Bloom Case Study

Bloom Interview An interview took place on November 30, 2016 with Mr. Bloom, a teacher to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade religion and science classes. We covered teacher’s expectations of students, students’ expectations of the teacher, relationships: students-teachers-parents, the teaching-learning environment, and professionalism. All of these topics contribute to Mr. Bloom’s teaching style, classroom management, and how overall successful he is with his methods.

A. Teachers Expectations of Students Mr. Bloom motivates students who demonstrate little interest in a topic/subject by not forcing them to do it. He admits that for the most part; middle schoolers are not intrinsically motivated. The students need the constant reminder that in will be “fun,” or instead of saying it’s time to take notes, instead he takes a more positive approach: “alright 6th grade, we have some quick notes to take and then we will do a fun activity.” He explained how it’s important to say things in good way, and do not make it seem “like a chore.” Grades are not always a motivator, so

Bloom was honest and said “it’s not high on my priority list.” He said he focuses more on his lesson plans and his “extra” time is usually filled with something that seems more important. He did point out his bulletin board he put up at the beginning of the year. Mr. Bloom is terrific at creating a positive, social-emotional environment for learning. He explained that he does not yell, especially when dealing with middle schoolers, because yelling is such as shaming approach. He elaborated on this idea telling us that a welcoming teacher creates for a better environment. The last comment he made about the social-emotional environment question was to just not make students feel like they are “losers.” He thought visitors in his classroom would think the environment is welcoming because he is welcoming and that his students are for the most part