Week 5 - 3 Theory to Practice Hypotheses

Is Anybody Listening?
If a student’s basic needs for such things as food, shelter, and a stable home environment are not met, then they will be unable to focus on their academic studies. The video titled Is Anybody Listening? provides some great examples of this. Shortly into the video, Sonya Steward talks about how hard her mom is working to try and provide the basics for her family and put food on the table every night. In another clip, Chris Schultz is visibly upset about the possibility of losing his home. He explains that his family is already four months behind on rent and he expresses his fears over what is going to become of his brothers if his family cannot make the rent payments. Later, Martissa Barba shares her desire to help her mother provide for the family since her father walked out on them. Her mother insists that she concentrates on her school work, but Martissa his having a hard time with that due to her situation at home. At the end of the video, Ana Velazquez sums everything succinctly; she says that she is feeling lots of stress all the time and can no longer concentrate on her school work. According to Maslow, all of these students would fall into the bottom category in his hierarchy of needs. He would argue that since their most basic needs are not being satisfied, they will be unable to focus on their academic pursuits. As an educator, I need to be aware of possible issues such as these that my students may be having. If any of my students are not doing well in class or do not seem focused, it is imperative that I be sensitive to the possible reasons behind their behavior and not write them off as a lazy or uncooperative student. It is my responsibility to make sure that their needs are met within my classroom and outside of it if it is within my power to do so.

School Sucks D***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If an educator does not provide a learning environment that fosters autonomy, competence and relatedness, then students will not be motivated to come to class and be active learners. In thewhitebrazilian’s video School Sucks D***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, he talks about his past and present teachers. He is not particularly fond of most of his teachers. He claims that his current language arts and science teachers yell at their students and criticize them about their work in unconstructive ways. He also mentions his social studies teacher and says how he likes to joke around, but does so at the expense of the students and their feelings. In another example, he references his math teacher who places blame on students for things that they may or may not have done and that it has become so bad that a student has even walked out of the class. His one example of a positive learning environment came from his fourth and fifth grade teacher who he claims let the students do whatever they wanted. When he was talking about this teacher, you could see the joy that spread across his face in recalling this memory. Ryan and Deci would argue that only thewhitebrazilian’s fourth and fifth grade teacher created a learning environment that fostered autonomy, competence, and relatedness which therefore motivated the students to attend class and be active learners. The other teachers did not find ways to relate to the students and created feelings incompetence through unconstructive criticism and ridicule. As a teacher, it is extremely important to tend to the emotional needs of students. If these needs are neglected, then students will not be motivated to participate in class. I will endeavor to connect with my students by finding a common ground that we share and to create a learning environment where they feel comfortable taking a chance and sharing their ideas without the fear of being ridiculed or feeling inadequate.

Middle School Gossip
If a student’s need for meaningful relationships and connectedness to their peers is not fulfilled, then they will not be able to focus on their academic studies. In the video Middle School Gossip, Lenay interviewed middle school students as well as some teachers for their perspectives on relationships in the school environment. The students that were interviewed were preoccupied with being accepted by their peers and would search for this acceptance through their appearance and social relationships. One of the girls said, “I didn’t want to come to school today because I had a bad outfit on.” Other students that were interviewed spoke of their on and off relationships with their significant others. On this subject, one of the teachers noted that “They’re ‘BFF’ the next day is their worst enemy.” As fickle as these relationships may seem to an outsider, they play huge role in students’ everyday lives. The teachers noted how distracting these social tendencies and relationships can be to students in that they cause students to lose their focus on their school work. These desires that the students are trying to fulfill fit on the scale of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. While above the most basic needs such as food and shelter, the desire for meaningful relationships trumps the desire for more academic pursuits. As a teacher, I will need to be aware of the constantly changing social atmosphere that my students will be living in. I will need to keep an open door and an open ear at all times to be able to assess their current state of mind in relation to their willingness to learn. It will be my duty to be more than just a teacher and purveyor of knowledge, I will also need to be there to lend a kind word and supportive ear their “BFF” turns into “their worst enemy” and back again.