No Excuses
In my first semester of teaching, I taught three 9th grade classes that lasted one hundred minutes, each containing over thirty students from ages fourteen to eighteen. These students had extreme differences in their academic levels, learning abilities, and behavior. In the first semester, I expected students to bring their own supplies and copy notes on line paper. Many students walked into class empty handed each day and used their lack of supplies as an excuse to misbehave. I began to think “classroom equality” was a misnomer, until I learned more about teaching strategies in my Fall graduate courses. I realized it means an educator should ensure each student has an equal opportunity to grow academically by differentiating instruction. After teaching the biology I curriculum on a block schedule (94 minute classes) to class sizes of thirty of more children, I had the opportunity to teach it again in the second semester to a new set of classes with an average size of about twenty students. With new students and better management techniques, I was able to communicate and enforce my academic expectations to each student. I eliminated most of the "no supplies" excuses students would give for not doing their work. Every student received a binder, which were stacked in the classroom cabinet before the next class entered. This ensured each student remained organized throughout the semester. I also provided the students with a 'fill in the blank version' copies of the slides for each lesson. Having students prepared and motivated to complete their guided notes gave us more time for individual work, group work, remediation, individualized instruction, and hands-on activities.
Learning Styles
At the start of the school year, each student completes a learning styles diagnostic screening and a personality questionnaire. I graph the learning style data and post the results on the classroom wall. It motivates students when they are informed that specific learning styles are being targeted or when they are provided optional ways to complete assignments based on their learning styles. Understanding the students' personalities as soon as possible is also important to me. I take notes on their personal questionnaires to remind me of their classroom performance expectations as I become acquainted with them in the first few weeks.
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Presenting Data to Students
Students receive their individual scores on assignments and tests, but to motivate an entire class, I like to present the test averages and reward the classes that show growth.
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