Motivation

__**Motivation**__ As a future teacher, my main goal is to manage my classroom in a way that is enjoyable for the students and myself. Since I am going to spend so much time together with my students, I want to make it as pleasurable as possible. I know I am a very optimistic, easy-going person, so it will not be hard for me to make my classroom fun. However, I also believe in hard work because every individual has to be responsible for one’s destiny. I believe that the most important tool to motivate students is to keep them active in lessons they enjoy or find interesting. Children are capable of absorbing so much yet they need to be kept active and using their energy. Also kids need to know that they are not only learning what must be learned, but also gaining knowledge for future understanding. In my opinion, one of the best ways to motivate students is by variety. Sometimes it is hard to teach a subject many different ways, but I believe that a good teacher can make these lessons fun if they really try. As a teacher I will try to have different teaching techniques, be prepared for each day with lesson plans, and incorporate fun and interesting activities.

Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teachers ability to maintain the students interest. We ensured many opportunities for students' success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. It is important to us that we give frequent, early, positive feedback that supports students' beliefs that they can do well. Our goal is to help students find personal meaning and value in the material. We tried to incorporate diversity to help students feel that they are valued members of a learning community. Throughout the class, the teacher will make sure the students are active participants in learning. They will learn by doing, making, writing, and solving problems. The students will be able to listen to podcasts, compare and contrast pictures, as well as complete diagrams and charts. After the teacher reads the short story, __Out of the Nest__, they will ask a few non-threatening questions about the reading. They will be able to work in groups and learn from one another in a calm and collected manner. At the end of the week, they will complete PowerPoints in groups, and the teacher can assess all that they have learned. There will be many engaging class discussions for students to think critically and communicate ideas.

In the beginning of the year, the teacher will make sure the rules and expectations for performance are clear and consistent. When a student completes an assignment that does not meet the expected criteria, we are going to give them one or more opportunities to tackle the problem again, with guidelines on how to achieve the desired result. We do not want our students to ever give up. We are going to try to emphasize mastery and learning rather then assigning grades.