Dweck, C.S., (2007). The perils and promises of praise. Educational Leadership, 34-39.
Interesting enough, this article discussing praise poses the idea that students believe they have a fixed amount of intelligence. The reason I think this is so interesting is because I NEVER thought that and have NEVER heard that students could possibly believe that. I now wish I would have thought about that concept because I would have asked my students and then told them it wasn’t true. If they honestly believe they can only learn so much, it’s no wonder their desire to learn decreases. Maybe I should have taken more time teaching students the power of the brain. It’s important for students to realize they have the ability to gain intelligence and when they do that, they focus more on how much they can learn and their learning increases.
The difference between these two types of students is that the student with the fixed mind set will hit a wall, if you will. They get to a point where they no longer think they need to know the information especially when they are having a hard time understanding a hard concept. They then shut down because they think it’s not important for them to learn. The student who has the ideas that they should continually learn will hit that same wall and decide they need to find a way around the wall. They find new strategies for learning.
They key idea here is to ignite learning in students while they are young and emphasize to them different learning strategies. It’s important for them to know there is more than one way to solve just about every problem and that they need to discover what works for them. Through discovery, they have more of a chance to understand he content better anyway. It is important to teach them that their brain is a muscle, and the more they work it, the stronger it becomes. They need to understand that every time they try something that’s hard, their brain makes connections and over time they become smarter from those connections being put together.
The authors also determined that praise given to students because they are smart was not nearly as beneficial as praising students because they tried something. I need to keep this in mind with my own children. It’s more important to praise their effort, with exactness and details of what they did correctly that to praise how smart they are. Seems simple enough!
Willingham, D.T., (2008). Should learning be its own reward? American Educator, 29-35.
I was actually really surprised to read about schools paying students money to not only do well on tests, but even to come to school. Honestly, I have NEVER heard about this and I’m appalled. How can students expect to be paid for doing well? Shouldn’t they have an inner desire to learn and do well? I understand many students do not have that intrinsic desire, especially those living in low income families. However, isn’t it our job as educators to create that motivation? Really, there is no other way than paying them? I have a hard time believe that. By paying students money for doing well on tests, I feel it does give incentive, but then it also gives them a mixed message. When we are always trying to teach students to be life-long learners, this will not follow through with that idea. I feel it is more of a bribe than anything and I do not feel bribery is the way to rear children.
The author suggests these guidelines regarding rewards: don’t use the rewards unless absolutely necessary, use the rewards only for a specific reason, and use them only for a limited time. Some have found that rewards can cause negative responses as well. I once had a student who would not talk. Literally, he would not talk. He did not talk to me, friends, other teachers, etc. So, I told him that every time he answered a question in class, he’d get a sticker and once his chart was full, he’d get a prize. Well, it was hard for him at first, but then every single thing he said, “Yes, No, Maybe,” he asked for a sticker. So, I had to redirect the rules and make it more challenging so he would give responses with meaning and actually use vocabulary. This helped me get the response I wanted and helped him overcome his fears. I felt at that time, the rewards were absolutely necessary. The reward was given for a specific reason, to get him to talk. And as soon as it became a hassle to keep up with the stickers, we removed the reward system slowly decreasing until it was no longer needed.
I don’t think rewards necessarily hurt students, but I think they need to be used on a child-to-child basis. What works for one child may not work for another. It’s just like teaching…we need to try strategies until we find what works.
Cushman, K. (2010). The strive of it. Educational Leadership, 50-55.
Inspiration for teens can be hard to come by for many teachers. Their minds are all going different directions and their emotions the complete opposite. Students need meaning in their work to make their learning successful. They need a reason to research. Teachers who ask students a question that is relevant to them find much more success in student work because they actually feel they have a say in the work. Teachers can engaged students through questioning, stories, and conflicts. Students say that when they find the meaning outside of school (in the areas above) it gives them more meaning to work at school. It is also true that as students continue to seek information, they create more questions and want to find more answers, in turn leading them to make predictions and communicate better while they are working.
Cushman, K. and Rogers, L. (2008). Middle school students talk about social forces in the classroom. Middle School Journal, 39 (3), 14-24.
I found this article to be very interesting because I taught middle school. Had I been a little more on top of things and a little less worried about all the fluff and paper work, I would have read some journal articles like this and really been a good, successful teacher. There were portions of this article that I totally agreed with and portions that I even smiled and laughed because I have experienced similar situations. I would like to say, I completely agree with the idea that outside forces play a greater role than classroom material in middle school learning. These students enjoy working together and talking. I always found it so funny when I couldn’t get a class to be quiet, but then when I’d ask a question, I couldn’t get one kid to answer…duh, I didn’t relate the material enough to them. In a study with middle school students, after observing them in their classroom, they were brought to a focus group and here were their thoughts:
· Help us find common ground with each other.
• Teach us how to work together in safe, collaborative groups.
• Let us practice working out issues that affect the class.
• Treat us all with the same respect.
• Let us tackle problems that help develop our ideas about what is fair.
• Watch closely what is really going on with us, inside and outside the classroom.
(Fundamentals of Active Engagement. McGraw-Hill Create p. 234).
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I think these thoughts hit middle school students’ right on the nose. They want to be respected and they want everything to be fair, even if life isn’t fair.
One student made the comment, "People think about themselves that they’re too fat, too thin, too stupid, and they think that people are going to notice whatever they’re insecure about. I think that it’s just in their mind. I think people should just think positive about themselves, not think in a negative way, and that might help them a little"(Fundamentals of Active Engagement. McGraw-Hill Create p. 235).
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This is the most interesting comment I have read. Why? Well, this student is obviously mature above his age. At times, I don't even think about my own insecurities like this. WOW!
Another student said, "But if there’s a project, she could try to pair up people who really don’t talk to each other, don’t respect each other. And they could actually learn to become friends and respect each other, knowing they’re both being their selves in a way they both can relate to."
(Fundamentals of Active Engagement. McGraw-Hill Create p. 235).
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This is an interesting idea from a student. As t teacher, I have found myself doing the exact opposite to avoid the confrontation that would take place. This student is more grown up than I am obviously. This concept is definitely real to life' you do not get to choose who you work with on a daily basis. You get what you get and you learn to adapt. Maybe people would be better at doing so if they were taught this skill while in their youth.
Finally, I thought this ideas was interesting, "…you might ask for their thoughts on what is desirable in the classroom, perhaps with questions like these:
• What does it look like when a student shows respect for another student?
• What does it look like when a teacher shows respect for a student?
• What does it look like when a student shows respect for a teacher?
• What can other people do to make it feel safe to speak up when you disagree with another student in class?
• What makes it feel safe to say you don’t know the answer?
• What can other people do to make it safe to speak up when you do know the answer?"
(Fundamentals of Active Engagement. McGraw-Hill Create p. 236).
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These are some good points because how many times have we said to students, "Are you being respectful," and they look at us with a blank stare? Maybe they do not really understand or know what respectful is, as they were never taught this skill. Rather than assuming, we should ask and make sure there is a clear understanding for the entire group of not just what the norms are, but what they look like.
Overall, I think this article has some good insight; interestingly enough, the insight came from the students. This makes me think that maybe, just maybe, we should spend more time listening to them and less time fighting them. We could get more done in a timely manner this way.
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