Reflective Discourse Katherine Crips University of New England EDU 695

I have always been fascinated with the world and what is happening within it. Every part of social studies is thrilling to me: history, geography, government, even economics can be a thrill. When I began my teaching career, I learned fairly quickly that not all of my students felt the same way about social studies. Very few in fact seemed as excited as I was by what we were studying on a daily basis. Through course study and my own classroom experience, I have found ways to motivate and excite my students about social studies and the world around them. What motivates students is complex (Dean et. al., 2012, p. 20). What works for one student may not work for another and what works for a student one day may not work on the next. I have noticed in my teaching that students seem to respond when they have a real world connection or example. When we study a country in my class and they then see that country in the news, students often will become very excited. This seems to make it real for them. The real world connection I have found can be a motivator for students. Another motivating factor for many students is having a choice. The choice can be very simple: what color paper the students want to do, what color ink I use with the pen on the interactive smart board. Choice lends itself well to best practices in education for the 21st century. When technology is used, taking students to the computer lab to work on a project or an edmodo post for example, students can easily have a choice over what they are creating. I have found that when students are given the opportunity to take some ownership of their education, they feel more involved and take some responsibility for their education. This can also cut down on some behavior problems because students feel that they have some control. As Jim Fay and

David Funk say, We need control over our own lives. When we dont get it, we go after control over others. (Fay, Funk, 1995, p. 140). My time, thus far, at UNE has more than anything made me think about my teaching and the kind of classroom environment I want to create. I want my teaching to constantly reach for and meet the five core propositions of NBPTS. I am constantly thinking about my students and the best ways to reach all students. I know that I have learned from experience, both my teaching experience and my experiences at UNE. With what I have learned at UNE, I feel confident that I can continue to work towards achieve a classroom where all students feel welcome, safe, and are able to participate in an engaged community of learners who are excited about the world around them. This will be my goal as I continue my teaching career over (hopefully) many exciting years to come.

References
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012) Classroom instruction that works; Research based strategies for increasing student achievement. (2nd Edition). Alexandria, Virginia, USA: ASCD.

Fay, J., Funk, D., (1195) Teaching with love and logic: Taking control of the classroom. (1st edition). Boulder, Colorado, USA: The Love and Logic Press Inc.