AVReading

   A lot of focus has been put upon fostering relationships with students, especially those who have become disengaged from their studies and from school. And yet, it is not easy.  To begin with, developing relationships takes time.  It also requires creativity in our approaches.  It involves both a willingness to be empathetic and to be emotionally involved, without becoming consumed by the pain and grief that the students might face each and every day.  It is also good to know healthy limits and boundaries to those relationships.  It’s not a popularity contest.  Our goal is not to be the cool, hip teacher who prioritizes fun and entertaining classes over meaningful learning experiences.              I’ve also learned, the hard way, that in some cases, those relationships simply will not happen.  I recall one student with whom I tried everything.  And with each...

           Expecting students to be motivated or engaged is a big ask.  When it comes to students who have struggled in school throughout their lives, it is especially difficult. And as those students progress through the system, it becomes more and more difficult to help them overcome self perceptions and beliefs that have been reinforced and ingrained in them for a significant portion of their  academic lives. For these students, the question is what can I possibly offer this student that will be different from what has already been tried with them in the past?  To address that question, we have to think more deeply about these obstacles to motivation.             As indicated above, the most common obstacle is past experience.  As students have met with repeated set-backs and disappointments with reading and school, they begin to accept a couple of beliefs: school...

   Another academic practice that contributes to growing a student's self-efficacy is that of goal setting.  Goal setting has actually received a considerable amount of attention within the field of educational research.  In fact, Locke and Latham (1990) consolidated that research  into some important findings about what goal setting offers students.  Goal setting allows students to  focus their attention and direct it toward a future target.  It prepares them to adjust their effort to account for the demands of a given task and it enables them to develop persistence in long-term projects. Successfully working towards a goal promotes creative thinking in relation to unexpected obstacles, and establishes a reference point from which growth or progress can be measured.               Research within the field also suggests that students are more willing to invest in cla...

  Guidelines for Writing a Commencement Address The draft you write for consideration does not need to be a final version, but should give the panelists a clear idea of what you plan to say in your speech. The traditional commencement address has had content which reflects back on the class's experiences and also gives advice or guidance for the future. The tone should be one which inspires and motivates the listeners. Although the Commencement Address is directed at the graduating class, the message needs to be meaningful and appropriate for the adult audience present as well. Content, language, or style which parents or grandparents might find offensive is not suitable for a Commencement Address. Humor can be an effective minor element of a Commencement Address. The predominant message, and consequently the predominant writing style, should be serious, thoughtful and inspirational.   Format: This a general map of graduation speeches.  It is not required. Feel ...

A sense of agency, or the belief that a given circumstance is within one’s control, is an important condition of self-efficacy.  Students who lack a sense of agency often feel powerless in the face of their academic struggles, while those who have a strong sense of agency typically feel as though their choices can make a difference in their performances.              Carol Dweck’s work (2016) on mindsets has helped us to consider these different levels of agency and how they can be fostered by choices we make in the classroom.  She defines the two types of mindsets as fixed and growth. A fixed mindset is one where students believe that their abilities are innate and immutable.  Students who believe they have a fixed mindset feel as though they are either good at something or bad at something, that it is either a gift they have been given since birth or something they simply cannot do.  Typically, stude...

   I know of a history teacher in a nearby school who is perhaps the most popular teacher in her building.   Her specialty is European history, and students of all abilities enjoy her class.   It is quite the production.   She uses a rich combination of storytelling, movie clips, visuals, and scaffolded notetaking that requires students to both copy down dates and names and draw pictures.   While students find her class extremely entertaining, there are some teachers who are a little more critical, pointing out that she focuses on the conspiracies of history, the graphic and gruesome deaths and battles, that she is largely asking students to consume her content rather than engage with it, and that the interest she generates in her classes does not seem to transfer over to other history classes.                   This is where it is important to delineate be...