taniapryorsbportfolio.files.wordpress.com · Web viewOptimism beats in the heart of every teacher. That quality allows them to see the reality of a situation, yet believe they can

Running head: CONNECTING ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Connecting Engagement with Student Performance

Tania S. Pryor

Seattle Pacific University

Spring 2014

CONNECTING ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Optimism beats in the heart of every teacher. That quality allows them to see the reality of

a situation, yet believe they can make a difference and do what is needed to achieve a better

reality. Teachers want to create a society where citizen make decisions based on knowledge and

understanding, where people are respected and cherished, and where the innocent are nurtured.

Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for defending

education for women said, “Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful

weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world” (retrieved Feb. 2,

2014). Teachers must believe this assertion or all of our hard work and efforts are in vain.

Within classrooms, secondary teachers have the power to influence students for a brief

fifty-five minutes, one hundred eighty days a year. These numbers translate to barely three

percent of the one hundred eighty days they are in school. Three percent doesn’t seem that much

when an average child is in school for twenty-seven percent of the time of those one hundred

eighty days a year. Compare that to the average child watching some sort of screen for nearly

sixteen percent of every day at home. As educators, teachers try to fit in as much as possible

into the short time they have with students. During that brief time, teachers must offer grade-

specific content to their students, teach them how to deal with the ups and downs of life, and

build solid relationships with them. The amazing thing is that many teachers are able to

accomplish this every day, despite the constraints. Still, some students cannot be reached

academically or emotionally, and those same successful teachers agonize over this failure to

connect.

Middle school special education teachers are faced with the daunting task of bringing their

students up to grade level. Many students come to school ready to learn each day. However, a

small number of students are not motivated or engaged in the educational environment. These

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students have a disconnect with the teacher or subject in one class. For others, the disconnect

extends throughout their entire school day. They do not seem to care if they have missing

assignments, if they complete their work in class, or if most of their grades are D’s and E’s.

These children occupy much of the their teacher’s thoughts and time because teachers want all of

their students to engage and achieve. This leads to the questions: How does a teacher

extrinsically motivate a student, or a group of students, who lack intrinsic motivation? And, how

can teachers create an environment that facilitates learning for all?

By answering these questions students should: (a) be more engaged and motivated in their

classes, (b) achieve higher scores, and (c) complete more classwork and homework on time. In

order to ensure progress toward these goals, educators will develop lesson plans that will

facilitate motivation and engagement, educators will monitor their grade book and the grade

book of other colleagues to ensure these struggling students are achieving the above-stated goals,

and the at-risk students participating will answer questions and complete surveys in order for the

educator to monitor student engagement and motivation.

Lack of motivation in students is not a new topic. Teachers deal with this problem at some

point in their teaching career. For many teachers, especially in the middle school years, this is a

constant struggle. Many times students fluctuate between being motivated and unmotivated.

One theory proposed by Cleary and Zimmerman that may account for this lack of

motivation is once students no longer believe they possess the ability to learn an academic task,

the lack of self-efficacy, the belief in ones self to complete task and reach goals, will undermine

the task and may cause the student to lack motivation which leads to breakdowns in academic

self-regulation. Academic self-regulation can consist of lack of attention in class, failure to

prepare for examinations, and even failure to attend school (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2004).

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Developmental motivation researchers state the lack of motivation is developmental.

Researchers have proven that when students transition to middle school their self-esteem, task

values, and intrinsic interest in academic tasks decline (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2004). As

students move up in years, they are expected to do more on their own and they don’t have the

skills to accomplish the tasks (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2004; Walsh, 2006). Couple this with the

greater emphasis put upon grades (Wilkins & Kuperminc, 2010) and the increased fear of failure,

and it is apparent why motivation decreases. Along with the development motivation

researchers, many researchers believe that teachers need to help students develop friendships

because students who have positive friendships are more motivated and do better in school

(Wentzel, 2004; Walsh, 2006).

A prevalent thought that underlines the many different theories is the belief that a strong

student/teacher relationship will increase motivation. “Rapport between teachers and students

relates to valuable student outcomes, such as student enjoyment of the material, class attendance,

and time spent studying” (Benson, Cohen, & Buskist, 2005). “ In addition, student reports of

rapport related with paying more attention in class” (Wilson, 2013, p 130). The difficulty with

many of these studies is that none of the researchers defined what a strong and positive

relationship looks like between student and teacher. To try and answer this question, one can

turn to the Danielson Framework (2014), the teacher evaluation system by which some public

school teachers are evaluated. The Danielson Framework’s second domain states a strong

teacher/student relationship consists of (a) respectful talk, active listening, and turn-taking; (b)

acknowledgement of students’ backgrounds and lives outside their classroom; (c) body language

indicative of warmth and caring shown by teacher and students; (d) physical proximity; (e)

politeness and encouragement; and (f) fairness. Other commonalities among the theories include

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the need for clear expectations and routines in the classroom (Komarraju, 2013) as well as giving

students more choices to increase their engagement (Cleary,2004; Walsh,2006).

Factors that promote or determine lack of motivation seem to cross all socio-economic,

racial, and cultural barriers. In Wilkins and Kuperminc’s study of 143 Latino adolescents (2010)

he states, “This finding that academic climate was just as strong a predictor of academic

achievement as achievement motivation points to the importance of attending to the learning

environment (or at least students’ perception of their environment) when developing strategies to

increase academic success among Latinos” (p 267). A study on at-risk African-American

children done by Fenzel and Domingues Wilkins and Kuperminc’s findings states that “students

in effective urban schools reported more positive learning environments, perceived their teachers

as more supportive, and reported more order and organization in their classrooms than did

students in ineffective urban schools” (2009, p 32). The theory that a strong student/teacher

relationship builds motivation seems to transcend all races and cultures.

In the article, “A Middle School Dilemma: Dealing with “I Don’t Care”, Walsh (2006, p 5)

concludes that lack of motivation can be combated with three positive engagement principles:

Get to know your students so that they can experience an informed and interested role

model.

Take time to talk to students even as they push you away.

Don’t take student antagonism and inaction personally by taking a step back: instead,

build trust and use positive regard.

This theory seems to uphold the belief that motivation can be fostered with a positive

teacher/student relationship.

Research demonstrates that student motivation is positively influenced by classroom

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environment and teacher/student rapport. However, some teachers who have positive

relationships with their students and organized classrooms with clear routines still have students

who lack of motivation and engagement. Why? What are educators to do for our struggling

students who keep falling further behind? An answer might lie in the article by Timothy J.

Cleary and Barry J. Zimmerman titled “Self-Regulation Empowerment Program: A school-based

program to enhance self-regulated and self–motivated cycles of student learning” (2004).

Self-regulation is a process where students use their mental abilities to influence their

academic outcome (Zimmerman, 2002). Struggling students do not see that their actions affect

their academic achievement but believe their academic achievement is a reaction to the teaching

they receive. They do not take ownership for their own learning and hence will fall behind their

peers who know how to set goals and use their strengths to achieve them. For those students

who lack an inner self-regulation mechanism, a Self-Regulation Empowerment Program (SREP)

may hold the answers educators seek. “A key goal in this approach is to provide effective

intervention services early in the academic referral process in order to reduce the number of

students who develop clinically significant academic or behavioral problems” (Cleary, Patten, &

Nelson, 2008, p 70). At the crux of this theory a teacher would instruct a struggling learner in

vetted learning strategies coupled with teaching the student how to critically analyze his/her

behavior before and after engagement in a task (Cleary & Zimmerman, 2004).

In the first phase, Forethought, teachers lead a discussion about the students’ current

academic achievements and the strategies they are or are not using that might be the cause of

their struggle or success. Teachers then help facilitate the charting and graphing of their students

current academic progress. Next, students identify the study habits they are currently using or

not using. Once the Forethought stage is accomplished, the students and the teacher enter into

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stage two, Learning Strategies. During this phase, the teacher assesses where students are

struggling and administer a series of lessons (eight is recommended) to increase the students’

academic tool kits. These lessons may include instruction in time management, study strategies,

and goal setting. The final stage is Self-Reflection. During Self-Reflection, instruction focuses

on examining the feedback a student receives with the actions taken before the task. The

students then update the charts and graphs created in Forethought to ascertain if applying the

learning strategies impacted their academic achievement. Cleary and Zimmerman believe that

“The SREP seeks to reduce student passivity by shifting the responsibility for the problem-

solving process from the “professionals” to the students” (2004, p 540), thereby building student

engagement and motivation. So, the question begs to be asked, can teaching Forethought,

Learning Strategies, and Self-Reflection foster student engagement?

Over two weeks I conducted a Quasi-Experimental Research project to teach a Self-

Regulation Empowerment Program within my intervention classes at my school. My

intervention classes are mixed grade levels and abilities levels. I have sixth, seventh, and eighth

grade students within each class. These students encompass general education students, special

education students, and ELL students. I have a racially diverse mix of students including

Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, Samoans, Filipinos, Ethiopians, Indians, and Latinos.

For two weeks I focused on the steps of the program starting with Forethought. In order to

better understand my students’ academic performance, I examined my lesson plan book, my

grade book, and the grade books of other colleagues. I also administered surveys and individual

questionnaires to look at my students’ current academic habits. Once the surveys and data

gathering components were complete I then taught a series of learning strategy lessons,

beginning with time management.

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I chose to use eight lessons authored by Lia D. Falco (2007) titled “Skill-Builders” (see

Appendix A for a sample lesson). These lessons focus on improving students’ scores in their

math classes. Falco’s lesson progression mirrors the SREP guidelines. The only additional

activities that I needed to incorporate were graphing my students’ current academic progress in

the Forethought stage and teaching Self-Reflection at the end. The eight Skill-Builder lessons

include instruction on time management, planning, goal setting, study skills, getting help, and the

art of asking questions.

Before implementing my research project, I planned out the time frame for the lessons.

My classroom’s instructional time is structured around a workshop model. I have my students

for either a fifty or fifty-five minutes period each day, and they always follow the same routine.

As students enter class, they grab their boxes of organized instructional materials, go to their

seats, and get out a planner and pencil before the bell rings for class to begin. After the bell

rings, we begin class by going through the day’s homework. Next, students begin in their

current instructional station determined by where they are in the workshop cycle. Each

workshop cycle begins with a whole group lesson, then three rotations, and ends with a reflective

element. The three rotations are twenty minutes long. It takes two and a half days to complete

one cycle.

I felt that implementing SREP within this model brings the optimal results. All students

are involved in the whole class discussion, which leads to rich discussion incorporating the

diversity in the classroom. I then have small group time to go through the activity and reflect

with each student on an individual basis.

The first step in preparing for the implementation of my Quasi-Experimental Research

project was examining my grade book and the grade book of my colleagues. I found that fifty-

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five percent of my sixth-grade students, fifty-six percent of my seventh-grade students and

eighty-one of my eighth-grade students all had at least one D or E. These findings astounded me

because I did not realize, until examining the grade books, that approximately sixty-five percent

of my students had at least one below standard grade.

Once the implementation of my research began, I found meaning in what I was doing. For

the first lesson, I explained what we were about to launch and why. I told my students what

Forethought meant and why we were going to begin there. Then they graphed their current

academic grades from the end of semester one. I called each one to my desk and we wrote down

his or her grades. Next, they plotted their grades on a line graph. Even though I know that

mathematically they should have recorded their grades in a bar graph format, they were able to

see what their grades represented better when they plotted points and connected the dots. Below

is a figure of a graph of one of my student’s completed graph. This student’s grades were (a) a

C+ in Science; (b) an A in Math Improvement; (c) an A- in Reading Improvement; (d) a D in

Geography; (e) a B- in Language Arts; and (f) a C- in Math.

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Once students completed the graph, I had each one write down what he/she were or were not

doing in each class that earned them that grade. For example, the student highlighted in Figure 1

reported in her reflection that “In Science I study for my test, I read over my notes, and take

notes. I do my conclusion paragraphs. In Math Improvement I shout out loud. Do good on the

computer game, ST. Math. Participate 100%. Finish handouts given. In Read 180 I do what I’m

told, finish what is suppose to be accomplished, asked questions when needed. Answered

questions when needed. In Geography I Shout out loud, try to take notes, do not do my current

events (because I don’t know how too). My friends. In Language Arts I Study for my test.

Read over my notes, raise my hand. Don’t turn things in on time. In Math I do not do my

homework, I do my classwork. Participate 100%. Fail my tests. Study my test (by doing all

packets)” (Student, 2014).

After my students completed the section on Forethought, I took each graph and marked

where the student was having the most difficulty, and then developed questions for each one

based on his or her reflections. (See Appendix B for a complete list of questions asked.) The

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questions I asked the student from figure one was, “How do you study for tests? Why do you

pay attention in some classes and not in others? Have you asked Mr. Pilskog to explain the

Current Event project to you?”

Once my students plotted their grades and connected the points with lines, many were

taken aback by the significant dip that a D or an E creates. When students saw the dramatic

plunge that a poor grade produced, many voiced, “Oh”. Then, my students wrote down what

they were or were not doing in each class, and this metacognitive exercise allowed them to see

that their actions were the deciding factor on their grades. This was highlighted in our individual

post conferences, where many of them just looked at me and said, “OK, Miss Pryor, I get your

point”. The surprising finding was that this reaction mostly happened most with my students

who had only had one or two Ds and/or Es. My students who have three or more Ds and/or Es

seemed dejected and became quiet. The realization that the students’ actions had created low

grades made them feel ashamed. For these students, I did not try to sugarcoat the reality of their

grades but tried to make them see that they could change them by their actions. The students and

I then co-created an improvement plan.

In light of the initial analysis of my student’s reflections, I rearranged the order of the

lessons I taught. Before initiating the research, I had planned to present one lesson on

Forethought, two lessons on time management, two lessons on goal setting, and one lesson of

each of the following: general study habits, math study skills, getting help, and the art of asking

questions. Finally, I taught Self-Reflection. I decided to skip the second lesson on Time

Management and go straight to goal setting based on two factors: lack of questioning ability and

lack of ownership on time management. The prevalent theme running through student

reflections was that many students did not know how to study or ask questions. I skipped the

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second lesson on time management because my students do not seem to comprehend that they

are in control of their time and that sometimes they need to finish what they need to do rather

then do what they want to do (i.e., finish homework before they play video games, talk to their

friends, or watching TV.). In light of those two findings, I felt that it was better to implement the

second time-management lesson after the other more hands-on lessons.

Following my lesson plans, I completed two days of lessons on goal setting. On the first

day we talked about how a goal is a desired position or an acquisition or accomplishment that a

person is striving for (Falco, 2007). I defined the difference between a goal and an objective,

explaining that an objective is the small step that enables a person to reach his or her ultimate

goal. I then drew a model of a staircase and showed them a visual representation of what a goal

and objective would look like. The goal was at the top of the staircase and each step that gets

closer to the top is an objective.

Most students came up with a goal easily, and they all had at least one goal they wanted to

achieve. Their goals seemed ambiguous and unattainable. The next day I returned their goals

and we discussed S.M.A.R.T. goals. I explained that a S.M.A.R.T. goal is Specific,

Measureable, Attainable, Rewarding, and Timely. The students then took a S.M.A.R.T. goal

rubric and self-graded their goals. The second lesson on goal setting did not have a section

where the students could rewrite their goal using the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. I decided to add that

step of rewriting the goals before I launched lesson six, General Study Habits.

Due to the limited amount of time I had to implement my research, I was unable to

complete all ten lessons. However, I was able to complete lessons 1 through 6, General Study

Habits.

An unexpected obstacle was the timing of this project, even though I started at the

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beginning of second semester. I do have first semester grades as a baseline, but I do not have an

accurate representation of my students’ current grades or the students’ current grade from my

colleagues. Therefore, I am unable to evaluate whether my lessons thus far have positively or

negatively impacted grades in my class and other classes.

Since I have been implementing this research project, all assignments have been completed

in class together. I have not been implementing my regular program and do not have grades to

currently assess from. Creating an obstacle in accurate grade representation for each of my

students.

The other issue surrounding timing that arose was that many students’ grades were not

accurate because they were comprised of only one or two assignments. Most teachers in my

school now use standards-based grading in their classes and have fewer graded assignments.

Teachers who follow Standards-Based grading practice a lesson at least three times before they

assess that skill. Since we are new into the quarter, many teachers are not at the assessment

phase yet. Therefore, many students who usually do well in their classes have at least one D or E

grade. Conversely, many who usually struggle with grades are doing well.

One way to overcome this obstacle would be to implement the SREP program halfway into

a quarter so a teacher would have an accurate representation of the students’ grades throughout

the process. Starting before before the beginning of second quarter would hinder the impact of

the program because a teacher needs to be able to establish student academic scores prior to

initiation. Starting too early in the year could create the problem of not having enough data for

the implementation of the Forethought stage, resulting in the student not being able to see his or

her need.

Another obstacle surrounding the timing of the project was that due to the government

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shutdown last October, many of my seventh- and eighth-grade students were gone for a week of

instruction at the “Skill-Builder” instructional time. During the literature review for this paper a

major theme that was prevalent through the findings was many theorists consider student

engagement and motivation to be tied to student/teacher rapport. While most of our seventh- and

eighth-grade students were gone, a handful of those students left behind were placed into my

class and were disengaged in the lessons. This lack of engagement gives credence to the theory

that engagement and motivation is tied to teacher/student rapport. Another factor that may have

contributed to the lack of motivation was that they knew they would not be in attendance for the

entire series of lessons. Lastly, these students did not participate in the Forethought stage;

therefore, they did not have the opportunity to see their need.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Many teachers review grades with their students on a

consistent basis. For those with one or more below-standard grades, the reality of what that

means never really sinks in. Once students plot their grades and connect the dots with a line,

showing that their actions had a direct impact on their grades, many understood for the first time

what dropping from an A to an E means. For this reason, I believe students need to have visuals

in order to make that connection. That is why teaching Forethought to students is a valuable

lesson.

With Forethought, many students are able to see that their actions directly impact their

grades. With this knowledge comes a desire to learn new ways to improve. A Self-Regulation

Empowerment Program gives educators a foundation to demonstrate that students have direct

control over their academic outcomes and this helps build self-efficacy.

A Self-Regulation Empowerment Program has the potential to build the motivation and

engagement teachers desire to see reflected in students. Upon completion of teaching the Self-

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Regulation Empowerment Program and reviewing the students’ finalized data, I will present my

findings first to my principal and then to the middle school teachers with whom I teach.

Ideally, a Study Skills class will be created using the Self-Regulation Empowerment

Program as its curriculum. I believe that all students should be required to take this class for one

quarter each year. Eighth-grade students should be required to take it at the beginning of second

quarter in preparation for Washington State History second semester, a high school graduation

requirement in the state of Washington. Sixth-grade students would gain the most benefit from

the class if the program were started at the beginning of second semester. By waiting until

second semester, sixth-grade students could settle down from the transition into middle school,

yet receive the instruction soon enough to help develop good study habits. I believe that each

grade level should revisit this program once a year as a reminder of the skills needed to be a

successful student. Because the SREP program is only ten lessons long, the program could be

coupled with other activities to create a quarter-long class. For instance, a school could combine

a typing program along with the SREP lessons.

In conclusion, when the student/teacher relationship is not enough we are called to go

beyond, to look further, and not be satisfied with reaching most of our students. For those who

seem unreachable or discouraged by poor grades or simply lost in class, a Self-Regulation

Empowerment Program may be the answer. I say may because each child and each classroom is

different. However, for this teacher, the program has taught my students and myself that when

we put forth the effort and look closely at what we are doing, we will change and develop. If we

have a positive relationship with our students and if they can see their need, then the students are

ready to receive the lessons needed for each child to succeed. Providing students with this tool

has helped my students understand that they can control their own learning, and that realization

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has opened new avenues of dialogue and growth in the classroom.

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References

Clark, M.A., & Counseling, A. P. S. (2009). Tackling Male Underachieving: Enhancing a

Strengths-Based Learning Environment for Middle School Boys. Professional School

Counseling, 12, 127–132.

Cleary, T. J., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2004). Self-regulation empowerment program: A school-

based program to enhance self-regulated and self-motivated cycles of student learning.

Psychology in the Schools, 41, 537–550. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pits.10177

Cleary, T.J., Platten, P., & Nelson, A., (2008). Effectiveness of the Self-Regulation

Empowerment Program with Urban High School Students. Journal of Advanced

Academics, 20, 70-107.

Criss, E. (2011). Dance All Night: Motivation in Education. Music Educators Journal, 97, 61–

66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0027432110393022

Danielson, C., (2013). The Framework For Teaching Evaluation Instrument. Retrieved from

http://www.danielsongroup.org/userfiles/files/downloads/2013EvaluationInstrument.pdf

Engel, S. (2013). The Case for Curiosty. Educational Leadership. Ascd/www.ASCD.org,

February, 36–40.

Falco, L. D., (2007). “Skill-Builders” Lesson Plans. Retrieved from

http://www.mpsaz.org/guidance/secondary_counseling/lessons/employees_only/files/

skill_builders_lesson_plans.pdf

Fenzel, L. M., & Domingues, J. (2009). Educating Urban African American Children Placed At

Risk: A Comparison of Two Types of Catholic Middle Schools. Catholic Education a

Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 13(1), 30–52.

Ferrell, K. (2007). May I Go to the Bathroom? Science Scope. September, 31–37.

Komarraju, M. (2013). Ideal Teacher Behaviors: Student Motivation and Self-Efficacy Predict

Preferences. Teaching of Psychology, 40(2), 104–110.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0098628312475029

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Vansteenkiste, M., Simons, J., Lens, W., Soenens, B., & Matos, L. (2005). Examining the

Motivational Impact of Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Goal Framing and Autonomy-

Supportive Versus Internally Controlling Communication Style on Early Adolescents'

Academic Achievement. Child Development, 76(2), 483–501.

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Walsh, F. (2006). A Middle School Dilemma; Dealing with “I Don't Care.” American Secondary

Education, 35(1), 5–15.

Wentzel, K. R., Barry, C. M., & Caldwell, K. A. (2004). Friendships in Middle School:

Influences on Motivation and School Adjustment. Journal of Educational Psychology,

96(2), 195–203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.2.195

Wilkins, N. J., & Kuperminc, G. P. (2010). Why Try? Achievement Motivation and Perceived

Academic Climate Among Latino Youth. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 30(2), 246–

276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272431609333303

Wilson, J. H., & Ryan, R. G. (2013). Professor-Student Rapport Scale: Six Items Predict Student

Outcomes. Teaching of Psychology, 40(2), 130–133.

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Zimmerman, B. J., (2002). Becoming a Self Regulated Learner: An Overview. Theory into

Practice, 41(2), 64-70.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0098628312475033


APPENDIX A

Grade 6-Activity 1

Introduction to Time Management

Activity: Creating a “Time Budget”Students will create a “time budget” which lists their daily activities and the amount of time it takes to complete each one. The time budget must add up to 24 hours. Counselor will facilitate discussion on the challenge of creating enough time to complete all the activities one has to do and wants to do in one day.

Implementation time: 30 minutes

Materials: The Budget Worksheet

Objectives: Self-efficacy Beliefs: Increase students’ perceived control over their environment (time). Class discussion should help them understand that their environment is changeable, and that they can determine the amount of time needed and spent to complete all of their activities.

Math Skills: Estimating time spent on daily activities. Adding or Subtracting time from budget in order to make it sum to 24 hours. Time is math! Days, hours, and minutes get divided up or added together to make the time budget.

Assessment:Successful completion of a balanced “time-budget”.

ASCA Standard(s):A:A2.1 Apply time-management and task management skillsA:C1.1 Demonstrate the ability to balance school, studies, extracurricular activities, leisure and time and family life1

1 For further “Skill Builders” Lesson by L.D. Falco please visit http://www.mpsaz.org/guidance/secondary_counseling/lessons/employees_only/files/skill_builders_lesson_plans.pdf

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APPENDIX B

Student Independent Questions

6th Grade:Student #1: What are you not understanding? What do you think is getting in your way?Student #2: Why do you think it is hard for you to control your talking in Science? How do you study for test? Student #3: How do you study for tests?Student #4: Why are you missing things? Are you using your planner? How do you study for tests?Student #5: Why are you not participating in classes? What does participating look like to you?Student #6: Why are you not doing your assignments in Language Arts and Social Studies?Student #7: Why are you forgetting to turn things in? How do you study for tests?Student #8: Are you doing your homework or studying for tests? Do you study for test, then how? Do you participate in your classes? If so, how? Student #9: When you do not understand, do you ask a question? What type of questions do you ask?Student #10: How do you study for tests? How do you ask for help?Student #11: How do you study for tests?

7th Grade:Student #1: Why do you not raise your hand?Student #2: Why do you not raise your hand? What gets in the way of doing your homework?Student #3: Why don’t you ask questions? What gets in the way of doing your homework? How do you study for tests?Student #4: Why are you not focusing or doing your homework/classwork?Student #5: In math, do you do the homework assignment each evening? Why? Do you raise your hand in class? What type of questions do you ask?Student #6: Why do you think you are not participating that much? How can you participate more? Why don’t you pay attention in History?Student #7: Why are you not trying? Why aren’t you doing class work and homework?Student #8: Why aren’t you doing homework?

8th Grade:Student #1: Why are you only sometimes doing your homework?Student #2: When taking notes, do you have a certain method you use or a certain way to write them? How do you determine the information you take notes on?Student #3: What do you do to study for tests?Student #4: How do you study for tests? Why do you not pay attention in some classes?Student #5: What do you think you are or are not doing in Geography to an E?Student #6: Why are you not doing your homework in Geography?Student #7: How can we help you get your behavior under control?

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Student #8: Do you think re-reading your notes too study is helpful? Why? Why don’t you use your planner? Are you doing your Current Events in Geography? If not, why?Student #9: Why do you not ask for help? Why do you quit in Geography? Why do you not study for tests? Why are you not focusing in Math class? Student #10: How do you prepare for tests?Student #11: Why do you not complete your Current Events?

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taniapryorsbportfolio.files.wordpress.com · Web viewOptimism beats in the heart of every teacher. That quality allows them to see the reality of a situation, yet believe they can