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!
Showing posts with label Classroom management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classroom management. Show all posts
Friday, April 13, 2007
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.
Effective Classroom Management
1. Develop a set of written expectations you can live with and enforce.
2. Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent.
3. Be patient with yourself and with your students.
4. Make parents your allies. Call early and often. Use the word "concerned." When communicating a concern, be specific and descriptive.
5. Don't talk too much. Use the first 15 minutes of class for lectures or presentations, then get the kids working.
6. Break the class period into two or three different activities. Be sure each activity segues smoothly into the next.
7. Begin at the very beginning of each class period and end at the very end.
8. Don't roll call. Take the roll with your seating chart while students are working.
9. Keep all students actively involved. For example, while a student does a presentation, involve the other students in evaluating it.
10. Discipline individual students quietly and privately. Never engage in a disciplinary conversation across the room.
11. Keep your sense of perspective and your sense of humor.
12. Know when to ask for help
Minute-by-minute monitoring:
* Establish eye contact.
* Move around the room and increase proximity to restless students.
* Send a silent signal.
* Give a quiet reminder.
* Re-direct a student's attention.
* Begin a new activity.
* Offer a choice.
* Use humor.
* Provide positive reinforcement.
* Wait quietly until everyone is on task.
* Ask a directed question.
Source: http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr155.shtml
2. Be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent.
3. Be patient with yourself and with your students.
4. Make parents your allies. Call early and often. Use the word "concerned." When communicating a concern, be specific and descriptive.
5. Don't talk too much. Use the first 15 minutes of class for lectures or presentations, then get the kids working.
6. Break the class period into two or three different activities. Be sure each activity segues smoothly into the next.
7. Begin at the very beginning of each class period and end at the very end.
8. Don't roll call. Take the roll with your seating chart while students are working.
9. Keep all students actively involved. For example, while a student does a presentation, involve the other students in evaluating it.
10. Discipline individual students quietly and privately. Never engage in a disciplinary conversation across the room.
11. Keep your sense of perspective and your sense of humor.
12. Know when to ask for help
Minute-by-minute monitoring:
* Establish eye contact.
* Move around the room and increase proximity to restless students.
* Send a silent signal.
* Give a quiet reminder.
* Re-direct a student's attention.
* Begin a new activity.
* Offer a choice.
* Use humor.
* Provide positive reinforcement.
* Wait quietly until everyone is on task.
* Ask a directed question.
Source: http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr155.shtml
Classroom Management
Another list for me to go through before I start prac! Can anyone add anything to this list? Do you have any techniques you could share with me?
Beginning of the day (after each recess/transition):
1.___ What signal is in place to get your students' attention?
2.___ What procedure is in place to determine how the students enter the class?
3.___ Do students know what to do for each entry time? (Entering in the morning...write in their journal, after 1st recess...DEAR - drop everything and read etc.)
4.___ What is in place for the disobedient student?
5.___ What do students do with returned homework or notes from home?
During work times - whole or small group:
1.___ What is the signal or routine for leaving your classroom (washroom etc.)?
2.___ What is the procedure for the students finishing early? Be ready for this.
3.___ How do you establish what the acceptable noise level is?
4.___ How do students get help and when do they leave their seats?
5.___ When can students sharpen their pencils or put something in the trash or re-cycle bin?
Student Work:
1.___ What is the routine for incomplete or missed work?
2.___ What is the consequence for late work?
3.___ Where do your students put completed work?
4.___ How do you track student work?
Miscellaneous:
1.___ What routines are in place for dismissal?
2.___ What routines are in place during announcements?
3.___ What are your expectations during group work to ensure students are on task?
Source: http://specialed.about.com/od/teacherchecklists/a/proactive.htm
Beginning of the day (after each recess/transition):
1.___ What signal is in place to get your students' attention?
2.___ What procedure is in place to determine how the students enter the class?
3.___ Do students know what to do for each entry time? (Entering in the morning...write in their journal, after 1st recess...DEAR - drop everything and read etc.)
4.___ What is in place for the disobedient student?
5.___ What do students do with returned homework or notes from home?
During work times - whole or small group:
1.___ What is the signal or routine for leaving your classroom (washroom etc.)?
2.___ What is the procedure for the students finishing early? Be ready for this.
3.___ How do you establish what the acceptable noise level is?
4.___ How do students get help and when do they leave their seats?
5.___ When can students sharpen their pencils or put something in the trash or re-cycle bin?
Student Work:
1.___ What is the routine for incomplete or missed work?
2.___ What is the consequence for late work?
3.___ Where do your students put completed work?
4.___ How do you track student work?
Miscellaneous:
1.___ What routines are in place for dismissal?
2.___ What routines are in place during announcements?
3.___ What are your expectations during group work to ensure students are on task?
Source: http://specialed.about.com/od/teacherchecklists/a/proactive.htm
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.
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