Effective Teaching Methods for Ms. Wormwood
Teaching Methods Effective at Fostering Positive Motivational Patterns:
There is a cycle created by Zimmerman that students need to regularly go through in order to have the self-regulation method to be effective:
1. This starts with planning, goal setting, and analyzing the task. This means setting goals that are attainable by using time management and planning.
2. When reforming the task, it is about trying to use effective strategies and be willing to receive feedback.
3. It is also important to reflect through self monitoring and self evaluation (self-assessment and journaling).
Big factors in this method in-order for it to be effective:
( Paris & Paris 2001 Pg.93)
1. Giving students choice is what they are learning about (when possible) and in what type of projects they engage in.
2. The work (assignments) having real world application.
The main types of projects that fit into the self regulation theory according to Paris & Paris 2001 Pg.94.:
1. Portfolios: This can be useful because it helps to understand progress as well as, helping to recount what students found interesting.
2. Peer-collaborative work: This allows students to find motivation through working together to accomplish a goal together and possibly using many different skills the students possibly, individually, learned.
3. Problem based learning: This gives purpose to assignments.
Connecting to Ms. Wormwood :
This comic shows Ms. Wormwood giving whole group instruction in a very boring manner. Calvin simply notes this. To some extent this is Clavin showing metacognition as he knows this type of learning is ineffective for his brain and motivation. A way Ms. Wormwood could combat this is by using whole group instruction time to teach skills like having a collaborative conversation (Paris & Paris 2001 pg.93) and how to use the technology available (Paris & Paris 2001 Pg.94) to the students in order to have more ownership of their learning. For here students could collaborate on problem based assessments and assignments with real word application.
This would be an opportunity for Ms.Wormwood to give integers real word application opposed to shutting Clavin down and ignoring him. By providing real world application in this moment Clavin might start to understand why they matter and this could shift his motivation levels in math. In this situation Ms.Wormwood could also introduce a problem based assignment dealing with integers to make the learning process easier in terms of paying attention as Calvin would need to understand the information given to him in order to succeed in the assignment.
Calvin in these comics is saying that he does not understand the real-world application of what he is learning. This is something Ms. Wormwood needs to learn to explicitly explain and apply to projects in order for the projects/assessments/assessments to be authentic giving them purpose. This would increase students' motivation if they saw the purpose.
It is clear that Calvin is interested in dinosaurs. This would be something Ms.Wormwood could put into Calvin's Portfolio. The portfolio can be used to track his interests and progress. In this example Calvin right now thinks saying "they're so much cooler," is enough of a reasoning. By the end of the year Calvin and Ms.Wormwood could set a goal for his writing to have better reasoning by having Calvin do research and work on his writing skills. This could be tracked in his portfolio and would be helpful during and at the end of the year to see his progress. This would help him reflect on his learning and growth.