After reading chapter 12 in
Educational Psychology by Anita Woolfolk, under the section NEEDS, I learned
that we (humans) have different levels of needs. For example, according to
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, people have four lower- level needs and three
higher – level of needs. The four lower-level needs are survival, safety,
followed by belonging, and then self – esteem. Then, we have the higher – level
needs and they are intellectual, achievement, aesthetic appreciation and
self-actualization. As future educators need to understand that when students
achieve their goals this will help increase their motivation to learn
more. Adolescents seem to be in the
higher –level of needs because they want to succeed, aesthetic appreciation and
realization of one’s talents or abilities.
Another understanding that future educators must have is to encourage
student to learn to love education and appreciate it. (434)
In
chapter 14 in Teaching Every Student section, The first step of planning,
teachers need to research and prepare what they are going to teach and how they
are going to present it. Also, planning helps the teacher become more organize
and influences students learning by creating activities. Teachers create plans
by the years, term, unit week and day because every level must be organize and
coordinated. Another good thing about planning
is that it reduces unnecessary things. I’ve been in classrooms where the
teacher has not prepared herself well and the students quickly became bored and
restless. It seemed that she had lost control of her classroom. I’ve also
worked in a classroom where the teacher was very well organize and
prepare. Comparing the unorganized to
the organize classroom, I understood this section of the book because the
organize classroom seemed to go smoothly.
Student were engaged in the lesson and were actually learning. The teacher seemed to enjoy present the
lesson. ( 512-513)
After reading Chapter 15,
Classroom Assessment Testing, I noticed while working as an aide, classroom assessment
can be difficult aspect of teaching. I feel
that we are judging the students and this can take a toll on a teacher, but as
a future educator I must understand that this will help me tangle their
struggling areas. Obviously, we need to assess our students in order to help them
improve and recognized certain areas. For example, assessment can help diagnose
learning disabilities and determine if the classroom is appreciate for the
child. Even though teachers assess, it does not mean that it determines every
weak and strong areas of the child.(554)
Working as an aide for
four years, reading these chapters helped me understand a little more about
teaching and understand the students. Although each and one of us have our own
lives, we need to know how to be around our students and help them become
successful. I realized that we need to
create an environment that will motivate, enhance and promote to love of
education.
