I can’t believe the first course if over already! I guess it’s a good thing that I feel like I still have SO much to learn! It’s exciting to think of a year from now and how I will have been changed as an educator.
In my classroom, I’ve been able to implement quite a few of the concepts that we’ve covered in Explorations in MBT. The BTT model fits in well with what I’m already doing, but I think to know the WHY is important- and now that I know WHY students need consistency, comfort, to know the big ideas etc..., I can be a more effective teacher. A lot of times good practice is instinctual we just do it because it makes sense, but knowing the rationale and research behind our practices is invaluable!
Our week 8 group discussion about how fear affects students and their learning was very timely. I have a situation in my classroom this year where we have a violent student who is quite unpredictable. Of course I realize that he affects the learning environment and his peers but I never thought of it in terms of the chemical processes of the brain. I wonder how able the students are to learn if they are often in “fight or flight” mode. The course has armed me information that I have taken to my administration. Hopefully, the spring will find us with a better solution!
I’m quite interested in autism spectrum disorders, so I am keen to learn more about the differences these children have and how better to support them in the classroom. Having my masters in reading, I’m also keen to find out more about the brain research behind reading acquisition and development to inform not only my teaching but also hopefully the parents who worry about developmental delays.
1 comment:
Hi Allyson,
Quite a while ago I also had a similar situation in a third grade class. A very violent child (let’s call him Joseph) basically terrorized everyone while cursing a blue streak. This little boy’s father was in prison, and his mother was suspected to be on drugs.
What I found myself doing was training the rest of the class. After each explosive incident if the other child or children were able to ignore him, the class would all get a reward. It got to the point that when he slammed the door as he reported to the principal, the whole class in unison would put their hands over their ears as he walked across the room!
I also rewarded Joseph if he was able to make it through the day without incident. He loved staying after school to clap erasers, clean the board, and straighten the room. I think he also enjoyed the opportunity to talk to me one to one. Over time his mom saw this as free babysitting and insisted that his little brother in first grade join him after school, too. Of course, they would fight and carry on, so that was the end of that! Interestingly no other reward motivated him. Joseph became even angrier when his after school duties ended. He even tried to beat up the kids who took his place.
Eventually the other parents had enough of his antics. One spring day as we were preparing to go on a field trip, he threw a chair at one of the parent chaperones. She decided to press charges. The next day the police arrived at my door. So Joseph was expelled – for the remainder of the year! I still think about Joseph. Believe it or not, I really liked him since I got to know him during the after school sessions. He had a sense of humor and worked like a little beaver. I often wonder what happened to him. The school system failed him terribly. This happened more than 30 years ago. I think things have improved since then… but, in my opinion, not enough yet.
Well, anyway, speaking of the impact emotions can have on learning I have a great website for you to visit. Promise me that you’ll check out this very informative website - ASAP. It’s McGill University’s “The Brain from Top to Bottom.” I have been using this as my “Go To” for about the last six years or so. The generous folks at McGill continue to up-date and improve the site as new research becomes available.
Here is the link:
http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/index.php
Best regards,
Sharon
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