"Rewards Build Addicts"

I'm about to start my research into my next assignment. While I don't want to reveal too much about the subject, I'd love to gather some views on the statement above.

According to article 'x,' the author believes that the use of praise in the classroom should be restricted. The rationale behind this statement is that too much praise builds an environment of working for behaviour instead of working for learnings' sake. They also mention that constant praise only builds 'addicts' as "praise triggers the addiction centre of the brain."

What are your thoughts? Please write them in the comments below.

Thanks =]

Assessing Prior Knowledge

As Placement B creeps around the corner, I'm starting to think about how I can pick up in classes where the usual class teachers have (bravely) left off. In the case of a Spanish group I will be taking, I will be teaching aspects of grammar and will therefore need to know where to start from; there's no point preaching about the preterite if the students are already confident with it!

A bit of searching on the Interwebs led me to this excellent poster-image-type-thing that presents a number of easy-to-implement activities that can successfully gauge students prior learning. I'll certainly be using this, for the above class and beyond. I hope that you might also find it useful =]

Teaching Styles - The Complexity Conundrum

One of the most fulfilling exercises I've performed during my training so far is to think about how I want to be perceived as a teacher. All the trainees and I have had multiple discussions on strictness, school and class ethos, behaviour management, ideology... you name it, we've fleshed it out! However, the layers of complexity keep on appearing, sometimes imposed by the situation, other times imposed by myself.

Prior to my first placement, I thought about the multiple ways in which a teacher could be perceived. For me, being the "strict authoritarian" was out of the question, as was the "do whatever you want" style. These are two points of a seemingly endless continuum with all kinds of variations and combinations in-between; enough to make the radiation spectrum look quietly understated (go geeky physics pun!). Put this alongside the fact that style will most likely change down to surroundings, and it starts become tricky...

My first placement showed me what happens when you don't adapt to surroundings. I spent time working with a KS3 group of students and adopting an approach too far on the "easy-going" side, resulting in what was a wonderful class for a few weeks as they sized me up, becoming a situation where it was difficult to regain class control as they weren't taking me seriously. Granted, this wasn't the whole class, but it left me kicking myself, saying "If only I had started more intelligently..."

First impressions really, REALLY count, and I think this is my biggest concern so far. Having now commenced my second placement and meeting my extremely lively tutor group, I already find myself in a tricky bind that I'm not 100% sure how to deal with. As if fate decided to throw me a curveball, this group contains a small number of students who are challenging to calm down and engage, just as I experienced in my first placement KS3 class. This caused me to have a déjà vu flashback to what went wrong in my first placement and throw me completely off course, resulting in it becoming almost impossible to get them to be calm, stop throwing things, not interrupt others, etc. I left feeling as though I had taken that first chance and thrown it away, with these questions floating around my mind:

Does this mean that I've blown my first chance? Can I regain control in time? What teaching and behaviour management style suits liveliness? Will the students want to engage with this stranger who's suddenly rocked up to their class? Is it necessary, and can I commit, to being more authoritarian? Will I risk losing the rest of the class if this occurs? What about continuity between teachers and the behaviour management policy of the school?

See what I mean about complexity? While I'm not afraid to take on this challenge, I am afraid that I will end up being known as the "trainee who couldn't control his class." 

Onwards and upwards...