Module 2 Reflection

 

EDUC 517 – Module 2: Reflection by Jarod Rollins

1.  What stood out to you in the content readings this week?  What was one point that made an impression?

This week after watching the video and reading the articles the one thing that stood out to me most from the reading was modeling. Not only does the teacher set the attitude, mood, and expectations for the class, but the teacher is most importantly the model for everything (Allen & Currie, 2012). Students, whether consciously or sub-consciously are doing what the teacher does. If the teacher is sarcastic and rude then that is the behavior that the students will follow and emulate. If the teacher turns a blind eye or is passive to bullying, then that is what is considered acceptable, and the students will follow it. It does not matter what a teacher or any authority figure says to a student if the actions do not match their words. Students are watching actions and they are picking up on the culture and subtext of the classroom in order to succeed, fit in, and not be an outcast, even if that means modeling negative behaviors or attitudes.

2. When it comes to bullying, what steps will you take (use the resources) to "protect the silent?"

There are many things that I will do to prevent and stop bullying. The first thing I am going to do, is set classroom expectations at the beginning of each school year. I will let students know that I have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and explain what that means. I will also explain that they can talk with me, and I will do everything in my power to help them if they are being bullied or see someone else being bullied. I will set the expectation that we all treat each other with kindness and respect regardless of who they are, what they think or say. I want my students to practice the art of respectfully disagreeing and making a case for their point while treating everyone kindly. This will create a sense of openness and trust, encouraging everyone to respect each other and participate (The Bully Project, N.D.). More importantly, I want to move my students from having basic respect for each other towards appreciating every person for their unique talents, points of view, and contributions (The Bully Project, N.D.).

3.  Which strategies or practices that you learned this week you will incorporate into your own classroom?

Besides the above-mentioned strategies on preventing bullying, there were two strategies that I found helpful in U-Turn Teaching. First, I learned that boredom leads to bad behavior (Allen & Currie, 2012). I have seen this firsthand when I substitute taught and occasionally struggled with technology or had a longer transition than I wanted. These down times quickly became windows of opportunity for disruptive students to get a few laughs and disrupt the flow of learning. My strategy going forward is to always have a few quick activities or ways to keep students on task during longer transitions. Maybe it is a quick reflection on something we have been learning or a quick pair and share. The idea is to keep things interesting and keep things moving. I have also been reflecting on how I can make my lessons more interesting and exciting. I feel like this is more difficult to ascertain and I will be picking up ideas throughout my education and time in the classroom.


The Second thing I want to incorporate into my classroom is rewarding students for even small improvements (Allen & Currie, 2012). Students get discouraged easily when they take a on new subject or task and do not see immediate progress. Giving encouragement and small rewards along the way for even very small improvements helps students that are struggling feel motivated and energized. The thing I am going to try to remember is that even small improvements are moving the student in the right direction. These small incremental gains will help the student gain momentum in their learning and self-confidence leading lead to bigger wins.

 

References

Allen, R. & Currie, J. (2012). U-Turn Teaching: Strategies to Accelerate Learning and Transform Middle School Achievement. SAGE Publications. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/10.4135/9781506335247.n5

The Bully Project. (N.D.) Framing Bullying for Educators. The Bully Project. https://www.thebullyproject.com/tools_educators.

 

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