Laura Secory

EDU 462/562

5:15 – 10:45

Article Review #2

            I am very excited to write this essay about the school I worked at for nine years. Harding Middle school was featured on Iowa Public Television on March 26^th 2013 for schools that have dealt with bully and harassment. This is a high poverty and diverse school with 95 percent of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. This was once a troubled school that dealt with almost daily fights, suicide threats, threats on killing others, and the police was at the building on a regular basis. Harding started making a gradual transformation four years ago. The school obtained a new administration and along with the staff they have built a positive culture in the school.  

            This video features Maureen Taylor, principal at Harding Middle School. She talks about how the staff has worked very hard to build relationships with the students and have empowered them to take control and make each other accountable for their actions. Harding has designed a practice called “Behavior First”. Meaning that they cannot change the students’ academics until the behavior is under control. The administration and staff always put behavior first. The teachers meet every Friday and they rate every student 6^th – 8^th grade as to where if they have been positive, neutral, or negative on their behaviors. These ratings are then reviewed with the students during advisory class on Monday and Wednesday mornings. During advisory class the students then rate themselves and they have to explain why they are giving themselves that rating. The advisory teacher then looks at the teachers’ ratings and check if they match. If they do not, they discuss as a class the issue and come up with a solution as a group. The reason why they do it as a group is to bring accountability to the student while the other students listen and give their view. As the students’ ratings become positive on a regular basis, they are allowed to become part of the Wolf Pack. Some of these kids are then nominated to be part of the student government. This is a high level opportunity for students to have a positive influence over their peers. These students need to demonstrate positive behavior inside and outside of school. There are incentives for working towards positive behavior and they come in the form of privileges such as special school events. This program of “Wolf Pack” is run by the Vice Principal. Jake Troja.

            Harding also offers a class called Hip Hop, Rhetoric, and Rhyme class. This class uses current culture as a forum to combine civics, literacy, and history objectives. This class is run by teachers Kristopher Rollins and Emily Lang. In this class students explore how to be a force for change. Emily Lang states that they have a phrase called “Energetic Reciprocity” and the idea is to always build each other up and never tear each other down as they hold students to high standards. They also lead a poetry movement that has inspired some students to create change by sharing their truth through spoken words of poetry. This has encouraged students to discover the power of their words and their voices. This has allowed students to form solutions to problems in school and in their community.

            As you have read, behaviors did not change overnight. However, the staff and administration changed the culture of a school that once seemed hopeless. These programs worked because the staff was patient, learned the students’ needs, built relationships, and were consistent. This is a very powerful change and I am blessed to have been part of it.  

References

Bullying in iowa schools/harding middle school [Television series episode]. (2013). In Bullying in Iowa Schools. Iowa Public Television. Retrieved from http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/33531/bis_20130326_bully_harding

Article Review

Laura Secory

EDU 462/562

5:15 – 10:45

Article Review #1

            One of the many challenges a new teacher faces in the first years of teaching is classroom management. As I was doing my research, I came across many interesting situations of teachers struggling to control the negative environment in their classroom. I also came across some articles that provided positive methods of use for students with behavioral issues. However, many did not mention the key method of turning those students’ behaviors around, which in my opinion is building relationships and knowing your students. The articles I selected are geared towards positive environment and motivating students. We have enough awareness of the different types of misbehaved students and their demeanors; my focus is on how to veer them into a successful path and future.

            The first article I selected is called Improving Social and Academic Outcomes for All Learners Through the use of Teacher Praise by M. Marchant and D. Anderson. This article covers many of the topics we have been learning in our text book. It begins with the behavior issues in the classroom and how it interrupts learning because the teacher’s focus shifts to the student’s behavior. At times the teacher’s approach is confrontational and this hinders the trust and relationship between teacher and student. Therefore, one of the methods they suggest is to use a proactive approach in the classroom and not punishment. The proactive perspective consists of giving the students warmth, kindness, sincerity, and patience. The goal is that students will in turn demonstrate confidence and reciprocate the aptitudes the teacher has modeled to them. It also emphasizes teacher-student relationships by showing trust and respect towards each other. This allows the student to be more receptive to any disciplinary action from the teacher, because of the built trust the teacher has established between them. In addition, it creates a positive and secure environment for those students who come from broken homes and the classroom becomes a safe haven for them. Another method the article talks about is engaging students: Opportunities to Respond (OTR). This method consists in providing students an opportunity to engage in classroom discussions and if they respond correctly the teacher reinforces their effort with praise. One of the ideas I liked was giving students praise notes. The students receive praise notes after they have completed an assignment. Their findings have been that students with behavioral issues had a positive impact. Many students have very low self-esteem and do not hear praises or positive feedback very often. This builds confidence in a student and gives him or her sense of belonging. This article emphasis is on positive reinforcement, praise, teacher role modeling, and applying these principles with students so they can have successful outcomes in the classroom.

Overall, this article’s theme of turning the students’ negative behavior into a positive one by building relationships and knowing the student is very similar to what we have learned so far. A teacher’s job is not just to teach a subject, but to teach patience, love, hope, and to never give up. Unfortunately, nowadays many families are broken and values are too. These students need to be reassured that they are valued and that they matter in society and as teachers we should make them aware of it.

           

References

Marchant, M. and Anderson, D.H. (2012). Improving Social and Academic Outcomes for All Learners Through the Use of Teacher Praise. Beyond Behavior, v21 n3 p22-28 Spr 2012 Retrieved from, http://www.ccbd.net/sites/default/files/bebe-21-03-22.pdf