student in my room who misbehaves outside of my classroom does not benefit from discussing his behavior? We have done this in the past, both with a social worker, principal and teacher to student without improvement. Does Glasser ever admit that some children just misbehave to misbehave? (p. 133)

Resources:

Charles, C.M. (2002). Building Classroom Discipline (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

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Lesson 13 – Class Meetings

Classroom meetings, as defined by Glaser, are “Meetings held in the classroom for addressing and solving problems.” (Charles, 2002). He refers to 3 types of class meetings:

1. Social problem solving
2. Diagnosis of educational problems such as those discovered in the classroom and school settings
3. Open ended where students can discuss any thought provoking topics in their lives.

At the beginning of each school year, I start a discussion with my class about the school rules and rules within my classroom. I remind them that this is their classroom, so they should have some input into the establishment of the rules. The students usually come up with the typical rules, (probably from their previous year’s class), such as respect other’s property, be respectful to others, etc. Many years, the students brainstorm an entire chalkboard worth of rules, whereas I explain that we need to choose perhaps 4 or 5 to help us get started. The consequences for breaking these rules vary year to year, but I think that giving the class more input into the rules would be beneficial in the future.
I rarely have class meetings after the first week, especially since our school decided to use the PBIS {Positive Behavioral Interventions and Strategies) rules of discipline this year. The school principal decided what rules we were going to work on, so it did not seem necessary to meet with the class after that first time.

After reading about some purposes of the class meeting, I am able to understand when Glasser said the class meeting might have other purposes than to establish rules. When searching the web for information on classroom meetings, I stumbled upon a site called “Twenty Kinds of Classroom Meetings”. It explained some easy ways to get the students to talk about a variety of situations such as:

Sticky situations: "What should you/would you do if: You find a wallet on the sidewalk with $20 in it? or
Reflections on learning: "What did you learn from this activity (unit, project, book)?" One new idea or understanding?"

It also includes some ways to discuss conflict resolution and classroom improvement. I am not sure all 20 ideas were what Glasser had in mind when he developed the idea of the classroom meeting, but I think that I will try some of these for the remainder of the school year.

According to Glasser, class meetings occur regularly, 1 per day for elementary students and 2-3 per week for high school, and can last up to about 45 minutes each. (Anderson, n.d.) One per day for elementary students would be hard to do, given that an extra 45 minute time period would be awfully difficult to find, just as 2-3 per week for high school cannot be seen as practical either. I think after the first few weeks of school, one per week in my classroom, probably on a Friday afternoon, would be the best way for me to test this concept.

As far as the family meeting, I remember as a child getting together in the living room to discuss the family vacation plans, but I don’t think I had much of an input into the summer plans. My parents did give us choices, but the main destination had already been decided upon. In my own family, we don’t seem to have time these days for a family dinner, let alone a family meeting. Perhaps it is the sign of the times, or the fact that my children are practically grown up and don’t need to worry about too many more rules or family decisions.

Using the computer for class meetings was something new to me last summer when I began my first CTER class. That first class had a weekly chat to discuss topics and/or questions that was totally voluntary, depending on your schedule. I found that my typing skills were in sad shape when I couldn’t answer a question before someone else. It was pretty amazing when we could all give our presentations online at the end of the class, without the nervousness of stuttering, etc Businesses must be involved in this aspect to save money and time of traveling coast to coast for one meeting. I have heard that some high school teachers have had online chats with their students, but do not see a need for it at this time with my class. I can’t imagine continuing a discussion with a student when I am at home, since I am usually exhausted from a day with 9 year olds!

Resources:

Charles, C.M. (2002). Building Classroom Discipline (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Anderson, Tom, (n.d.) Retrieved on April 6, 2003 from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Twenty Kinds of Class Meetings, Educators for Social Responsibility, School for Ethical Education, http://www.ethicsed.org/consulting/meetingideas.htm

Optional Elements of a Discipline Plan, 2002, retrieved on April 5, 2003 at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

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Lesson 14 – The Gang Scene

Teaching fourth grade in a suburb of Chicago, I find myself often wondering if any of my students will be joining a gang in the future. Luckily, I don’t see it in my school, though I must admit at Open House, I do see some parents wearing particular jackets, etc. that probably denote gang involvement. I have heard from the high schools that some of the students’ uncles, aunts, and even grandparents probably belonged to a gang, Thank goodness, I have not seen any of the signs, symbols, etc in our school, especially since my school has students in kindergarten through fifth grade only. I imagine that there might be some “wannabees” in the junior high across the street, but I have yet to personally see any indications as such. We do have some rules about clothing with certain pictures, no long chains, etc in our district, but have not had to enforce them much within the past 9 years that I have taught there.

The school district and local police department where I teach did not have any specific sites on the Internet to describe the gang scene in our area. I was able to find some interesting information within my own suburb’s police department about gangs and what are prevalent names, symbols, etc. On one particular site, it listed the following definition of a gang:

A tightly knit group of youth, usually between the ages of 11 and 23 years, who show organization and leadership, a purpose, and various levels of membership (leaders, hard core, associates, fringe, etc.). Factors that distinguish a gang from other youth groups may include consistent use of violence, involvement in multiple criminal activities, a designated "turf", and a need for recognition. (Gang Alert)

Steven Sachs from Gang Awareness for Parents added some mind-boggling information about gangs that really gives you the idea of the size of the gang problem in the United States:

1. There are nearly as many gangs as there are McDonald's, Burger King's, and Wendy's combined.
2. If 850,000 - 950,000 gang members were standing back-to-back, that line would stretch 240 to 270 miles! That's the distance between San Francisco California and Las Vegas Nevada.

After continuing my research, I discovered that my children’s school district taught D.A.R.E in the elementary schools and added a program called G.R.E.A.T (Gang Resistance Education And Training) whose mission is to have law enforcement provide a wide range of structured community-based activities and classroom instruction for school-aged children. The desired results are a sense of competency, usefulness, and personal empowerment needed to avoid involvement in youth violence, gangs, and criminal activity. This program was taught at the junior high level and prides itself on the following results:

National Evaluation of G.R.E.A.T. indicates that the program:
· Lowers the rate of delinquency.
· Lowers the rate of gang affiliation.
· Lowers the likelihood of acting impulsively.
· Increases positive attitudes toward the police.
· Increases the number of friends involved in pro-social activities.
· Increases the commitment to peers promoting pro-social behavior.
· Increases the commitment to school.
· Increases the communications with parents about their children's activities.

I was also pleased to discover that my neighborhood park district and police department used another program called L.A.T.E.R. (Lending A Hand to Youth Through Education and Recreation) In an effort to provide positive recreational experiences at local parks, the Schaumburg Park District and the Schaumburg Police Department offered a pilot program during the summer of 1999, targeting at-risk youth in specific community neighborhoods. Called the “LATER” program it provided various activities for Schaumburg teens, ages 11 to 14, at two Schaumburg parks. Designed as a “drop in” program, LATER was available at both parks from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, starting in mid-June and ending in late August.

Despite all of the programs most communities have, gangs are still everywhere. The Gang Crime Prevention Center (1999) states that “just as there is no single condition that causes a youth to join a gang or a gang to emerge in a particular neighborhood, there is no single remedy. The term "gang" is shorthand; the gang itself isn’t the problem. Instead, the gang signifies multiple, overlapping problems that accumulate over time in the individual lives of its members and in the social life of the group whose initiates convene through common interests, shared troubles, and a unifying alternative culture.”

As far as the use of computers in the school contributing to the "conflict" caused by gangs, I was amazed to find so many gang sites on the web. There was even one that had choices for the gang such as colors, jacket emblems, etc. I must admit that I didn’t think that many gangs had websites, but now it scares me that joining a gang for some of our troubled youth is probably easier today than ever! Some of the sites I visited were very elaborate and stated their goals for all to see. We use a filter in our school district to block out such sites for our students, but I don’t think that parents are fully aware how much their children can learn about gangs at the touch of a button. It really surprised me!

Resources:

Sachs, Steven L. Adult Probation Officer Gang Awareness for Parents / Educators / Law Enforcement, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois, http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/faqs/gangwise.htm

Gang Crime Prevention Center, 1999 http://www.gcpc.state.il.us/

Gang Alert http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/bkshelf/gangalrt/gangalrt.htm

G.R.E.A.T. program, 1999, http://www.atf.treas.gov/great/

L.A.T.E.R program, Illinois Periodicals Online, 2000 http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ip000510.html

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Lesson 14 – Story Analysis

I chose to analyze the Hans Christian Andersen story “The Ugly Duckling”. It is a particularly touching story about a newly hatched egg. It was supposed to be a duck egg, but when it hatched, it didn’t look anything like a duck. Its mother said, as all mothers defend their children, it had a very good disposition and swims as well or even better than the others. However, after seeing her offspring being picked on, eventually she stated that she wished he had never been born. After being pecked by other ducks (who said he was so big and ugly that he must be turned out) beaten by chickens and kicked by a peasant girl, the duckling ran away. After spending the winter and spring nearly starving to death, the duckling wanted to die rather than keep on being picked on. (I found this out when I read Andersen’s original version) He sees three beautiful white swans nearby and decides to fly to those royal birds and let them kill him because he is so ugly. “It is better to be killed by them than pecked by ducks, beaten by the hens, pushed about by the peasant girl or starved with hunger in the winter.” Just when he waiting to be pushed in a lake and drown, he looked at his reflection and saw that he had now become a swan. Amazingly, he felt glad to having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him. He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness and now was seen as a beautiful bird. “I had never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling,” he says at the end of the story. (Andersen. 1844)

The duckling displayed an intra-personal conflict – a conflict within himself (Anderson, p.2). He was frustrated because he couldn’t be like the other ducklings, no matter how hard he tried. It even got to the point where he figured he was better off dead than being picked on. He felt like a failure because he was so ugly.

An intra-family conflict was also displayed here since after he was born, he heard his siblings say, “I wish the cat would get you.” Even his mother admitted that she wished he had never been born.

Furthermore, as shown in this tale, an intra-group conflict occurs between two or more group members when their goals and /or actions are incompatible. (Anderson, p. 2) The duckling faced conflicts from many groups such as the other ducks, the chickens, and humans, just because he was ugly. No one accepted the fact that he was a good swimmer, nor did they see that he had a good personality. All the duckling wanted was to belong.

All of the conflicts were solved at the end of the story when the duckling discovered that he was now a swan and was worthy of being born. As most fairy tales, they lived happily ever after.

We, as teachers, see these conflicts every day in the classroom. One student is picked on because they are different, either by outward appearance, the way they talk, etc. We try to resolve these problems by using conflict resolution, but often the negative behaviors and attitudes come from their homes. Here is one example that I have encountered.

I am the teacher representative for the peer mediation program at my school this year. A few months ago, we had a situation where two third grade girls could not get along. When we discussed their problem, one girl said that she is not allowed to be a friend of the other girl because her mother told her that she should not be friends with a Polish person. I was dumbfounded to hear this explanation and decided to halt the session. I agree with Professor Anderson that teachers typically don't have the training, time or interest in helping students with inter-group conflicts. (Anderson, p. 7) Obviously, this problem was above what our fifth grade mediators could handle, so it was sent to the principal and social worker to handle. (Eventually, the parents were brought in to discuss the problem.)

Perhaps, if conflict resolution had been around during the time of the ugly duckling, some strategies may have been tried such as sensitivity training and classroom meetings. Perhaps, the duckling’s mother could have had a “classroom” meeting with her children and some of the other animals to brainstorm why they hated the duckling and how could they improve their relationship? A trained therapist may also be included to help work on the duckling’s self-esteem and ideas of suicide.

Resources:

Anderson Thomas H, A Treatise On Conflicts In The Classroom, 1999, retrieved on April 18 at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Andersen, Hans Christian, Fairy Tales and Stories, The Ugly Duckling, http://hca.gilead.org.il/ugly_duc.html

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Lesson 15 – Cognitive Apprenticeship

Cognitive apprenticeship is a model of instruction that works to make thinking visible. The goal of cognitive apprenticeship is to help students learn the cognitive “processes that experts use to handle complex tasks” through guided experience on intellectual tasks. It takes place within a formal instructional setting and emphasizes learning cognitive skills. (Mayer, p. 439-440).

Collins et al. (1989) explained three teaching methods designed to give students the opportunity to observe, engage in, and invent or discover expert strategies in context.

Modeling involves an expert's performing a task so that the students can observe and build a conceptual model of the processes that are required to accomplish it.

Coaching consists of observing students while they carry out a task and offering hints, scaffolding, feedback, modeling, reminders, and new tasks aimed at bringing their performance closer to expert performance

Scaffolding refers to the supports the teacher provides to help the student carry out the task.

Most elementary teachers learn early on that giving students visible examples with which they can relate allows them to learn many concepts easily. One example I thought about was while reading the Mayer chapter on cognitive apprenticeship in math. Whenever I try to explain to my fourth graders about fractions such as one-fourth, one-half, or one-tenth, a light bulb seems to go on when I use money as an example. How many quarters are in a dollar? Then 25 cents is ¼ of a dollar, 50 cents is ½, 10 cents is 1/10, etc. Throughout my school day, I am constantly trying to relate the day’s lessons to their everyday life. My students’ attention seems to “perk up” when I am talking about something that they know about or can try with a “hands-on” approach.

I now realize that I have been using a form of cognitive apprenticeship throughout my teaching career, but never knew what is was called until now. (Especially since Collins et al wrote their findings in 1989 and I started teaching before that.) One unit that comes to mind was a unit that promotes cooperative learning, integrated curriculum, differentiated instruction, and assessment. It was called CHOW, and was developed by Interact Simulations. This company agrees with the concept of cognitive apprenticeship with its slogan: Tell me, I forget; Show me, I remember; Involve me, I understand. (Interact Simulations, 2003)

CHOW is a simulation of nutrition and food budgeting, where cooperative learning teams study food groups and nutrition and then plan meals, shop in the class store and evaluate meals according to the Food Guide Pyramid. It allows them to make decisions and handle challenges facing them in “Food Fates” and “Cash Consequences” dilemmas. It was amazing to see the individual groups working together to plan balanced meals and also to find foods that were in their budgets. A score sheet was tallied, subtracting points for spelling and math errors, along with any unbalanced meals or amounts over budget. Each student had a role to play and the roles changed daily. It was a culminating unit that was enjoyed by the class and one where teams were given rewards, not individual students.

One way to use technology with this unit would be where the students could go to websites of various stores and take advantage of sales on particular products. They could email each other when they notice ads in the paper, or perhaps news articles about the advantages of butter over margarine, for example.

However, in fourth grade, especially in my district where many students do not have access to the Internet or email, parents are not too happy about the use of email to complete units of study. Also, I agree with Jodi Altenbauer when she wrote that
“Younger students may lack the maturity to use self-guided learning.” (Altenbauer, 2003). Not only do they lack the maturity, but also the discipline to learn strictly using the computer. I believe that many fourth graders need a firm, but loving hand to guide them in all areas of instruction. They still need an encouraging word from a person they see face-to-face and not just a smiley face written in an email. As we all know, this CTER program involves a tremendous amount of self-discipline to complete courses online and we are all graduate students. Having elementary students complete their courses online DOES seem like a pipe dream to me!
Resources:

Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics. http://mathforum.org/~sarah/Discussion.Sessions/Collins.html

Collins, Allan, Brown, John Seely and Holum, Ann, Cognitive Apprenticeship: Making Thinking Visible, American Educator, Winter, 1991 http://www.21learn.org/arch/articles/brown_seely.html

Cognitivism: Cognitive Apprenticeship, The Sapio Institute Inc1998-2002 http://www.sapioinstitute.org/demo/cognitive_apprenticeship.htm

Interact Simulations, Carlsbad, CA, 2003, http://www.interact-simulations.com/

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Altenbaumer, Jodi, Lesson 15, Essay on Cognitive Apprenticeship retrieved on April 26 from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

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Lesson 15 - Priming Student Motivation

When reading the chapter for this lesson, I could see examples of each theory in my present day classroom.

First is the motivation through interest theory, where students work hard when they value what they are learning, (Mayer, p. 459). I remember that some of my favorite subjects in school were the ones in which I did well and enjoyed being there. I have some students who have some problems in reading, either because of language or ability, who love math and do very well when it is time for math. They feel good about themselves because in math, they can help other students instead of asking for help themselves.

Next is the self-efficacy theory where students work hard when they have confidence in their capabilities for a learning task. In fourth grade, the students get their first taste of multiplying and dividing double digits. I show them a few examples, whereas I next hear moans and groans, as if to say, I’ll never be able to do that! Within days, most of the students are surprised to be able to tell their parents, “I can do that!” Some of my students continue to have problems because they keep telling themselves that they can’t do it.

This leads to the last theory, the attribution strategy where students work hard when they attribute their successes and failures to personal effort. Here, I am able to see the thrilled look upon the faces of students with lesser ability when they receive a good grade on a test after telling me that they studied hard the night before! (This feeling is totally shot down when another student does well and then tells you he didn’t study at all!)

Computers seem to motivate all of my fourth grade students. We use a variety of programs in our computer lab that promote drill and practice that allow students to succeed on their own levels. In the past, we have used a spelling program that helps the students practice their weekly spelling words. Presently, we have the Accelerated Reader program, where students read books and then take a multiple-choice test on the computer. The number of questions per test depends on the difficulty of the book and the grade level that each book has assigned to it. Students are motivated to read books at their own level and can succeed at their own pace. All students can achieve the monthly point goal, regardless of their reading level. We try to check periodically to see that the higher level students are reading books at their own level and not trying to get points on primary books, just to achieve their point goal. That is one drawback of this program at first, but by this time of the year, most students realize that they must read books at their own reading level.

I think that the Accelerated Reader program fulfills all three theories mentioned in Mayer. The students are highly interested in reading. All levels of students feel capable of achieving their monthly point goal, regardless of reading level. The students also learn that they can only pass a test on the computer if they have read the associated book carefully and not skimmed it quickly.

Motivation is something I think about daily in my teaching career. How do I get these students to want to learn what I am supposed to teach them? Every year, there are a few students who let me know by either their body language or their moans and groans that they can’t wait until gym or recess time. Hopefully, I get them to realize that most subjects we study can be interesting if they give it a chance. Then I remember that I only have them for 7 hours a day and that their parents play a big role in their child’s attitude about learning, motivation, and school achievement. Sometimes, as we all know, that makes all the difference.

Resources:

Johnson, Elise, Franklin Park SD #84, Passow School, 2003

Mayer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

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Responses to Classmates’ Essays

Lesson 1 Responses - Contracts

Dia,
I am worried about using a contract to elicit good behavior from certain students, while the students who behave well without a contract seem to be left out. With inclusion all around us, I feel uncomfortable rewarding a student for working without being distracted when I have many others who have been good workers all along.

Heather,
Hope you keep the Danny story in your special file for those days when you feel frustrated and wonder why you chose teaching! What a rewarding experience! (And great insights by you)

Kathy,
Thanks for the KidsContracts website! It was very interesting!

Tim and John,
I totally agree with your special ed comments. When talking about IEP's, etc. in my district, a child with an IEP is never given a grade lower than a C-. I have seen some occasions where these children just wait until the LD facilitator comes into the room and works 1 on 1 with them, never even attempting the assignment, even if it is something they can do by themselves. We are not teaching them to do for themselves, but just for the reward given if all assignments are done on time.
It is truly frustrating to see.

Tim,
I agree that behavior modification is extremely hard. I have used it in the past with some students classified as BD, and it took up so much of my time and also took me away from the other students in the class. I do this in an elementary classroom and cannot imagine trying to be successful in a high school class.

Good job!

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Lesson 2 Responses – Assertive Discipline

Pletch-
I agree with the statement about not having one model of discipline for all situations. I find that depending on the group I have each year, I have to alter my form of discipline. I must admit that when I started teaching umpteen years ago, I thought I knew it all and could make all students learn from me. Now I take into consideration what type of home life these students have and if stern discipline is the answer if all they hear at home is yelling and screaming. I have discovered that I as a teacher, have so much impact on a student's self-esteem and need to be aware of the constructive ways that I can discipline a student. Rules may sometimes need to be broken for some students.

John,
When you start out as a first year teacher, you think of what type of discipline plan will work for you. Then reality sets in and you see that what sounded good in college does not always make it in the real world! I have tried many different forms of discipline in my classroom and never know which one will be successful from year to year! We all know that teachers must "go with the flow" and that using the same discipline (and lesson plans, for that matter!) from last year doesn't always work!

Wow, Allie,
Can't believe your teachers were being treated this way! What about professionalism?

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Lesson 3 Responses – Punishment

Jodi,
I have used your "Three strikes, you're out" method, but what about the students who after awhile, just don't seem to care whether they get the strikes or not? Some children, especially in the lower grades struggle so hard to be good, but just can't control themselves. Then I have seen them display the "I don't care" attitude (they probably are the ones with little support at home) and act up anyway. It is frustrating and upsetting that classroom disciplines don't work for every student.

Heather,
Isn't that the truth! If you are a good teacher and able to control "challenging" students, then you are "lucky" to be given all of those students. It irritates me that because I am more structured than the other members of my team, I am often given those "unique" students. My principal says that I should take this as a compliment. Shouldn't we all share these students? In actuality, except in a few cases, I have found that these students do become very special to me.

Heather, your patience and ingenuity to work with these kids is truly admirable. You are definitely one of the best!

Great idea, Kathy! My class always seems to go better if I review the positive behaviors desired at the beginning of the year, on Mondays, and always after long weekends and/or vacations. You are right when you say you notice that the behavior is better.

Vanessa,
We are trying PBIS this year and I agree that every teacher's expectations are different. I find that if I deal with the student's misbehavior immediately, then a detention is not needed. Some teachers seem to hand out detentions so quickly, I often wonder if the student will be able to learn from the punishment.

Also, with PBIS, I am not sure that I like rewarding students for being on time and doing their homework. Shouldn't they be doing this anyway? What do you think?

Allie,
I commend you for "sticking" with Joe and the difficult situation. I, too, try to solve the problems in my classrooms before resorting to the school discipline plan (detentions, etc.)
Many teachers will just work to get the difficult student out of their classroom and don't make as great an effort as you did! Way to go!

Pletch,
First, I am amazed that there is so much absenteeism in your classroom. Perhaps being an elementary teacher, I know nothing of how a high school classroom works. I understand now why you have to have a makeup day in class. It is certainly better to take one day to complete all of the makeup work, rather than interrupt the regular class every day.

I do employ the same forms of punishments, using aversive stimuli to get my students to complete assignments and pay attention in class. Trying to control our tempers is very hard at times, and I have found that the students listen and understand the problem better when I remain firm and calm in my explanations.

Kathrina,
I agree that establishing mutual trust and respect the first few weeks of school is extremely important to the success of your students. When you mentioned those students who have a reputation from the previous year's teacher, I, too, am usually "blessed" with having them in my class. I try very hard to make up my own mind about each student and make it a practice to never read any files or listen to any stories about my class until I can make up my own mind. Everyone should have a fair chance in my class, regardless of any past problems they may have had. Sometimes, these students display none of the behaviors in my class as they had in previous years. When the table is turned, I hope that my students will give me a chance, despite what they may have heard about me!!!

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Lesson 4 Responses – Jones’ Model of Discipline

Heather,
I have found that limit setting works for me, too. Often, just lowering my voice instead of raising it is an effective way to get the students to listen to what I am saying. Sometimes, what I am saying quietly will allow the students who are listening to learn about something special, such as free time, homework passes, etc. and those who are not listening will miss out. I have discovered that no amount of yelling will make these students learn. Compassion and understanding must be important ingredients to a successful classroom, too.

Vanessa,
I, too, am not comfortable with the peer pressure aspect of PAT. It is hard enough for some of the "problem" children to make friends and establish self-esteem without their peers constantly on their backs. One of my students this year cannot control his behavior and has just been diagnosed ADHD. Until he receives medication from his doctor, he cannot control his outbursts and behavior, no matter how hard he tries. Having one of his peers discipline him would be another blow to his self-esteem. This is in a 4th grade class, where the children can get pretty bossy when in leadership roles.

Val,
That is probably one of the most frustrating things about teaching - not having enough time to meet the needs of all the students. It's bad enough when the students that can do the work are too lazy to do it, let alone the students that want to do the work and try so hard, but they just can't. Maybe the cloning idea will work in the future!?

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Lesson 4 Responses – Building a Metaphor

Kathy,
What a great metaphor! Since we only have our students for one year, we get to plant the seeds and often don't get to hear how our crops are doing. My husband works at the high school my students go to, so I am lucky that I get to see how some of my "seeds" are doing. It is so rewarding to see some of my troubled seeds succeeding later on in life.

Vanessa,
Your metaphor as a ringleader in a circus is priceless! There are many days that I collapse in my chair and wonder if I can come back for another "show"! Yet we are a determined bunch, ready and willing to get applause from ANYBODY, including our students!

Great metaphor!

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Lesson 5 Responses – Wonderments

Vanessa,
I agree with your wondering about why testing is a lot of fill in the blank, despite the fact that learning how to find the answer is a much more useful skill. A few of my students have difficulty remembering the names of the Great Lakes, yet I know when I give them a map, they will know where the lakes are and can determine the names. Isn't that a more useful life skill than memorizing facts? These standardized tests make me scream sometimes!

Josh,
What a great idea in #3! "One way of learning that would allow all students to gain basic knowledge of principles being taught." That would be a dream of every teacher, but wouldn't it make our classrooms boring and unexciting? (Maybe it would be nice for just a little while?)

Val,
Your #15 made me think, too! We all wonder why it is that one of our children is very attentive in school and at home, yet another child might be totally different, even to the point of being a problem in school. It is also true when we have brothers and sisters in our classrooms. How can one student be an angel, while his sister is not? That is a question parents have been wondering about for years! I know that my two daughters are different in so many ways, such as sports (one excelled in basketball, volleyball, and softball while the other excelled in cross country and track). Guess that helps to keep our lives exciting and interesting!

Kathy,
I agree with #15. Home environment has to be a contributing factor to learning. You can usually tell which students have a good environment without problems, but isn't it sad that the ones who need help the most don't have the right help at home? This is another sad thing we see as teachers. No matter what we do at school, the students still have to go home at night.

Kathrina,
I am one of those people who cannot survive without my Palm Pilot. With all of the meetings, ball games, track meets, parent meetings, etc in our lives, we need some organization. Please don't make me rely on my memory! Yet here I make my students and my children rely on theirs. Hmmm, something else for me to think about.

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Lesson 6 Responses – Procedural Knowledge

Kathy,
I have seen the same learning occur in my classroom. Every year I begin to teach the Hyperstudio program to my fourth graders and every year I ask myself, "Why do I put myself through this?" With much repetition,(and patience by all!), I am thrilled to see how much they retain from week to week. Eventually, they experiment with parts of the program that I am not familiar with and teach me! Kids are not afraid to try new things!

Tonya,
I am glad to hear that many high school students finally realize that if they do their homework, they will do good in school. Just today, my fourth graders had a big state project due. I had mentioned over the last four weeks that they should be working on this or that if they were to complete it by the due date (today). Needless to say, a few students either "forgot it at home" or "lost the sheets needed" or (my favorite) "I never got the sheet". I even had their parents sign a sheet, stating that they were aware of the due date and would encourage their children to work on the report. How frustrating to see that at the age of nine, they haven't gotten the connection between the If-Then process.

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Lesson 7 Responses – Computers and Building Lessons

Kathrina,
The Hot Dog Stand program sounds terrific! I agree with your statement about computers working with the students, rather than being controlled by it. Too often, I see teachers that don't make the time to examine software, simply use drill programs, rather than try a program that will make kids think! I will definitely have to check out the website and see if our district can try it. It is so hard to tell just by catalogue description what is good software and what is not. Thanks!

Heather,
I have used the Marco Polo search engine and found it very helpful, especially when I need sites for our social studies units. How interesting that you have found a site that helps your students understand lithography. I have a daughter at U of I who is majoring in Art, so I will let her know of that site.

Kathy,
Oregon Trail has been around for awhile and still motivates the students. At first, they always seem to like to "shoot" for food, but then they settle down and think about the decisions they make. It is interesting to see cooperative groups work together and worry about whether the entire "family" will make it to the end of the trip. Definitely another worthwhile program to help teach about history. I don't have the newer version, but it sounds like it has gotten even better!

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Lesson 7 Responses – Mnemonics

Kathy,
I also have used the Yo Sacremento book with my fourth graders, but have never heard of the mnemonics method of remembering the 13 colonies. I tried to comprehend some of the clues and found it a bit confusing. Do the kids really pick that up? I will have to try it sometime.
We use the Terra Nova test, too, but I never thought of mnemonics entering in to the success rate. I am now wondering, like you, that perhaps my use of mnemonics in the classroom is teaching to the test? Who can tell these days with all of the testing going on?(with more coming in the future!)

Tonya,
Wow, all of those memories of geometry and trig came back! I had forgotten the Side-Side-Angle things, and enjoyed how you handled a somewhat delicate situation. There is definitely a place for humor in the classroom! It helps us show the students that we are human and do enjoy being a teacher most days!

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Lesson 8 Responses – Phonics vs. Whole Language

Misty,
I often struggle to read from a computer. I sometimes find it hard to focus on what line I am on and to concentrate on the screen. Many times, if the subject is not too lengthy, I print out the information. I can concentrate a lot easier on the printed word than on the computer. How can I expect my students to use a computer to read if I myself have difficulty?

Dia,
I like your referral to being "lost in hyperspace". I have been there many times! Computers can help us with the whole language/phonics theory, but we must remember to use it only as an aid. Nothing can replace teaching skills and phonics when needed.

Kathrina,
I agree that when we threw out phonics instruction for awhile, some of the students were left without the basic foundation and were lost. I am puzzled how the strategies you listed suggest that the students reading from the computer learn best with whole language. This would mean that the children with reading problems would be lost totally when reading from the computer. I must admit that I am finally to the point where I do not print articles from the screen in order to read them. My eyes sure get tired easily though!

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Lesson 8 Responses – Website Analysis

Jodi,
I have used the 100 days site for the past few years and have found some cute, yet worthwhile lessons on it. I realize it is mainly for the primary grades, but I have found ideas with graphing and grouping that help upper grades celebrate the 100th day of school.

I also listed Kathy Schrock's site. She is an amazing person who has helped me with many lessons.

Tonya,
While I could not access your first website like the others, your second site seems very simple to use. I, too, don't have time to knit now, but will bookmark it for later use. My mom used to knit quite a bit, but I never took the time to learn from her. Arthritis is now a problem for Mom, so when I show her the site, she will be hopeful once again that I will continue the tradition. I have a few years to wait for grandchildren, so I don't think I will get to it soon. Thanks!

Kathy,
I have a friend who has started a home scrapbooking business, so I have done some scrapbooking. I have never looked for sites on this subject, so I was amazed to see how much more I don't know! I will pass these sites on to my friend. Maybe we will have more time after CTER is over!

Pletch,
My husband is a golf addict, and year after year he continues to slice away! I will definitely let him know about these sites. My question is: Can reading about correcting a problem in golf be the solution? Hope you can get in 18 holes soon... though with that new baby, it might be tough!

Maggie,
I agree with you about the Global Crossing site. It was easy to navigate and gave an abundance of knowledge. I went to the main page and found information about many other animals. I will definitely bookmark it for one of my class's research projects!

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Lesson 9 Responses – Metawriting

Vanessa,
Thank goodness for 2nd grade teachers like you! By the time the students get to my fourth grade classroom, they have the basics of good writing down, even though they may be very structured. Then it is my turn to work and get them to be more creative and expressive in their writing. Way to go!

Jodi,
I realize how hard it is for a first grader to begin metawriting, but having them write 1-2 sentences is a great beginning. I am sure you have a few students who are excited to write more, but just having them start with a minimum of sentences allows them to keep their enthusiasm and not be hung up with sentence structure, etc. It is great to see the look on my fourth graders' faces when they show me their finished product and are excited to share their writing with the rest of the class. I know it must be especially wonderful to see that look in a first grader's face!

Maggie,
I totally agree with your statement about the teacher always doing the correcting. I have my students do some peer editing to help find the obvious errors (spelling, punctuation, etc) but they never seem to get how to rephrase their sentences so that they are clear and concise. Even in fourth grade, the students make some corrections on their own, but their final copy doesn't seem to show the corrections. How frustrating to me when the same errors I helped originally correct show up on the final draft. It is a constant battle for me, too.

Kathy,
I try to do a lot of brainstorming and give my students a variety of graphic organizers to choose from when they begin their first drafts or "sloppy copies". Most of the children can begin writing the introduction and body paragraphs, but it seems that the ISAT form of writing frustrates them when it comes to the conclusion paragraph. Often it sounds so boring and repetitive. Any suggestions that you have used?

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Lesson 10 Responses – Wonderments

Dia,
I agree with your #7 about the answers on the Math ISAT tests. To have 3rd graders (and most 5th graders, for that matter) try to explain how they got their answers is a very difficult lesson to teach. What about the student who has a learning disability in reading, yet has high level math skills? Isn't he penalized because he has trouble writing the sentences to explain his result? Who thought up this stuff, anyway?

Jodi,
I agree with your #10 about having enough time in the day to teach all of the strategies presented. I hopefully try to incorporate some of these strategies in the core subjects, but often days are so busy, that I struggle to teach the contents, let alone strategies. Are we all frustrated at this time of year with ISAT testing, etc?

Tonya,
I was sad to see your concerns in #9. How sad that a second grader hates school already! I agree that the attitude from home has to be a factor. Do they help with homework? Do they read to their child? Are they too busy making ends meet to take time with their child? Something should be changed for that child before he/she gets older.

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Lesson 11 Responses - Misconceptions

Jodi,
You have my total admiration! It must have been extremely hard to go down 3 grade levels! Now that you have realized all of those problems, next year will go much smoother!

Since I teach fourth grade, I am constantly thanking the primary teachers for setting up boundaries and rules for the students so that when they get to my classroom, most know how to behave in school and can control themselves. In the past, I have seen first grade children in the hallway who are so talkative and disrespectful that I comment, "I hope I don't have him in my class in 3 years". However, three years go by and the student has changed into a great student.

Thanks for all of your hard work! The intermediate grades appreciate you!!

Valarie,

I was outraged when I read about your daughter's experience. I, too, give the 100 problem math facts tests, but I usually try to encourage my students and praise them when they simply improve their scores. Sometimes, they just need that extra little push and don't need to be reminded daily that they didn't succeed. How ridiculous!

Also, how many times have you put a lesson in your lesson plans, and then found out that you need to backtrack and reteach a particular concept? I am glad that my principal understands that just because I put a lesson in my plans doesn't always mean
that it will go smoothly. Sometimes, we need to step back and give our students another go at the foundation rather than push onward.

One more thing that I agreed with in your essay. In my school, the fifth grade teachers were told not to spend much time on long division since they could use calculators on the ISAT test. Here I am in fourth grade working hard to teach long division so they can succeed in math and then discover that it is not a skill they are expected to know in the next grade! Can you believe this!

Thanks, Val for a thought provoking essay. Great job!

Vanessa,

Your comment about misconceptions in history made me remember a history class that I had at the U of I as a freshman. I had a teacher from the South who gave us the facts of the Civil War from a Southerner's point of view. It was totally awesome and so interesting. It was definitely not in the textbook, but made me realize that textbooks often don't "tell it like it was"!

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Lesson 12 Responses - Needs of students and teachers

Jodi,
It always seems that lessons go better when we use the students as examples. They relate so much better and seem to understand concepts easier. I bet especially in first grade this really is a great teaching tool! It does take a lot of planning, though.

Josh,
I agree how the students that interrupt the class usually have the poorest grades. By the time I see some of the students in fourth grade, they are already self-grouped into high, middle and the low groups. The low groups seem to rarely move up since they don't feel they can achieve like the rest of the class. By the time they get to high school and your class, they feel hopeless. I agree that the students and teachers work together to achieve both the classroom goals and the individual goals.

Good job!

I have a few hypochondriacs in my class, too. Funny how they always feel sick at math time and never at gym or recess? I have one girl who always seems to get ill right before she has to go to study hall because of an incomplete assignment! Yet on the opposite side, I sometimes have to force a high achiever to see the nurse since they don't want to miss anything!

Your last paragraph made me think of a very intelligent boy in my class who only cares about his work if it "counts". He rarely will go beyond the minimum requirement, unless I tell him that he needs to do the extra work. It saddens me that we don't have an all-day gifted program in our district where he can be challenged all day. With inclusion and slow learners mixed in my classroom, I find that I can't meet his extra needs as often as I'd like. Even though he is an A student, I sometimes feel that I am failing him.

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Lesson 13 Responses - Wondering about Glasser

Dia,

When reading Glasser, I too, wondered whether I would be a lead or boss teacher. "Boss" teacher sounds so horrible, I hope that perhaps I would be in the middle, too!

Also, I wondered if Glasser had ever been in an elementary classroom. 45 minutes of class meeting time every day is ridiculous! Hasn't he heard of state goals and ISAT?

Jodi,

Your #2 wonderment is a gem! "It seems to me that some parents feel that it is my job to fix all the problems of their children." How many times during a week do I find myself saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could just TEACH and do the job I was hired to do, instead of being a substitute parent, listener, problem solver, etc. Many parents do not discipline their child at home and expect the teacher to change their child's behaviors.

But then there are always a few students whom you know are anxious to hear just one encouraging word from you and make your day worthwhile. Thank goodness for those special children! We do make a difference, but often never see the results of our labors!

Jodi, (in response to Josh Brown)
How often do I feel bad when some of the more advanced children are held back in the lesson because the low students needed a bit more review. I try to give them some extra challenging work, but often I just don't have the time. Usually, those students are the advanced readers, so they spend the time reading or often like to help peer tutor the others. I still feel bad about not meeting all of the students' needs.

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Lesson 13 Responses - Class Meetings

Val,
I totally agree with you on the handling of class meetings, though I am amazed that you can find the time when in high school, your class periods end by the bell!

You are totally right about the CTER program. I would definitely not like to be in a night class once a week, especially since my daughter plays 3 varsity sports. I would hate to miss a thing!

Vanessa,
Don't we all have such great ideas during the summer that we hope to incorporate into our classrooms in September! I think that we forget (or hope to forget) how crazy the school year is with assemblies, open house, testing, etc. during our summers away from our classrooms.

I, too, hope to have a few more class meetings next year, and hope my fourth graders will rise to the challenge. Already, I am thinking about "next year" when this year isn't quite over! We can dream of the perfect classroom, can't we?

Kathy,
Your practicum experience must have come before all of the state mandated testing. There is no way that I could fit all of those meetings into my curriculum filled week now!

The cyber class meeting would be great, but our district doesn't want any type of "chat" experience with our students. We are totally afraid of computers since our administrator doesn't even let teachers put up class web pages. We are definitely in the dark ages!

Kathy,
Sometimes it would have been nice to have the students plan their class parties. In the past, my room representatives have gone a bit overboard and forgotten that this is a school party and not a birthday party in a house!! I had to really be the bad guy at some of these parties or the class would get out of control. Now I give the room reps some ideas and often let the kids give me ideas on what they would like to do. Most of the time, they just want to play "Heads up, Seven up" or "4 Corners". Much simpler and more fun for the kids!

Jodi,
I, too, like to end the day reading a story aloud to the class on some days. Other days, we kind of refresh our memories with what we have learned in our class that day. I think it helps my students so that when they get home and their parents ask, "What did you do in school today", they might not reply with the usual "Nothing". My husband used to do that with our daughters and ask them to tell one thing that they learned in school that day. It was a fun time at the dinner table where they could tell us about something fun that happened in school.

I am envious of the fourth grade teacher you mentioned who had "carpet time" every morning. We have so many things going on every morning that I barely have time to say the Pledge!

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Lesson 14 Responses - Gang Scene

Kathy,

It seems like your district is prepared to handle any case that comes up with their policy on gangs. I wish my district would be stricter with their discipline policy. It seems that we tend to be lenient to a bully, no matter what grade. A few years ago, there was a first grader who was given a detention at least 3 times a week. At that young age, he had learned that he could intimidate others into doing what he wanted. After much discussion (and after almost a whole year of meetings, the child was sent to a BD program housed in another school. To me, the solution should not have taken so long. All of the other students (and teacher) in that classroom had a terrible year because of this one child!

I hate to think that this child might be headed for gangs, but who knows what, if any, support he gets at home?

Tonya,
Being in the elementary school, I don't see anything out of the ordinary in our computer lab. A teacher monitors everything and the class is not allowed to go on any site without checking with the teacher. I realize in high school, there has to be some freedom, but it is scary to think that one student can impose their gang affiliation so easily on the desktop. I must admit that I was not too aware of the issue of colors, signs, etc before, but now I know that I have to be in the future.

On a side note, I went to Illinois State for 2 years and find it sad that it too has changed so much.

Val,
Since our district feeds into your high school, I have found it reassuring that any students of mine who are thinking about gangs in the future will not have a chance at Leyden. Even though I knew some of the policies, it was interesting to read some of the background info you supplied. Thanks! Great job!

Josh,

I have seen the Knowgangs site before and have learned a lot from it. Despite the fact that we are worried about our students finding all of the gang sites on the web, it is also reassuring that we can go to the Internet and keep up with the colors, etc. Wouldn't it be great if in your teaching career you never have to personally deal with any gang members? One can only hope!

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Lesson 14 Responses - Story Analysis

Dia,
I have never heard this story before, but will have to search for it to compare to the true story mentioned by some of the other CTER students.

I love how you could see the pig possibly benefiting from mediation and that perhaps the pig simply needed a friend. Isn't that often the case for bullies?

Great story and great job!

Jodi,
This had always been one of my favorite stories. Until you mentioned it, I never thought that the red hen intentionally wanted to keep the cake for herself, but I did always wonder why she kept asking them to help.

I wonder if this might change the behaviors of the animals long term, or will they go back to being lazy, just like some of our students.

Kathy,
When I first read this book, I didn't think it was appropriate for my students. We have read many of Sachar's books such as the Wayside School series, and loved them! It was hard for me to believe that someone who wrote such humorous stories could write this one. Just the fact that the story takes place in a juvenile detention center was a situation I did not want to discuss with fourth graders. However, in the past year, a few of my avid readers enjoyed the book immensely and even asked if the author wrote another part to the story. It was a perfect story for you to comment on when discussing conflicts. Guess I will have to read it again, see the movie and give it another chance!

Vanessa,
I wish our institutes had such interesting topics! That story was very interesting and insightful. Isn't that true within a teaching staff? There are always some teachers who want to keep doing the same projects the same way year after year. They hesitate to make their opinions known and are even afraid to ask an administrator a question for fear that "it's my year for evaluation and I don't want to rock the boat!" It would be great if all of the "sheep" in my district would work and articulate a lot more. Everyone would benefit from working together for a good cause - Children first!

Maggie,
I get very tired of hearing "he called me this" or "she called me a ___________." After a few times of explaining to just ignore or don't play with him/her, my students realize that they need to "fight" their own battles. I agree that it only takes a few times for them to realize, at any age, that they don't have to be friends with everybody. A sad lesson to learn, but important in life. It doesn't always work and sometimes I just have to step in and do some damage control, but in the long run, we have to teach our students to think for themselves.

Great story to read!

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Lesson 15 Responses - Cognitive Apprenticeship

Dia,
Your idea on the students building a web page is great. My own daughters learned how to do these in their high school media classes and were a tremendous help to me when I started in CTER.

I agree with you on the emphasis on book learning in the U.S. When we need anyone to fix our home appliances, we look towards those plumbers, carpenters, etc for important answers. Apprenticeship is very important from that point of view.

Personally, I had a great teaching program at ISU where I was in a classroom actually teaching (1-2 times a week) for 3 semesters before I did my student teaching. I knew early on in college that I had found my true calling because of these excellent mentors who let me get right in the trenches and work with the kids. Right now I have a student (in a Taste of Teaching class from the local high school) 4 times a week for a half an hour whom I have let teach as many subjects as possible so she can see if she really wants to teach. Many of my peers just let their students make xerox copies or grade papers. In my case, I hope I have provided my student with insight as to her future. It is comforting to know that there are still students out there who want to continue our important profession, despite the drawbacks of lower pay, etc.

Jodi,
I agree with you about the maturity of the students being an important factor in working on the computer. They are too young to be given the opportunity to learn without a guided hand of a teacher.

As to your info on the states, as you know from your experience, fourth grade is a big states region year. This year, my students have worked on the web on a variety of state related projects. They are still under my guidance, but they are able to learn some research skills that are more interesting that opening a heavy encyclopedia as I did in my grade school years.

Maggie,
This project sounds wonderful, if everyone does take responsibility for their job. In a perfect world, it would be terrific. Cooperative learning at the elementary level doesn't seem to work very often since the learning levels of the students may differ greatly, thus causing the higher level student to get stuck with the bigger part of the work. Even in our CTER class when we worked on the White Paper, one of my peers never answered email nor seemed to even be aware of the assignment. Finally, my partner and I emailed the teacher and asked that our grades be given separately since our third partner did not participate. It was very frustrating.

Josh,
Your plan sounds great on paper, if the teacher does do a tremendous amount of pre-planning. The only part that bothers me with the scaffolding is the chat room. Being an elementary teacher, I worry about the younger kids, but high school students might be mature enough to handle it. It will be interesting to see if it works in the future!

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Lesson 15 Responses - Priming Student Motivation

Dia,
My daughter did a project similar to this in her consumer ed class and was very motivated to find the best prices and even devised some blueprints for her "house". It will be interesting to see if she uses the same info when she actually chooses a house! I thought it was a great way for her to learn all of these things at an early age. I had to learn it on the spot!

Adding the Blackboard aspect is a great idea! I, too, have learned a lot from everyone's responses in this class. Good idea!

Jodi,
I use many of the same "motivators" as you do, including the play money. We use "bonus bucks" for the students to earn and then spend in an auction. It amazes me how cheap some of the students are with their bucks, despite the fact that the bucks are worthless after the school year is over. Some of my students come back from the auction with money to spare. I never understand why they don't just spend it on anything!

My students also love to do math on the chalkboard, but I have to be careful not to let a less able student get "stuck up there" on any problem. In fourth grade, some of my students can be upset if their team loses and may begin to blame one of their team members. I usually give all who get the correct answer a point, where the first student done may get one extra point. That way, everyone feels good.

Josh,
I was motivated just reading about the modular system. How I wish I had taken a course like yours in high school! (I know that it probably never existed.) What a neat way to learn! Technology use in education at its finest!

Great job!

Tonya,
That is the beauty of teaching! Another year and new challenges appear. I have yet had a class where my teaching strategies have remained the same as the year before. That keeps us fresh and challenged!

Good luck on the rest of your school year!

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Resources Used in EdPsych 399OL

Allen, Thomas H., Optional Elements of a Discipline Plan.
http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/discip-options.html

Altenbaumer, Jodi, Lesson 15, Essay on Cognitive Apprenticeship retrieved on April 26 from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Amanda’s Mnemonic Page, 2003, http://www.frii.com/~geomanda/mnemonics.html

Andersen, Hans Christian, Fairy Tales and Stories, The Ugly Duckling, http://hca.gilead.org.il/ugly_duc.html

Anderson, Tom. Commentary. Lesson 6 — Memory Continued. 2002, from: http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Anderson, Tom, Commentary, Lesson 8 – Phonics vs. Whole Language, 2002, from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Anderson, Thomas.(n.d.). Lesson 12 - A Social Information Processing Model. Retrieved on April 4, 2003 from http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Anderson Thomas H, Lesson 14, A Treatise On Conflicts In The Classroom, 1999, retrieved on April 18 at http://blackboard.cites.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_2590_1&frame=top

Assertive Discipline: Article written by Dr. Mac found at http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/AssertiveDiscipline.html

Carmen Sandiego, Word Detective and Super Solvers Reading Adventures, The Learning Company, Broderbund, 2000, http://support.broderbund.com/faq_list.asp?id=1294818021

Charles, C. M. (2003) Building Classroom Discipline. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

Cognitivism: Cognitive Apprenticeship, The Sapio Institute Inc1998-2002 http://www.sapioinstitute.org/demo/cognitive_apprenticeship.htm

Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics. http://mathforum.org/~sarah/Discussion.Sessions/Collins.html

Collins, Allan, Brown, John Seely and Holum, Ann, Cognitive Apprenticeship: Making Thinking Visible, American Educator, Winter, 1991 http://www.21learn.org/arch/articles/brown_seely.html

Coloroso, Barbara (2001) Teacher’s Institute Guest Speaker, “Kids Are Worth It!”

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