Just thinking about teaching as the semester comes to an end...

"Teachers are trained to deliver information to students who will sit still and listen --- and then they’re put in front of classrooms with students who won't sit still and listen!"

http://www.adhdsolution.com/teacherhelp/?gclid=CO_Nquvwx5cCFQolgwodzw-USg

This quote struck me with laughter as I was reading up on motivating students and getting them to "buy into" their own learning. I think this quote summarizes why many teachers feel drained, frustrated and like they are beating their head against a wall when it comes to students listening, taking notes, and studying the content in a course. I think it can all be summed up to student motivation. We can work our tails off every day creating integrated and hands on lessons, providing blogs, podcasts, online notes/lectures, and creating connections with the real world; however, let's face it, if a student doesn't want to learn, we can't MAKE him/her. And as a teacher who has been teaching for 10 years that is my biggest frustration. So my goal is to keep researching and try to figure out new ways to use positive reinforcement and continue to increase the engagement of my students in the classroom to increase student motivation to learn and succeed.

Most of the research that I have been reading are things that I have read/heard/seen before; however, there are some things that are little "ah-ha"s and helping me to remember life as a student (not a teacher) Two things I read that struck me were...

"How prevalent is the attitude, "I let 'em alone as long as they are doing O.K., but when they goof off, I bring 'em up short. They won't do that again." (http://bbll.com/ch15.html)

"I recall observing a recruit in the Army trying to disassemble and reassemble his M-1 Garand rifle. The Sergeant watching him got exasperated at how slowly the process was going, called the man a dummy, and grabbed the rifle from him.
"Let me show you", he said.
Having done it many times before, the Sergeant took it apart and put it back together with great speed and then said, "See, that's how you do it."
You can imagine how the recruit felt. (http://bbll.com/ch15.html)

When thinking about the first quote I thought about all of those B and C students doing the work and trying to understand and apply the knowledge and just needing a bit of extra guideness, reinforcement, help, pat on the back, and motivation. I think we tend to just let these students move along until or if they fall into that D/F range, then we try to give some motivation, but by then it is too little, too late!

The second quote reminded me of many of my own teachers that I remember (and could name, but won't). Of course I know how to conjugate a verb. I teach the concept all day every day. (I would be worried if I didn't know it back and front!) However to my first year students, this is their first time with the concept. Am I really taking the time every year to remember that all of this material is new to my students? It sounds ridiculously logical, "of course this is the material is new (or fairly new) to the students," but I think teachers often don't think about this.

As we look at constructivism in the classroom and new methodologies to engage students and put them in the center of their learning, I just hope to keep remembering simple human nature and things that work for me as a learner: Experience, hands on activities, having a voice, receiving respect and flexiblity when needed and deserved, and simple practice with feedback :)