Ed. Psych

 Increasing Engagement        Engagement in the classroom is a crucial part of the learning process. If a child is not engaged in the classroom I would say it’s safe to say they aren’t learning as much as they should be. Sitting through a 50 min lecture is something I don’t even enjoy let alone someone younger with a low attention span.        Keeping a 1st grade class engaged in my opinion is a lot easier than keeping high schoolers engaged. It is our job as teachers to find new and creative ways to keep students actively engaged and want to come to class and learn.        There are ways stated in the book that help keep kids engaged and want to learn such as opportunities for team work, leadership roles, values of American culture, and making class something they want to come to not something they are “required” to go to.        You also have to be a teacher that enjoys teaching. Students can see how ...

 A Happy Collaborative Classroom      The classroom environment plays a huge role in kids learning. A kid is more likely to learn and engage more in an open and fun creative environment rather than a bland and boring room with regular desks and seating. When I was in school my classrooms were small and there were very few decorations and it was just bland and boring. The seating was just regular desks and chairs in a row. I just recently observed a classroom today and so much has changed in these newer schools.      The school I saw today had a very unique design to it. it had lots of decorations and activity areas. they had flexible seating and sat at group tables with rolling chairs. I have never seen a classroom like it before. I think the classroom helps bring forth openness and creativity from the students. It was very inviting and energetic as well.       There is a fine line between having too little and too much going on in ...

 The Human Connection      Human connection plays one of the biggest roles in how we connect and learn as humans.  Empathy plays a huge role in that as well. What is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and identify with the feelings and emotions of others. Empathy is recognizing other's emotions and communicating with them. Empathy is a choice and a very vulnerable one. As a teacher, we need to recognize when we need to help a student solve the problem and when we just need to listen and be there for them.        We as educators also have to have a good understanding of the difference between empathy and sympathy. It is important to have unconditional positive regard for your students as a teacher. Your students need to know that they are valued and loved in order to help them learn and grow. I believe that if you are not empathetic with your students you will never grow a connection with them, if you don't connect with yo...

 The Shame Game      Have you ever not done something just because you were embarrassed or ashamed?  Maybe you thought other people would make fun of you? Shame is one of the biggest things that holds people back from doing great and amazing things.       Shame happens all the time no matter what. It is something in our everyday lives. Shame is an amazing motivator and not in a good way. It makes us shut down and stop doing things and stop trying. Shame is especially a huge thing that happens in the classroom constantly. Not only does it happen from student to student but teachers as well can make kids feel ashamed whether intentional or not. It is a huge thing that we as educators have to be aware of. There is a huge difference between doing something the incorrect way and thinking you are wrong for doing something. As Educators, it is important to make sure we do our absolute best to make sure we don't shame kids for getting a bad grade or ...

 After The Fall      What do you define as failing? According to Thomas Edison when making the lightbulb he didn't fail 10,000 times, he found 10,000 ways that didn't work. How many times have you tried to do something and it did not work? hundreds probably thousands of times, I know I have. In this chapter, it goes on to talk about failure as a path to success.      In order to have a growth mindset we have to plan to fail. And start normalizing struggle and failure through the process. Struggling and failing is a part of how we learn and how we grow. If we are always so scared to fail we never try if we never try we miss out on so many things in life.      In order for us to grow and continue to learn we have to learn to fail as well. Failing isn't a bad thing and we have normalized it as a bad thing. When we fail we just discover ways to not do things and ways to do it better. If we never failed we would never learn or grow....

 Mission Metacognition     Think back to when you were in school, have you ever heard your teacher question you or a classmate as to why you can't solve a problem? I know I can. Now, what is Metacognition?  Metacognition is often defined as " thinking about thinking" In my own words I would say it is thinking about better ways to think, learn, or comprehend. It breaks down thinking and learning into implementing strategies and evaluating outcomes. Which they can also use later in life with any type of problem-solving.  So, not only is it a good skill to develop in school to help with learning, but it is also a skill that will help you through life after school. Think about all the strategies you use to study or learn. Do you take notes in class? Just sit and listen, do you highlight things in your book?, Do you make note cards to study for a test? what works best for you? Metacognition is something you may already be doing. You already know the best learnin...