First, I read the article entitled "How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class." The article was helpful and gave 10 rules of engagement to help keep all of your students on task and focused. A few of the rules I already use but some of them sound like good ideas that I am going to start using. The rules focused a lot on when you are working with a whole group. That isn't were my problem is. I have a problem when it is up to the students to work independently because I am working with others and they rush through their work and don't do their best or are goofing off and don't get their work done.
Secondly, I watched a video "How to motivate students." This video showed a 3rd grade teacher, which is great because that's what I am, and how she started motivating her students by having a mascot in the room. It happened to be a stuffed horse but you could pick anything. The students helped her come up with a list of what she should see from the students and what they need to do to deserve the mascot. She would walk around with it and hand it out to the student or table that was doing their best on their work or staying on task. Usually the student that was making the most improvement. She was going to begin letting them take it home for the night so they can explain it to their family and take pride in why they had it.
Lastly, I read a blog entitled, "How do I motivate my student?" I found this blog somewhat helpful. It gave 3 strategies to motivate. They were make learning fun, ask students what they want to learn about, and use mini-rewards. I liked the ideas but I wish she would have went into more detail and gave examples on how she did these things.
How does this relate to the work you do in your classroom?
This reading did relate to my classroom because I have these problems. I think it was good to read and get some ideas and new strategies to try. Once again though, most of them talked about when you are working with the whole class and keeping them on task when my struggle is when they are independent and I'm with small groups.
How does this deepen your thinking about this domain?
This has deepen my thinking because I have realized how important this is. After reading this material, I realize that motivating the students is one of the most important parts of instruction. If the students aren't motivated, they are more than likely not to try their best.
How could this fit into your inquiry plan?
This fits into my inquiry plan because it has given me a lot of ideas on the sub domain that I am struggling with. I now have some strategies and ideas that I can use with my students to hopefully improve this part of my teaching and classroom.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Task 4: Instruction
What domain did I choose and why?
I chose Domain 2: The Classroom Environment. I chose this domain for a few reasons. I think the environment is very important. If you set the environment right, good things will happen. I feel somewhat comfortable with my classroom environment but there are a few things I think I could use help on.
Which component from this domain are you most comfortable with?
I am most comfortable with 2b establishing a culture for learning. I think I make sure the students understand how important the content is, they know I have high expectations for them, and they take pride in their work.
Which component from this domain do you believe most strongly ties to instruction?
I think that 2 of them tie in with instruction. I think they are 2a and 2b, creating an environment of respect and rapport and establishing a culture for learning. I think both of these components need to be set into place to make the environment ready for instruction and the students know how to act and feel like they can take the risks with their assignments and group discussions.
Which component from this domain would you like to zero in on in your own instruction?
I want to zero in on managing classroom procedures. I like this area because it talks about small groups and noninstructional duties of the students. I have a little over an hour first thing in the morning where I have 3 groups working. They take turns meeting in a small group with me, doing centers with a partner, and doing independent seat work. I struggle with keeping them on target and busy when they've completed everything.
Question for the group....
If you have a rotation period like I mentioned above, what do you do to keep your children on task and busy when you are meeting with a group and can't guide them?
How the domains look in my classroom
*2a-My classroom has very good respect and rapport. The students know that I care for them and we have a mutual respect. I feel like the students care about each other and respect the fact that they are different. I have many children that always want to help the lower students instead of making fun of them because they can't read.
*2b-I have very high expectations of my students. They know what is expected of them from me and they know it has to be proficient or distinguished. I think excepting nothing less than that helps them with having pride in their work.
*2c-This is an area I struggle with. I mentioned it above. I have a rotation where students meet with me, with partners, and individually. I find it hard to keep them on task and busy while I am teaching a small group and they are on their own.
*2d-I think my classroom has a pretty good management of student behavior. I have had some pretty rough classes my first years of teaching. Every students knows what kind of behavior is expected out of them and they know the consequences. For the most part, the students are very well behaved and know what will happen if they misbehave. I don't know if I'm getting better at this or if I just have a much better class this year, but I am getting compliments on how well my class is behaving at least 3-4 times a week.
*2e-My classroom environment is very safe and learning accessible. When I first started teaching, I struggled with how to arrange my classroom. A few years later, I had to move my room around so my desk was in a certain place for technology. When I did this, I found an excellent way to arrange everything. I have a large table where I can meet with small groups, I smaller table where I can meet with a few students, a small table where students can do activities together, a carpeted area for students to read, and a computer area for them to use technology. I have my desks in 2 long rows in the middle of all this (the other things I mentioned outline the room).
I chose Domain 2: The Classroom Environment. I chose this domain for a few reasons. I think the environment is very important. If you set the environment right, good things will happen. I feel somewhat comfortable with my classroom environment but there are a few things I think I could use help on.
Which component from this domain are you most comfortable with?
I am most comfortable with 2b establishing a culture for learning. I think I make sure the students understand how important the content is, they know I have high expectations for them, and they take pride in their work.
Which component from this domain do you believe most strongly ties to instruction?
I think that 2 of them tie in with instruction. I think they are 2a and 2b, creating an environment of respect and rapport and establishing a culture for learning. I think both of these components need to be set into place to make the environment ready for instruction and the students know how to act and feel like they can take the risks with their assignments and group discussions.
Which component from this domain would you like to zero in on in your own instruction?
I want to zero in on managing classroom procedures. I like this area because it talks about small groups and noninstructional duties of the students. I have a little over an hour first thing in the morning where I have 3 groups working. They take turns meeting in a small group with me, doing centers with a partner, and doing independent seat work. I struggle with keeping them on target and busy when they've completed everything.
Question for the group....
If you have a rotation period like I mentioned above, what do you do to keep your children on task and busy when you are meeting with a group and can't guide them?
How the domains look in my classroom
*2a-My classroom has very good respect and rapport. The students know that I care for them and we have a mutual respect. I feel like the students care about each other and respect the fact that they are different. I have many children that always want to help the lower students instead of making fun of them because they can't read.
*2b-I have very high expectations of my students. They know what is expected of them from me and they know it has to be proficient or distinguished. I think excepting nothing less than that helps them with having pride in their work.
*2c-This is an area I struggle with. I mentioned it above. I have a rotation where students meet with me, with partners, and individually. I find it hard to keep them on task and busy while I am teaching a small group and they are on their own.
*2d-I think my classroom has a pretty good management of student behavior. I have had some pretty rough classes my first years of teaching. Every students knows what kind of behavior is expected out of them and they know the consequences. For the most part, the students are very well behaved and know what will happen if they misbehave. I don't know if I'm getting better at this or if I just have a much better class this year, but I am getting compliments on how well my class is behaving at least 3-4 times a week.
*2e-My classroom environment is very safe and learning accessible. When I first started teaching, I struggled with how to arrange my classroom. A few years later, I had to move my room around so my desk was in a certain place for technology. When I did this, I found an excellent way to arrange everything. I have a large table where I can meet with small groups, I smaller table where I can meet with a few students, a small table where students can do activities together, a carpeted area for students to read, and a computer area for them to use technology. I have my desks in 2 long rows in the middle of all this (the other things I mentioned outline the room).
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