As a future secondary education teacher, the biggest
foreseen struggle, according to almost anyone you ask, is adolescents. How are
we, as educators, supposed to connect with them, or more importantly, support
them? I think something that is often overlooked, is the fact that adolescents
are fundamentally different than children or adults – they’re a little bit of
both. Sam M. Intrator and Robert Kunzman describe adolescence as a “phase of
transition, voyage, series of passages, or psychosocial tasks to be
accomplished.” (Intrator, Kunzman, 30). Therefore, they should be taught
differently than a child or an adult. Without the right kind of support adolescents can become bored and apathetic, viewing education as a waste of time. It is crucial to reverse this common ideology and motivate them to accomplish all that they are capable of.
I noticed that all of the articles having an
overlapping theme that persists throughout, when supporting adolescents it is
crucial to address their self-efficacy. Intrator and Kunzman point out that
classes labeled “remedial” limits kids' capability of learning, and makes them feel less than their peers
(Intrator, Kunzman, 31). In fact, self-efficacy is directly correlated to an
adolescent’s motivation. According to Effective
Literacy Instruction for Adolescents “providing adolescents who are
experiencing reading difficulties with clear goals for a comprehension task and
then giving feedback on the progress . . . can lead to increased self-efficacy
and greater use of comprehension strategies.” (Alvermann, 192). This brings up the important point that feedback is necessary and essential to effective literacy. Showing students that what they are doing is valued and helping them in the areas that they struggle promotes a comforting environment in which they can thrive. Once a student
feels competent and motivated they are much more likely to develop a proficient
literacy.
Alvermann brings up an interesting point that has never come up in my collegiate career when discussing educating adolescents -- bringing in a culturally appropriate approach to literacy. This approach brings in an adolescents day-to-day life and applies it to their academic life in order to use familiar resources and prior knowledge, whether this be somethings from their native language or a community event. This allows students to create and further their own knowledge in a way that they deem personally valuable, rather than what the curriculum or state standardized assessments demand. Although educating adolescents comes with its challenges, it is so rewarding to see a teenager learn in a way which they thrive from and enjoy.
I agree with your points about motivating students in the classroom and being mindful of how schools label students. Throughout high school you meet people whose interests vary so greatly that the only reason they might well in school is because they know they have to in order to get anywhere in life. School has become a system of "get the grade and learn the information later" because colleges look at your test scores and grades and that is all we are. I think in order to engage students and show that we care about their learning is to actually show a mutual respect with listening to their opinions and concerns and giving well thought-out responses. According to the article Who are adolescents today, "Cushman's (2003) youth report that they are most motivated when a passionate teacher asks questions about issues and listens deeply to students reflect on their understandings on paper and through conversation." (Intrator & Kunzman, 2009). What I took from this article, and more specifically this quote, is that in order to get students to be more engaged in class and actually motivate them to want to learn the material is to show our passion for what we are teaching and wanting to see them succeed.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that bringing in culturally appropriate approaches and experiences to the classroom can bring another perspective and help motivate students to be engaged and interested in class. By doing all of this as teachers we can help the students not only learn the material they need to know for future classes, but also to learn about the people and world around them. We were all in high school once and we know some classes and some teachers were great and I think as teachers we should strive to emulate those teachers and be role models for our students.
Hi Bess!
DeleteI completely agree with you. I appreciate how you acknowledge the fact that students have varying interests and that is something that needs to be addressed in the classroom. We as future educators need to advocate for a comfortable learning environment that embraces all different interests, and shows students that their work is valued and respected.
Hello Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. I could not agree more about everything that you stated. In discussing self-efficacy, it is important for teachers and pre-service teachers to understand how crucial this is for students as well as their motivation which are tied together. When adolescents are labeled as remedial or any other label, it does not move them along; it makes them feel inferior to their peers which will not motivate them at all. I saw labels being used first hand in my elementary school and it was apparent to me, even back then, that these labels just did harm. They did not move the students along and it brought down students' motivation. As teachers and pre-service teachers, we need to stay away from labeling students. I really like how you discussed that feedback is essential to effective literacy and that students need to know that their work is valued. If a student sees their work is valued, they will be more motivated to have proficient literacy and participate. When you discussed Alvermann's discussion on bringing in a culturally appropriate approach to literacy, it made me think of being able to relate to students through their day to day lives which will lead them create and build their knowledge. If we are able to bring in students' reality into the class, they will be more motivated to learn the material which is what we truly want to see.
Hello Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. I could not agree more about everything that you stated. In discussing self-efficacy, it is important for teachers and pre-service teachers to understand how crucial this is for students as well as their motivation which are tied together. When adolescents are labeled as remedial or any other label, it does not move them along; it makes them feel inferior to their peers which will not motivate them at all. I saw labels being used first hand in my elementary school and it was apparent to me, even back then, that these labels just did harm. They did not move the students along and it brought down students' motivation. As teachers and pre-service teachers, we need to stay away from labeling students. I really like how you discussed that feedback is essential to effective literacy and that students need to know that their work is valued. If a student sees their work is valued, they will be more motivated to have proficient literacy and participate. When you discussed Alvermann's discussion on bringing in a culturally appropriate approach to literacy, it made me think of being able to relate to students through their day to day lives which will lead them create and build their knowledge. If we are able to bring in students' reality into the class, they will be more motivated to learn the material which is what we truly want to see.
Hey Elizabeth!
DeleteLike you said, it is so important to bring in students' day to day lives to make the material more relate-able. When we can do this, then students will value their own education and take pride in what they learn from us. I feel as though this is an extremely overlooked aspect in today's education system, although it is of utmost importance!
I enjoyed reading your post and I especially liked how you mentioned how important it is that teachers should not be labeling students. As teacher, I sadly see this happen quite often. There is always going to be a student that can “push your buttons.” As a teacher you need to take a step back and see why they are acting the they are. Being a 4th grade teacher, I often hear other co workers say “wait until you get him/her” or “they never change.” However, I disagree with these statements. I have found out that if you just take two minutes out of your day for ten consecutive days to talk to your “challenging” students and see what they have going on in life outside of school you get more from them, it’s called the “ten-two” strategy. When they see you as someone they can talk to, they become more willing to work harder. I have also discussed this with middle school teachers and many of them also agree that this works with adolescents as well. As a reading teacher, I incorporate novels that my students will enjoy reading. I have found out over the years, that the students would rather read a novel than read from the basal. I now plan more novel lessons so my students “wanting” to read and excited to come to my class.
ReplyDeleteHey Suzanne
DeleteI think your "ten-two" strategy truly encompasses my blog post. It truly emphasizes how important it is to take a step back and see how the "challenge" students live their day to day lives. There are so many other factors outside of the classroom that affect a student's behavior. Taking a moment or two out of our own time to put ourselves in our students shoes can help shift our perspectives.
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt is my pleasure to read your excellent post about motivating adolescents! In Moje’s article, the author pointed out that “motivated literacy… emphasizes the importance of understanding motivation and engagement as an aspect of reading comprehension and general school achievement” (2008). At the present, many of our teachers just focus on students’ low reading scores and being worried how to improve their scores as soon as possible, however, the ability to being a good reader needs time to be promoted, and the scores cannot be the only scale to measure their reading comprehension. Teachers should consider the factors which influence adolescent literacy a lot, such as the contents of the texts, the management of the classroom, and, as you said, cultural background. Since adolescence is “a growing toward adulthood”, “it is important to understand the youth perspectives and reaction to a range of teaching strategies and approaches” (Intrator & Kunzman, 2009). We are supposed to help students to find their joy and interests in reading, not only because of the sensitive adolescence, but also that their engagement in reading affects a lot.
Hi Shuqin
DeleteI like how you pointed out that teachers too often only focus on the low scores students receive. Our education system places far too much importance on standardized testing and their subsequent scores. Its understandable that teachers focus on students' scores considering this is a major factor in determining their salary. But it is far more rewarding to be able to give students the desire to read and appreciate the work they do rather than a simple score on a over-regulated test.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I agree with you that adolescents are the big concern for future teachers. As you pointed out adolescence is described as a phase of transition, and in this phase adolescents need a caring adult in their lives who support them as individuals. They need a role model, and they need someone who listen to them carefully. Therefore, teacher need to listen to students’ voice and engage them in a conversation about their perspective about curriculum and literacy practices. Teacher need to be a role model and think aloud as they are reading or approaching problems for adolescents. Teachers needs to provides adolescents with choices in their lessons, so they can create their own meanings and connections to the academic experience. According to several studies, adolescents are disengaged in school, and they consider the academic experience boring and disconnecting from their life (Intrator & Kunzman, 2009). Therefore, I believe that engagement of adolescents in the academic experience should be the most important goal for future teachers. Teachers need to listen carefully to the causes of disengagement, so they can consider how to change their lessons or strategies in a way that create connectedness to adolescence lives. Teachers need to think of strategies and literacy practices that connect to student’s prior knowledge, interest, and real world experience. As a future chemistry teacher, I find the engagement of students in chemistry subjects as a big challenge since most of the concepts in chemistry are abstract and hard to visualize. Therefore, for each chemistry lesson I need to think of ways to make that lesson more relevant to students’ lives. I need to incorporate several inquiry-based experiments in my lessons to help students visualize the concept and to help students construct their own knowledge. Finally, I have to listen to their voice and perspective about my lessons and I need to change my lesson and make them more relevant to them because disengagement effect students’ self-efficacy and their confidence in their ability to understand the materials. Listening to adolescents’ perspectives make them feel they are more valued and respected.
ReplyDeleteHello Hadeel
DeleteI appreciate how you bring up the fact that students need a role model, and as teachers, we should be that model. Like you mentioned, it is so important to introduce choice in literacy for students. I think this breaks the authoritarian model of a teacher and puts the educator and the student on the same level, therefore creating a much more prosperous and comfortable learning environment. By doing this, students are more motivated and are more willing to engage in the subject matter.
Hello Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed your blog post and i agree with you when it comes to your point of view of self efficacy. In my old elementary school we would having colored reading levels where we each read a short story and answered some questions that came along with it. Through this our teacher would then tallk to us or writ to us what we are doing really well in and wht we needed to work on. This i feel helped motivate us because she would not just say we got so and so number of questions wrong, instead we knew exactly what we needed to do to get better. I think that is what we need more of, especially when most schools still use "remedial", "moderate" and "advanced" levels as terms to categorize students. I too found it interesting that not a lot of classes discuss culturally apprpriate literature when it comes to reading and students. I know from experience that when i do not relate to literature it is harder to enoy it. This shows the students that what they are reading is meaningful nut just for school but for their own growth as a person in this world.
Hey Fabiola
DeleteI think the model your elementary school teacher used is far more effective than labeling a class as "remedial" "moderate" or "advanced". Students do not need to label their level of understanding, rather, as teachers we need to help our students and encourage them. This means letting them know where they excel and where they are falling short. This sort of constructive feedback does not create a harmful label, but rather prepares and educates the students so that they can perform at their best possible level.
I definitely agree with your blog post and believe that as future educators it is essential for us to reach out to our adolescents. Since adolescents are at a very confusing moment in their lives, they need as much guidance as possible. This is due to the fact that they are changing cognitively, socially and physically. Thus, they are at a stage were autonomy is important. Therefore, to better understand and teach adolescents it is crucial that we take the time to listen to them. For instance, we should try to find out what they believe about the curriculum and literacy practices. This is due to the fact that as educators we often fail to listen to what our students have to say and simply expect them to learn certain things. However, if students don't feel valued or interested in the material they will become disengage and bored. Thus, if we actually took the time to listen to our students we would be better equip to meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you and believe that it is crucial for educators to help students develop their self-efficacy. Thus, it is essential that we don't label our students because by labeling them we are hindering their chances to succeed. If students don't think they are capable of achieving their goals they will stop trying. Thus, it is crucial that we as educators try to help our students by setting up small attainable goals that can later turn to long run goals. By doing so, we will help our students build their self- efficacy as they began thinking they are capable of accomplishing their goals.
Hi Angelica,
DeleteUnderstanding the fact that adolescents are at a confusing time in their life is essential in effective instruction. Like you said, the need guidance. They usually do not like to admit that they need this guidance therefore creating autonomous environment where they can thrive is the best of both worlds for both teacher and student!
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up some really good points that we often think to ourselves, how are we going to connect with adolescents? Alvermann brought up many good points that Adolescents are those students in between that are not full adults but they are also not children. So from that perspective as teachers, we have to appeal to what they think is "cool". By this, I mean finding readings or even having discussions about something they would read. Reading varies from student to student and it doesn't have to be a book just something that holds their interest and from there use that knowledge to appeal to them some books they would enjoy. You bring up another point, which is the labels put onto students as you mentioned it gives the students a sense that they aren't good enough as the other students and therefore why should they try to improve in the classroom. So by getting rid of the labels it would give students the sense that they are all on the same page and that together they are going to learn. Also giving students the boost of confidence or as you mentioned feedback (i.e. they are being valued) then students are going to want to continue learning as they see that their teachers do care. Yes, we all can agree that we want teenagers to learn and by having them engaged in reading or activities will give us the sense that we are accomplishing our goals of having them strive for success.
Alejandra,
DeleteI agree, teenagers want what's "cool". As teachers, we can aim to incorporate as much "cool" material as we can to promote a more engaged classroom. It is so much easier for students to read something, when it is something that is not only interesting, but is interesting according to their own personal lives.
I, too, was glad to see Alvermann bring up the idea of taking a culturally-appropriate approach to literacy with students. Last semester, I actually had the opportunity both to discuss this strategy and to create and employ a lesson plan with it in mind. After a few weeks working with some CPS students, I saw just how beneficial it is to take the diverse cultural backgrounds of your students into account. The main idea that I took away from the experience was that, as you hinted at, students will get much more out of a lesson if they feel that it's personally relevant to them. This is one concept that makes me hesitant to accept the CCES. Should we really aim to set national standards, especially in the humanities, when students across the country are so diverse? Not everyone considers the canon to be personally relevant, and so much world literature remains unknown to high school students...
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a lot of great points.
I agree that increasing student's self efficacy can lead to increased motivation and interest. Personally, I know that when I am presented a text, and I feel confident about the topic, I am more likely to want to read it. This definitely needs to be addressed during adolescence. I also like that you mentioned making literacy "culturally appropriate." any of us may become teachers in the Chicago Public Schools where students come from many different backgrounds and cultures. As teachers I think it is important to connect with students and build bridges between their particular culture and classroom topics. Showing students that their teacher has an interest in their culture and making classroom connections between students lives and the topic being discussed is vital to building students interest. Unfortunately I do not have a lot of classroom experience so I am very interested in other ways teachers make these connections.
Colleen's comment:
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I wanted to further discuss what you stated in your post. You stated, "Alvermann brings up an interesting point that has never come up in my collegiate career when discussing educating adolescents -- bringing in a culturally appropriate approach to literacy. This approach brings in an adolescents day-to-day life and applies it to their academic life in order to use familiar resources and prior knowledge, whether this be somethings from their native language or a community event." As a teacher, I try to integrate students' cultural interest and the curriculum as much as possible. I emphasize where these educational components appear in their everyday lives. For instance, while teaching a 7th grade Language Arts lesson on figurative language I incorporated mainstream music such as Katy Perry's "Firework". I began the class by playing the song and almost immediately had the students' attention, which allowed me to seaway into the "academics" of the lesson so to speak. Needless to say, I think it is important to recognize and value students' interests and culture into our curriculum because it shows students where academia falls into their lives not just inside the classroom.