106 Assignment #3

Both articles that we read for this post focused on looking at discipline and challenge in a new way-- reframing the context in a more positive light. I took away different things from each article that I intend to use in my classroom. For example, the idea of a "Warm Demander" in and of itself is something that I think I need to work on. Building deliberate, intentional relationships is a challenge when you have 40 students, but something that I think I'm building, student by student, to create a stronger classroom culture. Being more deliberate and intentional in the next few weeks will hopefully also help with this even more. High expectations seems to be a part of this-- pushing each and every student to a higher standard, not just the 'top performers' or the 'loudest' or most 'attention-needy'.

I thought that the article "Assuming the Best" was particularly interesting. In our pre-Reach training this summer, this tag line often came up, in terms of assuming the best of intentions in other colleagues. However, it was also interesting to think about it in the context of the teacher-student relationship, i.e. that the teacher should assume that the student is also there for the right reasons. I think this is an important concept to remember when working with students that may challenge us, push up beyond our boundaries and make us work harder. I would agree with the article's statement that "This approach can radically change our perspective on student misbehavior." Putting 'assuming the best' into this context seems largely beneficial. Some of the strategies recommended are already used at our school, (i.e. a volume rubric-- Zone O, Zone 1, Zone 2), but there are certain others than I can definitely work on, especially varying my Volume and Tone (Strategy 1).

Tate "Shouting Won't Make Dendrites Grow" response

One of the major challenges in my classroom is definitely addressing all the different types of misbehavior. I have already noticed that my classroom misbehavior tends to run the gamut-- some minor misbehavior that just seems to be done out of trying to gain 'control', especially among peers... but also, much of the challenging behavior stems from a few of my higher students, which is likely indicative of inadequacy of rigor. I hope to be able to address this by providing work that genuinely challenges these students and upping the expectations that I hold for them. This may mean using the second grade teachers as resources, or seeking more challenging homework pages to supplement their work with.

In terms of meeting the need for control issues, I think I have been fairly good at ironing out these issues with the a.m. class, but less solid with the p.m. class. One thing that I have focused on is empowering the more challenging students with positivity--- giving the ability to have some control (by being a helper, etc) as a reward for truly good behavior. This has worked incredibly well with one student in particular and I look forward to implementing this more with the students in my p.m. class. The a.m. class also seems to have a better grasp on the fact that I am their teacher and need their respect in order to have a productive classroom. The p.m. class fights authority more, both with me and in the afterschool program, which is in my classroom. I think I should probably observe this power struggle in the afterschool program further, to determine ways to be authoritative without being authoritarian.

In terms of dealing with students need for attention, there are many different mechanisms that I am working on implementing.

1. Being more purposeful about giving each child attention before they enter my classroom (i.e. hug, handshake, high five, etc) and giving them a little one-on-one time. Too often, it is the loudest students that end up with the most one-on-one time [for both positive and/or negative reasons].
2. Ignoring the attention getting behaviors/clinginess from specific students. I will be more clear with directions with them, do a CFU to ensure that they can work independently, and then reinforce to them that I will check in with them again in (X) minutes, when the activity is finished. I have one student in my a.m. class for whom this is a major challenge and another in the PM. To go along with this, I have already implemented the rule that students may not call my name when they need help--- they will get help by sitting up and raising their hand like a rocketeer!
3. Work on reminding students to ignore poor behavior/not get caught up in it. The attention-seeking students will sometimes begin to seek attention from other students if I am purposefully ignoring it. While certain students are good about ignoring and just going about their work, others are more prone to getting caught up in misbehavior, which can lead the class off track.

Finally, in terms of dealing with misbehavior as a result of boredom, I think my plan will be to include one 5-minute break for every 40 minutes of learning time [much of which is already interactive]. This break will be included on the daily schedule and I will remind students at morning/afternoon meeting to check for the break if they are getting restless... giving them a reminder that there will always be time to get on their feet. I will also look for other ways to get students moving in the classroom (and during their breaks). Breaks so far have included: Our Learn Position song (also good for reinforcing behavior), Stretching, "Yoga", Flashcards (running HFW in AM), practicing procedures, parading around the room, singing UbD Rainforest song, etc. Hopefully more of these activities will help iron out boredom issues, and also keep students moving. I also try not to stay in any one location for more than 20 minutes at a time (i.e., will move students from rug to desks, to reading rug, to white board, to bulletin board, etc)> I am also trying to vary the time sitting, time standing, kneeling, walking, etc.

Entry 1

• One high point of the week--- I really enjoy my students. I am seeing tons of enthusiasm for learning (especially the past few days-- today, Thurs and Friday) and I think I have found some new ways to improve my teaching [varying my tone, getting the kids moving more, etc]. I'm definitely seeing progress with both classes, but HUGE progress with my afternoon class.
• One low point of the week-- we're really pushing Responsibility, and yet students are still not upholding the responsibility end of the Core Values. Every day, at least 5+ students are not bringing their homework in each class. I have tried to vary methods of instructing them on Responsibility, yet we're still not making progress.

Related to Classroom Management, two things that are going well:

• I am seeing some progress with the Behavior System (colored chart). The first week, without fail, I had 2-3 students on red every day, having to write behavior reflections. This week has been much better-- mostly purple/green/yellow and the occasional orange. We're not hitting blue or red every day, which is awesome. It also means I have more time to teach when I'm spending less time moving their clips up and down the behavior system.
• Kids seem to be taking ownership of their "learning time". They'll correct a neighbor who is misbehaving, pinpoint specific issues and get upset when they need to miss learning time because of their behavior. It seems to be a good accountability system.

Main Challenge/Area for growth in classroom management:

-I think sometimes I keep the kids in one place too long (at their desk/on the rug/etc) and they get bored. Boredom leads to acting out/trying to get attention. Last week, I think I was giving too much negative attention and not enough positive attention. This may have also been contribting to kids acting out just for the attention.

Questions Re: Classroom Management-

1) General bathroom issues. I've been trying to be strict and follow classroom procedures, but the kids are still having major issues. Now I'm erring on the side of caution, but that means that someone is out of the room in the bathroom at all times. Not sure what to do about this?

2) How to deal with serious misbehavior without disrupting the whole class? Alongside that, when is it appropraite to send a child out [swearing, middle finger, etc].