Entry #2

I would like to implement a classroom culture which holds students accountable for their own success. I believe that by making students a “citizen” of my classroom, they will be more motivated to want to succeed, as they will have to pull their own weight in the classroom and in the shop in order to be successful. It would be ideal for students to arrive to class already knowing what the expectations are and what they will be doing for that day. I want students to work together as a team and problem solve together, rather than me as the teacher continually “spoon feeding” them in order for work to get done.  I believe this is a much better approach, as opposed to a “tourist” classroom culture in which students just show up to class with no plan or idea of what to expect. Just like a tourist, students just go through the motions unexpectedly due to the lack of citizenship in the classroom. I want my students to be a citizen of my class, as citizens know much more about their home in comparison to a visiting tourist.

-Mr. De Angelis

Entry #1

During the time of my two week practicum, I spent the majority of my time in the senior automotive classes. It was apparent that the motivation and productivity levels of most students were lacking. A lot of the students in this class were easily distracted and seemed unmotivated to learn valuable hands on skills in the auto shop. Instead, most of the students seemed to spend most of their time in the classroom, chatting with their peers, using their cellphones and playing games. There seemed to be very little interest in the class. The students needed a lot of guidance in order for them to get to work. I recall pushing students to get their work done on multiple occasions. Although it generally seemed that students were opposed to working in the shop during class, they began to work once pushed with large amounts of guidance.

~ Mr. De Angelis