Something Wonderful
Most of the world believes that the punishment/reward control system works and works really well. In school we find that while some students are motivated by the reward of grades, many are not. If they are rewarded, the effect often doesn’t last and the reward is way more important than the learning. Choice theory is just the opposite. It holds that children should learn because it is need satisfying and a reward in itself. I was fortunate to watch that unfold in my classroom today.
Background: Every year we hold a Penny War at the middle school. The goal is to raise money for the local food pantry, which is admirable. The reward for winning the “war” is a pizza party. Over the years students have reported feeling that they are coerced, threatened, bribed and bullied into bringing in money, not because it is the right thing or the noble thing to do, but they need to win and win that pizza party for their grade level. The eighth grade has consistently won for the past 3 years.
Final Day: Today was the final day of the war and there was a big push by some to get that money in….As I was preparing to start my 6th hour lit class one of my students asked me if we had to have the pizza party if we won. I asked her what she was thinking. She replied that the pizza for the entire 8th grade probably cost $200.00 or more. She thought it would be better if we donated that money to the food pantry too and just forgot the reward. I asked why she felt that way. She replied that we should be giving because we choose to give and help, not because of the reward. I agree with her completely. We then talked about how she could go about sharing her proposal. It was decided that talking to the president of the student council would be a good beginning. She explained her thinking and asked him what he thought. After several moments he replied, there should be some reward for winning. Isn’t giving to those in need reward enough?, was the reply. By this time other students were listening to the discussion and had their own opinions to share. Many agreed that the money for pizza should go to the food pantry too. One student even suggested that we create our own reward. Again asking what she had in mind I got this response. Why can’t each of us bring in a dish of our favorite holiday food to pass and have a huge potluck where everyone can share? This was met with approval and enthusiasm. The students in my class agreed that the idea was good and if we win the war, we will have a class meeting and the three of them will share their proposal with the rest of the 8th graders.
I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I was moved to tears as they worked through their thoughts and ideas. They put others ahead of the reward. They want to start a new tradition of giving from the heart because they want to, not because of the reward at the end of the “war”.
Is this choice theory? Are they satisfying their needs? Is their quality world in balance with the real world? YES!!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Hope
December 2, 3007
Friday was our workday following the end of the trimester. It was a quick job to post grades this trimester...I felt I really knew what my students knew. The hardest part was giving those few students who hadn't demonstrated mastery no grade. That in itself wasn't hard...but I really needed to examine why they hadn't mastered the targets. What choices did they make? What needs were they trying to satisfy? What do I have to do in order to create a more need satisfying environment for those students? Have I built enough of a bond with them?
Tough questions without quick easy answers. I will spend some time with each student talking to them and trying to find out what we can do together to get them to master the targets and hopefully value learning and helping them understand that no grade isn't the end, but rather the beginning.
During the course of the day Vicki and I also had several opportunities to share choice theory and quality classrooms with other teachers. It was great. Many are interested in my use of the A, B No Grade option. They asked how it was working, which was a bit hard to answer. While I feel it is working quite well, I am concerned about those students who didn't achieve the targets. I have a plan and we'll see where it leads. The main thing I emphasized to the other teachers was knowing what quality looks like. Teachers have to be experts in their area of expertise. They have to work with the students to make the learning targets student friendly and they have to have a clear idea of what quality looks like. They also have to know that each student in their class is starting from a different point and the expectations have to match each individual student.
In working with students, I found that my questions for some were more straight forward and knowledge based while others were of a more analytical nature. That doesn't mean that some students "got it" more than others, it just means that some were more ready to move from the concrete to the abstract than others. I learned so much more about what my students knew by talking to them than by just marking their answers either right or wrong. It takes time to do this, but while I was conferencing with one, the others were working on another aspect of chemistry. Chaos doesn't reign in my class....it does get loud at times, but the "science talk" that I hear is incredible.
The second conversation took place later in the day. That discussion centered around learning targets and possible ways to change what is currently being done in another class. This conversation was interesting. I saw myself of 2 or 3 years ago in many of the things that were said. It is so hard to give up things we as teachers enjoy teaching. We see value in it and want to share that with our students which is admirable however, it sometimes leads to curricula that are all about schooling and not about learning. We have to be willing to let go of some things in order to help our students not only reach the targets, but also learn what quality looks like and strive to get there.
I'm thrilled that others are asking about choice theory and quality classrooms. I hope that their interest continues as our success continue.
On another note...I had one student who was really struggling to understand some of the more abstract concepts. In talking with him I asked if he would be willing to work with one of his classmates who really got it. He agreed and the two spent about 20 minutes working through the material. At that point they came to me and said they were ready to talk to me. I asked a few questions and found that there were still some gaps in the students learning. They went back and worked some more. When they came back again, the concepts were mastered. Both students were beaming. When I asked the student who had received the help how he felt, he replied "great". I asked him if he had anything to say to the other student and he said yes. He then put out his hand and said "thank you. You really helped me understand this stuff" They shook hands with huge smiles on their faces. When I asked the student who did the tutoring how he felt, he said "awesome". It was one of those great teacher moments when you know something great happened.
December 2, 3007
Friday was our workday following the end of the trimester. It was a quick job to post grades this trimester...I felt I really knew what my students knew. The hardest part was giving those few students who hadn't demonstrated mastery no grade. That in itself wasn't hard...but I really needed to examine why they hadn't mastered the targets. What choices did they make? What needs were they trying to satisfy? What do I have to do in order to create a more need satisfying environment for those students? Have I built enough of a bond with them?
Tough questions without quick easy answers. I will spend some time with each student talking to them and trying to find out what we can do together to get them to master the targets and hopefully value learning and helping them understand that no grade isn't the end, but rather the beginning.
During the course of the day Vicki and I also had several opportunities to share choice theory and quality classrooms with other teachers. It was great. Many are interested in my use of the A, B No Grade option. They asked how it was working, which was a bit hard to answer. While I feel it is working quite well, I am concerned about those students who didn't achieve the targets. I have a plan and we'll see where it leads. The main thing I emphasized to the other teachers was knowing what quality looks like. Teachers have to be experts in their area of expertise. They have to work with the students to make the learning targets student friendly and they have to have a clear idea of what quality looks like. They also have to know that each student in their class is starting from a different point and the expectations have to match each individual student.
In working with students, I found that my questions for some were more straight forward and knowledge based while others were of a more analytical nature. That doesn't mean that some students "got it" more than others, it just means that some were more ready to move from the concrete to the abstract than others. I learned so much more about what my students knew by talking to them than by just marking their answers either right or wrong. It takes time to do this, but while I was conferencing with one, the others were working on another aspect of chemistry. Chaos doesn't reign in my class....it does get loud at times, but the "science talk" that I hear is incredible.
The second conversation took place later in the day. That discussion centered around learning targets and possible ways to change what is currently being done in another class. This conversation was interesting. I saw myself of 2 or 3 years ago in many of the things that were said. It is so hard to give up things we as teachers enjoy teaching. We see value in it and want to share that with our students which is admirable however, it sometimes leads to curricula that are all about schooling and not about learning. We have to be willing to let go of some things in order to help our students not only reach the targets, but also learn what quality looks like and strive to get there.
I'm thrilled that others are asking about choice theory and quality classrooms. I hope that their interest continues as our success continue.
On another note...I had one student who was really struggling to understand some of the more abstract concepts. In talking with him I asked if he would be willing to work with one of his classmates who really got it. He agreed and the two spent about 20 minutes working through the material. At that point they came to me and said they were ready to talk to me. I asked a few questions and found that there were still some gaps in the students learning. They went back and worked some more. When they came back again, the concepts were mastered. Both students were beaming. When I asked the student who had received the help how he felt, he replied "great". I asked him if he had anything to say to the other student and he said yes. He then put out his hand and said "thank you. You really helped me understand this stuff" They shook hands with huge smiles on their faces. When I asked the student who did the tutoring how he felt, he said "awesome". It was one of those great teacher moments when you know something great happened.
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