Each and everyday, PMSC AmeriCorps member, Mr. Parker Grigg heads to Blair County’s Martinsburg Elementary school to get things done with and for each and every one of his learners. Consistently, Mr. Grigg addresses individual student needs and engages kids in authentic literacy and math– making learning fun and providing opportunities for students to put their skills to work to solve problems. Student agency fosters high-level engagement in Mr. Grigg’s small groups as well. He creates simple but effective games–for example, a recent one where students “slide an eraser to decide their homework.” The keyword is “decide.” One clear reason that Parker is growing as an effective educator is demonstrated in his willingness to provide opportunities for student agency.
An often cited, “2008 meta-analysis of 41 studies found a strong link between giving students choices and their intrinsic motivation for doing a task, their overall performance on the task, and their willingness to accept challenging tasks (Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008).” Grigg takes every opportunity to engage his learners in this way, and the results speak for themselves. Grigg reports, “It has been so fascinating to see the improvements in their comprehension, fluency, and decoding. The students come to my room everyday with excitement and an urge to learn.”
PMSC AmeriCorps members bring out the best of their communities, of Pennsylvania, and of America in everyday ways. Whether it’s creatively initiating games and projects that promote student choice, conducting trail maintenance or waterway sampling, providing outreach wellness education, meeting needs for neighbors in crises, or serving on special service projects– PMSC AmeriCorps members give their time, talents, sweat, and love to the people, land, and water of this nation. And, these humble, servant-hearted Americans do it all with joy. Parker reports: “I truly love what I am doing, and I am so happy I chose AmeriCorps.” Thanks Parker, America is so glad you did, too!
You can #chooseAmericorps too. www.pmsc.org/current-positions
Choose AmeriCorps: Choose your future
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