Thursday Thriller
January 30, 2025
CELEBRATIONS!!
We have made it to the first quadrant!!
Steve and Nicole are trying something new! Instead of incorporating the 15-minute SEL lesson from Character Strong once a month during PE, they're now offering activities during lunch. The student engagement has been fantastic!
2. Sign payroll in the office tomorrow
3. Friday, Februrary 7th is a half day. It is a 'speed dating' Friday. We will meet as a staff in the library at 1:00. The GC members, Nicole and I will be sharing a "State of Our Union" address. The goal with a State of the Union is to share what is going on at Garrison,
4. Winter Sports and Club pictures are tomorrow. If you need assistance covering your responsibilities while you take a picture with the sport you're coaching or the club you're advising, please let me know.
5. Switching to red tickets for the month of February to spend at the Student Store should be a fun change. It’s a nice way to keep things fresh while still rewarding students for their hard work and good behavior. Tickets will be delivered to you on Monday, February 3rd., if you have questions let us know.
Something to Ponder
The Value Belief DSJR, Student Motivation Guide
Here’s a revised version:
Below is ChatGPT's summarized version of the article, which is fine, though I gained more insight from reading the full piece. DSJRS’ explanation of the Value Belief, relevance, and student engagement made me reflect on how I could rephrase questions or statements when students ask, "When am I ever going to need __________ again in my life?"
Hope you find a gold nugget in either the full article or the chatgpt version. :D
Key Ideas About the Value Belief
The Rainbow of Why:
- Value in learning isn’t just about practicality or relatability; it’s a whole spectrum of possibilities. Think of it like a rainbow—each color represents a different reason for learning. It’s about showing students the beauty and importance of what they’re doing, not forcing them to care.
Utility vs. Relevance:
- Utility: This is about students thinking, "How will I use this later?" The problem? It’s hard for teens to care about distant rewards like future uses of fractions or grammar.
- Relevance: This is about linking lessons to students' personal interests. But if we focus too much on that, we risk losing those who don’t have the same interests.
Other Ways to Create Value:
- Bring in social status, autonomy, justice/prosocial behavior, novelty, enjoyment, meaning/purpose, and beauty.
- Social Status: Competition can motivate some students by appealing to their sense of status.
- Autonomy: Let students have some control over their learning. It makes them feel like they matter.
- Justice/Prosocial Behavior: Link lessons to social issues or things that can make the world better.
- Novelty: Keep things fresh and interesting with new ideas or approaches.
- Enjoyment: Make learning fun! When students enjoy it, they’re more likely to value it.
- Meaning and Purpose: Help students see the bigger picture or how what they’re learning connects to their long-term goals.
- Beauty: Show students the beauty in the subjects you teach, whether it’s through art, connections to real life, or how things just "fit" together.
How to Cultivate the Value Belief:
- Mini-Sermons: Short, regular moments where you explain why learning matters—be confident about its value.
- Feast of Knowledge: Present learning as something rich and exciting, not just a task.
- Valued Within Exercises: Get students to find their own reasons for valuing the work. This helps them connect on a deeper level.
Simple Strategies for Teachers:
- Broaden Views on Learning: Show students that learning is more than just about memorizing facts—it’s a chance to grow, build skills, and make a difference.
- Use All Aspects of the Value Spectrum: Mix in different reasons for learning. Appeal to students’ different motivations, whether it’s for fun, for a cause, or for mastering a subject.
Tackling Specific Issues:
- Competition: Use it wisely. Some students love it, some don’t. Mix things up so everyone stays engaged.
- Grade-Focused Students: Shift the focus from just grades to actually mastering the material. Let them see that learning is the goal, not the grade.
- Students from Homes Where Education Isn’t Valued: Focus on creating a classroom environment where learning is celebrated, no matter the outside influence.
By keeping these points in mind, teachers can help students connect to what they’re learning in meaningful, personal ways—and in turn, spark their motivation to engage and succeed.
Little Humor
Erika Miller was subbing for us yesterday. As she was in the office signing out, she stopped by to share a funny story. How they got on the subject of birth I'm not sure. However, a student said, "Ya, my mom had a really hard birth with me so she had to get a vasectomy." 😆
Then Kara brought me this drawing. Two boys during first lunch confessed to inappropriate drawings. The student who did not do the drawing said, "_________ is drawing inapproapriate pictures of women."
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