I felt an update from blog 1 was needed. A lot has
changed the motivation of my students. I looked at some interesting ideas about
how to motivate children. An article I read said, “People who believe that they
have control tend to be more motivated than individuals who feel as if outside
forces are compelling them (Perks).” I took part of this idea and part of one I
heard of before and presented this to the students, “I will let you give me a homework
assignment you feel is important once a week if more than 15 students turn in
their homework.” The students responded well. A lot of the students give me
music homework assignments or YouTube videos to look up. The next class I will discuss
what I thought with them. I found in doing this, the students feel I find what
they can teach me as important as what I can teach them. They also listen to
how I teach and how I learn so they can mimic me when they are the teacher. It
is fun and they keep me connected to youthful current events. In case you were
worried about cutting into class time. I do this during “Brain Break”. The
students get a break from their task half way through the class and I do my homework
assignment they gave me and it turns into a fun discussion they like for ten minutes.
This beat the alternative of having to stop class a lot to correct a behavior.
Plus this is still helping me relate to the students and build on trust.
My students are really enjoying the consistency I
give them with their daily bell ringers. They are usually questions asking what they
think they will learn today. I also when I start the lesson explain why it’s
important. However, right after that they go into stress mode. What I find to be a problem is making their
work more fun or less stressful. They see an assignment and get overwhelmed. I
have tried breaking up the assignment into smaller sections but they still struggle
with the time it takes. Sometimes I feel it’s a laziness problem because a lot
of students tell me they don’t get homework anymore. Plus they say a lot of
their past English teachers just did discussions and read to them. I want them
more college or career ready though and writing and homework are both big parts.
How do I make the work less stressful and at the same time challenge my
students?
