I thought I would take a moment to share with you about my teachers classroom management strategies. My teacher firmly believes in "purposeful" seating. She does new seating charts every six weeks. It is nice because the students expect this when the walk in the door. Every day my teacher takes the first 5 minutes to do attendance. As a result, the class is not using the full 45 minutes. The students know they can be tardy because the material does not start until the middle part of class. I feel if my teacher would make an adjustment here she could get through more of the "material" that she is stressing about. In addition, she does not use the last five minutes of class. She allows students to talk quietly at their desks during this time. Again 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there really add up to a lot of time.
My teacher does have a good homework system. The homework is due at the beginning of the period, no exceptions. Students know this and follow this rule to the best of their capabilities.
Something I might want to adjust from my teacher is her free range of the hall pass. Anyone during the class period can leave to use the restroom, go to their locker, see the nurse, etc. This can become very distracting for other learners and the teacher. At my school a hall pass must be signed my the teacher. Therefore the teachers stops what she or he is doing to sign the pass. I believe implementing a "not during instruction" disclaimer would be good. Many of the students show up 2 minutes before the tardy bell and ask to use the hall pass. This does not make sense to me, but maybe it is because I am a newbie.
My teacher has the students siting in a single file rows. This does help with classroom management. However, the number of students sleeping during class is quite high.
Overall, I am looking forward to implementing these strategies in my own classroom next year. I am sure I will gain a lot of experience from this semester to help me in my next endeavor.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Classroom Management
In all honesty, I have experienced a sort of "culture shock" at my cooperating school due to how different the classes are from what I experienced in high school. My first teacher, Mr. Magnetism, does not have to work hard at managing his class. There are only 15 students in the class, all of whom are attentive and motivated to work on their own. He keeps his door open (as does everyone at the end of the hall), so it is normal to have to listen to biology and chemistry lectures all during class. The class lessons are centered around the textbook, and though a few students are participating and answering questions, there has yet to be a day when at least one student isn't sleeping on his desk. Students in the back either don't pay attention or do homework for another class, and Mr. Magnetism does nothing to encourage them to participate. Although I've highlighted the negatives, the class is very enjoyable. The students are incredibly mature and Mr. Magnetism is able to make jokes with them and not get side tracked.
There is a HUGE difference in classroom management between my first block and second/third blocks. The main reason for this is because of the difference in student type in the classes. While my first block comprises of 15 college-bound upperclassmen, my Earth Science classes are quite a different story. Many of the students are on track to receive an IEP diploma, and more than one of my students are in the class for a third or fourth time. Overall, the maturity of the ES students trails significantly behind the maturity of my P students. My other teacher, Ms. Mesosphere, has a lot to work with. Though she has assigned seats, students still sit wherever they want. Students are often out of their seats doing things around the classroom, and I once saw a student yo-yoing instead of note-taking. I have to constantly be reminding students to do work and not get side-tracked, and boys are constantly tapping on the table or stomping their feet. Ms. Mesosphere does not have any problems with students listening to blaring music from their ipods while working on assignments, or playing on their ipods instead of working. I have talked with my teacher, and I think that after years of reporting bad behavior to administration with no results, she has given up. Again, I have highlighted the bad because my teacher does very little to manage her class, but I enjoy the students. The best way I have found to keep the students on track is to constantly be walking around the classroom and talking to individual students. The students, particularly in 3rd block, seem to need a lot of attention. By walking around the room, I've been able to meet all of the students and learn about them. It's hard to say what I would do because I feel that the class already knows what they can get away with. I have found that if I'm strict though, they will stop goofing off and do work.
Today while talking to a class, I inadvertently set myself up for a "that's what she said" joke. Ms. Mesosphere sent the student out into the hall who said it aloud, and I couldn't suppress my laughter, and naturally the class called me out for that. I'm learning that that is an aspect of classroom management that I had never put thought into, but that is something I'm going to have to keep an eye out for while teaching. It'll take practice.
There is a HUGE difference in classroom management between my first block and second/third blocks. The main reason for this is because of the difference in student type in the classes. While my first block comprises of 15 college-bound upperclassmen, my Earth Science classes are quite a different story. Many of the students are on track to receive an IEP diploma, and more than one of my students are in the class for a third or fourth time. Overall, the maturity of the ES students trails significantly behind the maturity of my P students. My other teacher, Ms. Mesosphere, has a lot to work with. Though she has assigned seats, students still sit wherever they want. Students are often out of their seats doing things around the classroom, and I once saw a student yo-yoing instead of note-taking. I have to constantly be reminding students to do work and not get side-tracked, and boys are constantly tapping on the table or stomping their feet. Ms. Mesosphere does not have any problems with students listening to blaring music from their ipods while working on assignments, or playing on their ipods instead of working. I have talked with my teacher, and I think that after years of reporting bad behavior to administration with no results, she has given up. Again, I have highlighted the bad because my teacher does very little to manage her class, but I enjoy the students. The best way I have found to keep the students on track is to constantly be walking around the classroom and talking to individual students. The students, particularly in 3rd block, seem to need a lot of attention. By walking around the room, I've been able to meet all of the students and learn about them. It's hard to say what I would do because I feel that the class already knows what they can get away with. I have found that if I'm strict though, they will stop goofing off and do work.
Today while talking to a class, I inadvertently set myself up for a "that's what she said" joke. Ms. Mesosphere sent the student out into the hall who said it aloud, and I couldn't suppress my laughter, and naturally the class called me out for that. I'm learning that that is an aspect of classroom management that I had never put thought into, but that is something I'm going to have to keep an eye out for while teaching. It'll take practice.
Classroom Management
Hello all! I’ve noticed some major differences between the high school students and the middle school students. Besides the obvious age and size differences, the middle school students have WAY more energy. It’s probably a good thing that they have seven 45 minute periods a day rather than block scheduling. I think it would be difficult to keep the middle school students’ attention in a 90 minute block. On the flip side, I really love the energy these students have. They are constantly asking questions and seem eager to learn! Many of the high school students last semester were very quiet and not very excited to be in class.
My teacher has several classroom management techniques that I like, as well as some techniques that I think could be improved. I like that my teacher does not talk over the students. If the students are talking when he is trying to talk, my teacher gives a verbal warning or stands silently at the front of the room. Both of these methods seem to be effective, although the silent method usually requires a little more time waiting for the class to quiet down. My teacher also does not dismiss the students until they are all in their seats and quiet. The students know this and self monitor each other so they can get out of class on time. This rule eliminates the issue of students packing up and standing by the door before class ends. Unfortunately, my teacher doesn’t have any rules or procedures in place for the beginning of class, so students can get a little rowdy waiting for class to start. I think there could be less commotion from the students if there was an activity or assignment on the board at the beginning of class. Also, if a student is misbehaving, my teacher sits the student out in the hallway. Personally, I think this does more harm than good. I think kids lose valuable learning time if they have to sit out in the hallway during class. (Plus, many of the kids seem to run around in the hallway once they are placed out there). I think other methods such as verbal warnings or an individual student conference could be used in replace of sitting the student in the hallway. That way the student isn’t wandering the hallway during class.
I haven’t seen my teacher conduct a lab or activity yet. The students have a classification activity on Thursday. I am interested to see how it goes. I think the kids will be easy to manage as long as the lesson plans are engaging and hands on. The kids like to move around a lot, so I hope to put their energy to good use!
My teacher has several classroom management techniques that I like, as well as some techniques that I think could be improved. I like that my teacher does not talk over the students. If the students are talking when he is trying to talk, my teacher gives a verbal warning or stands silently at the front of the room. Both of these methods seem to be effective, although the silent method usually requires a little more time waiting for the class to quiet down. My teacher also does not dismiss the students until they are all in their seats and quiet. The students know this and self monitor each other so they can get out of class on time. This rule eliminates the issue of students packing up and standing by the door before class ends. Unfortunately, my teacher doesn’t have any rules or procedures in place for the beginning of class, so students can get a little rowdy waiting for class to start. I think there could be less commotion from the students if there was an activity or assignment on the board at the beginning of class. Also, if a student is misbehaving, my teacher sits the student out in the hallway. Personally, I think this does more harm than good. I think kids lose valuable learning time if they have to sit out in the hallway during class. (Plus, many of the kids seem to run around in the hallway once they are placed out there). I think other methods such as verbal warnings or an individual student conference could be used in replace of sitting the student in the hallway. That way the student isn’t wandering the hallway during class.
I haven’t seen my teacher conduct a lab or activity yet. The students have a classification activity on Thursday. I am interested to see how it goes. I think the kids will be easy to manage as long as the lesson plans are engaging and hands on. The kids like to move around a lot, so I hope to put their energy to good use!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Hey team. Im sure that everyone is happy to finally be in the schools full time. I have quickly realized the difference in my school from last semester to this semester. Even though my teacher has different methods for classroom management it isnt anything better or worse than I could have expected. In order to get the day started smoothly my teacher has a "Do Now" activity. This is just a simple question or topic for the students to write something down on in the beginning of class. This is a great classroom management plan to get the students thinking about science as soon as they walk in the door. This also gives my teacher time to do her housekeeping. The kids are talkative and my teacher doesnt do a lot to quiet them down. She occasionally will do the hand raising technique and when the rest of the students see her hand up they are supposed to raise their hands to show they are now paying attention. This works to get the students back on track. I have witnessed my teacher put a student in the hallway for misbehavior as well as hand out a few detentions. I havent witnessed any major disciplinary actions by my teacher or at the school. We have not done a lab yet while I am there so I hope to learn some new techniques once we get to that point. My teacher uses lots of powerpoint for notes, quizes, etc to keep the students focused forward as she walks around the class to discuss and watch over the students. I will use some of the same methods during my teaching and hope to come up with something else that my students can respond to. Good luck this semester!!!!
Class Management
Hi! I hope everyone enjoyed their first day of full time student teaching! This getting up early thing may take some getting used to! :)
My teacher has both positive aspects of classroom management and some areas I think could be slightly improved. There is always a daily agenda posted on the blackboard so that the students know the daily activities and can anticipate hw assignments. This keeps the students from asking over and over what the day has in store. He also has a website and moodle page that allows students to constantly have access to resources, materials, assignments, practice problems, etc. The students always know they can access these sites at home or after school. He also gets the students started very quickly. There is usually notes or something on the board that students can get started on before he quickly takes attendance. He is also very good about calling in absentees in the first few periods of the day. I think this really helps the office/administration stay on top of where students are at all times. My teacher takes the school rules very seriously which I think translates well to the students. He also has a great sense of humor and knows when to be silly with the kids, I think this is a necessity as a school teacher and plays an important role in managing certain attitudes in the classroom.
The one area I see that could be improved is when students have free time. There is always deliberate free time at the end of each period in which students can work on a variety of assignments for science class. I can see how this time would be beneficial for students to catch up on assignments and ask questions, but I do not think it is being used correctly by the students. They tend to just talk and do other things in that free time. I think maybe that privilege needs to be taken away if it is not used correctly, or students should only be allow to have science assignments out at that time. It seems like a difficult concept for my teacher as well because he wants to help them and give them time to do hw/assignments, but I think he thinks they abuse it as well. It is difficult to force students to do anything they have already decided they are not going to do. Any suggestions??
PS...Random tid bit...I saw a mouse in a school today, carrying a dorito.
My teacher has both positive aspects of classroom management and some areas I think could be slightly improved. There is always a daily agenda posted on the blackboard so that the students know the daily activities and can anticipate hw assignments. This keeps the students from asking over and over what the day has in store. He also has a website and moodle page that allows students to constantly have access to resources, materials, assignments, practice problems, etc. The students always know they can access these sites at home or after school. He also gets the students started very quickly. There is usually notes or something on the board that students can get started on before he quickly takes attendance. He is also very good about calling in absentees in the first few periods of the day. I think this really helps the office/administration stay on top of where students are at all times. My teacher takes the school rules very seriously which I think translates well to the students. He also has a great sense of humor and knows when to be silly with the kids, I think this is a necessity as a school teacher and plays an important role in managing certain attitudes in the classroom.
The one area I see that could be improved is when students have free time. There is always deliberate free time at the end of each period in which students can work on a variety of assignments for science class. I can see how this time would be beneficial for students to catch up on assignments and ask questions, but I do not think it is being used correctly by the students. They tend to just talk and do other things in that free time. I think maybe that privilege needs to be taken away if it is not used correctly, or students should only be allow to have science assignments out at that time. It seems like a difficult concept for my teacher as well because he wants to help them and give them time to do hw/assignments, but I think he thinks they abuse it as well. It is difficult to force students to do anything they have already decided they are not going to do. Any suggestions??
PS...Random tid bit...I saw a mouse in a school today, carrying a dorito.
Class Management
Hey Folks! After observing my teacher, I've noticed both positive and negative ways to handle classroom management. One strategy that my teacher uses is posting class rules. There are only a few rules, which helps keep things simple. The only problem is that they are not posted in a place that is easily seen. The middle school kids love to talk and be silly, but my teacher really likes a quiet orderly classroom. I like that he does not talk over anyone and demands attention when giving directions, but I think having more group activities and outlets for energy would help a lot in this classroom. Another suggestion I have would be to write directions on the board. A lot of time seems wasted at the beginning of class going over the day's activities, and I think the kids lose focus after a minute or two and forget what to do. My teacher is definitely "with it." The kids have a good understanding of appropriate behavior (whether or not the choose to practice it!) My only concern is that too much classtime is spent calling kids out or correcting behavior. I think it would make things more efficient if clear consquences were outlined for disrupting class. Overall, I don't forsee any major issues with classroom management during my student teaching. I am really trying early on to get to know the kids. They are already showing me they are beginning to trust me by asking for help! I think mutual respect and trust is one of the best thing you can do for managing a class, so hopefully things continue to go well.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Classroom Management
For the next two weeks, I would like you to post and respond to topics regarding classroom management. To begin, share some strategies in which your supervising teacher manages his/her classroom. Specifically, address methods used to avoid behavioral issues as well as consequences). Post your observations as a "New Post" and then respond/comment on others postings. You may submit approaches that are not working - and comment on how you might approach things differently as well.
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