Tale of Two Classrooms

Read the Sample Below:

"Mr. Kohn has been a teacher for twenty years and has an approach that seems to work for him. Students aren't very active during his class, but they maintain adequate test scores with a few instances of minor student disruptions each week. While the test scores with few instances of minor student disruptions each week. While the test scores aren't exactly the highest in the district, they're enough to get by. Students who perform at a high level are left alone. Students who act out or perform at a lower level get more attention.

Mr. Skinner's classroom runs a bit differently. He's been there a few years less, but he's managed to gain quite a reputation for turning out productive students who speak highly about his methods. He monitors progress and pays attention to how many opportunities each student has to engage in activities throughout the day. Some students like certain activities more than others, and he uses information on their preferences to keep them motivated. His students say that learning is fun, good things happen when they're learning. They're never bored. They seem to consistently go above and beyond minimum expectations.

So what's the key difference in what they're doing? Mr. Skinner focuses on behaviors, not just outcomes. He focuses on engagement, ensuring that each student gets ample opportunities to succeed. High-performing students shouldn't be ignored because they seem fine on their own. All students deserve opportunities to grow, all students have unique needs, and all students have their own likes and dislikes. You need high-achieving students, but it's the way you get there that offers the critical opportunity for growth (Gavoni & Weatherly, 12)."