Part 1 :

You have been asked to observe Mr. Eric Johnson's 7th grade social studies class. Mr. Johnson is concerned about several students in his class who are engaging in behaviors that interfere with their learning or others. You observe the class over a period of 2 weeks to gather data.

From your data, you observed the following. Mr. Johnson is well organized and has all materials ready. He quickly gets the class started. On 4 of the 10 days you observed, he gave quizzes at the beginning of class. Mr. Johnson lectures 45 minutes of the 55 minute period.

During this time, he expects his students to pay attention, take notes, and not talk. For the last 10 minutes of the class, Mr. Johnson allows students to begin their homework, which is responding to questions from their social studies books. Students may sit where they please.

Several students rarely have notebooks so they usually pass notes, make jokes, and/or try to get the attention of other students. These students normally sit together at the back of the room. Students who are taking notes have difficulty; there are few visuals and Mr. Johnson goes at a fast pace.

Use the assigned reading from Chapters 3 and 4 of Schunk to discuss the principle(s) of behavior you would use to help Mr. Johnson in gaining control of his class. Identify two things that you would do and explain the behavior principle(s) involved.

For your responses to your classmates, discuss how students might react to the ideas your classmates have suggested. Discuss positives as well as challenges and how Mr. Johnson might deal with those challenges.

Part 2: Instructor Self-Efficacy

You experienced how observations can provide insight and possible solutions for teachers. In the next scenario observations and discussions indicate that the new teachers at Principal Smith's school have low instructional self-efficacy.

As mentioned by Mr. Smith, all of the teachers have the skills to engage in highly interactive and engaging lessons; they lack the self-confidence to proceed. They are afraid of failing. As part of the team, use the articles from this week's readings on teacher efficacy to suggest one or two strategies for assisting teachers in increasing their instructional self-efficacy. Be sure to include strategies based on your Readings for this unit.

As you review the strategies suggested by your classmates, please find one that will complement what you suggested and explain why you think this combination will be effective.

For your responses to your classmates, take the role of a devil's advocate and come up with challenges to the strategy as if you were a teacher that might not embrace brain-based research strategies. This will give your classmates an opportunity to further discuss the strategy and why it can be effective.

This Discussion addresses the following unit learning outcomes:

Choose strategies that support self-efficacy.

Identify research-based strategies to improve the learning environment.