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Students as Volunteers
What did you learn from reading the Working on the Work book or attending this session, that would lead you to the notion that the student is a volunteer and what they volunteer is their attention and commitment?
23 comments:
Students have to want to be there. If a student is not interested and doesn't want to be there, then the time will be wasted and many of the students will not retain the information we are trying to teach them.
from Barbara, El, Jean, Lorrie, and Sharon K.,
Attention and committment will be increased if as teachers we design authentic for "their real world", not ours.
Students come to school everyday. It is our job as teachers to engage them and to provide a meaningful connection. The students need to see a clear purpose for their product.-Katie
From Shannon S. and Michele G. River Road
We have a group of students for a certain amount of time. We need to create a learning atmosphere that makes the students want to be there. This will give them the oppotunity to learn as much as possible.
Our customers volunteer their minds and actions to learn. If the enviroment is not engaging then behavior problems will arise and learning will not be productive.
Although middle school students are required, by law, to be in school, their attention and desire to learn is voluntary. Teachers must present information in ways that encourage and motivate students to want to participate in the learning process.
I never thought of students volunteering their attention, but this is a good point. When I put myself in their shoes, I do the same thing as the students. I may be present but it doesn't mean you have my full attention. That only happens either when I give it or the presenter has something that captures my attention. I think if teachers keep this idea in mind, it will help with learning and classroom management.
Students need to have an interest in what is going on in our classroom. They have to have the desire to be there and the willingness to participate. If they don't want to be there, they are not learning anything.
Students are NO different than all of us!!! We've all sat in meetings-looking engageed, yet wondering how much longer it was going to last!!! Only when the information directly impacts us do we give it our FULL attention. Students' minds can't help but wander into all other areas UNLESS the teacher has taken the time to make the lesson and the classroom THE PLACE TO BE at the time!
We deliver many things to students on a daily basis. They are our customers and can refuse our service if we can't deliver. Packaging is everything. If it doesn't smell right to a student they won't take a bite! They voluntarily engage or unplug.
They bring all they have each day. All they have is their commitment and attention, however if teachers send the message that those two elements simply are not enough, then students will withdraw. Learning will not occur!
You can make a student come to school, but you cannot make them learn while he/she is at school. A student is a volunteer in the learning process. If teachers design engaging lessons then students will volunteer their effort and learn the standard that is being taught.
We are all volunteers in life. We get out what we put in!
I like what Cheryl and Christie had to say and I agree wholeheartedly with them both. Student are physically present because they must be, but whether they give their attention and commitment to their work is their choice. No matter how many lessons we plan or how many units we design, if a student is not willing to volunteer his or her participation, then the work will never get done.
I agree with Christie and Cheryl
This idea is closely tied to the perception of students as customers. The teacher can have so much valuable information to share and exciting tasks to complete; however, if the student chooses not to volunteer his/her attention and commitment to the task, nothing will be gained from the experience. Using the frameworks to design engaging lessons encourages teachers to determine the needs of each student to provoke them to volunteer their attention. Then, the teacher must design work that will meet the motivational needs of the student to volunteer.
Emily Wilson
Students may be there in body, but not in mind. Remember the saying, "do as you've always done and get what you've always got?" If teachers don't create an inviting, meaningful, atmosphere in the classroom, students will not volunteer their minds. They will not truly be a part of the class. They will be in strategic or ritual compliance or worse -- retreatism or rebellion.
If the students interests are met, they will learn and be engaged. We have to cater to their needs, not our own.
Teachers must design their lessons so that students want to be volunteers. We want them to want to be there.
Attending the W.O.W. conference was a worthwhile time. Why? Becuase I learned so much without sitting through dull lectures. I would not have learned nearly what I did if the structure (design) had not been what it was! My attention during the sessions nor my committment to remembering what I learned and redeliver to my teachers would have been far less.
When lessons are designed we need to remember if students have no interest in what is being taught and the way it is being presented, learning will not take place. Students are our consumers and we must meet their needs!
I learned that even though students have to be in school, they do not have to learn. It is up to us as teachers, to ensure that students learn. We, in a sense, have a product to sell. We have to entice our customers and get them to believe that what we have for them is something worth their while, and beneficial to them.
Although it is mandatory for students to attend school, that have the choice of being active learners. As teachers, we must provide engaging work that encourages them to volunteer their attention and commitment.
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