Extra Credit

I am not permitted to give students candy (or any kind of edible rewards) in my current district. I have also been in schools where this policy is strict to the point where it becomes a caricature. But students often want extrinsic motivation to complete assignments or activities that they see as trivial. So, I give out bonus points.

I know that there is a division in the educational community about giving extra credit. Some teachers feel that students should not need to get extra credit. Others feel that their students may need it to pass or succeed in a specific grading system. I am not in either of those camps, necessarily. I wish that I didn't feel the need to use "bonus points" as a reward. Unfortunately, I feel stuck.

I need ideas. I need some rewards for students who work the best with a reward system. I can't give out candy. I don't want to keep giving out bonus points. HELP!

I just found this excerpt from a book I've been reading on another teacher's blog. With regard to my feelings on extra credit, it could go one of two ways- either it justifies my awarding of bonus points by implying that the awarding of the bonus point gives the student positive feedback (they gave a decent, well-thought-out response) and it gives the parents/college admissions officer a grade boost. The other possibility is that it only reinforces to the student that grades are the only thing that is important. Let me know what you think:

"Grades are for parents and college. Feedback is for student learning." -Rick Smith

New Year, New Semester, and New Goals for a New Teacher

I'm in my first year of teaching. We just switched to a new semester, and I need to set some new goals for myself so that I can improve my teaching. This blog ties into my second goal.

Goal #1: Improve my classroom management. (Isn't this a goal of every new teacher? Heck, isn't this a goal of EVERY teacher?) I learned that "it's easier to start out strict and loosen up than to crack down later" lesson the hard way. I heard it a million times during college and student teaching, but I guess I didn't really think about it as much as I should have at the beginning of the year.

Goal #2: Incorporate more technology into my lessons. I took a survey at the beginning of this semester, and the majority of my students are tactile learners. The school that I'm teaching at has numerous technological resources and a great tech coach, so I want to start taking advantage of these resources to help these hands-on learners get more out of math.

Don't think these are the only goals I have for myself. For instance, I am constantly revising my lesson plans, my flip charts, my assessments, etc. But these are the two goals that I plan to focus on this semester. Thanks in advance for your support!