Week Eight: Role of the Parent

Parents play a very important role in the education of their children. Parents are responsible for monitoring their child’s academic progress, working to maintain open communication with their child’s teacher and school administration. This will help the parent discover any academic or behavioral issues in a timely manner. Parents can use this information to decide on strategies for effective study habits at home. To encourage students to utilize the study habits they have developed, parents are responsible for creating a safe learning environment at home. Students are more likely to engage in healthy study habits and behaviors when parents in the home model them. Finally, parents are responsible for being aware of the materials that students’ reference during their study time, and encouraging students to build good academic and social behaviors at home and at school. The use of electronics in education has increased the role of the parent within the academic experience of adolescent students. To keep their child safe from harm and engaged in a positive learning environment, parents must take an active role in learning about what students are referencing on the computers at school as well as those at home.

I can enlist the help of the parents of my students by sending home frequent materials discussing student progress, happenings in the classroom, and upcoming activities that parents should know about. The simple act of showing parents that I care enough to make that kind of effort will hopefully encourage them to take an interest in their child’s education as well. It will also let parents know that I am open to communicate with them should the need or desire arise.

Week Six: Successful Lesson Plans and Student Creativity

I gauge the success of a lesson in a number of ways. Some of them happen during the lesson and other indicators are observed through analysis and assessment scores following the lesson. I begin by making observations of student reaction during the lesson. If students are attentive and engaged, I make a mental note that the lesson is progressing well. Student feedback and reaction during the lesson are crucial indicators of the progress of a lesson. I continue to observe student conversation during small group interaction, listening for evidence of comprehension of the instructional material. After the lesson, I reflect on the instructional time and analyze the various assessment tools completed by the students. There is typically a homework or classwork assignment associated with each lesson. I use the students’ assessment results on these assignments to gauge how successfully the students achieved the learning goals of the lesson. Depending on where the lesson falls in a unit, it might be followed with a quiz or an exit ticket. The accuracy rate of student responses indicates how much of the lesson content the students understood and what parts of the lesson need to be reviewed.

The assignments I offer students allow them to show their individuality and creativity as long as the objectives of the assignment are met. I taught United States History during the summer last year. My term project included choices for a number of different final products. Students were allowed to write short stories, term papers, illustrated timelines, and online blog postings. The students turned in products that were as varied as they were. I gave the students a list of guidelines for the assignment that ensured an equitable amount of work and assessment value for each product. I did this because throughout instruction, it became apparent that my students learned in different ways. In my current class, I have assigned projects that allow students to work in groups to create a comprehensive product that reflects the individual talents of each student. This gives students an opportunity to work together and exhibit their achievement of the learning goals in a way that is tailored to their personal strengths and creativity.

Week Five: Teamwork and Differentiated Instruction

Good teamwork is an important characteristic of any successful classroom. Through frequent team building exercises, students will learn more about the instructional content; experience crucial social development; identify their preferred role in the context of the larger group; build a positive and safe learning environment. Students develop a deeper comprehension of the instructional material when they are able to share ideas with their peers and add to their current understanding of the lesson. When working together, students must learn to communicate effectively to succeed at whatever academic challenge they have been given. During their collaboration, students will emerge as natural leaders or find that they are comfortable in another role within the group. This will inform students’ understanding of themselves and their preference for comfortable social interaction. Teamwork in the classroom helps students learn about each other, strengthen relationships, and build respect for one another. This adds to student achievement by helping them learn in a safe academic environment.

I encourage teamwork in my classroom by assigning different types of group work during my lessons. Students are often paired to talk about a question before a whole-group discussion. Small group work takes place in groups of three or four students and typically consists of an artistic project, a content-based worksheet, or another type of collaborative assignment. When we review for tests, I assign teams for review games. Students have to work together to find the answers and win points for their team. I try to mix up the groups for small group work, pairing activities and classroom games. I want all of my students to get to know each other so that the whole class will work together as a team.

I try to differentiate instruction so that it will address the needs of all my students. I include literacy strategies for my English Language Learning students and for those students who read below grade level for other reasons. For my students who struggle with specific learning disabilities, such as ADHD, I implement strategies such as sitting them close to the front of the classroom. I use small group work frequently in my instructional plan, as I have found that peer interaction addresses the needs of many of my students, each with their own individual needs.

If I had a gifted student with a behavioral problem, I would address it in the following ways. First, I would deal with the behavioral issue in much the same way as any other behavioral issue in my class. I would take the time to talk to the student individually, offer alternative acceptable behaviors, and ask the student for ideas in terms of avoiding future behavioral issues. The fact that the student is gifted indicates that perhaps boredom, or lack of a challenging curriculum, is to blame for the behavior problems. I would implement strategies aimed at keeping the interest of all of my students, despite varying levels of achievement. One example is giving the students challenge questions to write responses for. The gifted learner could dive deeper into the content in his or her individual responses, spending more time exploring the topics that are most interesting to them. This strategy is something that would work for the whole class, but still provide the gifted learner the type of work he or she needs to feel challenged and reach or exceed his or her potential.

Week Four: Teacher-Mentor vs. Teacher-Coach

Wong discusses the effectiveness of the roles of coach and mentor. He does not dismiss the importance of the mentor, but instead differentiates between the two. Wong believes that the Teacher-Coach has a “responsibility” to those in his charge, where as the Teacher-Mentor simply has a role in the learning experience of those students he or she is paired with. The Teacher-Coach has responsibilities that include coaching students to improve skills in their content area, focusing on specific learning goals, and being a leader within the context of the teacher-student relationship. The teacher-coach is invested both emotionally and financially in the success of the student they are coaching.

The idea of the teacher coach is similar to that of an athletic coach. The coach of a football or softball team is charged with teaching his athletes the skills they need to excel in their particular sport. The individual teammates each have varying levels of experience and skill. The coach must identify areas of strength and weakness and instruct each individual accordingly.

The teacher-coach idea translates well to the classroom. As teachers we are responsible to help our students grow and achieve the learning goals that have been set for them by the teacher, the school and the state standards. Our job as classroom teacher goes beyond reacting to situations and providing support to our students. We need to work with them to develop actual, tangible skills that they can use as they mature into adults.

Week Three: Tardiness and Student Recognition

Persistent tardiness keeps students from being exposed to all the instructional content offered during class time; disrupts instruction for the rest of the class; keeps the tardy student from achieving his or her full potential in the academic learning expectations; indicates greater issues in a number of areas in the life of a student. If I had a student who was consistently tardy, I would handle it using a number of steps designed to address the problem as it escalates.

Talking to a student about a problem gives the teacher an opportunity to build rapport with the student and learn about his or her family background. Once I identified a tardiness habit in a particular student, I would talk to him or her privately after class. I would let the student know that it is important to get to class on time, as it is a sign of respect to myself and their classmates, as well as an important step in making sure that they are able to achieve the academic learning goals for the class overall. I would also remind the student of the school rules in terms of expectations of timeliness in the classroom and consequences for deviation from that behavior. At Bishop Amat, those consequences are twenty-minute detentions that can lead to Saturday detention for frequent offenders. If a student misses more than ten class periods in a semester, that student is at risk of losing credit for the class.

Behavioral issues sometimes indicate problems at home. I would make an effort to discuss the student’s tardiness with their parent or guardian. If the problem stems from parent tardiness or other issues at home, discussing the behavior with the parent will inform them that the behavior has become a problem for their child. Of course, I would handle these discussions with professionalism and subtly, taking great care not to cross the line with a parent or offend them. If the issue persisted after I spoke with the student and the parent, I would discuss it with the relevant school authorities and allow them to address the issue as they see fit. I would be sure to remain apprised of the situation and advocate for my student as appropriate.

I recognize my students verbally for doing things that go above and beyond their typical expected behavior. I recognize students by thanking them individually as they add to a class discussion; congratulating them when they have an unexpectedly high grade on an assignment (though I don’t say it with surprise in front of the class); recognizing the class as a whole when they have met or exceeded my social behavior or academic expectations.

I do believe it is possible for a student to have too much recognition. Students need to learn to behave a certain way because it is rewarding to them intrinsically. If a student is rewarded every time he or she meets or exceeds expectations, they may get to the point where they only do that behavior for a reward. We want students to learn the inherent value in a behavior. To that end, we should reward students for certain behaviors, but reinforce the reason why we value the behavior in the first place.

Week Two: Setting Classroom Rules and Establishing Authority

The students in my class were taught from the first day and will be reminded throughout the semester that they are responsible to achieve certain academic goals and that certain social behavior is expected of them. I established rules for my classroom on my own before walking into the room then worked with the students to refine and add to the list of expectations. Once the list of classroom rules was finalized, I submitted an updated copy to the students. I also posted a list of the classroom rules in two places around the room for my students to reference as necessary. The primary set of rules for the entire school is available to the students and parents in various publications, including the student handbook and weekly planner distributed to each student at the beginning of the year.

The rules were established to create and support a safe learning environment where students will feel safe to take risks, share information and opinions, and actively engage in the learning experience. Students learn more effectively when they feel respected by the people around them and comfortable in their surroundings. I have found that students also learn more effectively when they know what is expected of them, in terms of academics and social behavior. I work with the students to create the list of classroom rules because I find it gives the students more ownership of their learning experience. The students worked with me to create the rules; they are less likely to break expectations that they set for themselves, and work harder to attain rewards that they helped to define.

Despite our discussions and the clear posting of the rules, there are still times when the students do not meet the expectations that are set for them. If the students decide not to follow the rules they are aware that there are consequences. I discuss the consequences for undesired behaviors with the students in much the same way that we discussed the classroom rules. I also work with students to develop additional consequences and rewards for behavior in our classroom. When a behavior problem arises, I address it using a number of steps. First, I take time to talk to the student privately after class, letting him or her know that what they did in the classroom was unacceptable, and offering desired behavior alternatives. If the behavior continues, I issue a teacher detention or referral to the dean of discipline. If the problem escalates, I discuss it with the parents or school administration as appropriate to the situation. In order for the students to really understand the expectations we constantly make connections to the real world; we work together to identify examples of the connections between the risks and consequences that we take in the classroom and those that we take outside the walls of the school.

I establish authority in the classroom a few different ways. First, I try to look the part. This means dressing professionally and carrying myself in a way that it is always clear to the students and faculty who the adult in the room is. Second, I clarify expectations with my students early on and remain consistent with enforcement. My next tactic for establishing authority is to treat my students with the same respect I want them to show me. This helps my students feel safe in my classroom. Respecting my students also lets them know that I care about them and their success. Finally, I work to establish a rapport with my students’ parents. It helps to establish my authority with my students when their parents are supportive of my actions in the classroom. Keeping the lines of communication open with parents helps ensure that they support the academic and social expectations in my classroom.