M - o - t - i - v - a - t - i - o - n

Today I wanted to share with you something that at one time or another each and every teacher has a difficult time in getting students to "buy into" their education.  How do we motivate students to want to learn?
A great example presented itself to me recently.  I had a 5th grade student who had been a regular for behavior serving in-school suspension (ISS) for primarily not completing work which resulted in non-compliance issues.  After placing the student in a daily and hourly monitored behavior plan for over a week, completed BIP with 70% or greater, it was time for him to return to the classroom.  My primary concern was how do we prevent this from occurring again which will result in time to work with him again on the same issue(s), time away from the classroom, and missed instruction?  Lucky for the student AND me, I have a very talented teacher who loves to try new things.  She approached me with an idea she utilizes in working with her ELL students and gifted and talented students.  She provides extensions of learning or various ways to demonstrate mastery of the objectives introduced in the classroom.  This teacher approached me with an idea of providing this challenging student all the instruction needed to master the objectives, but providing him with a choice of projects to demonstrate his knowledge rather than requiring him to perform a specified task.  This approach would provide him the option of having choices and holding him accountable for the work at the same time.  The teacher assured me that communication of the assignment would be emphasized along with accountability.  Hopefully, our goal of motivating the student to want to learn and to stay in class will be achieved- a win-win situation.
I applaud teachers like this who are individualizing learning so that our students are able to achieve success no matter what level they are performing - from gifted and talented to underachievers, they're all our children.

2015 Classroom/Teaching Resolutions

What are your plans to jumpstart your students' learning for 2015?  While you were enjoying a restful two week vacation, so were your students' who most likely were not reading or practicing their math facts.  So, how do you plan to restore the rigor of learning that was ongoing and moving forward in December?  

Great resources to address this issue and more abound on the internet, but knowing which ones are the good ones takes time.  Our campus shares resources at every available opportunity.  It's wonderful for all 67+ staff members to be sharing so that all of our students and staff can benefit.  One of our favorite resources is Teachers Pay Teachers.    A quick look at the internet and this resource provides examples such as:

Something like this might be just what you need in developing those 2015 New Year Classroom/Teaching Resolutions!   You don't have to go it alone, there's so much great information and resources available, you just need to know where to find them.  If you have a resource that you find helpful, blog about it, tweet about it, create a newsletter about it, but whatever you do get the great resources out there for all of us to enjoy!

I hope that your 2015 year is the very best ever, good luck!