Fires 6: Motivation and Boredom

Fires 6: Motivation and Boredom

            Keeping students interested and motivated to work hard at their studies is discussed here.  Getting students drawn in to the material is seen as important to helping motivate them. 

            Having the teacher be passionate about their field is important.  Teachers should make it interesting to students by connecting it to their interests, and give them choices so they feel more involved. 

Connecting the topic to something in students’ lives is a really good way to inspire their involvement.  Also, the teacher should be ready to help students understand it better, show they care about students’ progress, and find creative ways to bring it alive.  That is something I agree with and plan on doing in the classroom. 

Fires 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

Fires 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

            This is about some of the different student personalities and how to get them to participate.  It is also about how to get groups to work together towards the goal.

            One thing that stood out was the idea of how to get students to participate and be involved.  Oftentimes, the same students will have their hands up, and other students will continue a pattern of not trying to answer.  This does not help them to learn.  There are various reasons students try not to participate, such as being insecure or trying not to stand out.  Calling on students who don’t often answer can help to get them more involved, and to encourage them to answer more often.    Asking open ended questions that require longer answers can also create more involvement – the teacher can call on other students and ask if they agree, and why.  Or pursue further along the chain of the idea.  Also, by getting other students involved, the differences between students can come into play and help inform the discussion.  I feel this is very important for a teacher to do.

Fires 4: Creating a Culture of Success

Fires 4: Creating a Culture of Success

This is about keeping the students on task and moving forward, and focused on working towards the learning goals.  It is about maintaining a positive atmosphere and preventing apathy from setting in.

            A lot of the things mentioned were essentially about paying attention to the students.  I agree with this.  Students need positive help and assistance as they are learning, someone to answer questions.  They need encouragement, someone to tell them they can do it and to push them, and to recognize their accomplishment.  They also need to feel that everyone is equally important in the class, and that they aren’t a second class student.  In the class I have been in, the teacher and I have been moving among the students to help them out, to answer their questions and guide their work towards a solution.

Fires 3: Classroom Behavior

Fires 3: Classroom Behavior

            The overall theme of the chapter was to try and create a positive classroom environment and avoid negative behavior by students.  Much of this chapter was about how to respond to student misbehavior, and to understand why it occurs so it can be prevented. 

            As a future teacher, and one who has observed classrooms, I feel these are very important issues.  A teacher can’t do their job if students are behaving badly and distracting other students in an out of control classroom.  Of course, this does not make teachers enjoy the experience either.  This is why the idea of an unwritten bargain between students and the teacher is so helpful.  When the teacher makes sure that their own actions help to support this bargain, students see that, respect them for it, and should mostly return the respect.  This is essential for maintaining order in the classroom so that a positive learning experience can be had by all.     

Fires 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

Fires 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

            An overall theme running through this chapter is that of respect.  Teachers treating students with respect in many different ways, and how this will result in students generally following the example and reciprocating.  This will lead to a better and more rewarding classroom experience for all.

            I feel this is a very important concept for classroom management.  The students provided many examples involving this.  Not putting down students, not treating them like little kids, listening to students, and not discussing private things they tell us, are all strong examples they gave of respectful behavior.  Making students feel they are being disrespected will inevitably lead to a breakdown of the classroom culture that will interfere with a teachers’ ability to do their job.  Also, having the teacher behave in a way worthy of respect was discussed, as well as being a good authority figure.  I think this is a very important concept for a teacher to pay attention to and use to shape their classroom experience. 

Fires 1: Knowing Students Well

Fires 1: Knowing Students Well

            This chapter was about the importance of teachers getting to know students better.  The students suggested that a good way for teachers to do this is to have students fill out a questionnaire about themselves on the first day of class.  They also suggested the teacher do this as well, and give it to the class.

            I feel this is a great idea.  I agree that having a teacher getting to know their students’ interests and personalities would benefit their efforts to teach the class.  If the teacher knows many of the students are into sports or outdoor / environmental interests, they could use examples or frame discussions that bring in aspects of those interests.  This would draw the students in and hold their attention.  More importantly, this shows students that the teacher sees them as people and wants to get to know them better, presumably because they care.  This also helps them to identify factors that might affect the students’ ability to participate and benefit from the class instruction.  For example, they might be learning English, or be from a different culture, or have a particular situation at home that is important to know or be sensitive about.  Also, there may be something of interest the teacher could use to their advantage, such as if a student mentions they have relatives in Peru and the teacher is doing a unit on South America.  I would definitely do this in my classes, because I believe knowing students’ interests and backgrounds is important to help a teacher shape their lessons and how they handle a class.