Working with students in the 7th grade this semester is different than working with high school students. The basic principles of classroom management are still present but there are some small changes that are needed to properly manage the classroom.
My cooperative teacher from the first day was very clear that I would need to be strict and take control of the classroom right from the start to prevent losing control of the students. After observing him for the first day it became clear how he managed this. Students are expected to not talk when the instructor is talking. If the students are talking and off task the instructor simply holds his hand up and the students know to stop talking, pay attention, and listen to the instructor. This seems to be an effective method that prevents the instructor from always having to speak over the students. Students that continue to talk and have to be spoken to are either moved to another seat away from the other students or given silent lunch. The only time students are written up and/or sent to the office is if they disobey the instructor or curse at the instructor. The students have assigned seats that change weekly which allows the instructor to keep certain students away from each other that cause disruptions. Time management is important to my cooperative teacher’s management of the class. The instructor always makes sure there is more planned than what the students can accomplish in a days time. Transitions between activities are quick to prevent students from getting off task. From my observations and experiences thus far, my cooperative teacher’s classroom management works.
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Having been a witness to your cooperating teacher's methods I to believe that his methods work especially for him. I always liked the checklist on the board and having more things to do than was possible for the day. I think I can incorporate that into my class because I don't want to finish what I have planned and then struggle to find something to do for 10 minutes. Also the questions at the beginning of class are quite effective. The students know that they have to do that every day and this allows a quick, quiet transition into the rest of the day. I also think that it provides a good practice to what they will see on the SOL.
ReplyDeleteWeekly seating changes? That seems very interesting. Probably good for dealing with behavior issues right away without having to specifically call out certain students and switch seats that way. I think taking control of the students' attention right away is important. I worked with a substitute last week who told me she has found that to be extremely important. Gain their attention right away, don't start talking until you have it, and then be very purposeful in letting go of their attention for an activity or downtime. You don't have to be mean about it, just firm. I need the practice with that for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a great experience you are having! Those issues are ones I have been thinking about a lot recently. My ct did have assigned seating from day one to help learn names and I do like this idea. Since I have been planning my unit I have become more concerned about lab groups. I can see that some students work well picking their groups but others need a little more motivation before being able to work. I will definitely be focusing on this dynamic over the next two weeks before I assume full instruction. Good luck!
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