AVReading

  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...

  There is some truth to the oft quoted proverb, “Whether you believe you can or can’t, you are right.” While belief alone is not sufficient for task completion, it is necessary.   This holds true for both students, but even more importantly, for teachers and even schools. In one study, it was discovered that over the course of a year, students’ expectations of themselves often mirrored the expectations of their teachers. So teachers who expected their students to do well often did, and those who expected their students to struggle or fail often met with that fate as well (Midgley, Fedlauger, & Eccles 1989). Additionally, these results played out across entire school communities, which often compounds the effects of high-efficacy or even low-efficacy teachers.   And in one study, it was shown to be a greater predictor of success than the socio-economic status of the school’s students (Hoy, Sweetland, & Smith 2002). This is both an empowerin...

  A few years ago, Tzitel engaged students in a group activity where students had to simply move a full glass of water a few inches.   The catch was that they couldn’t touch the glass.   Instead, they   used five pieces of string, attached to a rubber band that fit around the rim of the glass.   To make matters worse, group members   were blindfolded with one unblindfolded director guiding them through the process.  The struggle is that if an individual pulls on the string to a greater degree than the others, the glass tips.  So not only do the participants have to pull the string at just the right tension, but also do so in sync with one another.  It seemed almost impossible.  I sat and watched for nearly a half an hour while seven groups worked to accomplish the feat.  Tensions began to rise, and you could sense frustration setting in.  Students had been convinced that it simply was not physically possible t...

Fink and Samuels (2008) state that within the field of reading and literacy, a tremendous amount of energy has been dedicated to the how of reading.  We focus on the mechanics of reading-- word strategies, fluency, expression -- often at the expense of the why.  But that can come at a cost.     In fact, motivation has proven to be a tremendously important indicator of how well a student does in school (Hulme 2015) .  For one reason, motivation and self regulation seem to be closely related.  Students who are willing to make an investment in their academic activities exert more energy to monitor and correct their own learning plans.  Additionally, they are able to sustain setbacks and difficulties without becoming defeated and disengaged.  According to Alderman (2008) the positive effects of motivation have been documented in primary school students, secondary school students, students with special needs, and at the post secondary level (166)....