I have really been
enjoying the way my practicum has been going.
I feel like I am starting to gain a stronger place in the classroom and
building a better rapport with my students, but I also feel like they get a lot
more rowdy when my CT is out of the room than they do while she’s in
there. At first, I felt like this was a
failure on my part, but I feel like any major change in a classroom is going to
cause a change such as that. Even sometimes
when I leave the room and it’s just the CT in there or when the principal/another
member comes in to observe, the room just gets louder.
When I was teaching
my unit, my CT was not there for the first couple of days because she had been
planning a trip to Disneyworld. I was a
bit more lax the first day than I should have been but during the second day I
was a bit more strict and “laid down the law” immediately. This helped with the class so much more than
I thought it would, but the second they saw a gap exposed in my “armor,” they
took advantage of it.
I guess one of my
greatest worries going into next semester is figuring out how to plan wisely when
it comes to my lessons. I have become so
used to planning for periods that are a minimum of 60 minutes, so 45 minute class
sessions are simply killer. If I recall
correctly, I heard that the district requires you to have an opening, work-time,
and a closing (but that may just be science).
So, in order to give students a proper amount of opening and closing,
which would, in my opinion, be at least 10 minutes apiece, the students will
only have 25 minutes to do work, which seems like a bit too little for me.
The following site
appears to be making the argument for longer class periods because this allows
for more time in the day to be spent effectively teaching students: http://www.mathedpage.org/teaching/long.html. I do think I would prefer a school that has
longer class periods, even though I saw through some of the sources I checked
that some teachers are arguing for shorter periods because they would like more
plan time. I guess I already feel like
most of my planning should be done before the semester starts and that my plan
time would be more of a grading/relaxation period.
I really liked the way you put the importance of disciplining students: "The second they saw a gap exposed in my 'armor,' they took advantage of it." This is something I too have noticed in my observations, though thankfully not so much this semester, since I am in a classroom that is reasonably well behaved. And you're right, kids can be brutal at times, and it is key for them to know exactly who you are and where you stand as a teacher, even if you are only a teacher-in-training.
ReplyDeleteI am curious, however. You talked in your post primarily about how to adapt your lessons for a forty-five minute class, but you didn't say exactly how you were going to handle rowdy students in the near future? Have you had the chance to think of some ideas or rules to implement in your future classrooms? Have you considered a system that allows for you to manage a classroom without too much effort? One of my previous teachers had a system in place in which the kids held each other accountable, and it really worked well. Perhaps you might try something similar, adapting it for your own uses as needed? Just something that might be worth thinking about. I am curious as to why your thoughts are on this, and I would love to hear from you.
I can definitely see a system where students hold each other accountable as reliable, but I also feel like you would need the right classroom for this.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think it's going to come from making my presence more-known in a classroom. No matter how much of a place I try to make for myself in my CT's classroom, and she requires me to be respected and treated well by the students, I am still merely a guest in her classroom and both the students and I realize this. They aren't by any means disrespectful, but they do understand (and unfortunately rightfully so) that I am not their "real" teacher. I feel like that is the biggest problem I have right now: I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but I also am not entirely sure where my boundaries are. In my own classroom, I plan on "laying down the law" the first day and attempting to stay as consistent with my procedures and guidelines as I can.
I think that we are all in an interesting position when it comes to discipline and classroom control. I have to deal with issues when my ct is in the room. When she is out room, I have to hope that the kids actually listen. They don't mind asking me for help, but they don't always listen when I am trying to get their attention. I have seen the same thing happen to my ct. She has had to raise her voice and repeat herself several times. I think that it is the result of her classroom management. It tends to work well for her, but the kids like to test her. I think it is better to be a little more strict to begin with. If you start off too lenient, it's hard to become strict.
ReplyDeleteI think we all find ourselves running out of time during the class. I have block schedule which means the classes are longer, but I have to fit more into them. When it comes to the wrap up and start up portions of the class, it can be anything. It just has to tie to the days assignment. I think that a free write makes a good wrap up. It gives the students a topic, and we get to see their ideas and how well they are grasping what was covered that day.