Allison, Curriculum.

Sarah, Classroom management

Sean, Instruction

Jessica, Assessments.

Lisa S, Communication with Calvin’s Parents

Zach, One on One Interaction, compiled letter.

 

 

Dear Ms. Wormwood,

                  Rumors of the exploits of a boy named Calvin reached our ears some time ago. Intrigued by what we heard, we traveled many days to observe this most unique child. Over the past few months, we have secretly observed Calvin as he went about his life. We couldn't help but notice that, while entertaining (for us anyway!), Calvin's behavior at school is far from productive. The good news is that Calvin is not a lost cause. He is a very bright, clever, and imaginative kid who has simply developed some problematic motivational patterns. Luckily, we are experts in the field of motivation and have devised a comprehensive plan for dealing with Calvin. In fact, we are so intrigued by Calvin that we dedicated five research teams to Calvin's case and had each team construct a comprehensive plan for making changes in the curriculum, instruction, assessment, classroom management, and communication with Calvin's parents. We believe that Calvin will transform from your worst nightmare into one of your most engaging students if you will implement the changes suggested in these plans.

                  To this end, we have created a comprehensive plan to improve the learning of Calvin and make it more authentic. First, we must address curriculum. In the schools today the curriculum is left fairly wide open for a teacher to choose what kind of subject matter they want to include in their classroom. The school gives the teacher guidelines to follow for subjects but the teacher gets to choose the details of the subjects and therefore is able to pick activities and content that would be more beneficial for his or her students. When trying to choose what kind of subject matter should be taught it is important for a teacher to consider the interests of his or her students. When a student is interested in a subject or activity they are much more likely to retain whatever it is they are supposed to be learning. If the subject is one that is dull and has little interest to the students it is important for a teacher to try and find a way to make the activity exciting or fun for the students so that they are fully engaged in learning. When choosing subject matter it is also important for a teacher to find ways to relate the material to things that are part of the students’ life. By making the information relatable to the students’ lives they are more likely to have a better understanding of the information and retain it. Students come from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures. By understanding the students’ backgrounds it would be easier for a teacher to understand what motivates the students to learn. The teacher can then take this information and apply it to the curriculum.

When a teacher is trying to determine how much of a topic should be covered it is important for the teacher to understand the level of his or her students. By understanding what learning level they are at the teacher will then be able to better choose the extent the topic should be covered based on the needs of the students. A teacher should consider the interest of the students in a topic when trying to determine at how much depth the topic should be covered. In figuring out the curriculum a teacher should also find ways to incorporate life skills for the students. It is not only important for a student to learn the subject but it is also important for them to learn skills that could be carried on from one class to another and eventually into their lives after school. For a student to learn how to work with others, analyze information, make connections, read for comprehension, etc. is as valuable to the students’ education as is learning the subject matter. Therefore, when planning the curriculum the teacher should find ways to incorporate the practice of these skills into the lesson.

In planning the curriculum a teacher should not rely on a standard curriculum that would cover information and work for all students. If a teacher really wants their students to succeed in the classroom it is important to remember the interests of the students, what kind of background they have, what motivates them, what their learning goals are, etc. If a teacher can find a way to incorporate most of these questions into their curriculum they will find that their students are much more successful at learning the subject matter as well as learning skills that they will be able to carry on into their lives after school.

                  Next, we must turn our attention to assessment. In regards to assessments, we believe that Calvin would benefit if there were less objective assessments and more alternative assessments such as portfolios, skits, or artistic representations. One problem with the objective performance-based assessments is that it encourages Calvin to continue to adopt performance goals instead of mastery goals, especially performance-avoidance goals when he feels he is below others. By implementing more open ended assessments such as posters, oral presentations, or dioramas Calvin will be able to utilize his creativity while making a connection with the subject. Almost any subject could be related to his interests of dinosaurs by studying their bones for science, measurements for math, tracking dinosaur discoveries for history, or writing a story about them for English. All of these would be wonderful assessments of Calvin’s knowledge that he would find intriguing. Right now, as you can see, Calvin does not see the reasoning of an assessment. If you can increase Calvin’s individual interest in the content by allowing him to chose what he is expected to produce, you can help him to not only see the importance of an assessment but also the importance of the material. Giving Calvin choices such as these will allow him to increase his autonomy and in turn increase his self determination. Another suggestion would be to have collaborative assessments such as a community of learners or a group presentation in which Calvin could gain insight, direction, and support from his peers. This will again help Calvin to develop self direction because he will be required to participate and do his part.

                  We realize that it is not logical to always give alternative assessments and that sometimes an objective test is necessary. That is alright because we feel that there are some additional things you can do to help Calvin including how you can present and discuss assessments with him. The first thing we would suggest is to make it clear to Calvin that you value more than his performance on the assessment; you value effort and improvement. You could do this by giving him complements on the parts of the assessment that he did well or by making notes on the assignments you return to him. Even if it is a small note, this will increase his feeling of competence and help his determination. We would suggest that you sit down with Calvin after an assessment and help him evaluate and reflect on the assessment. This will help Calvin learn to self regulate and learn how to set appropriate goals for the next assessment. By talking about what went wrong, you can propose alternative explanations and help Calvin in attribution retraining. Additionally, you could hand out a key to the assessment which will allow him to see the value of an assessment and help him to strive toward mastery goals of learning the content instead of memorizing the answers for you. If you can help him see failure as a typical part of learning, you can help him to quit self-handicapping and giving up on assessments.

                  Next, we think it wise to turn our attention to classroom management.

In your classroom Ms. Wormwood you should consider changing your classroom management strategies. A simple way of accomplishing this would be to switch where Calvin is sitting. According to the motivational theory of Social and Cultural influences, changing where Calvin sits to a group with better behaved students will help Calvin be better behaved and more motivated to learn. By sitting these better behaved students Calvin will begin to mimic and adopt their behavior and learning desire. Another option for Calvin’s seating is to place him with a group of students that are academically minded but will encourage Calvin to learn. Using Goal Theory you can encourage Calvin to make goals for himself by placing him in the classroom where other students can help him to learn and set goals but will not mock him when he does not do well on an assessment.

                  Another way to foster Calvin’s learning in the realm of classroom management is with keep Calvin accountable for his learning. The Attribution and Interest theory address this topic of responsibility in classroom management very well. Have Calvin take responsibility for his learning, assignments and all grades and comments he incurs because of his actions for learning. Do not accept his excuses for why he did not complete homework, instead be firm and talk with Calvin about ways he can change his habits to be more motivated and to complete his work on time. If you make your class less structured and open, promoting a healthy respect but not fear your students will be more willing to ask questions. This way Calvin can have the opportunity of asking questions without any fear of getting yelled at in front of the class. You can also motivate Calvin by using extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, which is apart of the Self-Determination theory. Start by motivating Calvin with extrinsic motivation, offering him a tangible reward for doing his homework on time and well. Eventually you can start to move to intrinsic motivation, where Calvin will do his work because he wants to and wants to please you. But this process cannot happen overnight, you must do this transition over a course of many months.

                  By using Self-Regulation in your classroom as apart of management you can really help to motivate Calvin. First you must develop a better relationship with Calvin. You need to make him feel more comfortable talking to you so in the future you can give feedback and model what you desire of him. If you put Calvin in a social work setting, group work and sitting at a group table instead of individually you can encourage Calvin to model his learning after those he is around. Also the biggest factor in this is to model self-regulation yourself to Calvin. By doing this Calvin can see, maybe not consciously, what self-regulation looks like in practice. Give Calvin feedback on his work or behavior that encourages him to set attainable goals for himself. If you give Calvin this needed feedback he will be more motivated to want to learn more and set goals for himself. A strategy to use would also be to give Calvin time to complete his homework in class. Calvin struggles with going home and completing his work when he is left to his own devices. Giving him time in class to complete his work will allow him to be around other self-regulated learners and you can then give him instant feedback on his work.

                  With respect to one on one interaction, it is important to view this critical aspect through various lenses of theory in order to construct a more complete plan to address Calvin’s issues. In regards to the self regulation theory, encouragement will be a key starting point in engaging Calvin. More social prompts should be used. Something as simple as, “Hi, How are you Calvin?” The importance of using Calvin’s name should not be understated, calling him by his name will serve to engage him and let him know that the teacher is invested. Through looking at this one on one interaction through Attribution theory, it is important that Calvin not slip into learned helplessness, so personal responsibility should be stressed so that he does not blame internal or external factors that are perceived as stable and uncontrollable. Clearly, Calvin has control over his behavior in reference with one on one interaction. During lessons, making one on one connections with Calvin to channel his creativity into the lesson and hopefully take some of his energy and inject it into the classroom. Also, to motivate Calvin, assignments should be goal specific, so if an assignment is given, time should be given at the beginning to motivate. Furthermore, extrinsic motivation techniques might prove helpful. Specifically, perhaps if Calvin shows significant progress on his tests, he might get extra free time.

                  Sean Kelly, an expert with the self determination theory, has additional advice to contribute; I have some advice to help you with instructing Calvin. To comply with the interest theory, you should relate the topic you are teaching to something you know Calvin is interested in. For the goal theory to work in your instruction you should make your assessment less performance base so Calvin can focus on what he is learning, alternate assessment is a good way to get this across. You should put Calvin in a group to effectively utilize the social construction theory. For the self regulation to theory to work, you need to make sure Calvin is self motivated. A good way to implement the self regulation, is to start with the self determination theory; you should start by using extrinsic motivation by offering rewards for good behavior and doing his work, and move towards intrinsic motivation so Calvin is motivated by improving his academic performance just for the sake of succeeding in school. Finally, the attribution theory is effective to use in your instruction, and if you gradually make the work harder than Calvin will benefit.

                  One final thing, it is undeniable that the influence parents have over their children is crucial. This is why we believe you need to take action and begin to incorporate Calvin’s parents into his life at school and his school work. We propose a meeting with Calvin’s parents to communicate the importance of their involvement on his motivation and success in school. It is apparent that Calvin suffers from performance-avoidance behavior. He avoids doing any in class work to hopefully bypass any ridicule from his classmates. We are suggesting that you let Calvin’s parents know his learning approach and give them feedback as to how they can foster a new style of learning. Possibly incorporate several take home and out of class group assignments into your class to give his parents an opportunity to help with his homework and encourage him to participate. If feasible we feel you should begin a portfolio in your class. This strategy will allow Calvin’s parents to praise him for his work and motivate him to continue with his good behavior. We think it is crucial that you inform his parents of the importance of getting him interested in the subject matter. Maybe you could give them some examples of ways you are incorporating his interests in your class, which will hopefully spark some ideas for them. You also might want to go over mastery goal orientation with them to better help them shape his behaviors in your classroom. I feel that the most important point here is involvement. Calvin’s parents need to be involved in his assignments and school life as well as be in constant contact with you. Both of these ideas will help motivate Calvin to improve his behavior and hopefully get him involved and interested in your class.

                  We believe that this comprehensive plan will greatly increase the conceptual relevancy in regards to the classroom content for Calvin.

 

                 

Sincerely,

The Society for Undoing Serious Ills in Education (SUSIE)