CREATING HIGH PERFORMANCE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

             Creating High Performance Learning Environment

When teachers are creating high performance learning environment for students, they have vision, they try to challenge students and support them through to get to the required standard.

After watching the video: Roller Coaster Physic, I notice that the teacher had different expectations from the students. Expectations like,

Academic Expectation: Students are to design a roller coaster with the longest run so that the marble gets to the end without falling off. The teacher expects that the students work under some specific time, learn from each other’s idea so it allowed for communication, through this the students learn better and can have a view of how it works in real world. The teachers expect that the students will show the science that they know. Students are to sketch their ideas on individual papers and use this sketch to explain to others what they are working on.

Giving students budget to work with helps them to think of ideas, so the teacher expects the students to think of ideas they could use to improvise other than spending all their money on buying items for the project, students could become greater problem solvers and better mathematicians they are expected to come out with constraints why something happened and the modification for it, more constraints more innovative students become. Also, they are expected to welcome problems and make out strategies they could use to solve the problem and also connect it to real world.

Behavior Expectations: Students are expected to work collaboratively and communicate with each other, they are expected to make great team building and collaboration. They are expected to assign jobs for each person in the group.

They match their learning styles with their strength to what job they choose and are expected to reflect them. She expects students to collaborate because when they share they learn more from each other.

The norms of the class that supports high student performance

• Fun learning

• Collaboration

• Appreciate others ideas

• Problem solvers

• Share and honor other people ideas

• communication

Some procedures they followed which supported high student performance

• Use timer

• Students discuss the project

• Students did individual sketches and label to show the science that they know

• After individual sketches, students reviewed each other sketch and also did group sketch (team    building and collaboration) 

• Students were given budget 

• Students used the computer simulation to put their designs in the computer

• Students check for errors

• For any crashed work, they look for ways to modify it

• The teacher allowed more constraint for students

• Students assign duties to each member of the group

• Students take measurement 

• Students write down any idea of question in the process

In all the teacher expect that the students understand the goal of the project about kinetic versus potential energy, collaborative learning, have fun with work. There is work and play in the project. This is one strategy I usually use in the class especially for project, student have fun while learning, they become relax and enthusiastic about the whole process.

For the video 2: 3rd grade Chinese math, academically the teaches expects the students to be able to memorize I think multiplication and subtraction in math, the student recited the multiplication facts in rhyme. She expects that at the end of the class students will be able to memorize and master the content. 

Behavior Expectations: 

• Students are expected to participate in the class

• Clap for themselves

• Raise hand while answering questions

 The norms of the class that support high students’ performance

• Fun learning

• Everyone participates

• Everyone is appreciated

Procedure of the class:

• Students sit on the carpet

• Students recite some multiplication rhyme

• The teacher writes on the board

• Students continue to recite the rhyme

• Teacher ask students to clap for themselves

• Teachers ask questions by writing some subtraction problem of on the board students raise their hand to answer questions

The third video Whole Brain training: teacher models a teaching using hands and other body movements and allows students to do the same.

Academic Expectations: Teachers expect that students master the teaching point using hand movement, at the end of the lesson students will be able to teach each other the strategy of using hand movement to demonstrate a lesson. Students are expected to function faster just as the brain functions fast. Students are expected to be challenged and full of energy

Behavior Expectations:

• Students are expected to participate in the activity

• Students should be engaged

• They interact and communicate with one another

Some norms of the class that show high expectations of students

• Fun learning

• Energetic learning

• collaboration

Procedure of the class:

• Teacher models the lesson by using hands to demonstrate

• Students repeat what the teacher has done and they share with each other

• Teacher calls students’ attention to the page number they are working on

• Students quickly repeat the page number several times

• Students model the crazy professor

• Students do some super speed reading in a group of two.

Following this strategy of the whole brain teaching, I like the teaching method, it allows for students to realize that just like the brain they could also function fast.

SETTING HIGH PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION FOR MY STUDENTS

Looking at the three videos, the teacher in the first video really had high expectations for the students, as a classroom teacher I will adopt her strategies and techniques she used on the students during the project. Having expected that at the end of the lesson students will be able to be creative thinkers and problem solvers. As a teacher, I respect my students and set equal expectations for them. Their styles of achieving the expectations might differ but the standard still remains the same. According to a quote in Art and Science of teaching “A teacher's beliefs about students’ chances of success in school influence the teacher’s actions with students, which in turn influence students’ achievement. If the teacher believes students can succeed, she tends to behave in ways that help them succeed” I agree with this saying because as a teacher what I belief about a student’s chances of success in school influences my actions and reactions with students, this can influence the performance and achievements of the student. One thing I do is to believe in the student, when I believe students can succeed, it sharpens the way I behave to help the students to succeed.  Teacher’s reaction to students influences their learning.

Setting high expectations for all our students will help them develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses. As teachers, our curriculum and pedagogy should reflect these expectations. The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework also states that “Teachers should develop expectations for students’ success in class and then behave in ways that are consistent with these expectations.” We can state that we expect our students to perform and achieve high standards but it is crucial that our behavior promotes that achievement. If we continue with our preconceived thoughts or behaviors, the academics of our students will suffer.

Being a teacher one thing I do is to believe in my students, when students know that I believe in them, they will in turn believe in themselves, making the expectations of what students should know and be able to accomplish is a way to have students understand the standard. I expect that my students should be able to express themselves and be able to share ideas and be problem solvers. Students should be able to understand some verbal and nonverbal reinforcement that I use. For elementary level using nonverbal reinforcement like smiling at students at the necessary time, making direct eye contact, show interest in what is saying, can encourage students and make them feel comfortable to share their opinions and ideas and this supports their learning, nonverbal reinforcement is important to setting high expectations for all students, it makes them feel at ease in the classroom setting, and be more receptive to learning. Some verbal reinforcement will be; telling students they have enough time to think and give their response, repeating questions or re-teaching lesson for students to have better understanding.

Verbal reinforcement will be used equally for all students, it’s one of the most powerful types of positive reinforcement that a teacher can use. It sets the tone for what is expected of the students at any given time, also using positive reinforcements with all students will encourage the positive behavior of students.

Most lessons are best at mastery especially in math, the second video where students were reciting the multiplication fact is a typical example of what we did in my grade 3 class. Students are expected to know the times table and be very quick at multiplying numbers. For whole brain training, I have not tried this strategy but I believe this strategy will allow students to function fast, using this method, students will assimilate information fast and be able to reproduce. 

In creating high performance learning environment, students work purposefully and relentlessly to achieve their goal overcoming all obstacles. As an effective teacher, I will assume full responsibility for moving my students forward to meet their ambitious academic goals. Given the many unique obstacles that students may face, whether because of inequitable school resources or the challenges of poverty, determination to

ensure students fulfill their true potential requires an unusual level of purposefulness and determination and that is my target for my students. 

It is our responsibilities as teachers to drive our students and not limit them on their educational paths.

References

Kelly Goodrich., July 15, 2012. “The Importance of Setting Classroom and Student Expectations.”

https://www.nwea.org/blog/2012/the-importance-of-setting-classroom-and-student-expectations/

Robert Marzano. "The Art and Science of Teaching": A Comprehensive Framework  for effective instructions.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/platform-user-content/prod-copy/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf