Sunday, March 25, 2012

From Elementary to High School

After completing my final weeks at the elementary school, I made my way over to my assigned high school, where I have been for the past 2 weeks. The difference is like day and night between the students, and how you must go about teaching them. While one of the larger difficulties in elementary was managing their excitement, the biggest difficulty in the high school is trying to get them excited enough. Trying to get students motivated to move is a concept I must work on daily with these students. One small trick that I have learned works, is don't underestimate the power of stickers. It is no surprise they are a great treat for younger children, but they work surprisingly well for high school students as well. Using stickers as a positive reinforcement for good skill demonstrations, or positive affective behaviors has allowed me to motivate a number of my high school students. I will keep you updated, as the semester progresses.