Rationale

I created a bulletin board in the 6th-grade hallway at Central Valley Middle School. This

board takes into consideration what I know about group behavior and individual needs. When

groups of students can efficiently work well together, great things can be achieved. Aside from

the group, individual students also need consistent encouragement throughout the school year to

stay motivated and frequent reminders for how they can effectively manage their behavior, social

interactions, and personal lives. The bulletin board I put up is an encouragement to all students

that each day is a new day to do something great, whether it is for themselves or another

individual. They are encouraged and motivated to work hard in school, to be actively engaged

and present in school, and to help out a peer.

Furthermore, during my placement at Riverside Middle School, I had my students

complete a daily problem at the beginning of every class. The daily problems each week

motivated my students to learn and encouraged them to manage their work. A student would

automatically get a point for attempting a problem, but they would receive a bonus point for each

problem that was correctly solved. The students would receive a stamp for the problems that they

solved correctly so that I would know to give them a bonus point for that day when I went to

grade the daily problem sheets. Based on my observations, most students are encouraged by

bonus points. Therefore, the students were encouraged to keep focused and actively engaged

right at the beginning of class to correctly solve a problem. This encouragement motivated them

to keep working on the task and to not give up. Students were also encouraged to manage their

work because if they lost their paper, they would miss out on the opportunity to receive the

bonus points that were already awarded.