bootism-shoe-religion

I think this is a hard questions for me to truly answer well. Since I'm not really going to be a literature/writing teacher specifically. Since I will probably be teaching many subject in my teaching career. I am going into special education. I think that I will be using literature in many ways. I think literature is a powerful teaching tool. Since I enjoy reading I will encourage my students to read as well. I will accomplish this by using literature in my teaching and have opportunities to read on their own. Since reading and writing are difficult for some students, i will take the stance of how powerful reading and writing are in our daily lives. The population that I plan on working closely with need a practical reason for learning things. I would build my lessons around the practical aspect of reading and writing.
I want my students to want to learn. I hope that I can be engaging and fun. I like to see students think on their own. To make new discoveries. (Side information to understand: I have been in College of Ed. Done my TA and one Student teaching) For example: in a 6th grade language arts class that was made up of 10 students with learning disabilities. I used literature in a way that made them discover something about themselves. I used two picture books Don't Laugh at Me, and I'm Gonna Like Me. Our discussion about these two books was awesome. They knew what it was like to be laughed. They did a project on who they are. What is special about them. That it is ok to be different. It does not make them a bad person. They were free to explore who they are in the this classroom without censure. For example one male student expressed himself through the color pink. Don't often find a boy liking pink but I encouraged him to write only in pink.
I want my classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable enough to express themselves in many different ways. I remember some of my own literature classes they were intimidating. I never expressed my view very often, because I did not feel that the class was "safe" to express what I got out of the reading. I probably use journals a lot more at first then move to class discussion.

I think that biggest part of my job will be motivating my students to want to read and write. There are some basic principles of motivation.

Basic principles of motivation exist that are applicable to learning in any situation.

The environment can be used to focus the student's attention on what needs to be learned.

Incentives motivate learning.

Internal motivation is longer lasting and more self-directive than is external motivation, which must be repeatedly reinforced by praise or concrete rewards.

Learning is most effective when an individual is ready to learn, that is, when one wants to know something.

Motivation is enhanced by the way in which the instructional material is organized.


The basic learning principle involved is that success is more predictably motivating than is failure. THis is something to think about when teaching. Are we more motivated when we know we can succeed? Or are we motivated by the challenge. I think that it is different for people. I think that for students with disabilities they are more motivated by sucess because they have probably been told a few times that they are dumb, stupid, you could never do this. Well, once you hear it a few times you start to believe these things. So if they have the belief that they can't do it, then why try?

Click here for more information on Motivating students