To Each Their Own and that Includes How They Learn

The individual learning abilities of a student can be as diverse as the student themselves. I believe that the statement itself explains it all, individual learning abilities is just that, individual; specific to each and every child, each and every student in that different and unique way that makes them the individual that they are. Some students are able to learn easily and without difficulty where others struggle and struggle to understand the simplest of concepts.

In my experiences this school year, I have worked with students of all diversities in their learning abilities. I have had a young lady that tries her hardest to understand and catch on to the concepts of the lessons, but just cannot retain the information. She is not afraid to ask for help, she is not afraid to accept help, and worst of all she was not afraid (upset and devastated, yes, but not afraid) to admit that retention would not be a horrible concept since she herself believed that she was not ready to move on to middle school. Yet, on the other side of the learning spectrum, there was a young man that played in class, disrupted the lessons, caused problems and would not pay attention to instruction, but earned A's and B's throughout the year. There was also the usual mix of those students that rushed through their work and got B's, C's and D's when they were capable of A's and those students that worked hard and tried and got B's and C's when their efforts should have given them A's. As much as a person, a teacher, an administrator would love to admit that the curriculums are designed with each and every student and learning ability in mind, it just is not true. There are too many differences in students and too many things that need to be implemented in educating our students. I believe, through my experiences, that there is no perfect educational plan or curriculum that can encompass the learning abilities or traits of every single student. Most of the time, those students that have trouble learning, put all of their effort into their work and do not get the desired results, are those students that we feel most compelled to help and encourage; those are the students that I would rather spend my time teaching and putting effort into their education . On the flip side, maintaining patience with those other students that do not care about the lessons, play around and cause disruptions or rush through the assignments without concern, is extremely difficult. Those are the students that make me feel as though I have wasted my time and energy on when others really appreciate what I am trying to do for them and with them.

As a teacher, my role in the classroom would change, but not by too much. Currently I am an Instructional Assistant in the classroom where I assist the teachers in reinforcing the lessons and supporting the teacher in maintaining the behaviors within the classroom to name, a few of the hundreds of hats that I wear. In my current position, I am in a valuable spot to observe, assist and learn the many aspects of the teaching profession as it continually and quickly changes day to day.

The primary goal of any teacher is to facilitate learning, but in today's reality that is easier said than done. Increasing and maintaining student motivation and interest in learning is the hardest part of the job. Finding new ways to keep their focus in the classroom is also a large part in deterring the unwanted behaviors. Some of the ways to do that is to assist the students in making, setting and reaching goals that are realistic for each individual person; to challenge each student to strive for their personal best, while evaluating themselves at the same time. Another motivator is constant and consistent encouragement and praise, using the low points for encouragement and the high points for praise to continue to strive for their best.

To make sure that the students are at their best, a good solid relationship between the teacher and the student is vital. If the teacher and the student are constantly at odds with one another, then the level of learning and instruction fails, but if the relationship is secure, then the level of the instructional environment is higher and more conducive to learning. Some teachers are intent on being the "good guy" and have the students like them. That is fine to some extent, but the students can also use that attitude as a sign that they can walk all over the teacher because there is no risk of discipline. A compromise of strength in the classroom is the true test of any classroom management system. Establishing who the teacher is, the rules/expectations of the classroom/school and the consequence and reward system on the first day of school will increase the understanding between the teacher and the students and the students with one another. Dealing with the student's with behavior issues is a whole new ordeal and finding a way to maintain control in the

A teacher needs to make the content and the materials that are introduced, taught and reinforced meaningful and relevant to the students in which they are teaching. The material needs to retain the student's interest and maintain it, while at the same time contain the requirements of the city, state and national standards of learning. Even though all of the requirements differ, the fact of the matter remains the same, finding a way to control the interest levels of all the students in the class. It can be as simple as providing the students with positive feedback, especially when the task is difficult or new. Consistent and frequent feedback is important because it can help a student see their progress to make a goal accessible. Another way to make learning meaningful is to make sure that the correct level of difficulties are determined and presented so that each student is able to have a fair chance of learning the material and feeling comfortable in learning it. In doing this, the teacher provides each student with a level of challenge that is comfortable for them, presenting the material in an interesting and inviting manner with possibilities for grouping for assistance and learning the task at hand. In my experiences, we have created many different things that will attract the student's attention in at least being introduced to the materials. For example, in Social Studies, we use foldables to learn the information, but the students have their "arts and crafts" time as well because they have to make the foldable themselves. The teacher and I walk around the classroom actually making the foldable with the students; then we give the pre-printed notes that they have to cut and glue into the foldables. Usually the information is in order, but by the time they have it all cut out, it is a puzzle that has to be put together, which prompts another fun activity of piecing it back together correctly! We use brightly colored paper for the foldables which attracts instant attention and interest in the activity.
(By the way, our Social Studies SOL scores increased 15% over last year, we just received the data! We contribute the use of our new "arts and crafts" activities to part of the increase!)

The main purpose of establishing rules and goals is to make sure that everyone in the classroom is well aware of the behaviors that are expected by everyone and the consequences of breaking those rules. A classroom discussion within that first week of school allows for everyone to understand the importance of them within the class. If in the discussion, the teacher explains the rules that must be included in the class rules and then allows for the class to decide upon additional rules for the class, it allows for the students to have a sense of ownership and commitment to the rules that they helped to establish. Another thing that will help in the classroom relationship and environment, is to allow the students the opportunity to create a way to display the rules that were agreed upon. This could be in the form of a contest, it could be that the class is divided and each student given a rule and they are to create a display of that rule and then voted on or a poster contest that displays all the agreed upon rules. At the same time, the rules are put into a letter that is sent home to be signed by the student and their parents and/or guardians that they understand the consequences of actions and that they understand that many of the rules were created and voted on by the class as a whole.

The primary thing to attempt to modify some of the behavior problems is to have total agreement with the administration, the parents and the teacher. The teacher needs to have a clear line of communication with the issues that are being faced within the classroom and when the incidents of behavior occur. Documenting all the information, behaviors, incidents and correspondence within the classrooms setting can prove to be a daunting task on top of the regular tasks of the teacher, but in the long run it can prove to be quite beneficial to work out a behavior modification plan. There are a number of ideas that can be used to attempt a modification in problem behavior; one such is idea is a call to the parent (parental support is a must for this to be effective) when the behavior becomes unacceptable and cannot be tolerated within the classroom any longer. For minor classroom offenses, I have used behavior essays as a form of punishment; the student copies the essay that is appropriate for the offense, it is initialed/signed by a teacher, the student must then take it home to get a parent signature and then return it the next day. This is assigned in conjunction with their regular classwork and homework. Several things could happen along the way though; if the student gets caught talking or playing rather than copying the essay, they receive another essay that is appropriate (or told to copy the essay a second time if they already have the talking or playing essay); the student will miss recess time by sitting with me outside copying the essay while classmates are allowed to run amok on the playground; or the student finished the copy of the essay and does not get a parent signature, forgets the essay at school or fails to turn it in, they are then given the essay to re-copy and take home again and continue to do so until they return it as they are instructed. Sometimes I have found a change in behavior in something as simple as issuing silent lunch (be sure that the student see you let the cafeteria monitors know that they are on silent lunch so as to not be sneaky) or taking time off of recess, making them stand or sit near you for an appropriate amount of time before they are allowed to join the class or even in a fun class activity. While this does not work for all the students, I have seen these punishments make an impact on many of the students and change some of the problem behaviors that are exhibited within the classroom.

When goals and expectations are made clear in the classroom, the rewards and consequences are made clear, the result can be a wonderful learning environment where everyone gets along and students are actively engaged in lessons and activities whether the teacher is with them or not. Control and discipline are maintained for a constructive and active learning environment where goals and expectations can be understood, met and uninterrupted by the disruptive. Constant application of the rules, consequences and the rewards will let all of the students know that the rules are for everyone and that they need to be obeyed by everyone. To establish a clear line in the sand, so to speak, the teacher needs to maintain a strong stand on enforcing the rules of the classroom with all students, when a rule is broken, there can be not favoritism to any student. Making sure that all the students understand that the rules are the rules and that no one is exempt from them will make some students upset, but also gain, or maintain, mutual respect for the teacher in knowing that no one is free from the consequences that were agreed upon. This shows that the teacher can play fair and hopefully establish the fact that no matter who you are, playing fair is the right thing to do. Yet, on the other hand, make sure that the students are caught being/doing good as well can make a difference. Make a point of rewarding or complimenting a student for a job well done, but do not harp on the subject to the entire class all the time. Try to catch all the students, even the disciplined challenged ones, doing good, this could even encourage them to try harder to get "caught" and be rewarded, thus maybe causing a change in attitude as well.

Within any classroom, the primary focus is the education of the students, but that task becomes a difficult one when the methods of classroom management fail at all cost. It is not always at the faults of the teacher, but unfortunately, that is where the fault eventually ends up. The can be many reasons why the management and education within a classroom can, and will, fail, but it is not always at the hands of the teacher. Gaining trust and gaining respect between not just the student and the teacher is important, but gaining the trust and the respect of the parents is important as well. If the trust and respect are not mutual and prominent, any good plan can and will fail.