Last school year, I started out incorporating a secret password to get into class. This year, I no longer teach on the block, so I am doing new passwords that I never had the time to get to last year!
So it's been neat. In conjunction, I have really been having fun to break away from the monotony. While sometimes, I just wait for the password, I played around with these two recently.
Last week's was:
Ojalá = I wish (let's hope)
Each day I would ask students different questions in TL that were accesible to their level(s):
Do you want a million dollars?!
Do you have 5 bellybuttons?
Is it Friday yet?!
Is it June yet?
Is it hot outside?
Is it July?
And they would respond with: "Ojalá" (I wish).
It was a lot of fun and later gave me the opportunity to throw Ojalá + past subjunctive in a reading for Spanish 1 that some kids were able to figure out (once they knew "ojalá" was like "I wish"). Cool!!
Showing posts with label classroom management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom management. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Saturday, October 8, 2016
TPRS year 7 - secret password tweaks
Here's the evolution that I have had in my teaching.
4 years ago, I decided to stand at my door to greet students.
3 years ago, I continued to do this.
2 years ago, I thought it would be great to add in a handshake while greeting students.
1 year ago, I decided to try out a secret password with my students so that they could get in my class. (see post)
This year, I have continued with the secret password, but continue to experiment.
While I think they really helped me have something else to play around with during targeted and non-targeted comprehensible input during class last year, it also just added that extra element of fun.
Nevertheless, the way I did it last year made it a little disjointed.
As I have been reading on Bryce Hedstom's blog, I have found that there are passwords that are almost call and response. Or they are an interaction that kids have to go through before they can enter.
Last week, I tried out, "Of course!" (Claro que sí).
4 years ago, I decided to stand at my door to greet students.
3 years ago, I continued to do this.
2 years ago, I thought it would be great to add in a handshake while greeting students.
1 year ago, I decided to try out a secret password with my students so that they could get in my class. (see post)
This year, I have continued with the secret password, but continue to experiment.
While I think they really helped me have something else to play around with during targeted and non-targeted comprehensible input during class last year, it also just added that extra element of fun.
Nevertheless, the way I did it last year made it a little disjointed.
As I have been reading on Bryce Hedstom's blog, I have found that there are passwords that are almost call and response. Or they are an interaction that kids have to go through before they can enter.
Last week, I tried out, "Of course!" (Claro que sí).
Saturday, August 27, 2016
How to start the year with TPRS (part 2) - PQA - after day 1
Ok, so as I mentioned in this previous post, for the last 5 years, I have started with PQA on the first day. Naturally, in my 3rd school, with block scheduling I experimented with:
- PQA / TPR / PQA again
- PQA / TPR / Story
But I found that Ben Slavic's Circling with Balls activity that I touched on in the previous entry was essential in establishing:
- classroom routines
- the importance of the class
- interest in class
- excitement for the class
- basic understanding of sentence structure, question words, prepositions, 3rd person forms of verbs interesting to kids, etc
- and much more
As I talked about the first day, I would establish what I do (very slowly) and then maybe move onto another student. I would circle around the information about myself.
Here's an example:
Here's an example:
Sunday, April 3, 2016
What's the password?!
So if you walk by my classroom during passing period, you'll most likely see something a little out of the ordinary for the average classroom: a line of students.
In the window to get into my classroom there is a green sign that reads: "Puedes pasar" (You can pass) and "No puedes pasar" (You cannot pass). The latter makes me think of Gandalf talking to the Balrog in the Fellowship of the Ring. Although I am sure he would have said something like, "No pasarás" (You shall not pass.)
Last year, students had to shake my hand to enter and I would say "good morning" or "good afternoon" to them.
This year, I have followed in the footsteps of some foreign language teaching pioneers and I make my students tell me a secret code before they can enter.
The secret code is posted on a small white board in the classroom with the Spanish and English translation.
In the window to get into my classroom there is a green sign that reads: "Puedes pasar" (You can pass) and "No puedes pasar" (You cannot pass). The latter makes me think of Gandalf talking to the Balrog in the Fellowship of the Ring. Although I am sure he would have said something like, "No pasarás" (You shall not pass.)
Last year, students had to shake my hand to enter and I would say "good morning" or "good afternoon" to them.
This year, I have followed in the footsteps of some foreign language teaching pioneers and I make my students tell me a secret code before they can enter.
The secret code is posted on a small white board in the classroom with the Spanish and English translation.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Reflection - Former students
So this is my third year in school (year 10 teaching) and I have definitely come a long way since I started teaching Spanish. I used to use textbooks that were slightly older than me. Then I tried a year with a newer textbook. Then I tried a year or two without a textbook. Then, I found storytelling and haven't looked back!
But in my third year, I have had a lot of students now and many of them have had exposure to my teaching and another Spanish teacher as well. I taught Spanish 1-2 the past two years and I'm only teaching Spanish 1 this year.
I know that what I do in my classes can be slightly unorthodox for other teachers, even teachers in my department. And they teach their classes differently from me (I'm not saying people have to teach like me). But there are times I tell my wife that I feel like I am crazy. Here's what I believe:
But in my third year, I have had a lot of students now and many of them have had exposure to my teaching and another Spanish teacher as well. I taught Spanish 1-2 the past two years and I'm only teaching Spanish 1 this year.
I know that what I do in my classes can be slightly unorthodox for other teachers, even teachers in my department. And they teach their classes differently from me (I'm not saying people have to teach like me). But there are times I tell my wife that I feel like I am crazy. Here's what I believe:
- I believe that TPRS is a really awesome way to deliver instruction
- I believe that TPRS is great for my classroom management
- I believe that TPR is a great tool to get the kids up and moving in class
- I believe that incorporating music whenever possible (in a comprehensible way) is huge for my students
- I believe that talking about my students in Spanish through stories, PQA, etc sets the tone for my classes that they will be about my students
- I believe that going slow and looking for my students' eyes to check for their understanding is crucial to their learning
- I believe that shaking my students' hands as they walk in and saying "buenos días", "hola" or whatever else, and slowly adding more conversational vocab as they walk in establishes the tone that you're entering the Spanish zone!
- I believe that other activities under the umbrella of Comprehensible Input (CI) are also wonderful additions to the classroom.
- I believe that I should do my best to speak 90% of class in Spanish in a repetitive, comprehensible and interesting way to ensure my students will acquire the language
- I believe that explicit grammar instruction has a smaller place in my classroom than it used to so I can teach them through using the language correctly
- I believe that what I do is making a difference in their lives
These aren't all popular opinions in a foreign language classroom. I've been called a maverick by an administrator at one point. I've gotten myself into trouble with my fellow department members because I strongly believe the aforementioned items are crucial to my class for students' success (regardless of level).
But I digress. Recently, I have had a lot of former students visit me and tell me how much my class meant to them and how much they miss it. It's meant a lot because I give so much of myself in the school year to ensure class is a positive place where we can laugh and learn in a low stress way. And it further affirms that all of the hard work I (and the students) put into class is worthwhile.
Friday, September 26, 2014
TPRS year 5 - Preferred Activity Time (PAT) continued...
I posted about this awhile back (see post), but I wanted to point out something I find interesting.
I used to do games every week probably twice or so. I thought by Wednesday and by Friday we deserved a game.
I have found that with PAT, the fact that they have earned the game is so much more empowering to them. It also helps during those blocks for them to remember how valuable their attention is (of course we still do brain breaks because I am not a slave-driver).
But notice this graphic to the left. I have noticed that even with the reward of 1:00 per 15 minutes on task time and giving bonuses for people doing their jobs, we are still getting over 8:00 in some of the classes, which is really awesome for them.
They are constantly being complimented on doing their jobs and hearing that positive encouragement. This has created an environment where the classroom is charged with excitement as they are walking into my classroom (as I shake their hand and say, "Buenos días".)
The classes that get that 8:00 or more minutes are doing beyond what I could ever ask and that magical fusion creates a class where we can learn so much more that PAT (and more of it) is the best reward to give them, because they are using class time so effectively.
I just wanted to brag about my students. This is definitely an improvement on PAT since last year. I'm glad it's improving.
If you wanted to see how my board looks, here's another pic. This is after a class period. Then I add up the little bonuses (and subtract the negative 5 seconds (each tally) when I lose eye-contact). The total is circled so I could add it to the spreadsheet.
It might be a little messy, but it has been working for me so far. The numbers are crossed out since I was adding them. I also make a point to let them know why they are getting those bonuses.
If you don't use PAT in your classroom but find your class could be managed better, consider making the change! I'm glad I have.
I have found that with PAT, the fact that they have earned the game is so much more empowering to them. It also helps during those blocks for them to remember how valuable their attention is (of course we still do brain breaks because I am not a slave-driver).
But notice this graphic to the left. I have noticed that even with the reward of 1:00 per 15 minutes on task time and giving bonuses for people doing their jobs, we are still getting over 8:00 in some of the classes, which is really awesome for them.
They are constantly being complimented on doing their jobs and hearing that positive encouragement. This has created an environment where the classroom is charged with excitement as they are walking into my classroom (as I shake their hand and say, "Buenos días".)
The classes that get that 8:00 or more minutes are doing beyond what I could ever ask and that magical fusion creates a class where we can learn so much more that PAT (and more of it) is the best reward to give them, because they are using class time so effectively.
If you wanted to see how my board looks, here's another pic. This is after a class period. Then I add up the little bonuses (and subtract the negative 5 seconds (each tally) when I lose eye-contact). The total is circled so I could add it to the spreadsheet.
It might be a little messy, but it has been working for me so far. The numbers are crossed out since I was adding them. I also make a point to let them know why they are getting those bonuses.
If you don't use PAT in your classroom but find your class could be managed better, consider making the change! I'm glad I have.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
TPRS Year 3 - My "No English" Rule - revisited
I was looking at some of my old posts from my first year and came across this entry. In the entry, I am trying to come to terms with something I had read about "No English Rules."
Here's what I have done since last year in my new school, which has worked for the most part.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer:
First off, allow me to explain that if you are a foreign language teacher and you don't do this, I am not saying that you are wrong. I have found that some students need to be limited in their English only so that they don't distract us from learning Spanish.
I once had a student that after I asked, "What was there?" proceeded to answer and tell her own story in English before I could stop her. Thus, taking away from the tension of asking a question and having the students relieve the tension with a sentence or two in the form of an answer or suggestion for the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a "two words or less in English" expectation that I teach from day 1 in my class. All I do is I explain to my kids that if I ask them an open-ended question while we're going through class, that since the possibilities are endless, they can answer with anything (since everything is possible in my class), but if they have to use English, I will ask them to limit it to two words so we don't have to over translate and get lost in this long jumbled phrase we won't remember. Instead, we can take two words and easily work with them and they can evolve and be practiced more.
When kids use more than two words of English, I simply show them a hand sign I made up for it and smile, while not acknowledging their answer and shrugging my shoulders. They understand that it's simply part of the "game" of class and that I am not trying to make it personal.
Some might have a problem with this in their classes. After starting my first year of TPRS, I remember that over halfway through the year I tried to implement this. I wasn't consistent and it flopped.
So in the past two years, I simply taught it as a norm in my class from day one and my kids have responded wonderfully to it. Sometimes they get a little frustrated because they have trouble with circumlocution. But it's part of my class. So they respect it.
I think the key to any expectation you have is consistency from day one. There doesn't have to be a punishment or discipline all the time. If I teach the kids that's what they have to do in my class to be successful, it can be as simple as that for most of them.
Please share your thoughts below on if you think this could work for your class or if it wouldn't work!
Here's what I have done since last year in my new school, which has worked for the most part.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer:
First off, allow me to explain that if you are a foreign language teacher and you don't do this, I am not saying that you are wrong. I have found that some students need to be limited in their English only so that they don't distract us from learning Spanish.
I once had a student that after I asked, "What was there?" proceeded to answer and tell her own story in English before I could stop her. Thus, taking away from the tension of asking a question and having the students relieve the tension with a sentence or two in the form of an answer or suggestion for the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a "two words or less in English" expectation that I teach from day 1 in my class. All I do is I explain to my kids that if I ask them an open-ended question while we're going through class, that since the possibilities are endless, they can answer with anything (since everything is possible in my class), but if they have to use English, I will ask them to limit it to two words so we don't have to over translate and get lost in this long jumbled phrase we won't remember. Instead, we can take two words and easily work with them and they can evolve and be practiced more.
When kids use more than two words of English, I simply show them a hand sign I made up for it and smile, while not acknowledging their answer and shrugging my shoulders. They understand that it's simply part of the "game" of class and that I am not trying to make it personal.
Some might have a problem with this in their classes. After starting my first year of TPRS, I remember that over halfway through the year I tried to implement this. I wasn't consistent and it flopped.
So in the past two years, I simply taught it as a norm in my class from day one and my kids have responded wonderfully to it. Sometimes they get a little frustrated because they have trouble with circumlocution. But it's part of my class. So they respect it.
I think the key to any expectation you have is consistency from day one. There doesn't have to be a punishment or discipline all the time. If I teach the kids that's what they have to do in my class to be successful, it can be as simple as that for most of them.
Please share your thoughts below on if you think this could work for your class or if it wouldn't work!
Monday, August 27, 2012
TPRS Year 3 - Days 1 and 2
Well, school just got back into full swing as we returned to having students on Tuesday. My goals this year are to worry less about the actual storytelling (because it seems to be coming more and more naturally) and to instead worry about my students. Last year I noticed I did better at monitoring students' lack of understanding. That seems to be more heightened this year.
The first day went very well. I think I got the idea from Ben Slavic to teach the first day while slowly teaching the classroom expectations during the first week or two. Most kids aren't going to listen anyway if you just give them a list of rules the first day. I wouldn't listen if someone did that to me. So the idea is to show that everyday we will be learning Spanish (even on the first day). This helps me set the tone for the year. It also is very common that teachers might think of the first day where they don't have to teach very much and they can use it as a sort of day off. I would rather be teaching though than babysitting. If I am babysitting the kids, there are always more personality conflicts and kids not doing what they should be doing. I think the best way to have a "day off" (of classroom management problems) is to teach. When kids are engaged, they cause fewer problems.
For Spanish 1 and 8th grade, they drew a picture of something that they like to do and we started talking about me and how "The teacher plays guitar" (in Spanish). Then we circled that information a little bit. Afterwards, I moved on to a student or two and compared and contrasted their activities to mine. This is another idea I have gotten (and used before) from Ben Slavic. The more I do it, the better I get at throwing out more language to the students in a comprehensible way and also doing more short grammar explanations.
For Spanish 2, I had them draw two pictures about what they did over the summer. The idea was to review stuff from last year while throwing in some new information and getting to re-familiarize myself with them. I did notice that I would throw in some structures from last year and check for comprehension and most of my students from last year would remember those structures. The only difficulty is that I have students who had the previous Spanish teacher (the year before I came) and they have no clue what we're talking about. They did grammar-based homework out of the textbook all year. Guess how great that was for their acquisition of the language! Yep. Not so great. So they are keeping me mindful of making sure I do go slow and point and review even more so the structures from last year.
All in all, they were both good days. On day 2, we continued the activities and they'll probably take me a few weeks to finish. If I finish early in a class with getting to know everyone, hopefully we'll have plenty of fodder from different things we talked about to create short narratives or I can do some one-word images. I already notice myself going off on tangents and asking about the names of the chicken they play soccer with or anything else that might be relevant to make it interesting.
The first day went very well. I think I got the idea from Ben Slavic to teach the first day while slowly teaching the classroom expectations during the first week or two. Most kids aren't going to listen anyway if you just give them a list of rules the first day. I wouldn't listen if someone did that to me. So the idea is to show that everyday we will be learning Spanish (even on the first day). This helps me set the tone for the year. It also is very common that teachers might think of the first day where they don't have to teach very much and they can use it as a sort of day off. I would rather be teaching though than babysitting. If I am babysitting the kids, there are always more personality conflicts and kids not doing what they should be doing. I think the best way to have a "day off" (of classroom management problems) is to teach. When kids are engaged, they cause fewer problems.
For Spanish 1 and 8th grade, they drew a picture of something that they like to do and we started talking about me and how "The teacher plays guitar" (in Spanish). Then we circled that information a little bit. Afterwards, I moved on to a student or two and compared and contrasted their activities to mine. This is another idea I have gotten (and used before) from Ben Slavic. The more I do it, the better I get at throwing out more language to the students in a comprehensible way and also doing more short grammar explanations.
For Spanish 2, I had them draw two pictures about what they did over the summer. The idea was to review stuff from last year while throwing in some new information and getting to re-familiarize myself with them. I did notice that I would throw in some structures from last year and check for comprehension and most of my students from last year would remember those structures. The only difficulty is that I have students who had the previous Spanish teacher (the year before I came) and they have no clue what we're talking about. They did grammar-based homework out of the textbook all year. Guess how great that was for their acquisition of the language! Yep. Not so great. So they are keeping me mindful of making sure I do go slow and point and review even more so the structures from last year.
All in all, they were both good days. On day 2, we continued the activities and they'll probably take me a few weeks to finish. If I finish early in a class with getting to know everyone, hopefully we'll have plenty of fodder from different things we talked about to create short narratives or I can do some one-word images. I already notice myself going off on tangents and asking about the names of the chicken they play soccer with or anything else that might be relevant to make it interesting.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Día 47 - Bad mood
Do you ever wake up and just know it's going to be a long day? Well yesterday I didn't feel well and thought to myself that if I went to school, it would be one of those days. So I stayed home and rested and tried to do things that would re-focus my attitude to one that is more positive.
For whatever reason, I just find myself dreading teaching these days. The storytelling is so neat and yet it terrifies me because I worry that the stories will flop and I won't know what to do.
Some people say that the worst TPRS is still better than the average classroom. But sometimes it is so painfully quiet when I ask for responses from the students and even when some respond, no one reacts to the responses.
Today, the first three classes did not pump me up. I was not in the best mood to begin with. And for whatever reason, I just completely sucked up the story this morning with them. Some students didn't get the storyline as well as I thought they would. I must not have been circling enough. So what I need to practice doing is to get out the circling sheet from the workshop and look over it again to remember how to circle and tell the stories better.
I also must not focus on the negative behaviors. My students might not be paying attention. But in How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie talks about how everyone has the desire to be praised. If we can praise people, we can create the atmosphere needed in the classroom where students will want to receive the praise and be reminded that they are great. Of course, it must come off as genuine. I can see it though when I mention that someone is 'muy inteligente' when they give an idea. You can see them smirk. Even the students who might be considered "troubled" or "bad behaviors" smile when they are recognized as being smart! And this only further reinforces their wanting to answer questions in class.
I was reading on moretprs.net today in my free hour and Susan Gross (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting), a TPRS forerunner tells this to a fellow teacher:
For whatever reason, I just find myself dreading teaching these days. The storytelling is so neat and yet it terrifies me because I worry that the stories will flop and I won't know what to do.
Some people say that the worst TPRS is still better than the average classroom. But sometimes it is so painfully quiet when I ask for responses from the students and even when some respond, no one reacts to the responses.
Today, the first three classes did not pump me up. I was not in the best mood to begin with. And for whatever reason, I just completely sucked up the story this morning with them. Some students didn't get the storyline as well as I thought they would. I must not have been circling enough. So what I need to practice doing is to get out the circling sheet from the workshop and look over it again to remember how to circle and tell the stories better.
I also must not focus on the negative behaviors. My students might not be paying attention. But in How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie talks about how everyone has the desire to be praised. If we can praise people, we can create the atmosphere needed in the classroom where students will want to receive the praise and be reminded that they are great. Of course, it must come off as genuine. I can see it though when I mention that someone is 'muy inteligente' when they give an idea. You can see them smirk. Even the students who might be considered "troubled" or "bad behaviors" smile when they are recognized as being smart! And this only further reinforces their wanting to answer questions in class.
I was reading on moretprs.net today in my free hour and Susan Gross (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting), a TPRS forerunner tells this to a fellow teacher:
Today that first part was me. When the kids walked into the room, they must have seen my lack of 100% and that didn't help the class to go any better. I didn't praise students but instead probably got more upset (without saying anything). When I start class frustrated, everything goes downhill fast. But if I can simply praise the students, it will refocus the entire class as well as myself to pay attention to the good behaviors in class and remind us what I would like out of the class.
Sometimes the kids are picking up something from you. Try very hard to go into the class with strong positive vibes. My guess is that they sense you are disappointed in some way. It is very insidious, this teacher attitude thing. Do some mind-cleansing breaths and then LOOK FOR things to praise. Look for the kid who is paying attention and praise him. Have him translate something that you KNOW he will get right and then tell the kid that he is watching you so carefully that he must be getting everything. Thank him for his attention.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Día 36 - Positivity and appreciation
As I continue to read the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, I am dumbfounded by how practical the things that Dale Carnegie talks about in his book. It's also pretty cool that I can read it on the Kindle program on my Ipod touch. Can I just say that ipod touches are an amazingly useful tool!
The chapter I just read talks about showing people that you appreciate them. In the previous chapter he talks about criticism and how Abraham Lincoln did not criticize people anymore after a certain point in his life and by the time he died people thought very well of him. I guess I wonder about criticism. As a child people would tell us that they were giving us "constructive criticism." Is there such a thing? Does criticism really build us up whatsoever?
Either way, criticism as far as I can tell has not been a very effective method as a teacher. We're so often getting bogged down in the negativity and do not address the positivity. We fail to acknowledge students for accomplishing what we expect them to do. I think of the police. They don't pull me over and give me a sticker when I am not speeding. They only pull me over when I do speed. Nevertheless, as a teacher, our constant reliance on only giving attention to those who do not do what we want are giving them negative attention. For the students who want attention (either negative or positive), they can still feed off of us.
In the book, Carnegie mentions that everyone has a desire to be important. As I was thinking about Ben Slavic's writing about ways to invent new identities for students in his classroom, this was a wonderful application of the concept. If we can give students an identity in our classroom that they will want to step into in which they are the best at something in Spanish, French or whatever language and we constantly can use that in class, they will want to be in our class.
I've been trying to think of ways to encourage my students more. Especially for those who are already doing exactly what I expect of them. I must be careful to distinguish between flattering and honest appreciation. Flattery is false and people can usually see right through it. But if I can offer encouraging words to someone for doing something well (no matter how small it is), I can offer more positiveness to this negative world, one comment at a time.
There was a quote that he has near the end of the chapter that I have written on my wall in my classroom to remind me each day to change my old negative ways:
I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again
The chapter I just read talks about showing people that you appreciate them. In the previous chapter he talks about criticism and how Abraham Lincoln did not criticize people anymore after a certain point in his life and by the time he died people thought very well of him. I guess I wonder about criticism. As a child people would tell us that they were giving us "constructive criticism." Is there such a thing? Does criticism really build us up whatsoever?
Either way, criticism as far as I can tell has not been a very effective method as a teacher. We're so often getting bogged down in the negativity and do not address the positivity. We fail to acknowledge students for accomplishing what we expect them to do. I think of the police. They don't pull me over and give me a sticker when I am not speeding. They only pull me over when I do speed. Nevertheless, as a teacher, our constant reliance on only giving attention to those who do not do what we want are giving them negative attention. For the students who want attention (either negative or positive), they can still feed off of us.
In the book, Carnegie mentions that everyone has a desire to be important. As I was thinking about Ben Slavic's writing about ways to invent new identities for students in his classroom, this was a wonderful application of the concept. If we can give students an identity in our classroom that they will want to step into in which they are the best at something in Spanish, French or whatever language and we constantly can use that in class, they will want to be in our class.
I've been trying to think of ways to encourage my students more. Especially for those who are already doing exactly what I expect of them. I must be careful to distinguish between flattering and honest appreciation. Flattery is false and people can usually see right through it. But if I can offer encouraging words to someone for doing something well (no matter how small it is), I can offer more positiveness to this negative world, one comment at a time.
There was a quote that he has near the end of the chapter that I have written on my wall in my classroom to remind me each day to change my old negative ways:
I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Día 34 - Incentive for Junior High students
I've been noticing that my passion is not with Junior High students. I messed up by not knowing enough about TPRS this year when starting with the Junior High. I've tried some different things but if I try to start with some materials now like Amy Catania's Cuentos Fantásticos, I am met with such resistance by the class.
Classroom management is something that is hardest for me to accomplish with the middle school kids. Yelling is not something I like and it is not incredibly effective. Yelling is basically a bluff and could be equated with nagging except for the fact that it might be louder. Kids probably realize by middle school if not before that yelling isn't the way to get them to do things. They fear punishment. Well some do. Others don't fear much.
I have some repeat offenders who want to distract the class and I tried being positive and told them to write me a letter of apology during class because they were being very disrespectful of me and I could not believe that they would treat me that way. They wrote me nice letters but the next day the problem persisted. Writing obviously is not a genuine representation of feelings and/or intentions at that age. It's understandable. I was simply trying it to see what would happen.
Sometimes I show them goofy things at the end of class or at the beginning. At that age, they love anything silly or weird. It's great fun. So I showed them a text-to-speech program and I blabberized a photo of myself. Then I let them draw on the faces of famous people with my Smartboard-like setup involving a Wii-remote and a projector. Yesterday the kids wanted something at the end of class and I was unable to finish my lesson because a few were being too distracting. So I told them at the end of class that there was no excuse for that type of behavior and I would not reward bad behavior with some incentive. I thought doing that would be effective to help them self-regulate but the other kids cannot peer pressure two of the students enough to stop talking and pay attention. Any attention is attention for these two students and they will simply act up.
A fellow teacher suggested that I try to offer something at the end of class and give it to those students who do what they are supposed to do in class and have the students who did not do what I asked to watch the activity.
So today I will give them 5 Señor Bucks at the beginning of class and if they do well in class they will cash that in at the end of class to do the activity. If they do not follow the expectations that I point out to them during class, I will take away their Señor Bucks during the infraction and they will no longer be able to participate at the end. I think the activity will be where I have the students draw on the face of a famous person at the end of class and the students who do not follow my instructions will not get to participate in the activity.
Vamos a ver... (we'll see)
Classroom management is something that is hardest for me to accomplish with the middle school kids. Yelling is not something I like and it is not incredibly effective. Yelling is basically a bluff and could be equated with nagging except for the fact that it might be louder. Kids probably realize by middle school if not before that yelling isn't the way to get them to do things. They fear punishment. Well some do. Others don't fear much.
I have some repeat offenders who want to distract the class and I tried being positive and told them to write me a letter of apology during class because they were being very disrespectful of me and I could not believe that they would treat me that way. They wrote me nice letters but the next day the problem persisted. Writing obviously is not a genuine representation of feelings and/or intentions at that age. It's understandable. I was simply trying it to see what would happen.
Sometimes I show them goofy things at the end of class or at the beginning. At that age, they love anything silly or weird. It's great fun. So I showed them a text-to-speech program and I blabberized a photo of myself. Then I let them draw on the faces of famous people with my Smartboard-like setup involving a Wii-remote and a projector. Yesterday the kids wanted something at the end of class and I was unable to finish my lesson because a few were being too distracting. So I told them at the end of class that there was no excuse for that type of behavior and I would not reward bad behavior with some incentive. I thought doing that would be effective to help them self-regulate but the other kids cannot peer pressure two of the students enough to stop talking and pay attention. Any attention is attention for these two students and they will simply act up.
A fellow teacher suggested that I try to offer something at the end of class and give it to those students who do what they are supposed to do in class and have the students who did not do what I asked to watch the activity.
So today I will give them 5 Señor Bucks at the beginning of class and if they do well in class they will cash that in at the end of class to do the activity. If they do not follow the expectations that I point out to them during class, I will take away their Señor Bucks during the infraction and they will no longer be able to participate at the end. I think the activity will be where I have the students draw on the face of a famous person at the end of class and the students who do not follow my instructions will not get to participate in the activity.
Vamos a ver... (we'll see)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Día 30 - Señor Bucks
In my previous entry, I talked about being more positive.
Of all the years so far that I have taught, this method of positivity is helping me. I don't like to be angry. I don't like who I am when I am angry. If I get upset or angry at one class, I am more likely to get angry at another class. If I'm angry at a class, I am more likely to go home and get angry with my wife or with friends! No thanks!
So I'd rather encourage my students through my positivity to stay positive. If I model the behavior I want them to perform, I am providing them with a valuable resource on behavior that they might not have in their lives. They can learn how to behave if I am positive and in that way, I don't lose any sleep or hair over the classroom management. Sure we'll still have problems once in awhile. But what class doesn't have one single problem? We can learn from problems and they can offer us teachable moments to talk about something important in the students' lives as well. We are teachers of the subject as well as teachers of how to interact with the world. My curriculum is the students and their lives.
Thankfully through TPRS, I've been able to merge that with Spanish.
I remember learning about different classroom management techniques in college while I was in my 3rd year of teaching already. I thought that the majority were completely bogus. It bothered me to think about being positive to students and reward them. My question has always been, "What police officer stops you for NOT speeding and gives you a sucker?" They only enforce the rules when you break the law because you're not following the rules.
But maybe I was thinking about that all wrong. I do not know a lot about my students' home life. I do not know what kind of influences they have in their lives. Perhaps I can teach them how to behave though through positive means.
In future years, I would like to do a system with Señor Bucks where students can get those to purchase items in class for doing something like paying attention well or volunteering or always answering questions. Then they can cash them in for different perks. I might try to start it after Christmas to give it an easy starting point and time to plan the different perks. I do prefer positive reinforcement not to bribe students, but instead to teach them the right thing to do.
Of all the years so far that I have taught, this method of positivity is helping me. I don't like to be angry. I don't like who I am when I am angry. If I get upset or angry at one class, I am more likely to get angry at another class. If I'm angry at a class, I am more likely to go home and get angry with my wife or with friends! No thanks!
So I'd rather encourage my students through my positivity to stay positive. If I model the behavior I want them to perform, I am providing them with a valuable resource on behavior that they might not have in their lives. They can learn how to behave if I am positive and in that way, I don't lose any sleep or hair over the classroom management. Sure we'll still have problems once in awhile. But what class doesn't have one single problem? We can learn from problems and they can offer us teachable moments to talk about something important in the students' lives as well. We are teachers of the subject as well as teachers of how to interact with the world. My curriculum is the students and their lives.
Thankfully through TPRS, I've been able to merge that with Spanish.
I remember learning about different classroom management techniques in college while I was in my 3rd year of teaching already. I thought that the majority were completely bogus. It bothered me to think about being positive to students and reward them. My question has always been, "What police officer stops you for NOT speeding and gives you a sucker?" They only enforce the rules when you break the law because you're not following the rules.
But maybe I was thinking about that all wrong. I do not know a lot about my students' home life. I do not know what kind of influences they have in their lives. Perhaps I can teach them how to behave though through positive means.
In future years, I would like to do a system with Señor Bucks where students can get those to purchase items in class for doing something like paying attention well or volunteering or always answering questions. Then they can cash them in for different perks. I might try to start it after Christmas to give it an easy starting point and time to plan the different perks. I do prefer positive reinforcement not to bribe students, but instead to teach them the right thing to do.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Día 29 - Positivity
I've never really liked to be the enforcer of rules in my classroom. I understand that it is necessary but I feel like students should want to be there. With TPRS, I felt like I had found this method where the students were excited everyday about class and they were enjoying it and participating.
Because I'm focusing on so many things, I didn't crack down on the student here or there who would tune me out. I know now that I can't move on until I have all of the students' attention. It's just a matter of training my students that I will not teach anymore if they are not paying attention. I was reading in Ben Slavic's book that he will just stand and wait for the students who aren't paying attention. He might make a lighthearted face of impatience or he might show a face that really reflects his annoyance level with the student.
I've been testing something with my Junior High students and I think that it has been working. My students come from a class that they absolutely hate. They feel stifled in their class right before mine and often times they come in late because the teacher held them after. I'm a little curious about how the teacher holds them after class to punish them. It doesn't seem to work. The same offenders tend to be late to my class. She's really only punishing me and my starting class on time with that approach. If a student comes in late, they might already be a little behind because of our TPR'ing some terms. They can probably understand the story eventually due to the circling I will be doing with the story. It still might not make as much sense as to the rest of the class who is there the entire time. But I digress.
I've noticed every day that the students come in and I can tell how they are doing because I've been making a habit to stand at my door and greet my students as they walk in every day and try and give them a genuinely positive greeting and a smile to welcome them into class.
My Junior High students tend to let me know pretty quick how well math class went through their posture as well as their outspokenness. I have seen how the legalistic method of the math teacher has not worked at all for this class. They constantly push and don't feel any motivation to pay attention to her.
That must be where the personalization of TPRS comes in. We try to get to know our students and use that in class. We try to use them as props and actors and showcase their talents. The class is about them and what they can come up with. It's a beautiful thing.
I've also been working on being more positive in general. When my students in the Junior High class get a little rowdy, I stop and wait until their ready. The curious thing is that they apologize to me when they act out. They'll probably still do it here and there. But they are not doing it as often as before and when they do it they are quicker to correct each other not because I will punish them.
I have not punished any of the students in class this year. I've been lucky that nothing horrible has happened. But I think this is the case because the students genuinely like being in my class and learning from me. As a result, they are so quick to self-regulate because they understand that they want me to stay happy and to continue teaching so they can keep learning and the silliness can continue.
Because I'm focusing on so many things, I didn't crack down on the student here or there who would tune me out. I know now that I can't move on until I have all of the students' attention. It's just a matter of training my students that I will not teach anymore if they are not paying attention. I was reading in Ben Slavic's book that he will just stand and wait for the students who aren't paying attention. He might make a lighthearted face of impatience or he might show a face that really reflects his annoyance level with the student.
I've been testing something with my Junior High students and I think that it has been working. My students come from a class that they absolutely hate. They feel stifled in their class right before mine and often times they come in late because the teacher held them after. I'm a little curious about how the teacher holds them after class to punish them. It doesn't seem to work. The same offenders tend to be late to my class. She's really only punishing me and my starting class on time with that approach. If a student comes in late, they might already be a little behind because of our TPR'ing some terms. They can probably understand the story eventually due to the circling I will be doing with the story. It still might not make as much sense as to the rest of the class who is there the entire time. But I digress.
I've noticed every day that the students come in and I can tell how they are doing because I've been making a habit to stand at my door and greet my students as they walk in every day and try and give them a genuinely positive greeting and a smile to welcome them into class.
My Junior High students tend to let me know pretty quick how well math class went through their posture as well as their outspokenness. I have seen how the legalistic method of the math teacher has not worked at all for this class. They constantly push and don't feel any motivation to pay attention to her.
That must be where the personalization of TPRS comes in. We try to get to know our students and use that in class. We try to use them as props and actors and showcase their talents. The class is about them and what they can come up with. It's a beautiful thing.
I've also been working on being more positive in general. When my students in the Junior High class get a little rowdy, I stop and wait until their ready. The curious thing is that they apologize to me when they act out. They'll probably still do it here and there. But they are not doing it as often as before and when they do it they are quicker to correct each other not because I will punish them.
I have not punished any of the students in class this year. I've been lucky that nothing horrible has happened. But I think this is the case because the students genuinely like being in my class and learning from me. As a result, they are so quick to self-regulate because they understand that they want me to stay happy and to continue teaching so they can keep learning and the silliness can continue.
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