Teaching "WHY", "WHAT", and "HOW"

Looking through the lens of UDL displays that each learner is different but capable of working and growing to his or her fullest potential. When I prepare lessons for my students, I always start with the end in mind “Affective Networks”. Having a high economically disadvantage population, my students need the WHY piece first. What is going to get them engaged and stay motivated? Then I integrate the “Recognition Network”, WHAT are we learning. How are we going to gather facts and recognize task? Finally focusing on the “Strategic Network”, of HOW are we going to plan and perform the tasks.  By setting up the students with this successful path so they can witness their own accomplishments is my goal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&feature=youtu.be

Like any human, there are moments of mistakes and weakness. For example, this past school year I took on the challenge to take the lowest reading group for tutoring to prepare for a second STAAR admission. I went into the sessions with the thought of “these kids can’t read”.  I put on my teacher face and went to work on test strategy after test strategy. The students were not motivated and honesty I was not either. A few days in, I realized these students need something more. I had to build up my mindset just as the students needed too. I decided that each day before we studied I would show a motivation video and we would discuss what it meant to them. I did this each day for the few weeks we were together and slowly but surely, our thinking began to change from “fixed” to “growth”. Taking their second STAAR admission at the end of the school year 9 of 10 of the students passed, on my way home that day I realized how their efforts had changed.

•       1. Provide Examples-rubrics, past student work, tutorials

•       2. Nonthreatening-If they mess up allow them to start again.

•       3. Student Input-Allow students to have input on the work they will be doing.

•       4. Embrace Differences-Let students try multiple ways and figure out what works and what does not.