It is quite apparent after reading the rest of this book that my professors at UMF are on the right track when it comes to educating us about educating students. Everything in this last section of reading was all very familiar to me from all my education courses. Providing a safe environment, using inquiry-oriented, problem based, and student centered lessons, being aware of outside influences, and getting parents and community involved are just some of the bigger picture ideas that I have seen and practiced in my lessons. The newer concepts I learned were the middle school students’ physical, emotional, moral, intellectual, and psychological developments.
One of the biggest realizations I learned was that middle school aged kids need to release energy. This is why this age group tends to suddenly have outbursts of energy. Teachers need to keep this in mind when planning lessons. We cannot expect students to sit through fifty to eighty minutes of lecturing and practice problems without some sort of movement. Teachers also need to be aware of when they praise students for a job well done and what they praise them for. Middle school students are constantly comparing themselves to each other. If one student gets more recognition than the other, the one not being congratulated could shut down and stop trying. However, we still need to make sure there is plenty of praise going around. Students of this age often have lower levels of self-confidence in areas such as academics, sports and creative activities. Without the adequate congratulations and good jobs, they too might shut down in a certain area.
I really liked the article about praise. I think this is extremely important and I thought the suggestions were helpful such as giving high fives and increasing your own vocab as well as your students by not using the word "good".
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this link because it offered great reminders to how to praise students. By explaining more than a "Good job", you're able to give some feedback as well. This is definitely a site I will visit while student teaching. Great find.
ReplyDeleteI like the small ideas and tips they have for praising students. a simply "of course" can change how a student perceves your attitude towards his/her decision or question.
ReplyDeleteI agree! We need to praise our students more. We need to focus more on the rights than the wrongs. Assessment in today's classrooms tends to focus more on the negatives; for example, on tests, students are confronted with what they did wrong, not what they did right.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your site on praise. I practice appropriate and specific praise with my son. I notice that I get better responses and reactions from him when I am positive. Oh! and...DO give high fives
ReplyDeleteThese ideas for how to praise students are awesome! They are definitely things that we can use when we are in the classroom. The idea that we need to praise who they are not just what they do isn't a new concept, but its always good to reenforce it!
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