Task Five

Task Five: Instruction
Deeper Thinking about Domain Three- Active Engagement

How does this relate to the work you do in your classroom?
Article- The article I chose to read was titled, How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class by Tristian de Frondeville. I found this article really refreshing. I have experienced in my short career that I try to push and challenge my students to their fullest capability. However when doing so I tend to forget the basics. Example; starting class with a mind warm-up, using movement to get kids focused, using quick writes to get students to reflect and so on. This article refreshed the basics of how to engage our students. This article gives us “10 Rules of Engagement”. These are great tips for any teacher to try to incorporate in their instruction. What I also like about this article is that it gives examples. In my classroom active engagement is a must. Many of my students have disabilities that make it difficult for them to pay attention, retain information, and have self control. Getting them engaged in the content and what is being taught is a tough task to conquer. Is it impossible, NO, is it worth spending time creating lessons the gives you “goosebumps” when you see the process of our students learning? YES. I get that sense of accomplishment when I can see the thought process in my students at work and growing during a lesson. The time we put into to really getting to know our students and making engaging lessons is really tough but so worth it in the end! Something’s that I do on a regular basis to keep engagement and routine are; flashbacks (these serve as my mind warm-up), I run a tight ship when I give instruction, there is no talking when I am talking, we listen to others and give feedback regularly, and we write. We write things from reflections, to questions, to paragraphs to short sentences. We write on paper, whiteboards, in shaving cream, with chalk, etc. Anything to keep them involved and engaged in writing and we can write on it we do. I also use several different teaching styles for my students.

How does this deepen our thinking about this domain?
Video- I think the video I watched really intensified my thinking about this domain. The video was titled: Home-Visits- Engaging the Family in Their Children’s Learning. I know how difficult it is to get students motivated and engaged in school, most parents are the same way. Many parents are not actively involved with their child’s education for many reasons; language barriers, cultural differences, etc. They may feel frustrated of intimidated about schools. Our students model their parent’s behavior. In order to engage our students and motivate them in their learning path we have to get the parents feeling the same way. There has to be an open line of communication. In the video, teachers were accompanied with translators to homes when English was not the primary language. I thought this was great. There was no guessing what the other was saying or any excuse for not communicating. Teachers in the video also attended training on how to be “culturally respectful” in the parents’ home. Again this is very commendable. Parents in the video had a different perspective about school after home-visits. They were excited to be a process of their child’s learning path, they began to develop a trust with the teachers and overall progress was being made. Student attendance decreased and academic performance increased all because these teachers are engaging the parents along with the students. We try so hard every day to get the kids involved with school and their learning, but how much do we really do to get the parents involved. This year I have been on home visits for each of my students once. It was really great to get into the home, talk about how I have planned out the year, my expectations of my students and routines. But it was also great to hear them tell me what they expect of me. Throughout the year I have made it a habit to talk to my parents at least once a week. This is done either by phone, e-mail, notes home, etc. I guess what I am saying is that I feel that parents (some) appreciate the time we take to go out of our way to visit them. I think I am going to schedule another round of home visits. 
How could this fit into your inquiry plan?
After reading so much about engaging students in learning I feel that I can do a better job of this in my classroom. This could be the focus of my plan. The reason why it would be relevant is because I work with students with disabilities. Learning is hard for them and when they are engaged and taught content with several strategies they are able to learn. Engaging students in learning could make a significant difference in their views about learning and even school. They would want to come and participate. Getting the parents involved, I believe is also a huge step in this process. If parents have a negative feeling about school, this in turn may rub off on their child. For my plan I am going to try to create active and engaging lessons that include parent participation.