• Do you agree with the concepts described in the video? Why or why not?

 I agree with all the concepts that the video displayed. I can fully relate to the effects these actions have on individuals, both as a student as someone who works with children. If a certain level of trust is not present, then there can be little to no hope of a relationship ever being established. I especially liked the way they described a better way to correct disruptive behavior and encourage the acceptable ones. As adults, we sometimes forget that being talked down to when you are a child is very degrading.  If we took the time finding better ways to correct a child other that allows the student to both understand and feel appreciated than that goal has been accomplished.

 

• Which one do you agree with the most? Why?

 I agreed with all the concepts fully, but I feel closer to the point the trainers made about keeping the whales interested with new material, different rewards and so on. This may be more important to me due to the fact that I have seen firsthand what happens when a child becomes bored with the lesson and the teacher cannot hold their interest. Just like the whales may become distracted or refuse to participate in the planned show; a child will either become disruptive or not show their full potentials and fall behind. 

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• In general terms, how could you implement the concepts in your classroom? Provide specifics.

 These concepts are actually fairly easy to add to daily classroom activity. One could easily start by trying to find out more about each student to make them feel important. Then start building a certain level of trust by helping them and showing them that you are there to help them. If you see a student struggling, help them quietly and try not to draw attention to them. Reward each child in their own unique way. You could give Rob a sucker, but give Sally a gold star and note telling her how proud you are of her. Find what drives that particular student and draw from that. Redirect students by trying to be both fun and firm. A teacher I worked with use to call out “Tootsie roll! Lollipop! You have been talking nonstop!” It got the kids attention, it didn’t single any particular person out and it was funny! Keeping the kids interested could be tricky, but when you have them engage both their motor skills and the lesson it could be much easier. For example, if the class is learning about ancient Egypt, have the kids build a pyramid or even go so far as to have a mock-embalming of a “Pharaoh” the class elects to learn about the mummies and rituals. 

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• How important to you is building trust and establishing relationships? Explain.

Trust is a key factor in any relationship, not simply student/teacher. If one person feels trust for another, they are more likely to be willing to form relationships with them. When a student trusts a teacher, they feel more open to helpful suggestions and are more willing to go to them with problems. Just like with the whales, they trusted the trainers and it became so much easier for them to learn the lessons. The same is the true with students. Forming relationships will open doors for the ones involved. If you feel you have a relationship with another person, you feel more willing to listen and pay attention to them.

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• The video states that it is important to find out what motivates the individual whales. Would this be the same for your students? Why?

 On a personal note, I feel this is true for every human. What works with one does not always work with the other. For example, I often see a student who is motivated simply by the thought of doing well and making that A. The pupil next to them, they may need to be motivated more because to them that is just a grade that will go in the folder.  Just like a belly rub may have worked for one whale, it may have been a turn off for another. I had a teacher once that gave candy for good marks. Well, this worked for some, but one classmate stated, “So what? I can buy candy or get it at home.” That statement is an example of how a teacher must find the thing that drives each student to want to do well. If it is candy for Jane, give Jane candy. If it is a smile and saying you are proud of him that gets Billy making one hundreds, then do that. Each child is different and a teacher needs to adapt to that.

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• Do you think that it is important to keep things interesting for your students? How would you do this for your students?

 As I mentioned in my earlier paragraph, I am a strong believer that the more a child is interested the more they will learn. In the future I plan on being a very “hands on” teacher whenever the situation will allow. I plan on using models my students can hold and work with, along with incorporating games such as bingo or guessing games. Projects and experiments will also play a big role in my study plans. I always enjoy hearing how a student or young child sees the world, so I feel discussions will be a go to for me as well. I will use a reward system for my children who show exceptional work and interests but, just like the SeaWorld trainers, it will never stay the same reward. This way, I feel the students will be more willing to stay alert and focused. They will never know what will be happening or what they will miss if they look away!

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• Describe "redirection" the best you can.

Redirection, in this case, is where a teacher must find a way to quell a student’s disruptive or inappropriate behavior. This can be tricky, since our initial reaction is to lose our tempers and yell. Redirecting means to find the most appropriate way to let the child know they are interrupting and not on task, but does not encourage the behavior to continue. This can be done with a whispered word, a tap, or even incorporating the entire classroom if it is more than one pupil misbehaving. 

 Summary

I feel this video and topic really hit the nail on the head for this time in education. More and more teachers are turning to hands on teaching, rather than the traditional instructional ways. I do find it refreshing, since I myself am a hand on learner and have seen firsthand the difference it can make. I found it very interesting that the new methods of how to set up relationships in the classroom came from the whale trainers at SeaWorld.  What I would really love to know is if hands on teaching are really providing better results than traditional teaching is.