Rewards are amazing. They come in many forms. Some produce positive results and motivate you to go for the gusto, and others can yield very little return on the investment. well, today's blog is about rewards that produce positive outcomes.
As I sat with my class in the Learning Commons (the library), watching them take tests, work on the computers, look for books to read I thought this is what teaching is all about. Because everyone was busy learning, I was able to to do some 1:1 instruction with a particular child who was in need. No, she's not a struggling learner, in fact, she is quite the opposite. She has been working ahead in math and having to do it independently. So, I don't always have the time to meet with her like I need to, but today I did and here is the story.
We began by starting the next unit in math, which I was confident that she would master in a few days and then move onto the next one. She flew through the first two lessons in about 10 minutes. We did have to pause for a brief moment to go over some new vocabulary, but then we were off and running. We made it to the third lesson and that is where we spent the next 20 minutes. It was the most rewarding 20 minutes of the day. Not because she mastered the concept and proved me wrong on a couple of occasions (which I loved),but because we had a chance to talk and laugh while we, yes we, learned. It was nice, though, to be able to teach her something she didn't know. I'm sure she felt the same concerning me. LOL!
We began our discussion on angle measurements, which she was able to confidently rattle off concerning circles and quadrilaterals, but came to a screeching halt with triangles and other polygons. Of course, we had to debate the sum angle measurement of a regular hexagon. She was confident she was right with it being 360 degrees. I tried to tell her the error in her thinking, but she wouldn't accept my expertise and knowledge. So,we had to look it up on the
internet...then she believed me. This led into the discussion of the sum angle measurement of triangles and how to use that to calculate the sum angles of other polygons. We did a couple of practice problems together,where I got both of them wrong(computational errors) She was loving it. Of course,when we both got the same problem wrong,her response was,"You were more wrong than me. I was closer to right." For the next problem she told me to get out the teacher manual for help, not for her but for me. When I told her that she had the next problem right her response was,"What does the teacher's manual say?" We both laughed. The rest of the lesson was poking fun at each other,while solving problems in the workbook.
The reward wasn't the knowledge gained, the good grade, or the fact that she is ahead of everyone, but the relationship that was nurtured. It was encouraging and motivating. I just wish I had the time to do this with all of my students.
Today's reward wasn't a physical prize, it was something much deeper, a relationship.
I so love to teach.
Love this blog and your stories! "You were more wrong than me," = priceless!
ReplyDeleteHey, I found you! I loved the blog! :)
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ReplyDeleteI commented on the wrong post...se deck of cards!
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