Welcome to Exploring Education Through Technology! We will use Robert Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works as a vehicle to generate conversation!
Step 1: Introduce Yourself! Not only your name, but title and school.
Step 2: Describe any experience you have had with blogs. It's okay if this is your first blogging journey!
Step 3: Simply interact! Don't hesitate to comment.
This chapter gave me the boldness to stand up for something. I even quoted him! One of the teachers on my team was annoyed about the awards we were giving and called them a waste of time. I pointed out to her what Marzano says about appropriate recognition and the value of encouraging effort. This led to a team discussion and in the end, we all agreed that we need to do more recognition, not less. There is little harm in noticing when students do the right thing or work hard. It motivates all the students. Marzano says it is a strategy that works and it felt good to be able to get my team to use this strategy.
I totally agree with you Renee! I believe that kids need recognition for their hard work and trying new things. I have found that a lot of my students feel sort of looked over. I try show recogontion in any way that I can. And not just for my classes! If a student has been in the paper for something good I try to make it a point to congratulate that student. Some kids never hear the word proud or get a pat on the back. As teachers I feel that it is our job (besides everything else we do) to give them a little pat and say well done!
I have found that in my classes that the students response in a positive way to me -- I try to take an interest in them and in turn they seem to trust me! I want to be the teacher that can influence and help -- so I feel that recognition is a good way to make the student feel good about themselves! When they have a brighter outloook they are more productive students and add to the class.
With a background in special education and 12 years working in a self-contained classroom for students with emotional disabilities, I believe this chapter delineates the most valuable and effective strategy for reaching hard-to-teach students.
One aspect of this chapter that I found particularly interesting was the review and clarification of the research surrounding “recognition” (page 55). When interpreting results in light of how researchers measured intrinsic motivation many studies revealed that student attitudes were positively impacted by teacher recognition.
In many areas of life, it is safe to say that attitudes improve when recognition is employed.
In my experience, one of the most effective recognition strategies is PAUSE, PROMPT, AND PRAISE (page 58).
Priase is a two edged sword. It needs to be effective...not just words. Effective praise is direct and specific. It notices what the child did...like "Jackson, I noticed you finished your reading assignment on time." Or "John, you completed all of your math problems today correctly! Let's do that again tomorrow." This addresses the positive behavior and states what you want to see happen again. It is concrete to even the youngest student.
Ineffective praise is "Good job, Allie!" This is not specific. The child might not know what she did a good job on and is therefore limited in her ability to repeat the behavior tomorrow.
Grading essays has always been the nemesis of an English teacher. My first three years in education, I taught tenth grade World Literature with the NC State Writing test hanging over my head. Believe me when I say there was very little to be positive about in the beginning. I adopted the theory early on that I needed to offer one compliment for every constructive criticism I needed to convey. I believed that a little positive reinforcement of the effort my kids were giving would make getting the results they needed a much easier task. So I praised thesis statements, topic sentences, graphic organizers, details, ideas, sentences…you name it, I found good things to say. Sometimes, I had to look hard, but in the end, though every student I taught didn’t pass the writing test, and I’ve looooong sense forgotten how “well” I did overall, my overwhelming impression of that period was that all my students improved, some remarkably so, and I credit much of their success to the use of positive recognition and reinforcement of small victories.
If this shows up twice, I apologize. I had my blog ready to post and clicked on preview and "poof" it disappeared. I figure it is floating around somewhere out there in cyber space. Anyway, here I go again.....
Being a media coordinator affords me the opportunity to see all the children in our schools (PES and MBL). One thing that I have done at PES is to give the children in grades 3-5 the responsibility of checking in and checking out their own books. They think this is awesome because they are trusted to put in their own account #, scan their books, and then reshelve them. Some folks thought I'd lost my marbles, but it is amazing how just this little bit of responsibility has been an amazing confidence booster, not to mention a big help to me. They even help each other when I am busy with other students. The younger grades, K-2 are very anxious to get to do this when they reach those grades. It appears to me that they think it is a sort of right of passage. Believing in someone is a powerful tool.
I mentioned that I allow them to shelve as well. No, I'm not totally nuts, and learned to get over my OCD very quickly. However, there have been several victories to celebrate. The first victory was when the students actually put the books back on the shelf....second victory came when the book actually ended up in the correct alphabetical area....and the third victory....hallalujah...they actually get the book on the shelf in the right spot! Using phrases like "that's not exactly the right spot, but let me show you were it goes and you'll know the next time" and "yeahhhhhhh you got it. Very good. Remember if you look at the spine label you will always know where the books go" have been big confidence boosters. When students think they can do something and you give them the opportunity to prove it, boosts their confidence in a very positive and powerful way.
I am all about praise in kindergarten. I do believe in effective praise. I often tell the children, "I like the Sam put his things away and is on the rug to begin the day...way to go Sam!" and it will surprise you that within 5 seconds all 13 others are in their spots ready to go. I reward the children for almost everything they do. I have a "Brain Box" in my room. The "Brain Box" is for doing things that require you to use your brain. If I have to tell you how to do it I am using my brain and you won't get out of the brain box. My students can do things all day to get out of the brain box. This has motivated all my classes to write. Now I reward for the attempt, I am not cruel. I have EC children that just writing the letters of their name gets them out the brain box whereas I have others that are writing complete sentences to get out. This has also built a community in my classroom. They realize that Sam may be doing the best he can by writing the letters of his name and the children will even praise each other's efforts. We have sharing time and the children share their "brain box" with others. They share how they wrote things, where they have found the words in the room, and stories about their lives. This is completely up to them. Then they get a treat from the box, usually a spider ring, a dum dum, a pencil, eraser, etc. It works and I love using the "pause, prompt, and praise" strategy during this process.
As a teacher, I believe one of my most important jobs is to encourage students to do their best. Many students hear nothing but negative comments at home and are needing positive attention from some one. Effort is something that is consistantly emphasized in PE. Each day I tell students to do the best they can, and that is much more important than being the first one finished. Students are encouraged to practice skills such as skipping, and throwing and catching at home. I tell kids often that if they want to improve in something it takes time and practice. In my experience, no matter what age, personalized recognition seems to be the most effective. Students want to stand out and be important. In any case, positive reinforcement seems to create a more condusive learning environment for all students.
Amen to this chapter! Can we make it required reading for all teachers! I have always given a grade for participation, but loved the effort rubric on page 52. I plan to incorporate this into my projects rubrics. I even find that some of my best students put forth the least effort because it comes easy to them. They believe that if they know the material and can "ace" a test, they don't have to do as well on the "hands-on" portions of the course. Anyone else find this true?
Another thought as I have time and a wonderful computer to work with! This chapter has really made me focus on effective praise, not the "Good job, Sally" comments that I believe I say way too often. As a teacher and coach, I am a firm believer in rewarding my students and players for doing something right. After all, if they don't believe they are pleasing you and doing something right, most of them will stop trying.
Like Cindy said, the "Pause, Prompt and Praise" method works very well in the business class setting. When students do get "stuck" and are having difficulty, they can typically figure out their problem or mistake with just a few prompts and then they are right back on track to completing their documents or publications. It is important for them to know that if the teacher stops at their desk, it not always to show mistakes or errors. The praise is key.
Wow! This chapter is the best one so far. It's message is simple but so key: recognize and reward students for positive actions and progress. When I was student teaching, I noticed that the teacher did not use a lot of positive reinforcement. I was not encouraged by this at all (and neither were the students!)
Some positive reinforcers that I used my first year teaching were: *a bead jar--add beads if good as a class, take away if misbehave as a class, so many beads earned=a party) *cards--if a student misbehaves, flip to a certain color, but the student has the chance to flip back to green if behavior improves. *positive reinforcement through words--i.e. "I like how Kaitlyn is standing in line so quietly!" or "I like how Jacob is ready to go." *Stickers/Stamps--on papers *Prize box--students got prizes each week for not getting their card flipped.
One strategy that is fun for students is the use of "WITHOUT BEING REMINDER" (W.B.R.) coupons. rewards such as free time in the book center, extra art paper, teachers helper, office helper, free pass to bring a pet to school, free time to play a game with a friend, etc are typed up on individual coupons. When you catch a student perfroming a target behavior "WITHOUT BEING REMINDER," you can give them a coupon. It is fun for the students, rewards are usually free, and it challenges lesser-motivated students to get with the program. If anyone is interested, I have some coupons already made up. I can send you the file.
I am with you girls, Praise is very effective. I use it in my classroom often. I recognize "desirable" behaviors each time that I see them. I think it is a good motivator for my kids to do better and it often works as a management tool. Just as Donna said you comment on the choices that one student has made and then they all want to make that same choice because it pleases you. I think the students I teach are still (because of their age) in that pleasing stage of their life. So praise that is specific works very well for me.
This chapter gave me the boldness to stand up for something. I even quoted him! One of the teachers on my team was annoyed about the awards we were giving and called them a waste of time. I pointed out to her what Marzano says about appropriate recognition and the value of encouraging effort. This led to a team discussion and in the end, we all agreed that we need to do more recognition, not less. There is little harm in noticing when students do the right thing or work hard. It motivates all the students. Marzano says it is a strategy that works and it felt good to be able to get my team to use this strategy.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Renee! I believe that kids need recognition for their hard work and trying new things. I have found that a lot of my students feel sort of looked over. I try show recogontion in any way that I can. And not just for my classes! If a student has been in the paper for something good I try to make it a point to congratulate that student. Some kids never hear the word proud or get a pat on the back. As teachers I feel that it is our job (besides everything else we do) to give them a little pat and say well done!
ReplyDeleteI have found that in my classes that the students response in a positive way to me -- I try to take an interest in them and in turn they seem to trust me! I want to be the teacher that can influence and help -- so I feel that recognition is a good way to make the student feel good about themselves! When they have a brighter outloook they are more productive students and add to the class.
With a background in special education and 12 years working in a self-contained classroom for students with emotional disabilities, I believe this chapter delineates the most valuable and effective strategy for reaching hard-to-teach students.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of this chapter that I found particularly interesting was the review and clarification of the research surrounding “recognition” (page 55). When interpreting results in light of how researchers measured intrinsic motivation many studies revealed that student attitudes were positively impacted by teacher recognition.
In many areas of life, it is safe to say that attitudes improve when recognition is employed.
In my experience, one of the most effective recognition strategies is PAUSE, PROMPT, AND PRAISE (page 58).
Priase is a two edged sword. It needs to be effective...not just words. Effective praise is direct and specific. It notices what the child did...like "Jackson, I noticed you finished your reading assignment on time." Or "John, you completed all of your math problems today correctly! Let's do that again tomorrow." This addresses the positive behavior and states what you want to see happen again. It is concrete to even the youngest student.
ReplyDeleteIneffective praise is "Good job, Allie!" This is not specific. The child might not know what she did a good job on and is therefore limited in her ability to repeat the behavior tomorrow.
Grading essays has always been the nemesis of an English teacher. My first three years in education, I taught tenth grade World Literature with the NC State Writing test hanging over my head. Believe me when I say there was very little to be positive about in the beginning. I adopted the theory early on that I needed to offer one compliment for every constructive criticism I needed to convey. I believed that a little positive reinforcement of the effort my kids were giving would make getting the results they needed a much easier task. So I praised thesis statements, topic sentences, graphic organizers, details, ideas, sentences…you name it, I found good things to say. Sometimes, I had to look hard, but in the end, though every student I taught didn’t pass the writing test, and I’ve looooong sense forgotten how “well” I did overall, my overwhelming impression of that period was that all my students improved, some remarkably so, and I credit much of their success to the use of positive recognition and reinforcement of small victories.
Boy, I should have proffed that last sentence before I posted! It was a dooozy!
ReplyDeleteProofed...I know, proofed...can you tell it's Monday?
ReplyDeleteIf this shows up twice, I apologize. I had my blog ready to post and clicked on preview and "poof" it disappeared. I figure it is floating around somewhere out there in cyber space. Anyway, here I go again.....
ReplyDeleteBeing a media coordinator affords me the opportunity to see all the children in our schools (PES and MBL). One thing that I have done at PES is to give the children in grades 3-5 the responsibility of checking in and checking out their own books. They think this is awesome because they are trusted to put in their own account #, scan their books, and then reshelve them. Some folks thought I'd lost my marbles, but it is amazing how just this little bit of responsibility has been an amazing confidence booster, not to mention a big help to me. They even help each other when I am busy with other students. The younger grades, K-2 are very anxious to get to do this when they reach those grades. It appears to me that they think it is a sort of right of passage. Believing in someone is a powerful tool.
I mentioned that I allow them to shelve as well. No, I'm not totally nuts, and learned to get over my OCD very quickly. However, there have been several victories to celebrate. The first victory was when the students actually put the books back on the shelf....second victory came when the book actually ended up in the correct alphabetical area....and the third victory....hallalujah...they actually get the book on the shelf in the right spot! Using phrases like "that's not exactly the right spot, but let me show you were it goes and you'll know the next time" and "yeahhhhhhh you got it. Very good. Remember if you look at the spine label you will always know where the books go" have been big confidence boosters.
When students think they can do something and you give them the opportunity to prove it, boosts their confidence in a very positive and powerful way.
I am all about praise in kindergarten. I do believe in effective praise. I often tell the children, "I like the Sam put his things away and is on the rug to begin the day...way to go Sam!" and it will surprise you that within 5 seconds all 13 others are in their spots ready to go. I reward the children for almost everything they do. I have a "Brain Box" in my room. The "Brain Box" is for doing things that require you to use your brain. If I have to tell you how to do it I am using my brain and you won't get out of the brain box. My students can do things all day to get out of the brain box. This has motivated all my classes to write. Now I reward for the attempt, I am not cruel. I have EC children that just writing the letters of their name gets them out the brain box whereas I have others that are writing complete sentences to get out. This has also built a community in my classroom. They realize that Sam may be doing the best he can by writing the letters of his name and the children will even praise each other's efforts. We have sharing time and the children share their "brain box" with others. They share how they wrote things, where they have found the words in the room, and stories about their lives. This is completely up to them. Then they get a treat from the box, usually a spider ring, a dum dum, a pencil, eraser, etc. It works and I love using the "pause, prompt, and praise" strategy during this process.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I believe one of my most important jobs is to encourage students to do their best. Many students hear nothing but negative comments at home and are needing positive attention from some one. Effort is something that is consistantly emphasized in PE. Each day I tell students to do the best they can, and that is much more important than being the first one finished. Students are encouraged to practice skills such as skipping, and throwing and catching at home. I tell kids often that if they want to improve in something it takes time and practice. In my experience, no matter what age, personalized recognition seems to be the most effective. Students want to stand out and be important. In any case, positive reinforcement seems to create a more condusive learning environment for all students.
ReplyDeleteAmen to this chapter! Can we make it required reading for all teachers! I have always given a grade for participation, but loved the effort rubric on page 52. I plan to incorporate this into my projects rubrics. I even find that some of my best students put forth the least effort because it comes easy to them. They believe that if they know the material and can "ace" a test, they don't have to do as well on the "hands-on" portions of the course. Anyone else find this true?
ReplyDeleteAnother thought as I have time and a wonderful computer to work with!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter has really made me focus on effective praise, not the "Good job, Sally" comments that I believe I say way too often. As a teacher and coach, I am a firm believer in rewarding my students and players for doing something right. After all, if they don't believe they are pleasing you and doing something right, most of them will stop trying.
Like Cindy said, the "Pause, Prompt and Praise" method works very well in the business class setting. When students do get "stuck" and are having difficulty, they can typically figure out their problem or mistake with just a few prompts and then they are right back on track to completing their documents or publications. It is important for them to know that if the teacher stops at their desk, it not always to show mistakes or errors. The praise is key.
ReplyDeleteWow! This chapter is the best one so far. It's message is simple but so key: recognize and reward students for positive actions and progress. When I was student teaching, I noticed that the teacher did not use a lot of positive reinforcement. I was not encouraged by this at all (and neither were the students!)
ReplyDeleteSome positive reinforcers that I used my first year teaching were:
*a bead jar--add beads if good as a class, take away if misbehave as a class, so many beads earned=a party)
*cards--if a student misbehaves, flip to a certain color, but the student has the chance to flip back to green if behavior improves.
*positive reinforcement through words--i.e. "I like how Kaitlyn is standing in line so quietly!" or "I like how Jacob is ready to go."
*Stickers/Stamps--on papers
*Prize box--students got prizes each week for not getting their card flipped.
One strategy that is fun for students is the use of "WITHOUT BEING REMINDER" (W.B.R.) coupons. rewards such as free time in the book center, extra art paper, teachers helper, office helper, free pass to bring a pet to school, free time to play a game with a friend, etc are typed up on individual coupons. When you catch a student perfroming a target behavior "WITHOUT BEING REMINDER," you can give them a coupon. It is fun for the students, rewards are usually free, and it challenges lesser-motivated students to get with the program. If anyone is interested, I have some coupons already made up. I can send you the file.
ReplyDeleteOpps! "without being reminded"!
ReplyDeleteI am with you girls, Praise is very effective. I use it in my classroom often. I recognize "desirable" behaviors each time that I see them. I think it is a good motivator for my kids to do better and it often works as a management tool. Just as Donna said you comment on the choices that one student has made and then they all want to make that same choice because it pleases you. I think the students I teach are still (because of their age) in that pleasing stage of their life. So praise that is specific works very well for me.
ReplyDelete