I feel like I’m probably a bit overdue to talk about my how my class with the three boys is going. Some of my Gustavus professors read this so I figure if I don’t talk about the aspects of my teaching soon, they wouldn’t be too happy (this one’s for you, Jane Schuck). Although there are many different parts of teaching here that are challenging and/or exciting, today I will just focus on one concept which all teachers have to deal with: motivation.
From research and experience, I’ve found that motivation can be developed in the following ways: make a positive connection with the students; let students’ interests and prior learning guide planning to give lessons relevancy; and give students some control - a sense of autonomy - in what they learn. Some of these I do better than others, but I want to show all of them so you can get a sense of my teaching.
It might not come as a surprise to those who know me that developing a relationship with my students comes relatively easy for me - probably because I still feel like a kid most days. With Ben, Tobi, and Peter it was even easier because I eat meals, play games, watch movies, and generally interact with them more than any regular classroom teacher can. Being their friend as well as their teacher, sometimes they do get a bit too relaxed but they do understand that I know what I’m talking about and respect me as a teacher (and they know that if they screw around too much I can just tell their parents at lunch). Because they trust me as a friend and a teacher, they are more willing to complete tasks that may not interest them as much and work hard almost every single day.
Because my curriculum is so mapped out and dense, it is hard to plan individualized lessons. However, I do make a conscious effort to connect their new learning to prior lessons. I also try to relate the subjects to their lives. Even doing little things, like using one of their names in a sentence explaining participle phrases or using a movie we just watched to explain themes, goes a long ways to keep their attention and keep them interested in the subject matter. That’s half the battle right there!
Even with the curriculum, I’ve found that giving the boys autonomy has been tricky but easier than I expected. First of all, I put their entire weekly plan on a white board and divide up the days so they can see what they have to accomplish. Every morning the boys take a look at what they need to get done and pick what they want to work on. They know their strengths and weaknesses better than anyone so I figure they should be able to plan their days. Giving them control within the curriculum has been more difficult but composition has been a great creative outlet. They often get to choose the subjects, characters, or themes to write about. Peter has wrote a short memoir about his first time to camp, Tobi just finished an autobiographical piece on his trip to Denmark, and Ben is currently working on a research paper on Concorde, the first supersonic passenger airplane. Ben got his subject a couple weeks before because the history channel had an hour-long piece on the Concorde, which really piqued his interest.
Obviously, Ahuas is very different from most teaching jobs. However, the philosophies that I use in my classroom are similar to those of “regular” classroom teachers.
Sorry for the length of this. I just had to make sure people didn’t think my job was all soccer games and swimming the river. I’ve got a rep to protect, knowwhatimsayin?
“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Raymond Chandler
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