Teacher structure - an invested business

So today, all of a sudden I had the class all to myself. We had a fun activity to do but the planning of it had not gone too well for all of us. By the time I had to start my lesson the resources were not ready. We got through the lesson and did what needed to be done but I know it could've been better had I prepared for it. This made me realize how much I as the teacher need structure and planning. I know we got through what had to be done but I was not satisfied with how we as the class (teacher and students) got through it... I could've done much better for myself and the students.

 P.S. This is  a very self invested business!

Student ambitions - gentle conversations

The question that Dave raised of what do you think when you see a student? Who is a student to me? To me a student is someone who has dreams and ambitions. This person is coming into my space to help them, mentor, nature, groom and see them towards their dreams. That is why the first thing that I ask my students is “Where do you want to see yourself at the end of your school life? What do you want to be and how do you think I can help you become that person?" This is something that they write down or they say at the beginning of the year. During my teachings and my interactions with them I keep on revisiting that dream that we discussed. This can come up if they happen to go off the way and  I normally have a one on one conversation to remind them of what they want to be and where they want to be. One on ones are helpful in disciplining children because I do not do it in front of everyone to embarrass them and maybe give them room to talk back and not process what I am saying to them. Reminding them of their goals in a way also helps me discipline them as I make them aware of the distraction they are causing to themselves and also to me in helping them reach their goals. I find all this works for me.

About how I was disciplined I don’t think it will work for the child of this era but I'm grateful it made me who I am today...Corporal of course!!

Being fully human, but not someone who takes things personally

I personally like to hear David speak; I think he speaks to me. The kind of person he is makes teaching easy, he is a natural teacher. What I liked most is when he spoke about being human. He said, "Humanity plays a role" - being an adult who thinks about the students as kids of your own. Michelle said something similar. She said, "How would you like your own kids to be treated by another teacher?” I liked when Dave spoke about students not being personal when misbehaving, which is a trap I often fall in to. I end up being personal as well, which is wrong and can make matters worse. Something I will try to practise is being consistent with my discipline.

Musings on 'stucture'

I am fascinated by this idea of structure and what it means to be a “structured” teacher? I guess, for me the question is around the visibility or in-visibility of the structure. Clearly sometimes it is difficult to physically structure the environment and procedures - although those are crucial to manage. My question is about the transfer of the “invisible” structure. Mmm What do I mean? I think, listening to David in particular I became aware of the “inside-out-ness” of the structure How, what and the intentionality of what I project when I teach.

How deliberately am I pushing/pulling  - inviting them into particular “learning space” of I (reflective) we (dyadic) or us (didactic or dialogical - plenary)  How much of this can realistically be pre-planned or scripted and how?

No answers just questions  - but maybe what stood out was some key words – respect/ empathy/ stricture and how to convey/communicate or facilitate it?

Mentoring Moment

The best moment is when I heard about how a teacher can keep calm when she has a child that is challenging. It really showed me that teachers are able to control their tempers. And also how they can use various strategies to control both their temper as well as the learners behaviour.

To me discipline is a very powerful thing. It needs a solid, concrete strategy. I think I have a very long way to go to establish solid discipline grounds/standards, because I struggle a bit with appropriate srategies at the moment. So it was very informative to hear about how different teachers deal with discipline and what strategies might be useful and which might not be of use. Hearing other peoples backgrounds was also of interest because you get to relate with them in a way, as you might find that the challenges they had are similar to the challenges you now have as an intern. Hearing where they came from, and how well they are coping now makes us think positively about the challenges that we face but can overcome in order to become the best teachers ever!

Disicpline and structure in creative spaces.

There are a lot of interesting and useful insights that I want to try and implement in my teaching. On Michelle’s talk about structure, I need to work on the organisation of my lesson, especially during practical classes. That is when I feel more vulnerable as I cannot keep an eye on everyone, alongside the materials and safe use of tools. Students also need to leave the room for washing hands etc. and this turns into playtime outside. It would certainly help to take a day and do training on how things need to be done.

From Dave’s talk what struck me the most is the connection with each student personally. Never lose sight of who you are teaching as a person. That is certainly what I try to do. Make them feel in control by giving them more choice. Meet them at the threshold. And especially the part about not entering the game.  I realize I have also lost there many times; I will definitely not be thrown so easily again!

Thinking back to my own experience with being disciplined, an image of my Afrikaans teacher immediately comes up. She would hit you on the hands for not doing homework. I could honestly say that I was very scared of her as a person and not just if I didn’t do my homework. I would never want to be that teacher!

Many more things I will digest and think about over the holidays, and I am changing my seating arrangements and class layout next term.

Avoid entereing 'the game' of disruptive behaviour

New Teachers Café from yesterday was inspirational. In this forum we tackle matters which are really important for teachers who are new to the field of teaching.

Michelle made an important point which sometimse we tend to take for granted. Namely, that as a teacher you have to know your learners by name in order to create a positive atmosphere for teaching and learning. At the start of this year my learners tasked me about this (knowing their names) and the agreement was they will never answer any question posed by me if I don’t call a learner by their name. This really forced me to know their names, fast.

Another thing that gave me a wake-up call was lack of consistency. As teachers we sometimes become inconsistent and expect the learner to behave according to a particular pattern that we have not made a point of deliberately instilling in the students.

Mr. Du Toit touched on the important point that as teachers we are "enticed to enter the game" with the way discipline is played out in our classrooms. However, teachers should never be baited to enter the game, for as soon as a teacher enters the game, know that you have already lost. You may think you have won it but will always lose by seeing measureing behavioural challenges from students as something that one needs to win at. Any sign of wanting to enter the game creates a loop-hole for learners to see ways to disrupt a lesson, which deprives other students from having an uniterrupted education. We should never let our personal conduct interfer with a lessons - discipline in not a matter of being in power nor is misbehaviour to be interpretted as a attack on the teacher. Teachers sometimes tend to be carried away by discipline issues.

Another thing that I would like to highlight  is that our learners need to be acknowledged and recognized to boost their confidence. Moments of positivity change the balance of things. By focussing on those learners who sometimes need attention with their discipline we are creating loop holes, making well behaved learners less recognised for the good that they do. Instructions need to be displayed  and clear every time to save time in our lessons.

In conclusion we are trusted by the parents with their children. Let's treat them like they're ours.

Michelle Birks' input on Classroom Management

1. Ideally we would like our classrooms to run smoothly all the time but each year we are faced with at least one disruptive student.
2. Prevention is better than cure: The following strategies have worked quite well in my FP classroom and seem to minimise disruptive behaviour:

·         Classroom organisation

-Seating in groups, boy/girl seated together

-On day 1, I show the students where to put their books when entering the room (without me asking them to)

-Collectors are chosen who hand out worksheets and books

-I write the agenda on the board every morning – this prevents uncertainty and gives the students a sense of security. They know what to expect during their morning with me.

-I greet each child as they enter my class. This gives me a sense of how each child is feeling that day.

·         Essential agreement and routines

-Rules (essential agreement) are established together with the students on the first day of school. Rules are signed by each student and stuck in their books and displayed on the wall.

-They all know what is expected of them

-Routines such as lining up and transitions are explained in the first few days of the new year. This takes a bit of time to practise and get right but saves much valuable time the rest of the year.

·         Being prepared

-Being well- prepared makes you feel confident

-You can focus on instruction and monitor your students. Your full attention and focus is then on the students and they don’t have to wait for you to get the lesson ready. This minimises disruptive behaviour too.

·         Preventing discipline problems

-REMIND the student that his/her behaviour is out of line

-WARNING – I write the students name on the board and then they know that they have to spend a portion of their break inside. If they behave for the remainder of the lesson though, I rub their name off (the ball is in their court).

-CONSEQUENCES- Follow through with the consequence that you gave them!! Otherwise they won’t believe you next time! Obviously the consequence must be appropriate for the age of the student as well as the misdemeanour.

* I always think about how I would want the child to be treated if he/she was my child.

**Some children need more ‘vanilla’ and less ‘rocky road’. They might work better alone instead of in a group and may need more direction/assistance during the day. Once you know your students and how they react in certain situations, it’s easier to anticipate their behaviour and prevent bad behaviour.

***Not every approach works well with every child.

       Be consistent in expectations and consequences. If you ignore  

       misbehaviours one day and the next day jump on a student for the 

       smallest infraction, your students will lose respect for you. You will then

       lose their attention during  future lessons.

       Be firm but fair – never belittle or label a student. It’s their behaviour   

       that is wrong / unacceptable. If a student continuously misbehaves, I 

       arrange a parent-teacher conference to deal with the situation.

APP that you might find useful: Classroom management essentials (R119)