Blog Post #5
Reflection & Engagement
On pages 111-120 the authors discuss building a culture of empowerment. Choose two sentences from this section and, for each, state why you chose the sentence and how the statement translates into your teaching practice.
Pg: 112 "In a truly supportive environment, students are invested in each other's success, which boosts every individual's confidence." I chose this sentence because this is so important in so many ways. Students need to feel supported by classmates, not inferior or superior. I also like to view my classroom as "how would I like to feel in a classroom?" When others invest and celebrate another's success, it sets a tone in the classroom that is outstanding.
ReplyDeletePg. 118 "Set firm expectations for the behaviors you want when it comes to recovering from mistakes and celebrating the success of others." Mistakes can be so detrimental to any student who experiences them in a classroom with a poor or negative culture. This is why I chose this sentence as well. Mistakes should be fostered in a way that we all learn and we build one another up from them, not tear them down.
Page 117 "When teachers allow students to fail-- and to learn from their mistakes-- they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." I chose this sentence as it is so true and important-- as hard as it is to see students fail. Students need to fail in order to build grit to continue working and trying and to then build confidence as they find out that they can succeed when they are persistent.
ReplyDeletePage 118 " Get into the mindset that you're not teaching a classroom but rather the individuals in the room." I chose this sentence as I believe that any teacher can teach a subject area, but a goo teacher teaches students. Students come into your classroom having different backgrounds and experiences and it is great to allow them to share these with others and to teach others in group activities.
Page 112- “ It is critical that we, as teachers, find ways to form bonds with our students. We all should connect with kids, not just as authority figures but in ways that inspire and encourage them to succeed”. If we can build relationships with our students, it can have a positive impact on student engagement and student learning. With having positive relationships with our students, it creates a positive classroom culture.
ReplyDelete113- “ Lessons and activities that foster self-discovery and meaningful involvement contribute to both empowerment and engagement”. As teachers, if we take the time to plan lessons that are meaningful and student directed, students are going to feel empowered and they are engaged. As teachers, we want that for our students because if they are engaged and feel empowered, they are going to learn and grow as learners.
Page 111“The goal is to get to the point where your students sincerely want to work for you and do their best.” I think this is such a big statement especially for Art where students are shy and don’t want to put themselves into the art it can be embarrassing for them. In my teaching practice I make sure to really encourage students through example, my examples have alot of me in them, whether its my interests, personality or combo of them. Students get inspired to create a work that reflects them by seeing art that reflects others.
ReplyDeletePage 117 “They demonstrate that people don’t always win in life and that it’s okay.” My biggest inspirations for growth were times where things didn’t go as planned. It forced me to reflect and grow better as a result. In my teaching practice its the same way sometimes a project or lesson fails, and I reflect on what about it wasn’t successful and adjust it and the next time its way better.
Page 111: "Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough." Relationships are everything to me. If you don't have a relationship with your students, they will not go above and beyond for you. I truly believe if the relationship is there, you have the opportunity to do so much with your students!
ReplyDeletePage 117: "Children need to learn that no one can succeed at every attempt and that it's important to keep working." I think it's important for children to know that not every one is perfect including their teacher. I love making a big deal out of it when I make a mistake in front of my class. I admit to my mistake and always tell them it's okay to make mistakes. We just move on and try again. Second graders are the sweetest and always make sure to tell me that it's okay I just made a mistake. I make sure to do the same for them, when they make a mistake on something. I remind them it's okay, we all make mistakes, and we move on and try again. Very rarely do I see tears when someone does something wrong. They have heard all year from me that it's okay!
Page 112- When students actively praise and celebrate each other for their accomplishments, it raises the energy in the room while fostering a culture of empowerment. This idea reminds me of having students give a round of applause for a classmate who answers correctly or helps with a classroom activity. The simple and quick round of applause from the entire room helps to build up the classroom environment. I believe it builds up the student who has accomplished a task and the students who are cheering that person on.
ReplyDeletePage 117- Children need to learn that no one can succeed at every attempt and that it's important to keep working. I try to model this in the classroom as a substitute teacher. My day can have moments where a student will point out that I am doing something wrong (meaning: that's not how my teacher does it!) There are a few ways to handle this situation depending on the circumstance. Sometimes I can mention that it's okay to do it a different way, we will still accomplish our goal today. Other times, I realize I am off base and that's okay. I usually say - oh my goodness you are right, lets try it a different way.
Page 117 - "When teachers allow students to fail - and learn from their mistakes - they teach more than a standard curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." Not only you need to teach the content of your lesson but you need to let your students fail and learn the correct answers on their own. My classroom of gifted students often fail at the life long skills that I am teaching them and it would be easy for me to step in and correct them right away, but it would benefit them more if they work it out on their own with some help from me guiding them to the correct answer.
ReplyDeletePage 111 - "The goal is to get to the point where your students sincerely want to work for you and do their best." If you get the student engaged about the contents of your classroom and they are having fun learner they will retain it and work hard for you in every subject.
Page 111: “We’re not just talking about your students’ respectful behavior toward you as a teacher–we’re talking about a true connection and a working relationship that reflects caring, compassion, and concern.” I chose this sentence from the book because I can definitely relate to this while I taught. I wanted to connect with each and every student on my caseload and their friends that would stop in my room at times in the school year. The foundation of a teacher-student relationship is truly getting to know a student and who they are and what they want to do. Having that connection can help create content/goals/ideas going forward and help engage and empower them.
ReplyDeletePage 120: “The notes are all different because my goal is to show these kids that I see them–truly see them as individuals, separate from their classmates.” I chose this sentence because it reminds me of something I did as a teacher. I loved writing notes that pertained to that specific student that encouraged them or helped them grow. This could be a reflection on a short story, math worksheet, a discussion we had in class, etc. The light that shined in their eyes when they saw or heard positivity come from a teacher like me will be something that melts my heart to this day. They all want to be heard, seen, and empowered.
Page 111"Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough."
ReplyDeleteThis statement is key to good teaching as I firmly belieive and can attest to the old adage: Students only care how much you know, when they know how much you care" If a student gets a whiff of apathy from a teacher, they will have little reason to care themselves, no matter how great your powerpoint, your opener, your objectives. Connectsion do come first in the classroom.
Another sentence that stuck out was on page117 "When teachers allow their students to fail-- and to learn from their mistakes-- they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." When my students are starting a new art project or skills, they are initially very excited and then disappointed when they aren't awesome at it right away. So yes, their efforts don't look IG perfect. I always tell them: You aren't going to be masters of this after today, or even after this week. If you find something that inspires you, stick with it. Find something in life you can be excellent at. And work for it. Art work IS hard work. You will try, fail, learn, try again, improve, progress - IF you keep going. Ask yourself what you learned form the things that didn't go so well. LIFE is the best teacher.
I chose the sentences "When teachers allow students to fail—and to learn from their mistakes—they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." (pg. 117) and "Get into the mindset that you're not teaching a classroom but rather individuals in the room." (pg. 118) because they remind me that teaching is about more than academics—it’s about building character and meeting each child’s unique needs.
ReplyDeleteThese ideas can be transformed into my Early Childhood Special Education teaching practice by allowing my students to try, make mistakes, and learn from them in a safe environment, which builds resilience, confidence, and strength, and by focusing on each child as an individual rather than treating the class as a single group, creating personalized, meaningful learning experiences for every student.
Page 117 "When teachers allow students to fail-- and to learn from their mistakes-- they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." I chose this sentence because students seem to want immediate gratification. I believe to be successful in an ever changing world, students need to learn how to fail and try again. More learning happens from mistakes. Page 111"Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough." I chose this sentence because I believe it is so true. I am truly interested in my students and their lives. I can definitely tell students work harder for teachers when they know their teacher truly cares about them.
ReplyDeleteAs a high school, School Counselor, I believe that building a culture of empowerment as essential for our students’ growth. Relationships and resilience are discussed and in my opinion both are incredibly important. On page 111, the statement: "Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough" stood out to me. I chose this because strong relationships are vital to the role I hold as a School Counselor and help my students feel seen and supported. As a part of what I do as a School Counselor, I prioritize check-ins and creating a safe space where students can share and take risks. The second statement that I chose is on page 117: "When teachers allow students to fail and learn from their mistakes, they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." I selected this because it emphasizes learning from setbacks, which is critical. It’s important for students to understand that a setback is not just a failure it can be an opportunity to grow and learn. I work to help students reflect on challenges, setbacks, build strategies and set goals, and celebrate wins along the way while building their confidence.
ReplyDeletePage 111: "Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough." This is so important to me. I truly feel that if a student does not feel that they have a positive relationship with their teacher, they are not going to be engaged and want to learn. Once a student builds rapport with a teacher, and they have a trusting relationship, creativeness can start to take place. Providing a place where students aren't afraid to step outside their comfort zone and even make mistakes while exploring their creativity. Page 117 "When teachers allow students to fail-- and to learn from their mistakes-- they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." I chose this quote because I find it so true the importance of students knowing that it is okay to make mistakes. I try to emphasize that in order to grow, we need to make mistakes. We learn from our mistakes, and they make us stronger, better and more knowledgeable.
ReplyDeletePage 111: You can empower your students in one, "By building a strong relationship with them (and fostering their supportive relationships with one another). I did many team building activities with my students and it seemed to bring a sense of closeness and family like kinship to our classroom, and it seemed that when a classmate succeeded so did the rest of the class.
ReplyDeletePage 117: Yes, I said it. FAILURE. it's such an important part of the learning process. I strongly feel this way. If you work at something that you have passion to succeed for on your own and fail, i think it motivates you to figure out how to complete it correctly. In the book Hope's class was making slime, in my classroom it was making multi-dimensional shapes with gumdrops, toothpicks and soapy water to represent the shape. overall, it was reading through the directions properly and following the steps.
Page 111: "Relationship building is critical to your creative breakthrough." I chose this sentence because I value relationships more than many other things. Without relationships, we would have a lonely existence. I also believe, that to truly be an effective teacher, and to leave a lasting impact on your students, you need to know them on a personal basis. Know their likes and dislikes, know their passions and what scares them, know what makes them tick. This will help you connect with them on a level that will allow you to teach them in a way in which they are engaged.
ReplyDeletePage 117: "When teachers allow students to fail-and to learn from their mistakes-they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." This was one of my favorite lines from this section. It stands out to me, because I feel like the current world we live in, failure isn't an option. Every kid gets a trophy, no one is left out, students must pass and move along to the next grade. This isn't how it's meant to be. Failure is what makes us stronger. Failure is what helps define who we will become. Failure helps us learn that not everything in life will go in our favor. I think allowing students to fail is a beautiful, wonderful, and daunting thing because it goes against the norm. Let the kids fail, and let them discover how to correct the issue themselves. They will be better for it!
“In a truly supportive environment, students are invested in each other’s success, which boosts every individual’s confidence.” There’s a time and a place for competition, but there’s also a time and a place to support each other and I don’t think that’s taught enough. What a wonderful classroom environment when you can get the students to cheer each other on instead of tear each other down. That support helps build the confidence for the students. I had cheers that I also used in my classroom for the students for certain times of presentations, etc. Setting the positive tone to the classroom makes for a supportive environment.
ReplyDelete“Set firm expectations for the behaviors you want when it comes to recovering from mistakes and celebrating the success of others.” Teaching students how to handle mistakes is important. If not taught how to recover from mistakes, students can really get down on themselves and on others and struggle to move beyond that failure. This is such an important life skill to learn. Students can learn by example with this lesson. It’s important for teachers to admit when a mistake has been made and to see the teacher handle the situation in a way that demonstrates the growth mindset.
From p.112, “ It is critical that we, as teachers, find ways to form bonds with our students. We all should connect with kids, not just as authority figures but in ways that inspire and encourage them to succeed”. I think that our students need to have a mutual respect and trust for their teacher in order to completely be able to learn from us. I try to form a bond in some way with each of my students.
ReplyDeleteFrom p.117, "When teachers allow students to fail-and to learn from their mistakes-they teach more than a standardized curriculum; they teach resilience, confidence, and strength." I love this line. I used to sprinkle mindset lessons into my curriculum throughout the school year. I quit doing them the year after we went back to school after the pandemic shut-down because I felt I needed more time for remedial learning. I think it's time to bring them back. Several of those mindset lessons that I taught stressed the need for failure and learning from mistakes. I think it's a very important part of learning. I also think it helps to build self-esteem in kids when they realize that it's ok to not do well on something, as long as they can learn from their mistakes to improve upon them.
"Get into the mindset that you're not teaching a classroom be rather the individuals in the room." To be a truly effective teacher and successful instructor, you must build relationships with the students. As the students enter the classroom, I greet the students at the door with a smile or a positive comment. While delivering instruction, I make eye contact with all of the students, or individuals, in the classroom. While trying to make a point I try to interject back to a student something that they have shared with me. The more you understand the student, the better you can teach to their learning style.
ReplyDelete"When teachers allow students to fail-and to learn from their mistakes-they teach more than a standardized curriculum:" This truly is where meaningful and lasting learning grows. Students learn rigor, persistence, and grit. Students learn what works and what doesn't. Students learn critical thinking and this type of process builds the students brains.