Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wolford Free Response Chapter 11

            There were so many interesting things in this chapter, that I could find myself relating too from time to time. One of the key things I found very interesting were extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. I have discussed these topics in other classes, however as I was reading this time I found myself relating my motivation to extrinsic motivation. I say that because I find myself doing things and wanting to do my best in order to say that I got an A, instead of being able to say well I learned this, this, and this and earned an A. I view this as a positive thing, because extrinsic motivation is also very important; however, at the same time I wish I could say I was more intrinsic motivated to learn and do my best.
            While reading about anxiety, I was thinking to myself how much anxiety I experience. I already knew that anxiety can cause people to not perform as well at tasks, yet I was surprised to hear that anxiety can cause people to perform better on something. I remember the quiz we took the first week of class, out of the book, and being surprised by the fact that people actually do perform well when under anxiety. However, after reading I still do not understand why anxiety can cause someone to perform well? I can see where it would cause them to do their work, but when I experience anxiety I generally just want to get whatever it may be, whether test or homework, done.
            As a teacher I will be interested in looking into which children experience anxiety, and why they experience anxiety. I hope that I will be able to help them with their anxiety and that they will be comfortable in my classroom. I know anxiety affects everyone differently and it takes different ways to decrease anxiety for everyone, therefore I hope to find a way that works for everyone.
            I definitely feel that being a teacher is a very responsible job, because you are not only there to help children learn, but are there to be a support system for them. A lot of children do not have someone to push them to their full potential and provide a challenge for them, therefore we as teachers are expected to take this role in their life. We should know to what extent they are capable of performing in school, therefore we should always promote them to do their best. Just as the book discussed self-fulfilling prophecy, I definitely see it being true that students want to impress their teachers and other authorities with their school work. I am definitely one that wants to perform well, because I feel that teachers judge students off their performance. Therefore, knowing that I will have children in my classroom one day that will struggle, I find it very important to let them know that I do expect a lot from them, but that I also understand that not everything will be easy. However, as a teacher I will also have to realize the levels of talent in my classroom and be sure to not to expect more from a child than they are capable.
            There were so many things in this chapter that I never really would have related to one another unless I was sitting down focusing in on a child’s anxiety. For example the socioeconomic status, the culture, and more can have an affects on a child’s performance and the amount of anxiety they experience.

            This chapter as a whole was very interesting, and will be a chapter that will be very relatable to situations I will experience in my future teaching career.

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