C4T #4

C4T#4

For my C4T this week, I chose educator Joe Bower's blog, for the love of learning. I was mainly drawn to this blog because of its name. This class has really taught me that it is necessary to love learning to truly be an effective educator. When I looked at Mr. Bower's blog, his last post related to one of the subjects I have often thought might become a problem for me as a high school teacher. His blog this week addressed manipulative children. He says, "Show me a child who manipulates others, and I will show you a child who has grown up being manipulated." Many years ago, he made the decision to stop rewards and punishments as a teaching and parenting tool. He believes that children should not be reinforced in these ways, but the children should learn from their own successes and mistakes. This strategy of his is the best way, he feels, to combat the children trying to manipulate him. When his students or children attempt to bribe or threaten him, he can turn their argument around on them and honestly say,"I don't use rewards and punishments on you, so don't you bribe and threaten me." His whole goal in this is so the children will recognize that it is his job to work with them until they achieve their goals. He is not there to present prizes so they will do what he wants. He will not manipulate his students and children, so they know not to attempt to manipulate him.

C4T#4, comment 1

This post really spoke to me this week. Since I am going to be a high school English teacher,  I have had people ask me how I will get my students to respect me. I honestly was not sure. This makes so much sense! I never thought of rewards and punishments as manipulation, just as reinforcement; however, I can clearly see now that it is. I do not ever want to manipulate my students, and I feel as if this approach will keep a mutual respect between us. This was a wonderful post.

C4T#4

This week's post from Joe focused on ClassDojo, a program used to keep track of children's behavior. Joe gives six reasons to reject using this service.

1. ClassDojo gets character education wrong. 
2. ClassDojo gets motivation wrong. 
3. The public nature of ClassDojo is inappropriate. 
4. ClassDojo pits adults and children against each other. 
5. ClassDojo can only ever be experienced as coercive and manipulative. 
6. ClassDojo prepares children to be ruled by others. 

All in all, schools should be dojos. They should be places that are well cared for both physically and pedagogically. Apps like this should be left a the door. 

C4T#4, comment 2

This is extremely interesting! I had never heard of this. In EDM310, we have focused a great deal on students using iPads and laptops in the classroom, but we have also discussed using technology ourselves. I'm sure many of my classmates have come across this and may be considering using it one day. I definitely agree with his insights on this. Children should not be motivated to learn based solely on how they will be rewarded.