Chapter 13 greatly interested me because it is so important to understand how to manage and control our classroom the right way. I was looking at additional resources and found great insight on how to approach different types of students. Specifically, I really engaged in th article by Larry Ferlazzo, Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do. He reiterates on how teachers can be successful through intrinsically motivating their students. I like how they distinguish between authoritarian and authoritative control. Our goal is not to be a dictator and rule with an iron fist, but to listen and interact with our students in an understanding and rationale way. It is the same way children hope their parents will interact with them. The level of comfort in my classroom is going to be a huge deal. I think I can eliminate future problems by establishing that from day one.
Another fantastic point that is covered in the article is student growth. He says failure is simply new opportunity. It is hard to think when we have 20-25 students in our classroom that we could at some point fail. My personal mindset is to never accecpt failure, yet I know in my first years a lot of failures and setbacks are going to be my own growth and learning experience.
My third take away was to learn to be flexible, which might mean differentiating lesson plans and specific instructions to accommodate a particular student. If teachers pre-think of a variety of approaches for their many different learners, they will not be so pressured to find alternatives on the spot. There were really great tips to follow from a moderately experienced teacher. I think I will certainly be able to apply these next year in my internship when I am in a school on a daily basis.
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