Please post one recommended discussion question for pages 33-71. These questions will be possibly used to help you lead the whole-school study within your department.
Please respond to a minimum of one of the discussion questions for this section.
Burgess suggests enthusiasm is key to being successful in the classroom. I agree. Generally, I display this daily. However, this year I have one class that tests my ability and desire to bring passion and enthusiasm to the table. They have behavioral and emotional issues (fights, weapons found, bullying), do not read well or at all, and defy authority. They are sucking the life out of me and it is affecting my relationships with other students and colleagues. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration as I have had classes like that. I have found that if I spent some time getting to know the kids on a personal level and talking with them about their interests, they begin to share. If they share with you then they will give up time to listen to you also. Sometimes we have to get away from our lesson and give the kids a chance to speak even if we do not feel we have the time due to the curriculum. Not sure if that helps, and you may already do this but thought I would share.
DeleteI agree with Janeen...although it is easier said than done with the amount of material we are expected to cover. Burgess stresses the importance of making the lesson engaging, fun, and educationally sound. Also though, like he said, this is hard work! With the technology, it is demanding to stay current with our tools and lessons...that's where collaboration comes in too! We need to continue to lean on each other and borrow best practices from our colleagues.
DeleteIn teaching our struggling students it is sometimes hard to engage the students and give them purpose for reading the literature. We must give them a good reason for reading British Literature that they may never read again. An EC question that I would pose for our department would be: What are some of the strategies you all use to get the students attention and be engaged in lessons?
ReplyDeleteI think the more teachers share strategies and practices with each other, the more we learn from each other. I love the the thought of writing down ideas to keep and possibly use later.
Page 43- Don't ask, "How can I make this lesson bearable for my students today and keep them awake?" unless you want an answer that requires the bear minimum. Instead ask, "How can I make this outrageously entertaining, engaging, and powerful so that my students will never forget it and will be desperate to come back for more?'
ReplyDelete<--- How many of our teachers are asking these questions? Are our ELTs having these conversations?
When we think about the lessons that we remember as students - what do they have in common? Those are often the best practices we want our own teachers to implement here at MHS. Unfortunately I think we become so focused on assessment and data sometimes that we forget if we engage our kids and keep them motivated to learn the test will take care of itself because students will WANT to learn. This is definitely a challenge for many teachers to balance.
DeleteInquiring minds want to know… What lesson makes you most proud or as Burgess puts it on page 59, could you “sell tickets for"? Or, if you aren’t comfortable tooting your own horn, what lesson have you observed another teacher lead that really engages his/her students? What makes this particular lesson stand out?
ReplyDeleteIn what ways can we "spread the virus" of enthusiasm to our coworkers who may be facing their own struggles that make maintaining their joy of teaching difficult? So often this becomes a thought we have - we want to encourage and spread joy - but we run out of time. What are some ways we as a staff and/or leadership team can commit to helping spread joy and enthusiasm throughout our buildings and culture?
ReplyDelete