BOY!!! Doesn’t this quote make you want to drop everything and instantly become a “better” person?! I know that it makes me want to become a “better” teacher! Yes, I am using quotation marks around the word ‘better’ because I will indeed argue that this word means, and looks different for each individual who is walking on this Earth right this moment.
“We only get what we believe that we deserve. Raise the bar, raise your standards and you will receive a better outcome.” Joel Brown
Today is about sharing about my experience observing motivation and engagement within the classroom! It can be such a beautiful sight to see, also one that is cringe worthy. However, the sun is shinning and you have caught me in the right moment to share about the wonders of motivation and engagement! Let’s jump right into it!!
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
I am going to be sharing about the methods and practices that I have been observing in a fellow co-workers classroom. The time that I have spent within her classroom has been especially devoted to literacy. This is great because I am able to view the different ways that she reaches each and every one of her student’s in their “sweet spots”. We know how important it is to have our students working in their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) for a handful or reasons. The most important reason that we have talked about as educators, is the direct correlation between the ZPD and student engagement as well as overall motivation.
One of the things that I have noticed while spending time observing many different classrooms is the push for “personalized learning.” By tailoring instruction for every individual student will help them be successful throughout the school year. To help our students find their ZPD, we must “understand what “tailoring instruction” means and what it takes to make it happen is critical when implementing a personalized learning model. It’s about using purposeful groupings, choosing relevant instructional materials and modifying content to align with learning interests and needs. But just because each student has different needs does not mean that educators should move the goal post. He warns that differentiating expectations rather than supports maintains or exacerbates the opportunity gap” (Marisa Kaplan 2017).[1] The quote above is from EdSurge, which is a great article that I found when looking to extend my own knowledge about the steps that we as educators have to take, as well as the steps that students need to take to ensure that they are working within their ZPD.
The diagram that can be seen to the right, is a great visual that I found helpful to grasp the different “zones” that our students are feeling throughout their learning experience. “Regardless of whether the learning 
experience is digital or analog, keeping learners in their zone of proximal development is key for Peskay. He references a graphic with three concentric circles when describing Vygotsky’s concept. “There’s the comfort zone at the center, and then the growth zone and on the outside there is panic.” That growth zone is where he wants to see students spend most of their time.” (Marisa Kaplan 2017).
When I was talking with my fellow co-worker about how she determines the instructional levels for her student? As well as, how the use of formative assessments help maintain motivation and engagement through the appropriate instructional level. She explained that Running Records (RRs) are huge in helping determine instructional level. She actually does informal RRs on students once a week to be sure that they are working with appropriate texts. These running records are usually just based off of the group text that they have been working with during the week. She also assess sight words, and phonics regularly with informal observations when working in her guided reading groups. Each level typically has focus sight words and phonics skills that she likes to incorporate into her guided reading instruction.
Until next time, Happy blogging!
~Abby
[1]https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-08-01-let-learners-get-in-their-zone-of-proximal-development
