Creating High Performance Learning Environments

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

I think the teacher holds high performance expectations for each student in all 3 scenarios because they are all committed and focused in the learning skills of their students.  The enjoyed the Roller Coaster Physics lesson because this gave the students hands on practice and problem solving skills for them to figure out.  The Chinese Math was a little bit like a drill sergeant but the teacher was still focused on the students learning.  The longitude and latitude teaching was a little mix of rhythm and cognitive problem solving skills.   

The behavioural expectation in the first video was more relaxed, as long as they all worked together and solved the problem.  Students seem to answer the question more willingly when they are not pressured as much.  The second and third video seemed to require more attention from the students in order to understand the lesson and apply it later.  It does require the teacher to use more energy and move around, but it’s worth it, when the students learn the lesson. 

I feel the norms and procedures in the in all 3 were well exercised prior to their lesson.  The teachers must have established classroom rules, and students were familiar with them.  Students were well behaved and every student were focused on the teacher and lesson at hand. 

I always try to set high performance expectations among my students because they are the world to me.  I became a teacher so that the future generations can become productive members of society all over the world.  Students learn so much better when teachers themselves have high expectations.  Even though not every student can reach the aimed goals, but the struggle and process makes it worthwhile.  Perhaps the students might even surpass other students later on in life, who knows. 

I would create a similar environment to the Roller Coaster Lesson because that was how I was taught when I was young, and I feel that it is an effective way for students to learn hands on.  The Math teacher was also good, but I would rather have students use counting blocks, Legos, or other materials to use for their math problems.  Or even have students ask each other questions to solve.  For the last video, I would also use the body movements and rhythm for other lessons that would be most beneficial to my students.  For my grade 1 class, I can sing a song while learning body parts. 

My grade 1 students are all ethnic Chinese, and they are mostly ESL learners.  They do enjoy learning group based projects, PBL, and sing along songs.