FOR DISCUSSION: Lowering the dropout rate
Read the following class comment and respond to at least one of the questions that follow.
Your response will go in the threaded comments section.
Following each class, you will be given multiple prompts to respond to each week.
Comment(s):
No matter what the numbers are, as a whole we need to focus on lowering the drop-out rate.
What we would do:
- find way to motivate students
- connect with them on a personal level
- show that you care
Source: TEA and IDRA websites.
Question(s):
1. What is the drop-out rate in San Antonio? Does it vary from district to district? Does it vary within districts, from school to school?
2. Define motivation (include age and other demographic elements). How do you motivate students?
3. How do you connect with students on a personal level? How does this benefit the student? And what does this accomplish for you as the teacher?
4. How does a teacher 'show' that s/he cares?
The author's answers may seem simple, but it's not very easy to motivate students, especially teenagers with their raging hormones and know-it-all perspective. I remember that age well. Not every student is going to open up and even if you try by asking questions about what they're interested in, some will continue to shut down on you. A teacher shows students that she cares by having enthusiasm. If the teacher shows boredom or uses a monotone voice, the students are going to mirror it. Asking students what they're interested in, and involving them with building the lesson plans gives them a sense that they have control, and their opinion matters, which is one of the major points of contention between teenagers and adults: no one listens to the teenagers, therefore they don't feel valued.
ReplyDelete4. The teacher can show that they care just by doing something as simple as asking "How they are doing"? The teacher can let the students have some input on assignments, quizzes, test etc... For example I had a teacher move a test because we had a major school event that week. Its small details that can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is the personal drive to succeed at whatever the goal may be. Whether it is school, sports, love, or curing cancer, the person must be motivated in order to fulfill their goals. As simple as the term motivation may be, cultivating motivation seems to be a very challenging task. One strategy to promote motivation is to model being motivated. As teachers, we should show the students what motivation looks like. It may be sharing with them your drive to finish a 5k marathon, or completing a master’s degree, or losing a few pounds. Whatever it is, show the students that with motivation and determination, any goal can be reached. By allowing the students to see the results of hard work maybe that will encourage them to become more motivated. Passion can be contagious, just as the lack thereof can be.
ReplyDeleteOne way to build rapport with your students is find a way to connect the topic or lesson for the day to something they know and are interested in. This helps them gain a more personal understanding of the topic and possible be able to reword the lesson or main idea in a more relatable way. Another way to build rapport is to listen to their stories if they are telling them to you. Remember things they talk about and their interests. This helps the student feel comfortable with the classroom environment and like I can be themselves. This also helps the teacher create a less hsotile environment and keeps the students attention in the lesson.
ReplyDeleteHannah Thornblom
There are many ways for teachers to show that they care. For instance you had mentioned going to students extracurricular activities like they football game and how much it meant to students. Sometimes even sharing teacher's own personal experiences and accomplishments serves as a type of modeling for students to want to pursue an education.
ReplyDelete5. I think teachers shows how they care by believing in the students. Some of the students who are failing or struggling barely to pass do not have anyone believing in them. If a teacher comes and shows that they believe the student can pass this class and even gain a higher education then that student will know the teachers care. It is similar to tough love because the teacher does need to push the students into trying to accomplish greater goals.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we show our care through our actions. Are we invested in our kids? Do we actually care? Or are we only there to get our check and go home? Showing that we are passionate will encourage passion in our content areas and showing that we are dedicated to our district, fellow workers, students, community, ect. will further this spread of enthusiasm and respect. I think that we also need to set our standards at a high level to show our students that things are achievable through hard work and dedication but that we are there to help through the process.
ReplyDeleteHow a teacher shows that they truly care will vary from student to student. Some students may need constant positive reinforcement, whereas others may not. Some students may need a stern talking to or a motivational speech. No matter what students need in order for them to know that educators care, it all comes back to the educators. It is our job as teachers to know the needs of our students and to know how we can show them we care. There's no set formula for this.
ReplyDeleteBecoming connected with the students is one way of helping them not drop out. Explaining the significant rewards one might achieve by getting a diploma and the rewards of hard work. By using examples of even athletes who are well known for working hard to obtain their goal will help. Some students have broken families and resort to unhealthy lifestyles and are in need of help. Just giving your students attention, will let them know that you care and are willing to help, when others don't. We can't help everyone, but we sure can do whatever we can to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteTeachers can connect with students on a personal level by doing small things like greeting them daily when they walk in the door, asking questions, and maintaing a positive and encouraging attitude throughout class. To connect to a teacher, students need to feel safe and valued. It is the teachers responsibility to foster this type of classroom environment and rapport with their students.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there is only one way for a teacher to show that he or she cares; and that is for that teacher to ACTUALLY care. Students are excellent judges of character and they are able to decipher, very quickly, if a teacher had a genuine desire to see them succeed. In order for a teacher to demonstrate that they are have a sincere concern for their students, they must understand that teaching is more than a nine-to-five job. Rather, teaching a commitment that often requires the educator to go above and beyond the normal call of duty. The tangible ways to show this are making yourself available and accessible to your students, even if this means coming in to work early every day and staying after school every day. Also, teachers can show their concern by being supportive and offering words of encouragement. Kellogough and Kellough discuss the difference between words of encouragement and words of praise; words of encouragement tend to have a much longer lasting effect and are a good way for teachers to show they care.
3.
ReplyDeleteConnecting with students on a personal level is a task that is easier said than done. The teacher must go beyond typical classroom management and consider the other factors in a student's life that makes up the composition of who they are as a person. They may have external factors such as having to work to help there family, or a rocky home life that adversely effects their learning at school. By taking the time to get to know their students, teachers can develop more effective ways to help the student in the classroom, while also providing a positive influence for them where their may not have been one before.
It is not as hard as it may seem to show your students that you care. It can be as easy as asking them how they feel or how their day is going. As a teacher you must consider the backgrounds of your students and their family. You might be the only kind word that students hears all day and you have to remember that.As a teacher you must show first that you actually do care as well. Students seem to have a great gift for sniffing out disingenuous character. They can tell when you are just faking concern.You have to show your students every day that you care.
ReplyDelete2. The motivation factor can be influenced greatly by extra curricular activities. If the school takes the time to promote and tend to extra curricular of all kinds the students will want to join them, and joining clubs motivates students to want to go to school. Extra curricular activities are supposed to be fun and engaging for students and they usually require that students earn a certain grade to participate. They also allow the students to become responsible on their own. Within many extra curricular activities there are captains or presidents which give the students opportunities to learn how to lead or to follow instruction. The self-esteem and respect that the students learn from this experience will also help in keeping them in school. Above all, as I mentioned extra curricular activities are what make school fun and social, and these are two reasons that students stay in school for learning things they have an interest in and for friends.
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