ashlyndp0825
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Provide rich teaching for students ...
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Week 5 of 5
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My Commitment Journal
 ashlyndp0825
September 28, 2021, 2:21 AM
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Graduation Mindset I graduated high school in a fairly large school district. According to statistics during the past school year, the graduation rate for Spartanburg District 5 is 89%. Compared to the state of South Carolina, this district is more successful compared to the average. I always think there is room for improvement in graduation rates. I still find it concerning that 11% of a graduating class does not complete their degree. Factors that impact an impoverished student’s ability to graduate may stem from their parents and friends. Typically, children look up to those around them. If their parents do not provide support and encouragement, the children will not have goals. In addition, children who face poverty may have to choose working and providing for the family over graduation. It is possible for highly impoverished schools to increase their graduation rates if the staff works together to create strong, supportive learning environments for the students. Extracurricular activities are very important in a child’s education because it provides other foundations for learning, besides the basic subjects, that are crucial for creativity. All students should not graduate with intent to only go to college. Schools should provide other opportunities for those seeking jobs straight out of high school. Communication between students, parents, and teachers about learning goals is very important to student success. I have learned that extracurricular activities such as the arts and physical education are especially important for students. When I was in high school six years ago, I do not remember seeing or hearing about opportunities for students to increase graduation rates. I found it interesting that many of the most impoverished schools found ways to increase their graduation rates to almost one hundred percent. What could school districts do to ensure that students feel like they are supported and provided with enough opportunities to stay in school and graduate? One of the most important strategies to ensure high school graduation is collaboration between teachers and staff. In the text, it mentions that even when schools have high rates of poverty, they are still willing to do whatever it takes to increase their graduation rates. The text provided two different schools in San Diego and Chicago that showed graduation rates of 95% and 100%. Each of these schools were highly impoverished, but still managed to increase their rates of graduation. In the future, I hope to provide my students with a mindset that they are able to achieve whatever they put their mind to. Many children come from homes that aren’t supportive. Although I will be teaching elementary students, it is important to show these children that they are smart and they are able to succeed. |
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ashlyndp0825
September 21, 2021, 3:20 AM
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Enrichment Mindset I am guilty of judging someone based on initial impressions. It would be so easy to judge a student based on initial behaviors or their preparedness for school. Unfortunately, so many students are ill prepared and lacking materials and appropriate clothes to wear to school. If these children are judged by their teachers and seen as kids that will not have a successful school year, they probably will not be successful based on the vibes they are receiving from their teacher. Students may sense if you are aggravated with them, or if you feel like they’re doing poorly. On the other hand, if a child sees the teacher smiling, or giving him/her words of encouragement, they are more likely to feel safer in your classroom. Depending on their past experiences, children will approach learning in their own ways. I have never really thought much about how a previous teacher might have a positive or negative impact on whether a student is willing to learn in your classroom. Classroom enrichment is crucial because students must learn that we all make mistakes. Teachers, principals, doctors, and astronauts all make a mistake sometime in their lives. We must learn from our mistakes and gain knowledge to help us in the future. After reading the section on enrichment, I learned that people could judge others unintentionally and without their knowledge. When a teacher judges a student’s abilities based on their initial meetings, the student may start to think the teacher has no confidence in their abilities. Smiling or writing positive commentary on a student’s assignments may allow them to feel as though you are supportive of them, and they are succeeding. Incorporating the growth mindset into the classroom allows the students to recognize that they can grow and develop. I was fascinated that the students in the growth mindset experimental group continued to outperform the control group for years after they were told “your brain can change, you can change and grow, and your attitudes, effort, and strategies will determine your eventual success.” One strategy from the readings that I would like to implement in a future classroom is daily positive affirmations about our growth. I was very fascinated that the children in the experimental group continued to outperform the control group that were not told that their brains can change and grow, and that attitudes, efforts, and strategies can determine your success. The growth mindset can begin with the teacher. The teacher will have to understand that she/he can grow as a teacher and help build powerful skills in his/her students. I agree with the statement in the text that states that everyone fails. Sometimes, children take failure to the heart, and their parents take it just as seriously. Eventually, everyone will fail at something, regardless of their success in other areas. Reminding students, and oneself, that mistakes can be seen as feedback that help you improve in certain areas is a more positive outlook at ‘failure.’ |
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ashlyndp0825
September 21, 2021, 2:16 AM
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Rich Classroom Climate Mindset Just as the climate changes outside, a classroom climate can fluctuate day by day. The difference between classroom climate and classroom culture is that classroom climate can depend on how the students feel that day, while the classroom culture is predictive of behaviors. In a classroom, some aspects of climate could be dependent on how the students feel on that day, if some did not sleep well the night before or eat a good breakfast, they may cause a hostile classroom climate. To create a rich classroom climate, students must be able to relate their lives to the content being taught. The classroom will have a positive climate if teachers listen to their students and what they enjoy outside the classroom. to ensure students have a voice in the classroom, it is important to give each student a chance, without interruptions or judgement, to voice their own opinions and thoughts about the content. Classroom safety and comfort is dependent on classroom expectations and rules. It is so important for a classroom to be a judgement free zone where all students feel like they have equal opportunities to share their thoughts. To foster a sense of optimism in students from poverty, it is important to celebrate even the smallest milestones in all students. Daily encouragement, as well as positive phone calls home to parents can help. Prior to the reading, I was not completely sure what it meant to have a ‘rich classroom climate.’ One of the first insights gained after reading the mindset section of the book was that rich classroom climates allow students to feel comfortable and safe enough to take academic risks. Many students may not feel safe enough to voice their thoughts and opinions, because they’re fearful of judgement by their peers if they’re incorrect. In addition to safety, rich classroom climates allow students to want to come to school prepared and on time. The section also mentioned allowing students to make mistakes and be themselves because the teachers will always support them. I have had teachers in the past that would shame a student for answering incorrectly, which would not want them to answer any questions again. After reading the section, I would implement creating a rich classroom environment by encouraging students to participate in class and teaching them to respect other’s thoughts and opinions. In order to succeed, there would be certain rules and expectations in place on the first day of school. The class would practice respecting everyone and giving everyone a voice. This classroom environment is positive because it allows the students to built respectful relationships with each other, instead of putting each other down. I learned that rich classroom climates and cultures are crucial to the academic outcomes of the students. When the students make large goals for themselves, participate in class, show up on time, actively listen, have positive relationships in class, they will have better academic outcomes. If the teachers set goals for students and allow themselves to determine what the students need to succeed, the students will be more equipped to face the day. In addition, teachers who challenge themselves to create large goals for their students’ success will have a positive classroom climate in comparison to teachers who let the student’s lack of determination stay the problem of the student. |
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ashlyndp0825
September 14, 2021, 2:43 AM
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Positivity Mindset During my short time in a classroom, I had an experience with a child who came from poverty. Every day, I would encourage the student, reminding him that he was very smart and always gave lots of effort on his assignments. After giving him the words of encouragement, he would shake his head “no” and go on to explain how he was not very smart and did not want to go to college. I believe that this student’s thoughts about his success came from his parents. At school, he would receive words of encouragement, which makes me believe his education and success was not being highlighted at home. I would always try to give the students words of encouragement every morning. Beginning the day with positive affirmations about themselves, their success, and their classmates is essential. If students are always feeling negative, similarly to the student I mentioned previously, it is important to give the student the attention and positivity they are lacking at home. The student repeats negative phrases about him/herself that they’ve heard at home. It is our job as teachers to give the students positive feedback at schools, because many only receive negative feedback at home. Every day, students bring their home lives and struggles into the classroom. If students are struggling with problems at home, the last thing they need is to have a teacher reflecting some of the same negative emotions. After reading the passage, I have concluded that positive mindsets within the student and the teacher can make a difference in the student’s success. If the teacher does not have positivity towards him/herself, it will be difficult to create a positive classroom environment. Furthermore, I learned that a student’s ability to feel positively about themselves and their lives will determine their future success. Lastly, it is crucial to learn about a student and their history so sudden emotional or behavioral outbursts will not have detrimental consequences to the student. One strategy that interests me is surprising the students with fun activities and allowing them to anticipate rewards. With this strategy, students will have a positive outlook on their classroom environment because they know it is a safe space for them to be creative and enjoy participating in activities. During the week, the students could work towards earning points to participate in a prize box, movie, or other fun activity. By incorporating fun activities, the students are more likely to behave and focus on their classwork because they are anticipating a reward. The positivity mindset allows students from all backgrounds to feel like your classroom is a safe space. Every student comes from a different home and has different experiences. Since we don’t always know the struggles that children are facing, we must foster positive environments in our classrooms so the students will have time and space to focus on learning and being a child. According to the passages, children who grow up in poverty are much less likely to hear words of positivity from their parents as opposed to children who grow up in middle-higher class households. Positivity can lead to creativity, greater cognition, and greater attention. If the child is not receiving high levels of positivity from their homes, it is important for the teacher to foster this positive learning environment so the child can have a safe space to learn and flourish. |
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