So, I have decided that I am going to try and give them a slightly larger role in the classroom management area. This week I decided that I really did HATE my room arrangement. Straight rows really are last century and they stifle the students' ability to work together and collaborate. With both of those things in mind, I have decided to let students attempt to come up with a room arrangement (not to be confused with a seating chart). Some of them that I have previewed are a bit whimsical. One student went so far as to create a design for the desks in the shape of an R (the initial of my last name). While I appreciate the sentiment, it wouldn't be a realistic design.
The design has to suggest cooperation, collaboration, and an attempt to be equitable to all students in the class. I'm going to finish reviewing submissions today and, hopefully, one will stand out. Making seating charts is a PAIN, but I do accept, and believe, that they are necessary, especially at the 6th grade level.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
November 4th - New Ideas, New Perspectives
With the fact that I need new ideas and perspectives, I have reached out to another teacher on campus for advice (trying to remain humble, everyone needs help). It actually turned out to be INCREDIBLY useful. She told me that she is still struggling with classroom management, and she has been teaching quite a while longer than I have. Here is something she suggested: Reflect on what is going on in class that is not right and then have that be the focus for the week in management. Just one thing to keep in mind and have the students focus on diligently. In addition, she told me to write it on the board for them to see so it can be pointed out, if necessary.
The first week, 10/25/10 - 10/29/10 I had students focus on staying in their seats and asking permission to get up. After the first day of reminders, and a couple of people in detention (only a couple minutes at lunch), the students were really getting it. They don't seem to find it horribly unreasonable, and I try to plan activities in my classes that require them to get up and move around.
The second week, 11/1/10 - 11/5/10 I am still working on, but the focus is: Raise your hand, wait to be called on, then speak. Students have this tendency to assume that if their hand is up, that is gives them an inherent permission to begin speaking as soon as it is raised. In addition, many students are yelling out to me to get my attention when they feel it is warranted. This too has shown a great improvement. Students are following procedures and order is being maintained.
Something else that I have tried this week is a new seating arrangement, which has been a HUGE failure. I organized the students into standard rows. I haven't done this in 3 years, and now I'm not sure why I did it in the first place. It restricts movement, which sounds nice in theory, but I believe it makes the students want to move around just to break free of their seeming imprisonment. I'm going to stick with it for a bit because I want to give it a chance, but we may have a new arrangement next week.
Classroom management is rough, but taking the time to work on it really does help. Asking for advice is definitely the first place to go. Also, try to look at one, maybe 2 things at a time, don't try to reinvent the whole thing at once.
The first week, 10/25/10 - 10/29/10 I had students focus on staying in their seats and asking permission to get up. After the first day of reminders, and a couple of people in detention (only a couple minutes at lunch), the students were really getting it. They don't seem to find it horribly unreasonable, and I try to plan activities in my classes that require them to get up and move around.
The second week, 11/1/10 - 11/5/10 I am still working on, but the focus is: Raise your hand, wait to be called on, then speak. Students have this tendency to assume that if their hand is up, that is gives them an inherent permission to begin speaking as soon as it is raised. In addition, many students are yelling out to me to get my attention when they feel it is warranted. This too has shown a great improvement. Students are following procedures and order is being maintained.
Something else that I have tried this week is a new seating arrangement, which has been a HUGE failure. I organized the students into standard rows. I haven't done this in 3 years, and now I'm not sure why I did it in the first place. It restricts movement, which sounds nice in theory, but I believe it makes the students want to move around just to break free of their seeming imprisonment. I'm going to stick with it for a bit because I want to give it a chance, but we may have a new arrangement next week.
Classroom management is rough, but taking the time to work on it really does help. Asking for advice is definitely the first place to go. Also, try to look at one, maybe 2 things at a time, don't try to reinvent the whole thing at once.
The Beginning of the Year
September 7th was the start of a whole new school year. I always look at it as an opportunity to try new things, to make my life a little easier, to get my kids off to a good start. It was a success and a failure, all at the same time.
My classroom had a great setup, it was more of a discussion forum setup, and less a traditional classroom. Students were able to see one another, it had a good fluidity for movement, and the energy was great. What was lacking was in the procedure department.
Keeping my kids appraised of the rules and procedures seems to be one of the struggles that I face every year. You tell them how you want things done and they do it, for a while, but then it starts to fade. Sometimes you have to change things, other times you have to reinvent things, but everything wears out after a while. In addition, there has to be a way of reminding students that these things exist. There's the next step.
Moving on to October, I decided to make classroom management one of my Stull objectives. Stull is the bill that was passed in California for doing teacher performance reviews. You have to create 3 objectives, set parameters, requirements, and due dates. My 2nd one is to review, catalog, and reflect on my classroom management. So, in the blogs that will be to come, that is what I will be doing.
My classroom had a great setup, it was more of a discussion forum setup, and less a traditional classroom. Students were able to see one another, it had a good fluidity for movement, and the energy was great. What was lacking was in the procedure department.
Keeping my kids appraised of the rules and procedures seems to be one of the struggles that I face every year. You tell them how you want things done and they do it, for a while, but then it starts to fade. Sometimes you have to change things, other times you have to reinvent things, but everything wears out after a while. In addition, there has to be a way of reminding students that these things exist. There's the next step.
Moving on to October, I decided to make classroom management one of my Stull objectives. Stull is the bill that was passed in California for doing teacher performance reviews. You have to create 3 objectives, set parameters, requirements, and due dates. My 2nd one is to review, catalog, and reflect on my classroom management. So, in the blogs that will be to come, that is what I will be doing.
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