Erin Doherty

Blog 11
Chapter 9, in the Weinstein text, discusses enhancing students motivation to learn. The
chapter offers helpful strategies for increasing expectation of success and for increasing
perceived value. Some of these strategies include the following: provide opportunities for
success, teach students to set reasonable goals and to assess their own performance, relate
lessons to students own lives, provide opportunities for students to interact with peers, and
provide extrinsic rewards. According to Weinstein, A more appropriate, realistic goal is to
stimulate students motivation to learn, whereby students pursue academic activities because
they find them meaningful and worthwhile (Weinstein, 2015, p. 223).
Chapter 10, in the Weinstein text, talks about managing independent work, recitations, and
discussions. The chapter provides practical tips for using independent work effectively. Some of
these tips include: assign work that is clear and engaging, match the work to varying
achievement levels, monitor behavior and comprehension, and teach children the norms for
obtaining assistance (Weinstein, 2015, p. 228). According to Weinstein, The extent to which
you will use seat-work in your classroom will depend on a number of factors-the heterogeneity of
your class, the grade level you teach, district policy, the ability of your students to work without
close teacher supervision, and your beliefs about the appropriateness of whole- or small-group
instruction (Weinstein, 2015, p. 250).
Chapter 11, in the Weinstein text, discusses managing small-group work. The chapter talks
about the potential benefits of group work and about some of the special challenges it presents
(Weinstein, 2015, p. 280). There are several benefits of group work such as: less idle time while
waiting for the teacher to help, enhanced motivation, more involvement in learning, and
increased achievement. The challenges of group work include: unequal participation, lack of
accomplishment, and lack of cooperation among group members. Group work offers unique
social and academic rewards, but it is important to understand the challenges it presents and
not to assume that, just because a task is fun or interesting, the lesson will automatically run
smoothly (Weinstein, 2015, p. 280).
In my internship classroom, I try to motivate students who are just not interested in working
on any assignment. It can be very frustrating when I know the student is well able to do the
work. For one of my students, relating things to his interests seems to be engaging for him. I see
independent work used all the time in my classroom. Students are instructed to work
independently first and then they are allowed to share with their table partners. My CT has me
work with small groups during math time. I like working with my 3-4 students because I am able
to help them and give them individualized attention. I will make sure to implement some of the
strategies I have learned within these three chapters.

After reflecting on my growth and development as a teacher, I realize that I will teach many
different kinds of learners. Some will need more motivation than others. Its important for me as
a teacher, to see my students as people too. I want to reach everyone and help in any way I can.
I will definitely use independent work and small-group work in my future classroom. I have seen
the benefits of each in my internship.
FEAP 2:
a) organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention
c) conveys high expectations to all students
h) adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of
students
j) utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate in high
quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals

Weinstein, C. S., Romano, M. E., & Mignano, A. J. (2015). Elementary classroom management:
Lessons from research and practice, (6th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.