EDU 308 – Task 2 – Movie Review – Charlene Wood 1058975

The Ron Clark Story – President Rap

Scene accessible from: http://youtu.be/RzicjVLIAL4

“The Ron Clark Story” follows the inspiring tale of an energetic, creative and
idealistic young teacher who leaves his small North Carolina hometown to teach
in a New York City public school. Through his passionate use of special rules for
his classroom, highly innovative teaching techniques and an undying devotion for
his students and his ability to help them to cope with their problems, Mr. Clark is
able to make a remarkable difference in the lives of his students. Within the
movie there is a strong emphasises on the fact that nobody, including the
students themselves, believes in them. However Mr. Clark strives to work with
his students hoping that he can raise their test scores to an acceptable level or
possibly even higher. In the end of “The Ron Clark Story” the Principal Mr.
Turner reveals that Mr. Clark’s class got the highest average in the State. In
addition Mr. Clark’s students left his classroom at the end of the year, with a
positive attitude, regarding Mr. Clark as the best teacher they have ever had.

As a developing teacher “The Ron Clark Story’ is an inspirational story that

provides one with the insight, as to how a teacher can significantly impact a
child’s life. This is demonstrated through the way it emphasises the importance
of the role a teacher plays within a child’s life and how one can change a child’s
train of though. Thus equipping a child with the essential skills to become a
successful ‘lifelong learner’ (Links to John Dewey Social Theory – that child go to
school to become lifelong learner for life not to just learn content). It is within the
way the story depicts the importance of how a teacher needs to develop a
profound knowledge and understanding of the importance of the way a teacher
professionally conducts oneself inside and outside the classroom (Links to The
National Framework of Values and The Teaching Standards). Within ‘The Ron
Clark Story” it is evident that Mr. Clark develops a professional teacher-student
relationship with his students, through the usage of selecting and applying
appropriate pedagogical teaching strategies, behavioural techniques and
educational psychology learning theories, that strategically challenge and scaffold
student learning within their Zone of Proximal Development accordingly (Links to
The Teaching Standards, The National Framework of Values and Vygotsky’s
Constructivist Theory).
EDU 308 – Task 2 – Movie Review – Charlene Wood 1058975

During “The Ron Clark Story”, Mr. Clark writes a rap song for his students.
Within this rap song it incorporates historical information about past American
Presidents (Demonstrates Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory & Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligence Theory – catering for diversity). This information is essential for Mr.
Clark’s students to know as the content is embedded within the State Exam.
Within this section of the story it evidently shows, how a teacher is required to
scaffold student learning within their ZPD (Demonstrates Vygotsky’s
Constructivist Theory). It is through the usage of scaffolding within a child’s ZPD
that provides a child, with a learning experience/s that will further development
them holistically, in order to become a successful ‘lifelong learner’. However in
order to effectively scaffold a child’s learning one must firstly have an in-depth
knowledge and understanding as to what intrinsically motivates a child, so that
they can absorb the content and concept of a learning experience to its’ full
potential (Links to Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory).

Mr. Clark demonstrated his ability to professionally connect with his student’s
backgrounds and interests through the usage of the Presidential Rap Song. The
song showed his students that he cared about them and believes in them, by
taking the time to understand who they are, what they were interested in, how
they learnt best and what they wanted to achieve (Links to Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs Theory & Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory). It was through the song that
Mr. Clark’s students developed an understanding that he cared about their basic
needs and believed that they could achieve what everyone else thought they
could not (Links to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, The Teaching
Standards and The National Framework of Values).

Furthermore within “The Ron Clark Story” it is evident that he constantly took the
time to develop and maintain a respectful teacher-student relationship with all of
his students (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, John Dewey Social Theory,
The Teaching Standards and The National Framework of Values). It was through
this professional teacher-student relationship that Mr. Clark was able to make his
class’s learning experiences engaging and relevant, so that they could connect to
the content and concepts being taught for the State Exam, creating new schemas
(Links to Paige’s Constructivist Theory). It was through this engagement and
relevancy that students created new schemas, thus absorbing the information,
setting them up for success within the State Exam and controlling the behaviour
EDU 308 – Task 2 – Movie Review – Charlene Wood 1058975

of the class as students were actively involved within their learning experiences.
This evidently gave the class hope and motivation (intrinsically and extrinsically)
as they had something to prove to others and to themselves (Vygotsky’s
Constructivist Theory).

In addition Mr. Clark allowed each individual student to take responsibility for his
or her own learning (Links to Glasser’s Choice Theory). By doing this it enable
his students to take pride within their learning experiences, thus intrinsically
motivation them (Links to Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory & John Dewey’s
Social Theory). Furthermore Mr. Clark created a positive social learning
environment, that scaffolded student learning accordingly, regardless as to
whether they worked individually, in groups or as a whole class, students were
constantly engaged and involved within their own learning experiences, therefore
effectively controlling student behaviour, as his students wanted to be involved
and active within the class (Links to Vygotsky’s Constructivist Theory & John
Dewey’s Social Theory).

In conclusion Mr. Clark significantly effectively developed a professional teacher-

student relationship with his students, through the usage of selecting and
applying appropriate pedagogical teaching strategies, behavioural techniques
and educational psychology learning theories, that strategically challenge and
scaffold student learning within their Zone of Proximal Development accordingly.
Furthermore “The Ron Clark Story” emphasise on the importance of a teacher
believing within John Dewey’s Pedagogic Creed that, “ Everybody can learn”.
EDU 308 – Task 2 – Movie Review – Charlene Wood 1058975

My Pedagogic Creed

As a developing teacher, I personally believe that all students are able to learn.
However it is the responsibility of the teacher to provide students with a relevant
scaffolded learning opportunity within their Zone of Proximal Development that
enables them to make clear connections to the content and concepts being
taught. Personally as a developing teacher it is imperative that I provide my
students with numerous learning opportunities that are engaging, thus allowing
them to be actively involved within their own learning experiences, thus setting
them up for success, rather then failure. It is within this engagement that
students will take responsibility for their own learning experiences and behaviour,
therefore being intrinsically motivated, rather then extrinsically motivated. It is
through this engagement and ownership of one’s learning experiences that
evidently minimise behavioural problems, as students will be actively involved
and engaged within the process of learning, rather then having the opportunity to
be distracted.

When looking at John Dewey’s Social Theory it is evident that he believed that
students should take control of their learning experiences and that children learn
best through a social learning environment, therefore developing and maintain
the essential skills to be a successful ‘lifelong learner’. As a developing teacher I
personally believe in John Dewey’s Social Theory, as student evidently learn best
through play and interactions, where a teacher is able to strategically scaffold
one’s learning experiences accordingly within their Zone of Proximal
Development. Furthermore students are another teaching strategy that a teacher
can utilise. For example fellow peers can provide their peers with scaffolded
learning experiences within their Zone of Proximal Development unintentionally,
whilst reinforcing their own knowledge, understanding and skills holistically,
reaching the next stage within Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy Theory.

In addition I feel personally that it is imperative that a teacher develops and

maintains a professional teacher-student relationship. It is within this
professional teacher-student relationship that provides a teacher with the
opportunity to ensure that each student’s basic needs are meet, in order to set
them up to become successful ‘lifelong learners’. For example if a teacher has
the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that each student have their
EDU 308 – Task 2 – Movie Review – Charlene Wood 1058975

basic needs meet, that it will demonstrate to the students that their teacher cares
about them and therefore they will depict good behaviour rather then bad
behaviour. It is the duty and role a teacher to meet The Teaching Standards and
The National Framework of Values. Currently within my teaching practice I
strongly embed the following educational psychology learning theories – Lev
Vygotsky Constructivist Learning Theory, Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy Learning
Theory, John Dewey’s Social Theory, Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence
Theory and Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. It is essential that a
teacher incorporates multiple educational learning theories within their teaching
as it will ensure that one caters for diversity, minimizing students behavioural
issues as students are engaged within their learning experiences.

As a further teacher I will endeavor to take the opportunity to get to know my

students on a personal basis, where I can relate to them within my teaching
practices, therefore ensuring that students are actively engaged and intrinsically
motivated to do their best a all times, as I will at all times be caring,
compassionate, fair, honesty, trustworthy, integral, respectful, responsible,
understanding and tolerant in providing my students with learning opportunities
that will allow them to go a successful ‘lifelong learner’ within their own
endeavors.