It's another school year and a time with new students. The time is here to set the stage and determine the culture of your classroom for the upcoming year. It's as easy as counting to five.
1. Create a classroom where discourse and discussion is expected. This classroom has to be the students ‘classroom, not just the teacher's classroom. The classroom needs to feel like a home away from home where everyone feels safe, respected, and heard. Instead of telling "rules" for the classroom expect the students to have discussions and input into the "way we do business" in our classroom. Even young students can help with this. I think about the poem All I Really Need To Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. One idea would be to have everyone write down ideas on sticky notes then to follow up with a class meeting and discuss if we agree with these ideas. Some ideas may include:
a. I listen actively to others and respect their ideas and views.
b. I volunteer my ideas in group discussions
c. I willingly struggle with ideas or problems that seem challenging.
d. I show joy with my successes and share that joy with the group.
e. I include everyone from our class in activities and discussions.
2. Celebrate and learn about our differences. There are many sites available which focuses on differentiated instruction and different learning styles of students. Throughout the year, but especially at the beginning, devote time to learning about each other's, learning styles, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. It is vital that students realize we are all unique and have different ways in which we learn and operate. Some may need more quiet time to think while others don't mind the noise in the classroom. Others may be more of a visual learning and another more auditory, etc. Learning about our differences needs to be scheduled into your day, possibly during class meeting time. Attached below is a Mathematical Learning Inventory and a "What Matches You" activity for students.
3. Create the culture that we learn more together than apart. The only way we can make this happen is to create the safe climate and atmosphere in the classroom. Kagan cooperative learning activities are a great place to start. In order for cooperative learning to be used effectively students must understand, although we are may function as a team; there is still individual accountability, positive interdependence, simultaneous interaction, and equal participation. Putting a group of students together in a group does not insure cooperation. These processes must be discussed, processed, and learned. Don't just assume students know how to work in a group.
4. Focus on mistakes as learning opportunities. My son told me once, "If I never make a mistake, I have nothing to learn." Boy, was he right. Mistakes need to be seen as learning opportunities. This must do is tied directly to number 1 - discourse in the classroom. It is important for students to understand that we learn through both talking and listening. But, the one who learns the most is the one who teaches the concept. That is why it is so important that we require discussion to be a part of each classroom. Students should be given plenty of time to solve problems, discuss the solution to their problems, and if there is a different answer to figure out where the thinking may have gone astray. Once again, we cannot assume students know how to communicate productively with one another. We need to model how to have productive talk and use higher level questioning skills. Four steps toward increased productive classroom discussions include:
a. Step 1: Help students clarify and share their own thoughts.
b. Step 2: Help students to understand the thinking of other students.
c. Step 3: Help students to deepen their reasoning.
d. Step 4: Help students to understand the reasoning of other students.
5. Questioning skills are encouraged. It is important for students to learn how to question one another beyond, what did you get for number 3. If students are going to be involved in a classroom with discussion and to continue to learn, questioning skills must be approved. Check out my blog about a great questioning activity that can be used with your students. I'm also attaching the questions to use with the activity.
I hope these 5 Must Do's helps to get your classroom off to the right start in this new school year. Dream it, and then take intentional steps to create it.
No comments:
Post a Comment