Motivating Young Adolescents

Abstract: Wormeli takes a very interesting approach to building interest in academic subjects. While it may feel that consistent entertainment would hook our students, the reality is that it is possible to maintain a captive student audience through simply engaging students in relevant, interesting topics. I really enjoyed Wormeli’s suggestion that we as teachers take the place of an absent student within the classroom, and complete the assignment as we ask our students to do. By placing ourselves in the position of our students, we will recognize the strengths and weaknesses of our lessons, and become far more capable of altering the downfalls of the lesson. This chapter also discusses the ways in which we might increase comfort within the classroom, through personal recognition and positive reinforcements. If our students believe that they are capable of success, and know that we recognize that they are capable of success, they are likely to challenge themselves in ways they might have never envisioned.

Synthesis: I feel that this is the aspect of teaching that I failed to meet while in Practicum. While I hoped to make my students feel comfortable, I had a difficult time feeling comfortable enough to put myself forward and allow my personal interaction. This is something that I certainly hope to improve upon, thus Wormeli’s suggestions were very helpful in this manner. Since this may be something that is difficult for me, I will simply start with smaller steps, such as greeting students at the door and calling students by their first names in order to help them feel comfortable. I love the idea of using stories to increase student interest and motivation, as I feel that most students do tend to become more comfortable as they hear both personal stories and stories relevant to the subject topic. Also, Wormeli explains the significance of ensuring that students are the most actively engaged in the beginning of a lesson. Rather than using this time to discuss bland information, this should be used as the hook, as discussed in Practicum. By building momentum, I will be able to create an engaging atmosphere where students will be interested in learning more about the subject.