Coach Carter: Characteristics that Demonstrate Effectiveness

Coach Carter
1. Is this teacher effective? If so, what characteristics demonstrate effectiveness? If not, what could be done to improve effectiveness? Provide examples and make connections to your own experiences and course content. Describe the teacher’s management style.
Although the Coach Ken Carter is not an actual teacher in the classroom, he is a teacher on the basketball court for group of inner-city teenagers. Ken Carter shows that he has true faith in these students and their success, even when the students have the deepest doubts. As an education student at Wayne State, I was taught this statement: “The Effective Urban Educator: Reflective, Innovative and Committed to Diversity.” That statement describes Coach Ken Carter 100 percent. Reflective teaching involves analyzing what you do in the classroom, why you do it, and if this method of teaching works. It is a process of self-observation and self-effectiveness. In this movie, Coach Carter noticed that some of the students’ grades were either failing or close to failing. He reflected on what he can do as a Coach in order to help these students succeed, not only on the court, but in the classroom as well. He decided bench his undefeated team due to their poor academic results. (This is a form of punishment for the students’ receiving bad grades. They were put in a “time-out”.) Although the students were upset over this doing, they were forced to bring up their grades if they wanted to continue playing basketball. Innovative teaching means bringing new methods of learning to the classroom that will benefit the students. Coach Carter did that on the basketball court for his students. He taught the students important plays that will lead to success on the basketball court, and he also took his coaching to a higher level by forcing the students to do better academically in order to do the one thing they love the most: basketball. Being committed to diversity in the classroom means to accept the differences of, not only the students, but of the community as well. Coach Carter did just that for every student. These students were coming from what many refer to as the “ghetto”. Many of these students were coming from dysfunctional families, and many of their parents have not attended college. These students did not have much to look up to, nor did they have a lot of encouragement coming towards them. Coach Carter took into consideration their differences and NEVER gave up on any of them. He believed in the students as he gained respect and achieved success.
As you can see, Coach Carter met every requirement to being an effective educator. He was reflective, innovative, and was committed to diversity. In the end, he saw amazing results not only for himself, but for the students as well. As I begin my student teaching, I am going to keep this movie in the back of my mind as I hope to be an effective educator like Coach Carter was. I will be committed to my students like Coach Carter was to his students as they walked down the path to success.
2. Comment on the developmental level of the students. Be sure to consider all aspects: physical, social, cognitive, moral, etc. Relate this to course content. For example, what impact does cognitive development have on instruction and assessment? How might social development affect the teacher’s choice of instructional strategies?
These students are high school students ranging from 14-18 years of age. These students would be placed in the following for Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development: identity vs. role confusion (ages 12 to 18) and generativity vs. stagnation. The identity vs. role confusion stage involves these students finding the answer to the question, “Who am I?” To resolve this crisis, adolescents must select, prepare, commit to a future career, re-evaluate religious and moral beliefs, work out a political ideology, and adopt a set of roles that include a social sex role and a role that anticipates marriage and parenthood. Coach Carter worked with these students to successfully resolve this crisis and view themselves as having a meaningful role in society. Those that cannot successfully resolve this crisis become diffused adolescents. Diffused adolescents remain confused and disturbed. The intimacy vs. isolation stage (young adulthood) involves the need for young adults to form an intimate, loving relationship with others. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation. These students formed strong relationships with each other as they learned the importance of teamwork and respect. Coach Carter not only formed a strong relationship with these students, but he also enforced them to build strong relationships with themselves and others. As for the social characteristics for students in high school, parents and other adults are likely to influence long-range plans, their peers are likely to influence immediate status, and the students’ relationships with their parents serve as a barometer for which they will be propelled towards the peer group (the better the relationship with the student’s parents, the less need to utilize for support and answers to their questions. The students in this movie came from broken, dysfunctional homes and it was obvious that their family life was taking a toll on the students’ long term goal plans. When watching the movie, they all dress alike and talk with similar dialect around their peers. As for emotional characteristics in this age group, many pychriatric disorders either appear or become prominent during adolescence. In this movie, you can tell that some of these students were suffering from depression by their actions. Also, some demonstrated substance abuse.
3. What learning theory did this movie remind you of? (e.g., behavioral theory, social cognitive theory, cognitive theory) And why? Give examples.
This movie reminded me most of the behavioral learning theory. This learning theory is basically interested in how behavior results from the stimuli both in the environment and within ourselves. In this movie, these students were coming from dysfunctional homes in the inner-city. Many of these students lived in the ghetto. It was evident that their behavior was strongly influenced from the stimuli in the environment and within theirselves. Not much was expected from these students until Coach Carter came around… these students would have been lucky to make it through high school before dropping out, getting killed, or going to jail. Coach Carter became the positive role model that these students lacked and did whatever it took in order to make sure they would succeed. When he noticed their grades dropping tremendously, he issued a lock-out. He took away the one thing that these students loved more than anything- basketball. In order end the lockout, these students had to bring up their grades… and that is what they did!
4. What is the general impression conveyed by this movie in its depiction of teachers and students? What impact has this movie had on you as a future teacher? What behaviors would you like to model in your own classroom? Why would you want to model these behaviors or characteristics? Provide examples.
The general impression conveyed by this movie in its depiction of teachers and students is if you push your students to do the best that they are capable to do, you will achieve results and success. SHOW YOUR STUDENTS THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THEM! This movie has had an enormous impact on me as a future teacher. The way I run my classroom is definitely going to be impacted by Coach Carter and his methods of teaching. As I begin my student teaching, I am going to keep this movie in the back of my mind as I hope to be an effective educator like Coach Carter was. I will be committed to my students like Coach Carter was to his students as they walked down the path to success.
5. Comment on motivational issues presented by teachers and students. What aspects of motivation theories discussed in the text do you find in the movie? Are students intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? How might you resolve motivational issues of teachers and/or students?
What motivated Coach Carter to issue the lock-out were the failing and close to failing grades of his players. These students saw themselves playing at “College Level”, but, in order to play at college level, these students needed to excel in their academics as well. Technically, as a coach, he only needed to worry about the performance of the students on the court. By issuing a lock-out, these students were sacrificing their unbeatable record on the court. With basketball being the one thing that these students loved more than anything, they had no choice but to bring up their grades and improve their studies. The students low grades motivated coach carter to issue the lock-out and the lock-out motivated the students to do well in school so they could get back to playing basketball. These students were both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. They motivated by doing well in school and by continuing their career in basketball.
`In my classroom, I may use stickers to reward my students for doing well. When the students earn so many stickers next to their name on the chart, they will be given a reward such as lunch on me from Subway. I may also motivate my students by taking away their recess when they do not finish an assignment or when they act out in class. I WILL definitely motivate my students with encouragement every day. When something gets done correctly, I will reward them with a “GOOD JOB! I’m so proud of you!” NO MATTER WHAT, AFTER I PUNISH MY STUDENTS, I WILL ALWAYS GIVE THEM SOME TYPE OF ENCOURAGEMENT AFTER TO RAISE THEIR CONFIDENCE.
6. 6. How did the teacher assess students’ learning?
Coach Carter assessed students’ learning by issuing the lock-out when he noticed the failing or close to failing grades that some of his students were earning. In order for these students to get back in the game, they needed to raise their grades. He became a positive role model for these students and lead them to success!