One of my amazing teacher just give me some great advice and I thought I would share it with you.
1. Good behaviour management starts with good planning and pedagogy. If you get them in they are less likely to misbehave.
2. You need a relationship with the following qualities - respectful, fair and consistent. Do not be overly friendly. They have friends. You are their Teacher!
3. Work towards them trusting you.
4. Give them opportunities for success - in what ever way you can. Constant failure leads to misbehaviour.
5. If they think you are unfair, fake, boring, sarcastic, cruel, a bully, disorganised, ill-prepared or inflexible you are making life hard for yourself.
6. Do not humiliate kids in front of their peers. If a kid is doing the wrong thing, have a quiet word so others are not listening, take the kid aside or outside, talk to them at at lunch - if you make an enemy you create a problem.
7. Do not accept unacceptable behaviour. Draw a clear line in the sand. Demand kids are polite and repectful.
8. Do not be too familiar, particularly with kids who are new to you - in time they will want a closer relationship - do not hurry this.
9. Have honest conversations with your suppervisors - but do not open up too much with other members of the staff - show confidence - fake it until you make it!
10. Detentions are a poor tool in changing behaviour. If it is needed use the time to talk and build a relationship, not to punish.
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Currently reading
To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher -- William Ayers
"Teaching is an interactive practice that begins and ends with seeing the student. This is more complicated than it seems, for it is something that is ongoing and never completely finished. The student grows and changes, the teacher learns, the situation shifts, and seeing becomes an evolving challenge. As layers of mystification and obfuscation are peeled away, as th student becomes more fully present to the teacher, experiences and ways of thinking and knowing that were initially obscure become the ground on which an authentic and vital teaching practice can be constructed."
"Teaching is an interactive practice that begins and ends with seeing the student. This is more complicated than it seems, for it is something that is ongoing and never completely finished. The student grows and changes, the teacher learns, the situation shifts, and seeing becomes an evolving challenge. As layers of mystification and obfuscation are peeled away, as th student becomes more fully present to the teacher, experiences and ways of thinking and knowing that were initially obscure become the ground on which an authentic and vital teaching practice can be constructed."
Building Rapport with Students
** Get to know your students as soon as possible. This includes learning something about each student and learning to deal with various personalities.
** Enter the classroom with confidence. If you seem insecure, the students will realize it and you'll never have control over the class.
** Plan well. The student teaching experience is limited, so create realistic goals for what you want to achieve with your class.
** Use a variety of teaching strategies in the classroom. Plan to use worksheets, games, role playing, group work, and other approaches in order to motivate students as well as help them learn.
** Have a specific discipline plan for the classroom that is coordinated with your cooperating teacher. Start by knowing the school's rules about discipline.
** Smile a lot and have a good sense of humor. It can be contagious.
** Be flexible. A lot of teaching is trial and error. What works for one class may not work for another.
Source: http://education.indiana.edu/%7Ecafs/tt/v3i1/tips_st.html
** Enter the classroom with confidence. If you seem insecure, the students will realize it and you'll never have control over the class.
** Plan well. The student teaching experience is limited, so create realistic goals for what you want to achieve with your class.
** Use a variety of teaching strategies in the classroom. Plan to use worksheets, games, role playing, group work, and other approaches in order to motivate students as well as help them learn.
** Have a specific discipline plan for the classroom that is coordinated with your cooperating teacher. Start by knowing the school's rules about discipline.
** Smile a lot and have a good sense of humor. It can be contagious.
** Be flexible. A lot of teaching is trial and error. What works for one class may not work for another.
Source: http://education.indiana.edu/%7Ecafs/tt/v3i1/tips_st.html
Common Concerns of Student Teachers
Concern: Time/energy involved in preparing classes
Action: Set aside time each day to plan for classes
Concern: Classroom management
Action: Have a plan ready for your first day
Concern: Students' lack of communication skills
Action: Assess where students skills are: give them practice
Concern: Students' lack of interest
Action: Use a variety of teaching approaches: learn students' names
Concern: Emotional and physical demands of teaching full-time
Action: Eat well, get enough rest, and maintain your support network
Source: http://education.indiana.edu/%7Ecafs/tt/v3i1/concern.html
Friday, April 13, 2007
www.teachers.tv
I just found another great resource for beginning teachers -- teachers.tv
This website has a number of videos, which discuss everything from ways to inspire students to behaviour management. What I have found most helpful are the Teaching with John Bayley programs. He works with other teachers to help them improve their classroom technique.
http://www.teachers.tv/teachingwithbayley
One of the Bayley videos shows a teacher who typically said things like, “Could you maybe start to settle down please.” Bayley asked her if she was asking or telling? If you want them to be quiet, tell them to be quiet and expect them to obey.
I also like this advice: when dealing with a disruptive student move into their personal zone and say quitely: "When you do (x behaviour), it throws me off my mark and I am worried that other students can not learn."
A lot of Bayleys advice is very simple yet effective. Bayley is like the supernanny of the teaching world!
This website has a number of videos, which discuss everything from ways to inspire students to behaviour management. What I have found most helpful are the Teaching with John Bayley programs. He works with other teachers to help them improve their classroom technique.
http://www.teachers.tv/teachingwithbayley
One of the Bayley videos shows a teacher who typically said things like, “Could you maybe start to settle down please.” Bayley asked her if she was asking or telling? If you want them to be quiet, tell them to be quiet and expect them to obey.
I also like this advice: when dealing with a disruptive student move into their personal zone and say quitely: "When you do (x behaviour), it throws me off my mark and I am worried that other students can not learn."
A lot of Bayleys advice is very simple yet effective. Bayley is like the supernanny of the teaching world!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
A must read!
I found this great new blog/essay written by Kristi Johnson Smith. It covers her experiences as a first year teacher. There seems to be a lot of great tips and advice. Check it out:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/firstyear
Update:
I like these three rules she has regarding classroom discussions:
1. No one was allowed to interrupt a classmate.
2. All comments had to be loud enough for the entire group to hear (no side conversations).
3. Every comment had to be in some way related to the topic we were discussing.
They seem simple but effective.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/firstyear
Update:
I like these three rules she has regarding classroom discussions:
1. No one was allowed to interrupt a classmate.
2. All comments had to be loud enough for the entire group to hear (no side conversations).
3. Every comment had to be in some way related to the topic we were discussing.
They seem simple but effective.
Good Advice #2
I know what you are thinking ... yet another list! I actually find this advice really helpful - if you are a pre-service teacher maybe you will too.
1. Let your cooperating teacher know YOUR expectations upfront. Most student teachers feel that they don't have a say in what goes on, but you do.
2. Remind him/her (nicely) that you are there to learn a variety of teaching methods and that you are trying to develop your own teaching style not necessarily just take on his/hers.
3. Jump in right away! Even if you aren't supposed to begin teaching for a while get up and join in. You will gain respect from the teacher and the students. Offer right away to do small tasks such as grading papers or organizing morning work.
4. Treat the students as if you are the actual teacher. Many student teachers try to become friends with them first and when it comes time to teach they have no control.
5. Go with your cooperating teacher everywhere! Sit in on parent/teacher conferences and see if it's okay to observe a child study team in action. This is all part of teaching and you should have experience with this also!
6. Stay in contact with your professor or advisor on a regular basis. If you only see him/her on days they are there to observe, you will be more nervous.
7. Always try your best! I know it's scary to have people constantly observing you but if you are doing your best whether or not they are there it won't be as scary!
8. Don't be afraid to integrate some of your own teaching techniques or classroom management skills. Your cooperating teacher might just learn a new technique from you!
9. Try to get student input about your lessons. If you aren't sure how your lesson went, ask one or two students what they thought. Sometimes they have wonderful suggestions!
10. Always plan too much. Since we don't have much experience organzing lessons according to class time, it's better to have too much planned then to have the students sitting there with nothing to do.
Source: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/1812.shtml
1. Let your cooperating teacher know YOUR expectations upfront. Most student teachers feel that they don't have a say in what goes on, but you do.
2. Remind him/her (nicely) that you are there to learn a variety of teaching methods and that you are trying to develop your own teaching style not necessarily just take on his/hers.
3. Jump in right away! Even if you aren't supposed to begin teaching for a while get up and join in. You will gain respect from the teacher and the students. Offer right away to do small tasks such as grading papers or organizing morning work.
4. Treat the students as if you are the actual teacher. Many student teachers try to become friends with them first and when it comes time to teach they have no control.
5. Go with your cooperating teacher everywhere! Sit in on parent/teacher conferences and see if it's okay to observe a child study team in action. This is all part of teaching and you should have experience with this also!
6. Stay in contact with your professor or advisor on a regular basis. If you only see him/her on days they are there to observe, you will be more nervous.
7. Always try your best! I know it's scary to have people constantly observing you but if you are doing your best whether or not they are there it won't be as scary!
8. Don't be afraid to integrate some of your own teaching techniques or classroom management skills. Your cooperating teacher might just learn a new technique from you!
9. Try to get student input about your lessons. If you aren't sure how your lesson went, ask one or two students what they thought. Sometimes they have wonderful suggestions!
10. Always plan too much. Since we don't have much experience organzing lessons according to class time, it's better to have too much planned then to have the students sitting there with nothing to do.
Source: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/1812.shtml
Advice for Prac Teaching
After reading a number of different discussion boards searching for advice and any kind of tips - I thought I would compile a list of them. This advice comes from other teachers who had just finished their prac year.
1. Class management is number 1. Set your standards for behavioural expectations and be consistent with it. If you want absolute quiet, then demand it, and explain exactly what it is that you want. I learned to say things like "Class, when I say 'Can I have your attention', i expect you all to put your pens down, stop what you are doing and look towards me'. If you reiterate this as needed, you are explaining exactly what behaviour you expect when certain 'code words' are used. If you demand this, then I found that I was creating consistent expectations, and thus got more consistent results.
2. Take pride and time in boardwork. This was an unexpected one for me, but it made me realize the power of modelling. If I executed tidy and neat boardwork, then that's what ended up in students books. If I was messy, so were they. Be very explicit in what you want them to take down, underline etc etc. It took me a while to realize just how literal you have to be.
3. I think that there's a kind of 'magic moment' when you stop 'teaching' the class, and start 'relating' to them. I noticed that students would ask more personal questions, would relate to me more 'humanely' after this transition. It seemed to take different times with different classes. I'd love to know a magic formula to make this happen.
4. here's a tip that I developed after about 6 months of going nuts with the question 'do we have to write this down?' : I established a convention with my classes that if you have to write it down in your notes (in the 'rulebook') then I write it with my purple pen. This is the ONLY time I use purple. And if it's not in purple it doesn't have to go in the notes. If I want to do an 'aside' while we're doing notes, I pick up a different colour pen, walk to the end of the board so there's a gap and demonstrate over there.
It's a really simple technique but it makes a huge difference. Now I just have to hold up the purple pen, without saying anything, and they all start rustling around getting their rulebooks out, and there are no questions at all about what has to be written or not.
5. write down on the side of the board at the beginning of the lesson what you wanted the students to achieve in the lesson, then use these statements to recap and wind up the lesson - & if you didn't get that far you can use them to lead into the next lesson... Basically just to make it clear what the lesson was about and what is expected from them
6. Make sure your students know that you care about them as a person. As you develop a relationship with your students they will not only work for themselves and a better grade, but they will be working for you and will not want to let you down. One suggestion is to greet everyone as they come into the classroom. It's easy to do and makes a big difference to the students. Typically, I try to stand at the door and say hello. It's also helpful if you take an active interest in their life outside the classroom. If you know that they are involved with sports, drama, or any other area of special interest, keep up to date on their progress by asking them about their recent accomplishments.
7. Maintain high standards. Students may not initially understand or appreciate a teacher who challenges them in the classroom with difficult material, but, in time, they will.
8. Be firm but flexible, consistent yet be willing to make an exception. Being firm does not include being mean; being flexible does not include allowing a student or a class to take advantage of you. Being consistent will enable you to get your students to do more for you. For example, if you check homework every day, students will be more likely to do it. However, if you have a student that typically does their work and performs well on assessments, then it would be reasonable to be more lenient if they do not do their work one day.
9. Smile :D Let your students know that you are happy to be with them and that you enjoy their presence.
1. Class management is number 1. Set your standards for behavioural expectations and be consistent with it. If you want absolute quiet, then demand it, and explain exactly what it is that you want. I learned to say things like "Class, when I say 'Can I have your attention', i expect you all to put your pens down, stop what you are doing and look towards me'. If you reiterate this as needed, you are explaining exactly what behaviour you expect when certain 'code words' are used. If you demand this, then I found that I was creating consistent expectations, and thus got more consistent results.
2. Take pride and time in boardwork. This was an unexpected one for me, but it made me realize the power of modelling. If I executed tidy and neat boardwork, then that's what ended up in students books. If I was messy, so were they. Be very explicit in what you want them to take down, underline etc etc. It took me a while to realize just how literal you have to be.
3. I think that there's a kind of 'magic moment' when you stop 'teaching' the class, and start 'relating' to them. I noticed that students would ask more personal questions, would relate to me more 'humanely' after this transition. It seemed to take different times with different classes. I'd love to know a magic formula to make this happen.
4. here's a tip that I developed after about 6 months of going nuts with the question 'do we have to write this down?' : I established a convention with my classes that if you have to write it down in your notes (in the 'rulebook') then I write it with my purple pen. This is the ONLY time I use purple. And if it's not in purple it doesn't have to go in the notes. If I want to do an 'aside' while we're doing notes, I pick up a different colour pen, walk to the end of the board so there's a gap and demonstrate over there.
It's a really simple technique but it makes a huge difference. Now I just have to hold up the purple pen, without saying anything, and they all start rustling around getting their rulebooks out, and there are no questions at all about what has to be written or not.
5. write down on the side of the board at the beginning of the lesson what you wanted the students to achieve in the lesson, then use these statements to recap and wind up the lesson - & if you didn't get that far you can use them to lead into the next lesson... Basically just to make it clear what the lesson was about and what is expected from them
6. Make sure your students know that you care about them as a person. As you develop a relationship with your students they will not only work for themselves and a better grade, but they will be working for you and will not want to let you down. One suggestion is to greet everyone as they come into the classroom. It's easy to do and makes a big difference to the students. Typically, I try to stand at the door and say hello. It's also helpful if you take an active interest in their life outside the classroom. If you know that they are involved with sports, drama, or any other area of special interest, keep up to date on their progress by asking them about their recent accomplishments.
7. Maintain high standards. Students may not initially understand or appreciate a teacher who challenges them in the classroom with difficult material, but, in time, they will.
8. Be firm but flexible, consistent yet be willing to make an exception. Being firm does not include being mean; being flexible does not include allowing a student or a class to take advantage of you. Being consistent will enable you to get your students to do more for you. For example, if you check homework every day, students will be more likely to do it. However, if you have a student that typically does their work and performs well on assessments, then it would be reasonable to be more lenient if they do not do their work one day.
9. Smile :D Let your students know that you are happy to be with them and that you enjoy their presence.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Good Advice
I really liked this piece of advice from hipteacher:
"Do not let your students be your "friend" on myspace or facebook. Bad idea (students DO want to know about your nasty social life, and their memories last far longer than the brainiest elephant). Do like your "friend" hipteacher and create a facebook for you as a teacher. Kids will think you are rad and will like having you wish them "Happy Birthday, Dude!" on their wall. They will even write on your wall to ask you homework questions and stuff. This might make you feel cool. Also, this is a nice way to keep up with all your former students who have moved on to be real adults and who are doing neat stuff you wanna know about."
I like this idea as it enables you to form a personal bond with your students -- that they can ask you questions -- yet at the same time there is still a level of professionalism and you are viewed more as teacher then their "mate."
I also had to add the other great piece of advice:
"The magic three: eat, pee, sleep." : )
"Do not let your students be your "friend" on myspace or facebook. Bad idea (students DO want to know about your nasty social life, and their memories last far longer than the brainiest elephant). Do like your "friend" hipteacher and create a facebook for you as a teacher. Kids will think you are rad and will like having you wish them "Happy Birthday, Dude!" on their wall. They will even write on your wall to ask you homework questions and stuff. This might make you feel cool. Also, this is a nice way to keep up with all your former students who have moved on to be real adults and who are doing neat stuff you wanna know about."
I like this idea as it enables you to form a personal bond with your students -- that they can ask you questions -- yet at the same time there is still a level of professionalism and you are viewed more as teacher then their "mate."
I also had to add the other great piece of advice:
"The magic three: eat, pee, sleep." : )
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