Encouraging Students to Learn and Advance Their Performance - Essay Example

Poetry and the World Encouraging to learn and advance their performance has turned out to be a major test to modern teachers. In most cases, teachers who encourage students to study, produces well trained professionals who are prepared for future prosperity. To ensure future prosperity among young students, teachers ought to put extra effort in informing students on the value of education in the contemporary world (Allen and Tanner 21). Learning institutions in the entire world are at currently instituting mechanisms to respond to political, technological, social, and economic pressure to be more responsive to student’s needs and demands (Fisher and Jones 67). Learning institutions are interested on inventing the most effective ways of preparing students for future social responsibilities. Teachers have also felt the need of offering fewer lectures, integrating modern technology in the learning experience, employment of collaborative learning strategies when appropriate and to making the learning environment more favorable and interactive (Bonwell and Eison 47). This paper aims at reviewing a series of previous lessons that demonstrate significant promotion of pupil learning strategies in the curriculum area of literacy. The review will extensively analyze the entire activities in the poetry training lessons. The sequence of the study will begin by a rationalized explanation of the selection of certain ideas in lessons as well as identification of order in classroom lessons. This is followed by the description of the lesson’s implementation plan and the identification of lesson goals and objectives. The most effective way of actualizing pedagogical method will also be discussed in line with the acquired knowledge after full execution of the method. Finally, the study will undertake an evaluative reflection on the lessons. This will necessitate the evaluation the strengths and weaknesses training approach. The factors that have led to the success of the lesson will equally be discussed in the essay. The study will commence by reviewing the first lesson in the sequence of six lessons taught in literacy, which entailed working with a lively and chatting group of pupils in Primary 6/5. The aim of the interactive participation was to incorporate writing in teaching poetry. According to facilitation learning theory, effectively learning is in most cases facilitated by teachers serving as facilitators to pupils by creating an atmosphere where students will feel comfortable to discuss their past activities and experiences (Phillips 43). Therefore, I decided to use this approach to facilitate the development of the pupil’s literacy skills by giving pupils opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and build relationships. The incorporation of students in class activities is incredibly vital in facilitating active learning. As defined, active learning is the introduction of a favorable environment that gives an opportunity for students to listen, write, reflect, and read. Active learning is necessitated by role playing, cases study, problem-solving exercises, as well as formation of informal group discussion (Carson 97). Recent studies have as well confirmed that, active learning is extremely decisive motivating learning among students. Through active learning, pupils developed creative writing practice in prose. As a result of employing active learning approach, I did not encounter much trouble in handing pupils assignments that involved individuals and collaborative writing. Moreover, pupils under study were in the second level of Literacy in A Curriculum for Excellence (CFE). According to CFE guidelines, after every lesson, pupils are expected to have developed the ability to create their own stories, poems, and plays with appealing structures, characters, and settings. ENG 1-31a We as well employed communication mechanism in the lesson by sharing past experiences form teachers and students. Through effective communication, students were actively in a position to recall their past experiences and happenings (Fisher – Larkin 38). Additionally, through interactive communication, I was in a position to write, draw, and speak about different tenets in the lesson. On the other hand, my students were as well in a position to visualize their work in a both transformative and permanent manner (Fisher, Jones, et al. pp. 38-55). Based on my success in the lesson, I informed my colleagues on the significant of using active learning in poetry writing and in understanding poetry genre. According to John Dewey, young people develop and grow in a social medium (Phillips and Soltis 55). In my lesson, I wanted children to be comfortable in assuming their role in the study of poetry. In addition, in order to enhance and support the children's learning, I included key reading materials that were previously used by my students. I made use of 'A Cup of Sunshine' (Bennett & Graham) as well as 'A Light in the Attic' (Silverstein). These two materials offered a clear, wider, and precise explanation and analyses of the most effective mechanism of studying poetry. The materials also offered an intensive explanation on how to write different types of poem. Games that manipulate words for rhyming such as 'Rhyme Ball' where the children pass the ball and rhyme a word with the word previously rhythms were as well used in the study. The use of games was exceptionally crucial in necessitating the understanding of suitable ways of using different rhythmus in a poem. I also made use of art and music from 'Brave heart', 'Requiem for a Dream', as well as paintings from Google images to parallel the artistry in music and paint with the artistry of poetry. The use of music was intended to make the lesson entertaining and to necessitate easier understanding of the lesson (Phillips and Jonas 43). The First Lesson is as follows: Having discussed with the class teacher on the student’s previous knowledge on poetry we concluded that, Students had a general idea of what a poem was. Based cognitive learning theory, learners have the capability of organizing and using their gained knowledge and experiences to necessitate effective learning. Therefore, effective learning is to some extent facilitated by pupils, past attention, perception, and memory. Therefore, through past knowledge, pupils had the ability to memorize poetry and could recognize playground chants, popular poems e.g. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. Students had as well memorized a number of hit songs by old and new singers with poetic structures. Students also knew that poems have special attributes that make them respectable poems, e.g. Poems rhyme and rules. This understanding of the students’ knowledge on poems aided me in generating a lesson plan that could accommodate the children’s past knowledge. Based on my past experience that, poetry is an expressive art form through which emotional and cultural connection, I planned my main activities within the lesson as follows. (5-10 minutes) Direct Teaching – direct teaching entails direct involvement of pupils in class work. To necessitate direct teaching, I set a relaxing and reflective atmosphere. I as well played a piece of classical music and then encouraged pupils to share with each other, the nouns and adjectives that came to mind after listening to the music. I also, initiated a discussion on the students’ perception on the quality and nature of the song (10-15 minutes) Collaborative Group Activity- Collaborative groups’ activities helps students to effectively work in a team. It also ensures that, everyone’s contribution in learning activity is valued and respected. Collaborative group activity also aids in the breakdown of existing barriers between students by introducing concepts of group and individual accountability. In the light of the significance of collaborative group activity, I gave my pupils an envelope with prepared poems that had poetic attributes such as Alliteration, Rhyme, and Rhythm. The students were to assemble the poem in groups of 4-5. After completing the assembling the poems, I asked them to come up with funny or silly words to incinerate into the poem (mainly for the fast finishers). (20 minutes) Direct Teaching –After listening to all the assembled poems, I initiated a discussion using the following question Which group had the best poem and Why? Which poem was the silliest? Even though I acknowledged my pupils’ perception that, their musical taste was an important opinion to them; I as well noted that, the choice of the music was not to their interest. I acknowledged this in my evaluative review. After prompting the pupils, I noted that, my pupils’ appreciated my poet and as a result they complied with my instructions to establish the mood and tone in poetry. Referring to cognitive-Gestalt theory, past experiences is incredibly essential in learning activities. On the other hand, people have different interpretation to various scenarios in life. Therefore, based on my past experience and knowledge on poetry, I guided my pupils on the most effecting ways of assembling poems and music (Brody 76). A discussion was then initiated by pupils to convey their thoughts and feeling on the music. I guided the discussion of linking music and poetry as art forms that make people feel the similarity between the music and poetry. After noting down certain thoughts that were repetitive and dominant in the classroom for my professional development, I altered the discussion to meet the lesson objective. I subsequently asked pupils to assemble poems in groups of 4 to 5. After completion, I went round the classroom to identify the strategies used by pupils in assembling the poem. They followed clues that included: looking for rhyming words and alliterating words that hinted patterning. Eventually all groups were in a position to assemble their poems. Some struggled more than others but the poems were assembled. As an educator, I understood my role was to develop confidence, self-esteem, and positive attitudes. As stated by Margaret Carr (9 and 26), one of the main way of advancing learning and acknowledge is through motivation. Based on reinforcement theory, behaviour results from the functions of its consequences. Learners are as a result repeat an action with a desired positive outcome as opposed to behaviour with a discouraging impact. In learning activities, the disposition of persevering in difficulty or uncertainty is facilitated by seeing the difficulty or uncertainty as part of learning. Educators can foster perseverance by involving the children in assessments and analyses of the difficulties and uncertainties persevered in different learning levels Moreover, adequate assessment on students’ performances is very crucial in examining whether the lesson have achieved its intended objective. Assessment can either be done through conducting either oral or written assessment or through direct observation. Therefore, my assessment strategy was based on how and where the children’s undertake their studies. The assessment technique helped me to understand how my pupils achieved their learning objectives as I witnessed them looking for clues within the poem, encouraging each other to think collectively and questioning each on how to arrange sentences in a systematic order. On the other hand, through the assessment, I noted that, pupils completed their task by using skills that included listening, talking, questioning, problem solving, exploring rhymes and alliteration and collaboration towards a common goal. The analysis of this lesson helped me to gain more knowledge relevant in my subsequent classes. For a starter, I acknowledged the importance of having variety of music and poems for pupils to choose from. Secondly, I indentified the importance of selecting music that could fit young generation. Thirdly, the study enabled me to understand the significance of placing people with similar personality in one group. Referring to the holistic learning theory, individual personality has several elements relevant in learning process. Emotions, body impulses, imagination, and intellect are some of the main elements that require activation in the realisation of effective learning. In this case, I used both Jean Piaget’s (1896 – 1980) constructivist approach and Lev Vygotsky’s (1896 – 1934) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) approach (Phillips and Soltis pp. 41-50, 57-60). According to constructivist approach, learners are always in a position to identify their personal perceptions by focussing on experiences and perspectives of others. According to Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) approach, learners use their learnt knowledge on their everyday activities based on the prevailing states of affair. In my second lesson, I read two poems out loud to my students, one with alliterating words and the other with rhyming words in order to introduce a discussion. Afterwards, I asked my students to identify any poem properties that were learnt from the previous lessons. Subsequently, I brought in a ball to the classroom and asked my students to describe the ball by using one word. Some said the ball was big, hard or heavy. According to experimental learning theory, different people observe, analyses, and explain similar objects in different ways. This is based on their past experiences and knowledge. In this lesson, I as well ensured that, I have given by students’ adequate times to discuss with their partners before making their contributions to the rest of the class members. This idea was based on my past experiences on the importance of teamwork and adequate cooperation in learning process. The end goal of this lesson was to ensure that, every learner was capable of writing a high quality poem. In this case, I expected them to use their names and characteristics in designing their personal poem. This lesson was assessed by using a product based evaluation strategy. The aim was to access whether the lesson had achieved its, objectives, expectations, and goals. In general terms, the success of any project, lesson or plan can only be achieved through the introduction of effective evaluation and assessment strategy(McGill 67). Therefore, the aim of this lesson was to ensure that, students produce specific and quality types of poem to demonstrate their understanding on the specific structure of a poem, poetic property as well as their knowledge on the use imaginative adjectives. After, the assessment, a good number of the pupils were able to orally demonstrate their ability of recognizing imaginative adjectives. My students were also in a position to express poetry knowledge in writing through composing attractive poems. This lesson particularly excellent since it is in this lesson that I tested my command and control in the classroom activities. Additionally, my students were excited and they participated actively and fully in classroom activities. Based on the existing literature on learning skills and techniques, the involvement of students in classroom activities is extremely very critical in advancing students’ performances. In contrast to my students disinterest with my music choice in the previous lesson, in this lesson, I was in a position to come up with materials that was appropriate and relevant to all students. After systematic evaluation to comprehend students’ understanding on various poetry properties, I was extremely convinced and happy that my aim in the lesson was to a great extent accomplished. This gave me the confidence and courage to continue with by teaching and as a result I started preparing the next lesson. Starting off with an energized learning atmosphere where the children were enjoying and thinking about the task proved to be a factor that aided the success of this lesson. I as well wanted to develop the children's skills in exploration by giving them ownership of their own learning. As Fisher (89) stated, taking ownership of one's learning achievement as well as feeling of responsibility increases chances of developing endless interest to maintain the realised achievement. Additionally, according to Fisher (49), the Rumbold Report Starting with Quality (DES 1990) states unequivocally that 'For educators to succeed in the education system, the understanding of how children are encouraged and motivated to learn is very important and inseparable. This is due to the fact that, encouraged students have a high capability of recalling the learnt content. Additionally, the available literatures have also confirmed that, rewarded behaviours are likely to be repeated. As a result of this, I was made aware of what Carr calls the learning milieu and what Fisher calls the 'application of subject knowledge and expertise'. Based on my experience, the involvement of learners in the learning process increased ownership of learnt skills and knowledge. The last lesson in this analysis was characterised by excitement, enjoyment, and total participation. Students were linked to the poetry lesson in Literacy as the lesson relied on the suggestions that were proposed by students. In this lesson, I relied on responsive learning and a general trust in the creative control of a student’s interest in learning. Responsive learning involves total participation of student in a lesson. The lesson revolved around recapping session in the following poetry class. The lesson also focused mainly on haiku poems in trying to examine students’ knowledge on structure within a poem as well as nationhood in our SSSTHW Global Citizenship class. The haikus poem was extracted from Japanese poems. John Joe, one of the more distractible yet vocal students in the class, asked, “Well, Mrs… If Japan has this way of making poems, what do Brazilian poems look like?” Struck with how impressive his question was, I told the students, “Why don’t we look for poems in your nation groups in the next lesson. That’s an excellent way to find out about the country’s artistic interests.” John Joe was grouped with the Brazilian nation and he was surprisingly eager with his question even though he did not pay much attention to the groups’ concerns. As a result, I as well wanted to exaggerate my pleasure with his contribution in hopes of re-inspiring and redirecting him to the work his group was undertaking. The students in their four nation groups – Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Somalia were currently researching interesting facts about their nations and their next lesson was going to ICT based research and so I quickly thought that question could be one the class would manage together. Therefore, students courage to ask question was a clear indication that, student had a deep understanding of the topic under study. As a matter of fact, it is incredibly intricate and almost impossible for students to ask a specific in an area which they do not understand. This also demonstrated the significant of student participation in classroom activities As stated by Fisher (49), Donaldson (1978) and Tizard and Hughes (1984) have shown that the 'world of school' is discontinuous and parallel from the rest of the child's world. Fisher (49) and Calderhead and Miller (85) also suggested that, teachers interweave knowledge of subjects with knowledge of classroom realities in order to create 'action-relevant' knowledge. On the other hand, coherence is one of the seven principles of curriculum design in CfE. This is the belief that, children's experiences of learning ought to have clear links with the different aspects of their learning (LTScotland). As a result, children’s home learning and school learning ought to be combined to necessitate a coherent experience. In the last lesson, the class found that, most of the poems that were written or based in various developing nations were based on a certain feelings. All of the poems the children found from the United Nations states were based on sad topics such Laments of war, poverty, crime and calls for the world’s unity were common themes the connected with the poems. This inspired a UN’s themed finale of a lesson in Global citizenship. To address my students concern on the theme of a good number of united nation poems, I prepared the lesson in the following process. For a starter, I appreciated fact that, most of the students had completed researching countries from library resource books and the internet. Additionally, I was made to understand that, the students had been creating power point presentation for their research. Therefore, in this lesson, I proposed to the children to explore the reasons behind war and poverty. This was a means of connecting with the poets and understanding their nations better. Secondly, I introduced to the students some of the main resources that bring about conflicts in many countries. Among these resources include: trees, water, oil, and metals like gold and silver. I explained to them the fact that, these items are presumed to bring about confusion in many countries due to their value and their significant in global development. For instance, trees are used to make paper, lumber and plywood for houses and they can be burned to produce heat (Learning and Teaching Scotland 657). Therefore, based on the fact that, tree are very valuable in making expensive and most essential products, every individual fights to have total control over the resources. The fight against the control of resources is therefore the core cause of endless conflict in many global states. In this lesson, I gave each group part of or a set of resources that include the following: ? Paper ? Scissors ? Rulers ? Pencils ? Black Card Paper The task was to make shapes according to samples given to each group. I assigned two students to be the world bankers and they would be issuing money for the items created. To develop the idea, I made notes for each of the following new countries describing specific information that were expressed in present day politics. Saudi Arabia received this note “Hello Saudis, You are EXTREMELY Rich, you don’t have to sweat your pretty little heads. You have black paper which is oil, lots of it. Sell one piece of your paper and you will receive 1 million dollars from the bank. After you complete this please relax…. Enjoy your money and ? Sit quietly ? Take out your art jotter or grab a book and draw or read. ? do not tell the other students why you are not making shapes.” I then inserted similar notes to other countries explaining what resources they could share and what they could do about their individual situations. After 20 minutes of doing this task it appeared that, the Saudi’s as expected produced the most money. Canada came second with the group member having most of the resources. Brazil came third and Somalia made nothing because they didn’t have any equipment to make their own products with; no scissors, and no pencils…just plain paper. I gave this group to the most mature and calm collection of pupils in the class so that their peers could listen to their frustration and guide their thoughts to reflect with the words of certain Somali poems they had found on the internet. Being a Somali- Canadian, I found this to be a very touching moment with this group as they voiced feelings of rejection and helplessness when faced with the reality that they would be making no money for their country. The lesson ended on a bright note when I told the students that they would all be working together and share resources as part of our own United Nations and the money they raised as a group would be rewarded with a special surprise (it was my last day of placement and I brought in cupcakes to the students). The key motivating feeling after teaching these lessons is my comfort in knowing my role as an educator is to encourage “all” to strive for excellence in a nurturing environment. Margaret Carr (21) quotes Jacqueline Goodnow (1990) by saying that, “successful learning needs willing teachers on the one hand and eager children on the other”. From this saying, teachers are reminded that, children are always eager to learn in the area where teachers are willing to teach. I will as a result strive to remain a willing teacher and to develop eager children. However, In order to do these, teachers should provide a welcoming and stimulating environment where children are happy and secure. As per Carr (37), the learning environment should maintain, develop an enhancing atmosphere for study. The importance of a favourable environment is therefore what motivated my review as a teacher and as a professional. This paper displayed the revision of a series of taught lessons that demonstrate the promotion of pupil learning skills in the main curricular area of Literacy whilst drawing in from other curricular areas. This review explained the holistic process of planning, executing, and reflecting on lessons. The sequence of lessons began with a rationale of understanding learning requirements by using a theoretical review on decisions carried out in the classroom. This was followed by the description of the lesson’s implementation, a narrative of what had happened during the lesson and exploration of the learning activities that occurred in classroom context. Finally, there was an evaluative reflection on the lessons taught. I have used the power of narrative to demonstrate my own excitement and experience as a teacher and how my experience will facilitate my growth and development as an essential tool to young learners. Word count: 4255 words Works cited Allen, Deborah and Tanner, Kinberly. Infusing Active Learning into the Large Enrolment Biology Class: Seven strategies, from the simple to complex. New York, NY: San Francisco State University, 2009. Print Bonwell, Charles and James Eison. 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Action Learning, second edition: a guide for professional, management and educational development. London: Kogan Page, 2005. Print. Phillips, Jonas. Perspectives on Learning. Journals of Teachers College Press, New York , 57. 60 (2009), 41- 50. Read More