Ed. Symposium Reflection EDCI 720

Author: admin  //  Category: Uncategorized

Name:

Name of Session:

How to Motivate Teens

Presenter (Name, Position, Educational Affiliation/School District, etc.):

Dr. Brad Burenheide

COE Academic Affair Members Of KSU

(Secondary Education)

Brief Description of the Session:

This is the most interesting session of all. He explained motivation theory by making connection with his own kids. The intention is to show the variance of students (teachers are going to have them) as well as their motivations that need to be channeled properly to ensure their engagements to lessons are fullest. I love his idea that focus more on help students learn how to learn by providing lots of techniques that I have never thought of before. In the end of the lecture, he wanted us to have these three things in minds:

a) student centered

b) engaging students

c) Good teaching by deemphasize grades and meeting their challenges.

In the sections below, identify 2-3 examples of the sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive benefits that you gained from attending the session as a future teacher of CLD students. Given the presentation, you may not be able to identify 2-3 examples for each area, but I will be looking for a minimum of 6 total benefits in at least two of the areas below. In addition to identifying overall benefits, please try to identify 3-5 classroom tips that you gained from the session (place these tips in the most appropriate area(s) below).

Sociocultural Benefits

Students’ motivation can be improved by lowering their affective filter. The presenter did not mention this, however I relate to it when he said about building rapport between teacher and students.

Classroom Tips:

Building rapport can be done through:

a) Engagements with students’ daily life activities, asking them, greeting them.

b) Knowing students strengths- what makes he/she comes to class (family,motivation,ambition?) and act upon it.

Linguistic Benefits

Teacher can improve students’ language/linguistic ability by using appropriate, concrete and understandable examples even if it is in their native language.

Classroom Tips:

Teacher needs to find material that is relevant and suit their level. Teacher can give them something tangible because this will help them to learn.

Give positive feedbacks as this would help to support them that they can do well especially in mastering the academic language.

Academic Benefits

Students learn in many ways because they are different. As teachers, we have to stay enthusiastic by having multiple learning strategies to suit our clients.

Classroom Tips:

Make them engage in an activity that is open and positive. Activities must be varied as it must be into open learning atmosphere that is open and positive.

Their responses should be valued and validated according to the curriculum.

Giving them appropriate responses help them feel that they are valued members of learning communities. Thus, it increases their study motivation.

Cognitive Benefits

Students have multiple intelligences. It means our students are different and it is best if we can identify their uniqueness. After identifying, use and apply motivation theories to “activate the switch”.

Classroom Tips:

a) Students in incentive motivation group can be given appraisal as there are very self efficacies.

b) For extrinsic motivator, teacher can manipulate classroom learning by giving them external reward, let him/her to present, be a leader as it drives him/her.

First assg in MUlticultural Issues.

Author: admin  //  Category: Uncategorized

Name:Rahsia

ID: rahsia

Subject: EDCI 755 (Multicultural Issues in Teaching)

What is An American? Defined American?

I have to define what is an American for my multicultural studies. In order to get a brief idea what is an American, I have to interview any one (selected) around me (regardless of his/her nationalities) and tell his/her opinions. I grab Melissa and her husband, Michael. Both mention the same thing “people having freedom, independent, being able to make their own choices, and have an entrepreneurial spirit, people can make their life better”. I am perplexed by this answer, because of so many reasons.

After our Friday congregational prayer, I managed to ask my American Muslim friend, his name is Omar, Irish descendant living in Chapman. He gave me definition from legal point of view, “being born and naturalized in United States”. However, his additional view somehow perplexed me again because usually people in United States will prefer to ask who is not American rather than who is an American, accusing others of not being patriotic enough. For example, Republican will accuse the Democrat of not being patriotic.

If taken both of opinions above, indeed it is very difficult to identify who is an American and who is not. There is not solid parameter to do that. Only we can tell who we are. Determining who the person is needs us to go back of his/her background, looking at what/who’s made him. I can not measure the level of freedom a person has or life is better or being able to naturalize here because those are very relative in nature and it is circumstantial.

I believe as a Malaysian, we have freedom to express our point of views, I am very much independent guy and not afraid of anything as long as I do not do something that is against the law and I believe life is good and better (in Malaysia) compared to other places in this world. It means I have those qualities defined and being mentioned by my American friends. Am I now an American?

I tend to analyze more my American friends’ definitions of being an American. I suspected this idea might be from the Declaration of Independence 1776. I choose this thinking that this was the beginning of United States of America, my friends’ background schemata are developed from their history lessons of this Declaration. Again, the essence of it convinces me that we are in fact basically the same; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”1 How does it differ with the Islamic principles of freedom as clearly mentioned by our predecessors when he wanted to liberate Persian2? The situation might be different but the context will always be the same. American vs. British Hegemony and Narrowness of this world vs. Spaciousness of Hereafter. It is about the basic element of human, having freedom based on our own conscience compared to animals.

In conclusion, my American friends defined American based on the essence of human principality so it goes the same to me because we are all the same. As a teacher, it is a must for us to prepare educational equity regardless of who our students are.

Reference:

1. The Unanimous Declaration of Thirteen United States of America, (July 4, 1776)

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm (Sept 1st 2008)

2. Ali Nadvi A.H, The Responsibilities of Muslims in The West

http://www.albalagh.net/food_for_thought/responsibilities_muslims_west.shtml (Sept 1st 2008)