KATE Conference Reflections

I enjoyed the KATE conference and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to attend. The session that I enjoyed the most was "Fostering Student and Teacher Creativity", which was led by Kansas Teacher of the Year, Curtis Chandler. Mr. Chandler shed light on the fact that the more students are allowed to show their creativity in the classroom, the better they will do academically. As English teachers, we want our students to write, write, write, and then write some more. But Mr. Chandler suggested that we have them drawing a little more and writing a little bit less. It only makes sense, really. Having students draw representations of what they learned is a way to assess learning, and it's something they will actually enjoy (go figure).

Mr. Chandler posed several questions that teachers should routinely ask themselves: "Is it verbal, is it visual, am I giving chances to create?". During this session I realized, more than before, how valuable and imperative it is that students are actively engaged in their own learning. Having them draw a picture, get out of their seats, and step out of the monotonous routine of writing, writing, writing will not only capture their attention, but it will increase their interest in learning.

Thanks a Lot, Kid. (Reflection #3)

When I first heard that we were going to be filming ourselves teaching a lesson, I was immediately horrified. Me, in front of a camera, knowing that everything I say and do will be evaluated...not the most comforting feeling. However, I taught my lesson last week and I'm happy to say that it went relatively well. After having a mini-disaster in the beginning of my lesson, everything seemed to go smoothly.
The only issue I experienced was one particular student who did not hesitate to express his level of disdain for the essay which I was telling the class that they were going to write. The class had just finished reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (which I LOVE by the way), and their teacher wanted them to write an  essay over the book. After I introduced the essay and explained exactly what they needed to do to begin the writing process, I walked around with my camera to capture some of the group discussion. One of the students felt it was appropriate to tell me "This it stupid. I don't want to do this. I don't like this. Complaint complaint complaint" etc. That is ALL he would say to me every time I walked by him with the camera. I thought to myself, "Oh great, Dr. Mason is going to see this".
My question is, as teachers, how should we interact with students who seem to hate every lesson that you create and everything that you do? The particular student who I mentioned earlier is incredibly intelligent, and it's becoming obvious that his pessimistic attitude is negatively affecting his performance in the class. At what point should teachers intervene with issues such as this, and how should they do so? Sure, it's just a case of a teenager with a bad attitude (go figure), but can what can we do to make learning more enjoyable for students?