As I mentioned in my
first back to school post, a big part of how I view teaching is shaped by my time as a Corps Member with Teach for America. The core values of the organization and their philosophy of "
Teaching as Leadership" is the lens in which I view my own teaching practice. One of the tenets of the strategies discussed in Teaching as Leadership is about this very topic.
I want to discuss investing students in how I understand it and want to think through this for my own classroom, and from the lens of being a middle school teacher.
I Can + I Want
Investing students in a real way in their own academic success is especially critical in schools that are working to close achievement gaps (most all!). According to
Teaching as Leadership, t
o invest students, they have to believe that they "CAN" achieve, and they have to really "WANT" to achieve. Our job, as educators, is to make sure that we do what is in our power to make sure this is true for all students. Not only do teachers have to be on top of their game instructionally, but we have to make sure our classrooms are places that remove barriers that affect student achievement in order for kids to know they can achieve, and are inspired daily to want to to do so.
Now, before I move on, I want to be clear that I am talking
only about
what educators can control. We may not be able to change a student's home life, situation he/she came from, or any outside factors that are affecting a student's life, but
we can control our classroom environment, and the culture of our classrooms.
Classroom Environment
Most teachers I know at least somewhat enjoy decorating their classrooms (they may not enjoy the toll it takes on their bank accounts, but that's another post!). Creating a welcoming environment is definitely a first step in investing students in classroom big goals and their own learning, but it boils down to more than that. Having clear student expectations, procedures, routines and systems in place that hold all students to a high expectation is also especially important. All students, even some of the most challenging, need (and want!) to know how to operate in you classroom. Establishing accountability, and empowering students to be good decision makers and to understand they can contribute positively in a classroom is also essential in investing your students. To break it down...
From Teaching as Leadership:
To Create a Welcoming Environment:
- Have clear systems in place
- Reinforce Expectations
- Model and practice
- Hold Students Accountable When Expectations Aren't Met
For students to be invested in your classroom big goals, there has to be a culture of achievement in place to help foster that investment, as well as nurture it when obstacles arise. Students should understand that anything other than their best will not be accepted, but they should also not want to give you anything less than their best (again, remember that really investing your students = I CAN + I WANT). As the teacher, your attitude, consistency, the classroom environment, etc. can foster the I CAN in a student, but building the I WANT in a student can be a little more tricky.
To Create a Culture of Achievement:
- Communicate that effort leads to growth (or, growth mindset)
- Convey that students benefit from achievement
- Consistently reinforce effort in class
- Invest stakeholders and role models of the student
Finally, to invest students in your big goals you have to ensure that you're teaching TO your students, and not AT your students. This goes well beyond differentiating (buzz word!) and includes using learning goals and what you know about students to help get them to WANT to achieve.
To help foster the I CAN + I WANT in students with you academic content:
- Communicate why it matters (relevance)
- Teach to fit your students' needs
- Give students choice
- Design real-world assignments/projects
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Again, investing students in your classroom big goals is an on-going process. AS teachers, we have to work intentionally every. single. day to build the I CAN and the I WANT in each of our students. While this may come easy to some, for most it will require constant reflection and adjustments in teaching practice.
Investing students in my classroom big goals is important to me because it is why I show up to work every day. I want my students to reach the goals we decided upon at the beginning of the year, so I have to do what I can in order to move them to do so. This blog post is not sponsored by Teaching as Leadership, or Teach for America, but as I said above, this is the lens in which I view my teaching practice and I believe is all extremely relevant and actionable stuff. If you're interested in learning more about the Teaching as Leadership model and/or want to see where you fall on the rubrics for each category check it out here.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments, or find me on Instagram @kelseynhayesblog!
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Want to read more about setting big goals for your students? Check out this post!
