Module 4 – Blog 4 

Promoting Autonomy and Choice

After watching the video “Constructivist Social Studies Lesson Grades 4/5, I could not agree more on the research that shows how student engagement helps a student learn and retain that information.

The reactions that came from these young people when asked how they like this approach of learning was insightful and phenomenal.  They talked about their comfort level increasing because the pressure was not on them alone.  They talked about making new friends because they had to interact with students they would not have otherwise done so.  They had to learn how to speak to each other in a respectful manor.  When presenting, they were not only judged by their peers, but had to turn around and evaluate their peers.  What thrilled me most were to see happy, eager students who were socially comfortable and learning knowledge at a level that would stay inside them. 

Woolfolk explains in chapter ten on page 359, that there is no one Constructivist Theory of learning, but most constructivist theories agree on two central ideas.  As was seen in this video, these two ideas showed that students were participants in building knowledge of their own, and social interactions were a part of that process.

I have seen this kind of learning take place in the middle school where I work in a multi-needs room.  A teacher in the 7^th. Grade regular education, had her students participate in a creative writing story book project.  They were assigned to groups of three or four people and had to create a story with illustrations that were 3-D so that the students in my class room could feel and see what was going on in the story.  When the projects were completed, the students had to present their story to the students that were in my multi-needs room.  The students handle their presentations like professional leaders and quite literally blew me and my co-works away. 

Student engagement as seen in the video, and seeing it myself is a learning style that I wish had been a part of my learning process going to school so many years ago.  I can’t help but wonder if learning in that way, perhaps my self-esteem and thought process, not to mention attitude would have been different.

Module 3 -  Blog 3 Ed. Psych. – “The Angry Teacher”

       

                                                            
                           

                 Creation                                                                            Fall


                                        

                                                 

  Redemption                                                                             New Creation                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

After looking at the video and then listening to Rick talk about a classroom management plan and the Trinity model of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation, I was intrigued to investigate this model further.  

Though I have never studied this model before, from what I was able to uncover, I think the “Angry Teacher” could easily fit into this model, if I am understanding it correctly. 

The video doesn't really show what set the teacher off, or when the process of escalation began with him and his students.  I believe God is directly involved in everything we do, including teaching.  Because teaching is a calling, He is our guiding force and therefore we are His Creation.  Perhaps the teacher in this video started out with a purpose and a direction to teaching and learning which somehow got lost on this day. The Fall occurred in this clip when the teacher rejected God’s Creation by becoming irate and degrading his students.  The Fall continued as he was unable to get a grip.   Clearly, he was out of control and seemed unable to calm himself, yet at one point, he did give recognition to the person who was videotaping him. 

I’m thinking that at that point,  he could have gone into the Redemption mode with the entire class.  He could have said, 'OK class, things are out of control with all of us, so why don’t we look at what was videotaped here, and then see how we got to this point."   After looking at the video, and hopefully seeing where he was wrong, he would then apologize to the classroom for his part in it, and suggest that together they rewrite the rules as a "Bill of Rights" so that the students could see what their part in it was as well.  By including the students input on what the rules and consequences should be, everyone would have a clear understanding on how to conduct themselves in the classroom.  This would be the beginning of their  New Creation.

I really liked the idea suggested in our text book on page 479 to create a “Bill of Rights” instead of having rules.  It states that "when a teacher works with his students to establish a student’s “Bill of Rights”, instead of defining rules, the “rights” cover most situations that might require a “rule” and help the students move toward the goal of becoming self-managing."   I’m wondering if this teacher even had a classroom management plan, because if he did, which is also stated in our text on page 480, the ideal way to manage problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place

As I continue to work toward becoming a teacher, I can’t ever forget that God is in charge, not I.  It is His will that I wish to carry out, so that I can teach, nurture, and guide my students with a caring heart.   

Module 2 - Blog 2
Ed.Psych.  AEDU203

1. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255

   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

I was feeling apprehensive one particular evening as I was getting everything together for my return to work from a six week leave of absence.  My second child had been born and would be going with me the next day where I worked as the director at a day care center.  The evening took a drastic turn of events when I heard my oldest child vomiting in the toilet.  She was 16 at the time, and I suspected she had the flu.  As I tucked her back into bed, I spotted a pill on the floor, and then another a few inches away.  Immediately I questioned my daughter and asked how many she had taken.  She told me about 80…..

Our textbook, in chapter four, states that 10% of adolescents have attempted suicide at some point, but even more have considered it.  It goes on to explain that suicide often comes as a response to life problems-problems that parents and teachers sometimes dismiss.

As a parent, I missed all the signs of my daughter’s attempted suicide, and as an upcoming teacher, I never considered this area as one that I would have as part of my repertoire in getting to know my students……until now.  

It makes sense though, to be aware of the many warning signs which include eating or sleeping habits, weight, grades, disposition, activity level, or lack of interest in friends or activities that were once fun.  Giving away important items and verbalizing things like, “you won’t have to worry about me much longer”, missing school, and not doing required homework are also telltale signs. 

My daughter had taken to her room and become resistant in getting up to go to school.  I knew moving away from her home town, friends, and school would be hard, but I never considered it to be so traumatizing.  After a couple months stay in a facility and a year of intense therapy, my daughter was able to lead a happy and normal life, but she was one of the lucky ones. 

From The Parent Resource Program, I read some startling statistics that each day in our nation there are an average of over 5,400 attempts of suicide by young people, grades 7-12.  WOW!  As a teacher, you better believe, I want to be better at knowing what all of the warning signs are.  Our textbook also discusses that a feeling many kids shared who attempted suicide,  was that no one cared enough to ask them anything even when the teacher, parent, or adult suspected a problem.  As teachers, it is imperative that we take our students seriously.  The Myths and Facts table about Suicide on page 147 also states that suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24.  Sometimes children under 10 die by suicide.  My antennae is now fully loaded as a teacher assistant, and for the future when I become a teacher.

Module 1 - Blog 1 Ed. Psych. AEDU303

Student/Teacher Relationships Mean Something
After reading through chapter one and looking at all the resources, I am again amazed of all that is involved concerning education.  This chapter on Learning, Teaching and Educational Psychology focuses on exemplary teachers who practice efficacy, reflection and differentiation. It then summarizes all the different kinds of research, how it is obtained, and then utilized to solve common problems in school. 

The section on teacher-student relationships, on page 7, really jumped out at me.  The fact that a study was done on the impact teachers can have on students impressed me.  Researchers, Bridgett Hame and Robert Piant, in 2001, found that the relationship teachers had with their students predicted school success.  In 2010, Pianta and his colleagues through another study on 3rd through 5^th graders, found that the two factors of high-level instruction, and positive relationships with teachers helped close the achievement gap.

When I was in third grade, my teacher punished me for not understanding how to do a math problem in what was then called, “New Math”.  My teacher told me in front of my peers, that while she was taking the rest of the class out for recess, I was to sit there and figure it out.  She then turned out the light, walked out of the room and closed the door.  I was eight years old, alone, humiliated, and terrified all at the same time.   I remember, with heart pounding, looking out the window to make sure my teacher was out on the playground.  I then quickly ran to her desk, looked up the answer in her book, saw how it was worked out and ran back to my desk.  I proceeded to put it all on paper and finished the problem.  I had, in my mind, “figured it out”!

As I reflect back to that time, I also recall how proud my teacher was that I had, indeed, figured it out.  Perhaps she thought she was doing me a favor by handling the situation such as she did.  It did not change the way I felt about her.  I hated her, and could not wait for third grade to be over so I could move on to a new teacher. 

As I have watched my own children go through school, I am amazed at the relationships they have formed with all of their teachers.  Most of them have been a positive force in their lives, especially k through 8.  I can only infer that because the studies done have shown evidence to success thus far, this is why teachers are being taught differently today.  Instead of an authoritative approach, I think teachers are being taught that being sensitive to a student’s needs is just as important as how and what they teach in their lessons. 
I never realized the importance of research in educational psychology, but am glad it is available to make me a better teacher and a positive force in my student’s lives.