Classroom Management, Engagement, and Motivation

Self-Awareness

One of Mr. Fowler’s actions that would not promote self-awareness with Sasha is positioning Sasha’s desk near his workstation, often directing her to stay on task. In scenario 1, Sasha is described as being off task regularly, rarely completing assignments, poor social skills, and usually has doodling on her paperwork. By having Sasha sit near Dr. Fowler’s desk and constantly getting reminded over and over again to focus on the lesson at hand, it may cause her to block out her own feelings and rely on the teacher’s feelings.

If the teacher keeps nagging Sasha to focus externally in a certain subject, it will affect how she views her own internal feelings on the subject negatively.

A strategy that Mr. Fowler could use that would promote self-awareness with Sasha is letting her keep a personal journal in school to record her feelings and thoughts on the class that day. She would be able to write anything to her liking, such as interactions with peers, thoughts on a particular subject, or things she can improve on socially.

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At the end of the school week, Mr. Fowler and Sasha would have a meeting to review some of the thoughts that she wrote down and give her time to elaborate on her feelings. Towards the end of the meeting, Mr. Fowler would offer some suggestions on how to improve on these negative feelings, and they would collaborate next week to see if Sasha completed any of her goals.

Self-Management

One of Mr. Fowlers actions that would not promote self-management with Sasha is sending emails to Sasha’s parents when her assignments are not completed. In scenario 1, one can see that Sasha does not have the best track record in turning in completed assignments and often leaves her supplies in the classroom. By having Dr. Fowler notify Sasha’s parents every time an assignment is incomplete, it does not give Sasha the opportunity to take responsibility over her own behavior. If the teacher constantly advises Sasha’s parents on her insufficient work, Sasha will never learn how to own up to her mistakes, instead relying on others to do that for her.

A strategy that Mr. Fowler could use that would promote self-management with Sasha is coming up with a step-by-step checklist on what has to be done in order to complete a specific task or lesson. If a task was to submit a one paragraph essay on global warming, Sasha would have to come up with step-by-step instructions on how to write and complete the essay on its due date. Some ideas on the checklist would include researching what global warming is and how it effects the world around us, making sure the essay includes an introduction and conclusion, intertwining her personal thoughts on the issue, and proofreading the paper when completed. This way, Sasha would have the responsibility to control her own schoolwork behaviors.

Self-Efficacy

One of Mr. Fowlers actions that would not promote self-efficacy with Sasha is solely speaking to Sasha’s parents on several occasions. It can be agreed upon that it is proper to talk to the child’s parents when necessary on a particular issue. However, if Mr. Fowler does not speak to Sasha personally as well, she will omit having belief in her capabilities to achieve her goals. When Sasha is not included in these imperial conversations on her negative behaviors and lack of completing school assignments, she will miss out on the opportunity of working on certain social skills and certain tactics to tackle school assignments.

A strategy that Mr. Fowler could use that would promote self-efficacy with Sasha is utilizing frequent and specific feedback whenever possible, whether it is negative or positive. If Sasha has been staying focused on writing an in-class essay, it is not enough for Mr. Fowler to say, “Good job Sasha.” However, it would be more appropriate for him to say, “Sasha, I really loved your introduction paragraph in this essay because it is specific and to the point. Keep up the great work.” The wording of the compliment is so important, as it motivates Sasha to continue and complete the essay. The same concept also applies to a negative situation. Rather than Mr. Fowler telling Sasha that she needs to go play with friends, it is advisable to tell her that it would be beneficial to get to know other classmates, as she might actually have a lot of fun.

Self-Esteem

One of Mr. Fowlers actions that would not promote self-esteem with Sasha is letting her post her drawings in the classroom to share with her peers after she completes and turns in an assignment. This also can be agreed upon that showing off a student’s artistic skills can help boost their self-esteem. However, this can also negatively impact a student’s self-esteem as well. If Sasha is the only student in the class who hangs up her artwork, other student’s might get jealous of her own privilege and not want to play or interact with her. In addition, other student’s might be very verbal and say her drawings are ugly and they hate it. This can very much effect Sasha’s self-esteem, as she may say to herself that she really is a bad artist and that she will never be good enough to draw a pretty picture.

A strategy that Mr. Fowler could use that would promote self-esteem with Sasha is teaching her to be a bit more assertive when a student shares a negative statement on her drawings and encourage when a student shares a positive statement. If a student states, “Eww, Sasha’s drawing of a horse looks like a tarantula,” it would be appropriate for Sasha to speak up and say, “Your comment on my drawing wasn’t so nice. I think that you would be hurt if someone else said that about your drawing. Please be careful with your words next time around.” This way, Sasha will learn to not take other’s opinions to heart, so that it won’t affect her as a person.

Positive Social Interaction

A strategy that Mrs. Holt could use to encourage positive social interaction with Eric and his peers is having a classroom job list that rotates weekly. Some of the many classroom jobs would be a greeter, handing out papers, opening and closing the classroom light, distributing bathroom passes, organizing the class library, being the line leader, and choosing the word of the week. Most of these jobs will require every student to work and interact with every other student in the classroom daily. A morning greeter will stand by the entrance to the classroom and work out what hand motion will be used to greet each student individually. The two students who are responsible for the light switch will have to work out who opens and who closes the lights.

To justify the use of the classroom job strategy with evidence from scenario 2, one can see that Eric is extremely bossy and is frequently heard arguing with the other students, which often creates a hostile environment in the classroom. With the strategy of utilizing classroom jobs, Eric will have to come to a conclusion in a proper manner. If Eric is on pencil duty with another student, the two of them would have to figure out how many pencils they each need to distribute between them equally. If Eric is a greeter, it will require him to initiate positive actions with each student. This strategy would encourage positive social interaction because it forces the students to work with one another to complete a task. The students will learn that they need to work as a team to complete the end goal.

Self-Motivation

A strategy that Mrs. Holt could use to encourage self-motivation with Eric and his peers is to intertwine the student’s interests within the classroom lessons. Some interests may include one’s cultural identity, hobbies, family, traveling experiences, and much more. If the teacher would be teaching about the history of Rome, the students should be given the opportunity to share some interesting stories on their travels around the world. If some students prefer playing games, a great way to teach multiplication is to play multiplication war with a deck of cards. These interests should come into play often, as it will encourage Eric and the class that it is possible to learn and complete a task all on their own if they add a personal touch.

To justify the use of intertwining the student’s interest within the classroom lessons with evidence from scenario 2, one can see that generally, Eric rushes through his independent and group work, making numerous careless mistakes. With the strategy of combining learning with personal interests, Eric will realize that school lessons can come alive and spark curiosity. He will learn that there is so much more to answering a question bluntly, and that learning can be pleasurable. This strategy would encourage self-motivation because it will encourage Eric to accomplish the teacher’s end goal independently and become more confident in his schoolwork.

Active Engagement

A strategy that Mrs. Holt could use to encourage active engagement with Eric and his peers is partner work. There is a numerous amount of engagement activities to include partner work within the class lessons. A personal favorite is Think-Pair-Share, where the teacher poses a question to the students, and they first have to think about the answer, then pair up with their neighbors, and finally sharing their final answer to that peer. Other types of partner work can include the entire class, such as Inside-Outside circle, where half of the class is on the outside circle and half of the class is on the inside circle facing the outside students. The teacher comes up with a challenge question that the partners have to discuss, and after two minutes, the outer circle rotates to present a new partner.

To justify the use of partner work with evidence from scenario 2, Eric is described as often bothering other students while they are trying to complete their assignments. With the strategy of integrating partner work into class lessons, Eric may be less inclined to interrupt other students when working because he will know that there is a set time for communicating with others in a more appropriate manner. This strategy would encourage active engagement because it will keep the students constantly on their toes and require a high degree of attention and interest in the lesson. If Eric’s mind starts to wander, the partner work will steer him in the correct direction.