Some Days I Lead, Some Days I Step Back

Reading about direct instruction and student-centered learning this week had me reflecting on how much balance is required to be effective in the classroom. I felt like Slavin was speaking directly to the tug-of-war I sometimes experience between giving my students the structure they need and trusting them to take ownership of their learning.

I’ve always found direct instruction helpful, especially when I’m teaching writing. My seventh graders benefit from clear modeling, structured examples, and guided practice. But I also know that if I stay in the “teacher as expert” mode too long, I can unintentionally take away their opportunity to make sense of the learning on their own. This chapter reminded me to pause, ask more open-ended questions, and build in short check-ins that keep students active and connected to the material. Slavin emphasizes the power of guided practice and frequent feedback, and I’ve definitely seen how much those small moments boost both confidence and clarity.

Student-centered instruction pushes me to be more intentional about planning and letting go. I love watching students work through a novel or writing project together, but it doesn’t always go smoothly. Without a strong structure, group work can turn into off-task chatter or leave some students behind. This reading helped me see that the key isn’t just giving students freedom, it’s scaffolding that freedom. Slavin highlights strategies like cooperative learning and inquiry-based models that work best when students are clear on their roles, expectations, and goals. I’ve started introducing group roles and using reflection checklists to keep everyone focused, and I’m already seeing better collaboration as a result.

This week’s reading made me wonder how I know when to step in and when to step back. That’s the question I keep coming back to. I want to keep exploring ways to use formative assessment during group work to know when to redirect or when to let them struggle productively. My next step is to plan a few short, low-stakes activities where students can guide each other, and I’ll observe how much they can handle before needing my support. I’m hoping this helps me build more confident, independent learners while still offering the structure they need to succeed.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (13th ed.). Pearson Education.

Learning From More Than the Lesson Plan

Reading Chapter 6 made me think of many things that have happened in my own classroom, especially when students' behavior caught me off guard. Behaviorism and social learning are broken down by Slavin (2020) in a way that helped me understand why students do the things they do.

When I learned about operant conditioning, my first big change in how I thought happened. I have always tried to use positive reinforcement, but I had no idea how simple it is to support bad behavior by accident. I quickly address a student's outburst, even if I'm trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. This gives them attention, which is what they might want. Slavin says that attention can still be used to reward behavior even when it is meant to fix it (p. 97). I've been trying to shift my attention more subtly lately and instead pay attention to the students who are doing what I ask them to do. The mood in the room has changed a lot, even though it's only a small change.

The Social Learning Theory by Bandura was another important idea. People have known for a while that students learn best by watching others. But this part made me realize that they watch each other just as much, if not more, than I do. I've started asking students to show the rest of the class how to use strategies, follow routines, or behave in a conversation more consciously. In the weeks leading up to GMAS testing, I had a student show me how she marked a passage. During that time, some students who usually have trouble were paying more attention and asking better questions. That's how group learning works.

Self-control and self-efficacy are also important to Slavin (p. 107). This hit home for me because some of my students come in thinking, "I'm not good at this," and that makes them less likely to participate and more likely to lose confidence. I'm learning that making them feel good about themselves in small ways can change how they see themselves. And now I'm adding more "check-in" times so they can see how far they've come, even if it's just finishing a paragraph or using a new word properly.

Lastly, the idea of vicarious reinforcement (seeing other people get paid) made me think about how I celebrate student success. Students are more likely to do well when they see their peers are getting praise or being noticed. Every Friday, as part of our wrap-up, I use shoutouts and class "wins" to remind everyone that hard work and growth are important.

This part made me remember that behavior is learned and can be changed by how we act, what we support, and what we show others. It's becoming clear to me that managing the classroom and students doing well in school go hand in hand when students feel seen, heard, and supported.

Reference:

Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (13th ed.). Pearson Education.

What Chapter 2 Reminded Me About Teaching

There’s a moment during students completing their warm-up where I can sometimes see how they are thinking. It’s in the way they hesitate before writing down their answer or how they help a classmate through reading a new text. Chapter 2 of Slavin (2020) put language to those moments, it’s all connected to the development of their cognitive, language, and literacy.

While reading this chapter, I made so many connections with Piaget’s stages. They weren’t just theory, they were my classroom. Many of my students are in that bubble between the concrete operational and formal operational stages. That space shows up in how they problem-solve. Some still need scaffolding, chunking, and graphic organizers to assist with organizing and developing their ideas, while others are eager to tackle the task head on. As I lesson plan, this reminds me to always start small. This is usually with something concrete like an image, a short video, or a simple analogy instead of jumping straight in. Slavin (2020) emphasizes this transition as key to student growth (p. 28).

Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development gave me language for what I’ve always practiced, that's meeting my students where they are. I've had students struggle this year with independent reading responses. So, I begin implementing 1 on 1 conferencing. We practiced breaking down prompts, using different writing strategies, and what it looks like to organize thinking on their own. Within a few weeks, I saw so much improvement to the point that we began peers conferencing. That’s scaffolding in action changed how I view my role as their teacher. I can model, but at some point they need to be released no matter how much they want to lean on me for help. I have to build the bridge to independence for them.

Slavin also highlights how language development connects with cognitive development. It reminded me that language isn’t an add-on, it's a part of the foundation. In my classroom, vocabulary isn’t just front loaded and forgotten. I create space for students to play with language through discussion stems, word of the week presentations, and even classroom glossaries. These routines support students who are English Language Learners, but also benefit everyone. They allow students to be introduced to grade-level vocabulary and beyond. It's amazing to hear them add different words into their vocabulary. They receive extra credit if they are heard using words properly, but don't realize that we are actually building their vocabulary as we go. Language is the entry point to higher order thinking. If students don’t know vocabulary, it becomes difficult or may even feel foreign to them during activities, discussions, reading texts, and unit tasks.

When it comes to reading, I’ve shifted from focusing just on lexile levels to thinking about reading as something that empowers students. I have implemented a classroom library where students can add books, writers, sports that interest them to a chart. I occassionally add books for students to check-out. One of my students who has been labeled a “reluctant reader” and an attendance issue lit up during a unit when we analyzed texts about basketball, more specifically Lebron James. He had the background knowledge, the interest, the confidence and suddenly the desire to come to ELA. Slavin (2020) stresses the importance of leveraging student interests and cultural experiences to build literacy skills (p. 54). That moment taught me to keep searching for texts that reflect my students’ worlds and give them space to respond authentically.

Finally, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory encouraged me to zoom out and reflect. My students are shaped by more than what happens in my classroom or my hallway even. Family dynamics, the community, and cultural identity all influence how they show up for us in school. I’ve stopped making assumptions about student motivation and instead started asking more questions. It's all about building a rapport and seeing the student as a whole person. What might they be carrying with them? How can I make this room feel safe enough to take risks? How can I help them be successful in the short time I have them with me? What do they need from me?

This means I’m not just teaching 7th grade ELA curriculum, I’m teaching adolescents with unique paths who are growing into people who will one day run society. As their teacher, it's my job to plan with intention, be flexible, and remember that even the small things might be exactly what a student needs to grow. Cognitive growth isn’t linear, language growth isn’t predictable, and literacy isn’t mechanical. It’s human!

Reference:

Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (13th ed.). Pearson Education.