Team 2 Letter

Instruction (Mckenzie)

Dear Ms. Wormwood,

It’s your coaching team and to bring Calvin and the rest of his classmates engaged in your lessons some of your instructions must change. One of the ways is by changing your instruction style, and by changing it or making little tweaks students can start to actually want to learn in your class. You should use interest theory and self determination theory as a way for the subject matter to be taught. You could explain to Calvin that math is used to understand the distance between stars, planets, and Earth, as well as to calculate the paths of spaceships. You should give Calvin an assignment to calculate the distance between stars and have him use addition and multiplication to calculate the total distance between them. This would allow Calvin to practice his math skills while connecting the lesson to something he is interested in. By making the math activity relevant to Calvin's interests, you could increase his topic interest and motivation to participate in the lesson. Another connection you should make is between your geography lesson and Calvin's interest in dinosaurs. This activity is where Calvin draws a map showing where he thinks different dinosaurs would have lived in a specific area. Or Calvon identify which dinosaurs lived on land and which animals lived in the ocean. This would allow Calvin to use his creativity while learning about geography and different environments. Using this instruction material you can connect to Calvin by aligning these lessons above to keep him interested in your subject matter. By adding interest theory to the subjects this can activate the self-determination theory where Calvin and the other students have three basic psychological needs which are autonomy, competency, and relatedness. Once they have all three they can use regulation to do their work and it can help motivate them into wanting to learn from your instruction. The spectrum of motivation that can help you understand the students better. The spectrum includes Amotivation -> extrinsic motivation -> intrinsic motivation. Amotivation is where students have a lack of value, learned helplessness and low self-esteem. The next one is extrinsic motivation and that is where regulation comes in and the different levels. The final one is intrinsic motivation where students are finally interested in learning. Knowing all of this you can make different lessons where students choose part of the activity and be interested in that subject. Make sure the content you are teaching to Calvin and the rest of your students is going through to them, you can make certain goals to the classroom. This will help Calvin and the other students self-regulate. An example of this is when by having a reflection of each big assignment. You have to hold the students accountable for their actions in your class. Class management and instruction go hand in hand because if you can’t control the class and keep them in check, the students won’t understand the instruction you are giving them. Another way to use instruction is by praising the students but be careful because even though it’s praise it still can turn out bad, even if you have the right intentions. Harmful praise can be “You are so smart,” and if you do this publicly students will stop believing in themselves and the student receiving if for example Calvin it can possibly create a big head and the student won’t do the work or listen, etc. Instead you need to do “You work hard,” and it can set the student up for success because they believe in themselves and have them engaged in your lesson. Also, celebrate the small wins for the class by setting goals and completing them, celebrate it or do individual goals. For example you can set a goal for Calvin like for a month have him pay attention in class and that he does his work he can get a prize. A model to help use goal setting as part of the instruction, you need to learn about TARGET. TARGET is Task, Authority, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time.The most important is Time; it includes the pace of the instruction. This could be good for Calvin because then he can be on track in your instruction. Authority can help foster Calvin into having a sense of ownership, like choosing the activity for the day.  By setting these goals Calvin can make internal goals that will shape how he learns and understands content.

Classroom Management (Michael)

It has been brought to our attention that you suck; here are some ideas to help you improve your classroom management with Calvin. It seems as though your only solution to Calvin misbehaving is yelling at him or sending him to the principals office. Have you considered that maybe he is misbehaving because you are not fostering a good classroom environment for him to learn in? Instead of yelling at him every time he acts out, try and analyze where he is coming from and what you can do to keep him interested and foster his motivation to learn. As discovered through the expectancy belief theory, if you believe that Calvin will act out, he will be more likely to do so. Instead, try treating him as you do the other students. There is no need to always be asking him questions when you know he doesn't know the answer. You could also try to create a classroom environment that encourages mastery goals as opposed to the performance goals currently being encouraged. This could help Calvin and other students be more motivated to learn in your class as explored in achievement goal theory. Calvin may also misbehave less if you help him stay connected (interest theory) by relating classroom learning to his interests. My peers and I sincerely hope you take our advice in assisting Calvin with his educational endeavors.

One-on-One Interactions (Carter)

In your one-on-one interactions with Calvin, he would likely greatly benefit from encouragement from you, even when he fails. This encouragement is extremely valuable when based on his potential to succeed. Calvin needs to understand that he is not predetermined to succeed or fail at any given subject or assignment, but that by his own efforts he can become successful in all of his subjects, which is a growth mindset. This can be achieved by teaching him and the other students how to make a study plan for an upcoming exam, how to manage time devoted to an upcoming project, and checking in periodically with him to see how he is progressing. Knowing you care and are there to answer questions through the process will give Calvin tools to prepare for future tasks confidently. Another way you can help Calvin develop a growth mindset is to praise his successes by praising his effort. Telling him that he did well because he worked hard and NOT because of any inherent ability will give him a vision of himself as hard working and capable. These little instances of praise are especially meaningful when they are one-on-one. Finally, when Calvin does fail, it is crucial that you help him see his failures not as inevitable, but as results of his personal efforts in study and preparation. 

Another area in which you can help Calvin to better succeed in your class is to engage him based on his interests. Getting to know Calvin is an essential part of this, which can be achieved by asking him about himself, what interests him, and what he likes to do in his free time. These one-on-one interactions can be at the door before class and during class activities. These small, personal conversations will not only show Calvin that you care, but also give you information about him that you can use to make your curriculum more suited to his interests and keep him engaged in school. 

Moving on, Calvin is obviously unmotivated. You have technically been attempting to motivate him by berating him publicly, but that obviously isn’t having the desired effect. He now resents you and will listen less to what you have to say. You can start by giving Calvin more creative control over his assignments, especially big projects. Give him a couple of options for the medium and a couple of options for the subject matter. That way, he will feel like he has control over his own education. Next, you need to give Calvin opportunities to succeed. Once you have created an activity that is especially appealing to Calvin, encourage him personally to participate and tell him that you think he will do well. This will hopefully motivate him to at least try, and likely succeed. A pattern of successes will lead to more. Make Calvin feel like he belongs. When you greet him at the door in the morning, tell him good morning and welcome him to class. Ask him questions about himself, and encourage him personally to make friends with the other children, and vice-versa. 

It is important that you listen to Calvin and answer his concerns honestly and genuinely. You are far too quick to brush him off and move on with the lesson. That method is not helpful and Calvin is the one who suffers for it. Calvin currently has no goals. He doesn’t see how anything to do with school will help him in his personal life. You can change his mind about that by explaining the purpose behind class activities and projects and lessons. Let Calvin see the bigger picture. When he asks you “what is the point of x, y, z?” answer him honestly! He’s not trying to trick you. He doesn’t understand. He is six. Be clear with him, and encourage his curiosity and courage for asking questions in front of the class. 

Not only making goals for the entire classroom, but helping Calvin make his own goals will greatly improve his classroom participation and educational success. For each day, let him make his own goals that he wants to achieve by the end of the school day. Give him total control over this! If he has questions, answer them kindly and helpfully. When Calvin turns in homework, give him genuine feedback for how he can improve and what he has done well. If there is a large project you want the students to complete, give Calvin plenty of time, plenty of reminders, and offer plenty of support throughout the process. 

By doing these things, you will be able to greatly influence Calvin through your one-on-one interactions and you will see him progress. Please be kinder to him.

Assessment (Sarah)

In addition, Calvin’s motivation surrounding his exams has been seen to be lacking. Whether going on a tangent, daydreaming, or fighting back during his exams, he does not want to complete them and has a negative attitude around them. One issue surrounding exams and assignments is that Calvin has a strong mastery avoidant perspective towards school. He wants to be perceived as smart but doesn’t want to actually put the work in. Calvin might be willing to try on his exams if he is able to have multiple attempts to get something right. Calvin might also do well with goal setting and self-reflection. Avoiding mentioning grades out loud when handing papers back can also help avoid the performance-approach to motivation. Calvin also doesn’t feel autonomous or competent during his exams. He feels controlled and has messaging from himself and his peers that he isn’t capable of achieving. He also is disinterested in the material and struggles to understand its relevance to him. To help fix this, I recommend providing Calvin with opportunities for choice in his assessments, such as assigning projects with various options or giving him the chance to choose something he’s interested in. This will help spark interest, keep him engaged, allow him to feel like he is more in control of the situation, and create a connection to something he may be more academically comfortable with. Calvin could also benefit from more positive or encouraging feedback and support before, during, and after the test taking environment. Calvin often self-handicaps or believes that no one expects anything of him, so showing him that encouragement could be incredibly beneficial. Finally, Calvin’s experience with assessments could be shifted with an increase in varied kinds of assessments. Rather than just presentations, essays, and written tests, including drafts, goal setting, and self-reflection in formal and informal settings can all help Calvin become more self-regulated surrounding assessments. 

Communication with Calvin's Parents (Amber)

The strategies talked about above must go further than the classroom in order to be effective. Calvin’s parents should be aware of strategies used in the classroom so that they can be implemented at home as well. This is what will help structure Calvin’s routine and it will stay consistent throughout the entire day. 

At the beginning of the school year, I think it would be beneficial for you to send out a take-home survey for parents of your students. This survey will include questions about Calvin’s background, preferred languages, interests, motivations, what he likes to do for fun, academic strengths, and anything else you’d like to know. This way, you can get to know Calvin better and see how his home-life is different from how he is at school. You can also start to foster a connection with his parents this way.

As far as strategies at home go, one strategy to discuss with parents is their expectations. Expectations at-home for Calvin should be clear and structured. Calvin should know what is expected of him and what he needs to do to reach this point. Parent expectations should be high, but also reasonable. They should think highly of him, so that he can start thinking highly of himself. They can also align with school expectations, so that Calvin is not confused. Expectations can be something that parents and Calvin can create together. Calvin can create a reasonable goal at the beginning of the day and work towards it. He can also create goals before starting his homework so that he does not overwhelm himself. He can write a structured list of everything he needs to get done. He can set timers while he does certain tasks in order to regulate himself and choose his own pacing, so he has authority over his learning. After doing homework or getting a test grade back, have him reflect on what he did well and what he could possibly do better next time. This way, he can continue to grow and foster a growth mindset. He needs to learn how to take authority of his own work instead of blaming others. 

If Calvin does reach the expectation, try not to reward him. This will undermine his intrinsic motivation and enable him to do work solely to gain a reward. This goes the same for attendance and grades. Instead, encourage Calvin and give him positive specific praise when he does a great job. Continue to push him and create deeper meanings in school. Explain why he is doing the assignments he is doing, and explain the importance behind it. Instead of Calvin just doing assignments so that he can be better than his peers, explaining the context will help motivate Calvin as he may actually see purpose behind his work, and want to get the benefits from it. 

If Calvin is struggling to meet these standards, look at it like this: bad grades does not mean he does not have the ability to do the work. It is just a mistake that he can fix. But, let Calvin fix these mistakes himself. He needs to be able to see what went wrong and how to fix it. But grades are not all that matters. I would argue the most important is the growth behind the grades. Has Calvin grown since the last test? What strategies did he use to do better this time? What is the goal for next time? Acknowledge quality over quantity. Be sure not to compare Calvin to others. Whether this be friends, neighbors, or siblings, this tends to encourage Calvin to do the same and start to compare himself to others, which weakens his intrinsic motivation.

Finally, show interest in Calvin’s life and show him that you care. When he comes home from school, ask him how his day was. Ask him what he learned. Children can thrive in an environment where they feel safe to talk about anything, and they feel like people actually are interested in what they have to say. Eat dinner at the table together, create a community at home. Encourage Calvin to try new things. Whether that be joining a club or starting a new hobby, encourage him to do things that he enjoys doing. When Calvin is playing with Hobbes, listen to what he’s imagining or thinking. This will help you get to know him more and learn more about the type of person he is and wants to be.

Sincerely, 

Mckenzie, Michael, Carter, Sarah, and Amber