2 Grad School Classes = DONE

I'm finally done with two of the most stressful and tiring weeks of my life. Two 16-week courses shoved into 9 days. However, I have learned more than I have ever learned in any 16-week course in my undergrad. In my Classroom Management class, I learned a lot about ways to get students to behave in class. What I learned is that students do not always need rewards and incentives to do so. In fact, there are many things I can do before class even begins to prevent misbehavior. I actually watched a video this morning that sums up what I learned. One of my classmates had it posted on her Facebook. Here is what I learned:

Students need a sense of autonomy, challenge, and purpose in class:

Autonomy--Students are more engaged when they have some say in class. Whether it's choosing which books they read, what topics they write about, or what final papers they turn in, students like having a choice. Of course, their choices can be overseen by a teacher, but students don't really think of that. They have to be interested in what they do, so why not have them choose?

Challenge--If what I teach is too easy for students, students will be less likely to pay attention in class. Research shows that students really do want a challenge. However, they also need a teacher who believes that they are up for a challenge. Testing students for their prior knowledge is a great starting place to do so.

Purpose--If what I am teaching them does not relate to their lives outside of class, students will undoubtedly misbehave. It makes sense. If students do not see a benefit and find my lessons boring, why should they be engaged and behave? I think as an English teacher it can be very easy to relate my subject to their lives. Having them write about something they are interested in and teaching them how to fill out applications and how to write a resume, are all things that students will need to know how to do in the real-world.

Here is the video I was talking about. It's a little long, but I think all teachers should watch it.
http://fora.tv/2010/01/27/Daniel_Pink_The_Surprising_Truth_About_What_Motivates_Us