Reflection on Setting High Expectations within the Classroom

High expectations within the classroom is an integral part of setting up students for the opportunity to succeed and excel in school. This allows all students to be held to an appropriate individual standard that allows them to realize and reach their full potential.

Student Goal Setting:
It is important to take into consideration the students current skills and abilities when having them set goals. Helping them set goals that are just outside their skill set will ensure that the student does not become defeated from completing something too difficult for them, but also provides them with something challenging to prevent complacency.


Goals should be SMART:

One way to incorporate goal setting in the classroom is to have student select their own learning goal for a unit. This would involve learning about something they are interested that falls within the lesson, but is outside of the teachers prescribed learning goals and objectives. Students can then be taught how to monitor their goal process (Marzano, 2007).

The Affective Domain:
By allowing students to set learning goals they are interested in, this also brings an appropriate use of the Affective Domain into the classroom. The affective domain includes, “learning objectives that emphasize a feeling tone, an emotion, or a degree of acceptance or rejection.” (Bloom, 1956). The Affective Domain requires teachers to create a learning environment within the classroom that has the expectation for students to emotionally connect with the content. This can be done through tailoring lessons and assignments to particular student interested or things they can picture themselves doing or using in the future.

Pride in Student Work:
It is important for students to take pride in their work. This stems from working hard, making choices and accomplishing goals (Klaufeldt, n.d.) At all grade levels teachers should encourage their students to create final products they would be proud to show their peers, parents and other teachers. One way to implement this is by displaying student work throughout the classroom. Give students time to move through out the classroom admiring others work once a project has been finished. The teacher might even want to provide a time for students to give positive comments or compliments about their peers work.

All of these lead to academic achievement for the student. Showing them what they are truly capable of is priceless and well with the effort of setting and maintaining high expectations.


References:
Bloom, B. S.; Engelhart, M. D.; Furst, E. J.; Hill, W. H.; Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Company. Retrieved April 1, 2014


Kaufeldt, Martha. "Begin With the Brain: Orchestrating the Learner-Centered Classroom." Google Books.  Web. 19 Feb. 2014 http://books.google.com/books?id=rlEWzT0VzJ8C&pg=PA167&lpg=PA167&dq=Begin+with+the+Brain:+Orchestrating+the+Learner-Centered+Classroom&source=bl&ots=jJKrLl2eT7&sig=-P27fm3P0kK0EnGUNXlAmFRpuHo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=u8oEU4_bE-r7yAG1mYGwAQ&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Begin%20with%20the%20Brain%3A%20Orchestrating%20the%20Learner-Centered%20Classroom&f=false

 Marzano, R.J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.teachnowprogram.com/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf

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