My Classroom & Reading Experiences

     In Chapter 5 - The Mask of Minimal Effort , Tovani describes the characteristics of the minimal effort mask, why some students resort to this mask, and the importance of authenticity in order to enhance students' focus and urgency to learn and produce quality work.      After reading Chapter 5, there was one consistent theme that resonated throughout - the importance of authenticity. Tovani mentions in previous chapters that students often establish these masks (either class clown, apathy, or minimal effort) for a few distinct reasons. However, most of the time, the reason is that students do not feel a connection/purpose to their learning and their overall learning experience is not "authentic." This sentiment is represented in great detail in this chapter, specifically on page 127, in which Tovani states, "If you really want to ramp up students' urgency to revise and produce quality work, you need an authentic audience. Providing an audience for students t

 In Chapter 4 - The Mask of the Class Clown , Tovani details exactly what the mask of the class clown is, the learning and behavioral challenges that come with students who resort to the class clown mask, and strategies she has used to engage this distinct type of students.      On page 79, Tovani made a remark that really stood out to me. She states that "Students who wear the class clown mask aren't doing it to be bad. They want to be successful and taken seriously, but when they struggle, they would rather be perceived as funny than as stupid" (Tovani, pg. 79). This quote from Tovani really resonated with me because this is something I have experienced and seen first-hand in my short time in the classroom. I have seen a number of students who turn to the class clown mask, and unrightfully so on my part, I typically chalk it up to the student seeking attention from their classmates and wanting to provoke a reaction out of the teacher. However, when I work one-on-one wit

* For confidentiality purposes, a pseudonym will be provided for the observed student  and mentor teacher *     On September 15th, 2022, I began my field placement at Thurmont Middle School observing a 7th grade Medieval History class. For some insight about the students in this class, my mentor teacher, Ms. G, informed me that around half of the students in this class had IEPs and were performing below grade level. While working with below-grade level students is not foreign to me as I have had the pleasure of working in an inclusion classroom in my previous field experiences, I was eager to see how this group of students engaged with course content, their peers, and their teachers. For this first observation post, I have decided to discuss a student by the name of George.       Before getting to my observations and interactions with George, let me provide context into the lesson that was being conducted. The lesson here was conducted over the span of a week, and luckily, I was able t