Week 15 Check-In Reflection

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This week brought us opportunities to observe destructive struggles and productive struggles.  Share an example of each type of struggle that you observed this week.  How did you incorporate a discussion regarding the mistakes, misconceptions, and errors in the learning process and the steps we take to grow from this productive struggle?

This week I noticed several destructive and productive struggles from my students. My students have been coming to class with mental blocks either from how they are doing or behaving in the class prior, friend/peer issues, or factors relating to things outside of the school day. 

Wednesday one of my students entered the classroom and I asked the students to take down their hood because it is school policy. The student sat down and slammed their hand on their computer and said, "man all ya'll teachers are on my ass, just leave me alone..." I could tell in the students voice that the student felt overwhelmed and stressed. I said to the student, " -name- whats up, what's wrong, you seem to have some built up tension and I just want to understand why you feel this way". I told the student to take a few deep breaths and tell me why they felt overwhelmed. The student has had moments in the past where they display anger, yet it disappates after several minutes, it just takes some regrouping and regulating since they are disregulated. I told the student to take a minute or two and to just relax before beginning their work for the class period. I wanted the student to take a minute and clear their mind, work through their emotions in a positive way. After a few minutes the student was okay and I was able to begin explaining the instructions for work that was to be completed by the end of the period.

Throughout the week, students have been reading about Sparta and Lycurgus, along with having exit ticket questions. Students have been completing "Challenge papers" and "Knowledge Checks". The Challenge Paper consisted of questions that were given alongside a reading. The Knowledge Check was given with another reading and it contained, multiple choice questions, matching, and a constructed response. With both of these assignments there were a handful of students who just did not know were to start, they did not know where to find the answers even after doing the reading, and they felt like no matter what they did it was not correct or up to their teachers standards. Many students would not ask for help and they would choose to just sit there. During each day students worked on either paper, I had my attentions focused a good portion of the time on one student who has to have their work read to them, along with the questions, and how to spell words. Yet, I would take breaks and go up to students even if they were not asking directly for help because I know many refuse to raise their hands in need of help. Students need to be asked directly do they need help and then I work with them from there. Working with students independently this week and helping quite a few students with the reading, working on analyzing the readings to find key words, how to answer questions, or what words mean, along with encouraging students for their hard work and answers, along with pushing them to provide more evidence. 

A productive struggle I witnessed this week was I was working with a student on Tuesday on the Knowledge Check. The student did not want to do the reading because their head hurt and they had already been to the nurse before class. I sat down next to the student and said that we could work together because I understood that they did not feel well, but I knew they were still capable of doing some work. This student usually does not engage in class so encouragement is key, along with sitting with the student and keeping them on track. During this time, the student was confused and did not understand the terms listed in the matching section. I asked the student to look through the section and point out a term they recognize or know. The student pointed out city-state and was able to successfully match it with the definition. I looked at the student and said yeah that's right, because the student wanted to second guess themself. I told the student that believing in your gut instinct and the first answer you think of is usually correct. The student wanted to keep trying to match the words correctly. The student looked at me and I gave them a fist bump, because I could see the student was trying. 



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