The goal of this week's posting is to get you all to begin envisioning yourself in the classroom. Effective classroom management and lesson planning will become two keys to your success as a teacher. Once you have learned what strategies are out there, what works for others, you can begin to develop what will work for you as a classroom teacher. Of course, it can be very difficult at first, especially if you are trying to align yourself with the rules and practices of the school. However, you will soon develop your own particular style in the classroom, it just takes some practice and support. We will definitely go further into this topic during our orientation week.
Here are Liz Nugent's questions for you to consider in response to the articles she provided:
It is important to have clear expectations for your students, and even yourself. What do you feel is important to include in either of the two lists?
What do you feel are key components to be included in a lesson plan?
What are some strategies that you might use to help you manage your time and create lesson plans for your classes?
Happy blogging!!
Holler, first post on week 3. Let's do this.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for finding these fabulous articles Liz (and everyone who found the previous weeks'!)
In response to the first question about holding high expectations, I think that one of our biggest obstacles this past year was inconsistency in our expectations- both of the kids AND of ourselves. Speaking specifically about the kids, I know that I found the flexibility in discipline options overkill and left us with a lack of structure that forced us to spend too much time class-to-class playing catchup. However, as the year went on and as I approach this year, I am adapting more to the flexibility as a benefit rather than a hindrance, with my real concern not how do we deal with inappropriate behavior, but how do we each as individual teachers, co-teaching pairs, and as a staff as a whole, determine exactly WHAT IS inappropriate behavior and can we be more consistent in what we address?
The Skillful Teacher, which we read last year and I have revived in my job this summer, offers what I think would be a REALLY strong activity for us to do as a staff during orientation, before the year begins, to help us get on the same page with what we accept and what we address. It involves each person identifying and then ranking common student behaviors on a scale of seriousness, and then the whole staff would have a conversation on what goes where, just so we each get the opportunity to have our voices heard and see into each of our motivations so that we can approach the year as a unified group with a firmer understanding of what behavior is appropriate and what we deem is inappropriate. I think it would be a dynamic, open way for us to decide how to stand together to make our classrooms, and school, as efficient as they could be. I think this conversation would be infinitely beneficial, and would be more than happy to help facilitate it if we can make the time during orientation week.
In terms of lesson plans, my priority is unit plans and OBJECTIVES. If we know what the goal is for the unit (problem or project), then we can determine what objectives we need to get there and how do we scaffold those objectives to ensure success of every student. Each teacher has their own teaching style, but so long as the objective is being met then the styles can be complementary rather adversary.
For managing time? I recommend living with your coteachers. OH! Perfect! But really, constant constant CONSTANT communication, both with coteachers AND with master teachers, who (to me) serve as foundation, idea man, and possible mediator in times of constructive conflict.
Can you tell I've been thinking about this a lot?
I'd first like to join Allison in saying thank you for finding all the great articles, they are certainly very helpful and informative.... though this week's articles positively terrified me.
ReplyDeleteI mean, not entirely. But they made me nervous about all the things I have to be thinking about while I am teaching. Eye contact! Posture! Tone of voice! I am worried I am going to be so busy thinking about all of those things that I am going to blank on the actual INFORMATION I am supposed to be getting across.
I agree with all the stuff about planning for sure -- and luckily if I am confident in one thing, it's my organization, if not my posture and my eye contact, ha. But reading these articles I am concerned because making a first impression is so very important -- and I know this from all my experience as a student, from the first weeks of classes in high school you always immediately could figure out which teachers cared if you missed class a lot and which ones didn't and which ones you could go late to because they were out smoking a cigarette and which ones you could get on great tangents and never actually study Latin during classtime, etc, etc, etc.... anyway, yes, because making a first impression is so important, the idea of trial and error to figure out how much material to prepare and what kind of things I will need for lessons, etc, will not work out. That's why I am so so grateful to be not only working with but living with fellow coteachers who have a lot more experience than I.
Ok, anyway, to go back to the original questions to consider...
I think that expectations I would want for both my students and myself as a teacher would be to be professional and present when in the classroom, but to also be available and accessible outside of the classroom. I would want organization and timely-ness to be expectations, of course, and then respect.... both for my students to respect me when I am trying to teach material, but also for me to respect my students and never, ever, EVER act in a condescending, know-it-all kind of way. The teachers I hated the most in high school and especially middle school where the ones that were belittling and didn't seem to respect the fact that I was a growing person.
Wow, ok, didn't realize how much I'd rambled this week... here's the rest of what I wrote!
ReplyDeleteKey components for a lesson plan would definitely be objectives for sure. If I know what my goals are for my students for each lesson, then I think it will allow me to be a little more flexible. If I have certain activities that I had as goals for them to do, but perhaps one doesn't work and another route happens instead, if the end objective is met, it doesn't matter and will allow me to feel ok about maybe not doing one kind of activity that I had planned.... did that make sense? Also I think that planning ahead for potential problems and trouble shooting is very important. Maybe this is just for me as a worrywart kind of person (I get it from my mom) but I am pretty good at going through and thinking about all the terrible worst situation things that can happen, so, if anything, that could be helpful to me in planning lessons. But you never know what middle schoolers can come up with to throw your way.... so.....
A strategy that I am definitely going to use is one that was recommended me by my mom who was a K-8th grade music teacher for many years -- which is always prepare twice as much material as you think you will need. Even talking slowly and methodically and trying not to nervously rush through stuff, some activities could be a flop, others could go better than expected, so I think it's always better to be over prepared than under prepared so you never have to just "wing it." Plus then whatever material is left over that you didn't do from the day before, you can move to the next year and you have a jump on that lesson plan..... but then it can also get confusing to see when you are behind and when you need to play catch up....
Anyway, lastly, I really like Allison's idea of all of us establishing as a teaching community our expectations for student behavior and how to handle problems. I think that going through that and having a group standard and feeling that I would have the support of all of my other teachers in how I handle a problem (if I did so according to our standards) would make me a lot less nervous in the first weeks of teaching.
Look forward to seeing all of you in three weeks!
E.B.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'll try to be brief here, since I just rambled away on my topic page :) Thanks again to Liz!
I'd also strongly support the idea of coming to a decision on behavior and how we address it; there was significant inconsistency last year, and the girls take every advantage of that. . "But Ms. said I could, and now you're saying I can't. That's not fair." Not only does it make it difficult for the girls to know what to expect, but it unfairly makes some folks out to be "mean" or too strict when they are simply holding the girls to an expectation that was set. Fairness and equity are major developmental milestones in this age group, and the more we can do to create that type of environment, the happier we will all be.
While there are clearly some things that can be left up to individual/team discretion, we need to decide what those are and what is non-negotiable, and we need to abide by it-- in homeroom, in class, at lunch-- everywhere. That level of consistency will make everyone's life easier, and will help the girls establish good habits :)
Along those lines, we need to support one another within the classroom even if we disagree, and then discuss it outside of the presence of the girls. Nothing undermines a teacher's authority more than being questioned/challenged by his/her peer in front of the class; unless it compromises the girls' safety or learning, keep a unified front and then make a point to talk about it AFTERWARDS so everyone is on the same page. Sometimes we forget things and make the wrong decision, but there is a time and a place to clarify it together.
As for planning, just a couple of thoughts. .
--keep your GOALS and objectives in mind, but don't worry if you stray a little; sometimes the most interesting, engaging and useful ideas come from tangents. Just be ready to steer the ship back if it's not working.
-- PLAN, PLAN, PLAN; work with your team, make sure everyone knows the game plan and who is responsible for what (teams work differently and you need to decide how it works best for you), and plan MORE than you think you'll need.
-- COMMUNICATE; as Allison said, that is the make or break skill. If it's not working, everything goes out the window and we'll all be scrambling. When in doubt, remind, refresh, and relate the information. We all forget things :)
So much for being brief. . . until next time :)
Thanks for the comments, ladies. Allison, we will get to class management during our week orientation. I like your suggestion, a great way to see if we are on the same page regarding behavior. I also agree with you with regard to planning. As you become more and more busy this year, it will be difficult to micro plan every part of every lesson, but when you plan your unit and have objectives for your classes. You can still reach your goals, and not feel bad if you divert from your original plan a little bit.
ReplyDeleteThe articles for this week gave me some perspective, and some insight into how it will be to manage a classroom. I’ve had some experience with teaching, but it was with much younger students and only for a short amount of time. The middle school age students that we will be teaching at MCA require much more preparation and direction. While this can sometimes be daunting, it is also very exciting. If we as teachers want education to be an empowering tool, we must deliver in our teaching and the way in which we run our classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis week I read about how there is a ‘honeymoon period’ at the beginning, and teachers should be aware of this. The articles also encouraged lesson plans to be well thought out, with clear Objectives, Materials, Procedures, Potential Problems/Pitfalls, and How to Evaluate. Objectives should be the knowledge (cognitive) and skills (performance) you hope the students will take away from the lesson. While this detailed of a lesson plan may not always be possible, if I try and aim for that every time, it will help me stay focused in the classroom.
Some of the articles from Week 1 also game some insight into classroom management, and what may be helpful for each age group. Just a few things I thought were interesting/important- For “12’s” they encouraged teachers to discuss and modify rules. If the students are involved in the process, they will be more likely to follow them; make rules fair and firm. At this age, they also discussed the importance of ceremonies/benchmarks to celebrate accomplishments. I think this is important at every age, and could be incorporated into classroom management as a rewards system of some sort. For “11’s” they suggested giving students a 10 minute time limit to work things out among themselves before teacher interference. I thought this was a good suggestion if there is ever an argument within your class.
As far as having expectations for myself and students, I think it’s important to be realistic. I wouldn’t expect the students to do something I myself wouldn’t want to do. I also think that the list shouldn’t be too long. Of course there are always more things that could be added, but having a long list is intimidating and I find that it often detracts from my success in accomplishing or living up to the expectations I have set out for myself, or others have set out for me. I do think that having a list in a classroom that everyone agrees on is a great tool.
I am so excited to be living/working with such intelligent and thoughtful people, because there is honestly not that much more that I can add! While reading the articles for this week and reflecting back on last year, I found myself cringing more often than I will ever admit. I need to work on every single piece of this! That being said, I am confident that we can build a cohesive unit that will consistently offer support, direction, and constructive feedback in any situation that arises. I love the spectrum idea that Allison had, because I have seen enough baffled students to know that what some teachers allow is considered a dire crime to other teachers.
ReplyDeleteComponents for a lesson plan: substance, a POINT!, maybe notes, a very structured activity, a less structured activity, and allowing them to do it on their own or solve a problem based on the information (obviously not in every single lesson, but you get the idea)
Expectations for myself this year - be prepared, be understanding, and never let any daily grievance or annoyance distract me from why I am teaching at MCA. It is a privilege to teach and learn from this group of girls and teachers, one I am grateful for every day!
My thoughts on lesson planning and classroom management are to go into it prepared for all the possibilities and be ready to make changes as new challenges come up. I think that having clear objectives for each lesson is incredibly important and those objectives should be something that can be concretely measured. One of the articles contained a list of action verbs to use in writing plans which I though was really helpful. I know I always hated classes where it was unclear what the point of the lesson was, why the teacher was going on and on about something that I had no stake in. When I knew what the objective or the end result was, I was more engaged and focused. The other half of the objectives is the evaluation, how do you know that you have achieved the objective you set out with, especially if the actual lesson took a different turn from the plan. Again, in my own experience, knowing how my work will be evaluated helps me to focus on the task better.
ReplyDeleteSome of the comments about talked about the importance of communication as part of the expectations we should have for ourselves. Communication with fellow teachers and communication with students. I will expect my students to communicate with me about their work, their needs and questions. On the other side, my expectation for myself is to be in constant communication with the students, not putting all of the responsibility on them to initiate the conversation.
Communication will be key in planning and carrying out lessons as well, especially since you can't plan for everything. In fact, perhaps knowing that things change is an important part of lesson planning, building in extra time if needed or extra and alternative activities as well. Anticipating challenges ahead of time instead of being caught off guard when they arise. Like I said before, having a clear understanding of the purpose of the lesson is probably the most important part.
So, I guess I kind of rambled quite a bit here, but I think got most of my ideas out there although I'm sure I'll come up with more to say as soon as I go do something else. I'm looking forward to the school year as it gets closer!
Mutual respect and understanding is key. For students, like E.B. said, organization and timeliness is one of my main things. I know that things may come up for the students inhibiting them from completing work, but being straightforward about is the best. For myself, my expectation is to be more prepared for team teaching, more understanding with the students, not so fast to react to situations, and finally accept that how I do things is not always the best way for students to do things.
ReplyDeleteMy lesson plans always have some sort of objective, whether it is for a specific item them are learning in that class period, or assisting them in creating/solving their project/problem for the unit. I think there should be a key terms (new vocabulary) section, maybe more so for the Humanities side. I am also sometimes very detailed in the procedure aspect and writing out step by step instructions for myself, sometimes with an allotted timeframe, concluding with what will be given out for homework. The materials are also a must, even if they may seen obvious. I never thought of writing down the pitfalls or problems and thinking about it now, I think I might create more problems in my head than would actually happen during the class. But I guess you always have to prepare for the unexpected.
As for strategies for creating lesson plans, always underestimate the time it will take to do things in class. There have been times, probably more than I want to admit, where I thought an activity would take a longer amount of time than it did and I was left stuck with nothing else planned. Even if you do not get through everything in your lesson plan, you have a jumping off point for the next class.
I totally agree with Ali about consistency in class, whether it is within the whole school or on a grade by grade level. If anything, the students knew what I would not let them get away with that they could in other classes. But I think this also goes along with setting the tone for the year. It’s great hanging out with the kids during lunch and activities and joking with them, but we can’t always let them take that into the classroom. When it comes to many of the lessons, I’m serious and want to get down to business. But I know that I also need to work on that, as some of the incoming 8th graders have pointed out to me. I also know that others have successfully used the “reward” method, but I don’t think that is something that should become a culture to the school. Rewards for things that are expected of students isn’t really something I believe in.
Such wonderful responses! These responses illustrate a team that will be both self-reflective and cooperative—two essential characteristics of successful management. New and returning teachers should keep in mind that it is impossible to get it perfect every day; those cringe worthy moments that Liz Norberg remembered are part of the job. But if we reflect back on how we handled a situation we can better align our responses or reactions with the school culture and goals. And as others have said, communication with each other will make a tremendous difference in building a consistent culture and message to the students.
ReplyDeleteKara mentioned that mutual respect and understanding are key and I can’t help but second that statement. I have always hated the famous teacher advice, “don’t smile ‘til Christmas,” because it is through smiles that we can show our students that we understand what they are going through and that we believe in them to meet a challenge. Middle school girls are in a particularly vulnerable stage, bouncing between childish reactions to things and wanting to be treated like adults. A smile can work wonders for both reassurance and respect. Whether it is articulated or not, students can sense when they are (and are not) respected. Keep in mind that their ideas, experiences, and learning processes are valuable and that you can learn as much from them as they can from you. Posture, eye contact, etc. do help you gain their respect, but I think an articulated sense of respect and trust for the students will lead to real and authentic respect for you as a teacher. From there, classroom management can become more a matter of daily upkeep rather than the constant juggling act that it seems like now.
While showing students trust and respect is important, your planning should allow for the fact that you can’t trust them completely. A good piece of advice that a veteran teacher once gave me was to “keep ‘em busy.” In other words, don’t give them an opportunity to break your trust. Each student will move and learn at her own pace, so in your planning, make sure there is a task set aside for those who finish early. Unbusy students are a guaranteed distraction. Busy students are engaged in learning and thinking. It seems simple, and the trick is entirely in the planning--make sure you’ve got backup plans galore or a routine “go to,” such as journal writing, to avoid idle hands and minds.
Hope this is helpful! I look forward to meeting all of you and building a more detailed set of common expectations—it seems like we are all on the same page about that.
Jaime
Pretty much everyone has touched upon this so far, but I'm mentioning it again to emphasize how important I think it is. Consistency in every aspect of the classroom, including behavioral guidelines and lesson objectives, create structure that is necessary for the comfort of both students and teachers and (hopefully) relatively smooth sailing. I understand that smooth sailing is a romantic ideal, but you know what I mean! I agree with Kate- I would always get really frustrated when the point of a lesson or activity wasn't clear, and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing or what the outcome was supposed to be. If are purposefully making an assignment flexible and open-ended, we need to make that really clear, because in my experience, students given these kinds of assignments get really paranoid and feel stupid because they don't get it. Granted, I was working with much younger students, but I STILL feel kind of dumb when I'm not sure of the point of something I'm doing.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I'm feeling really nervous about planning lessons and classroom management. I've never had to plan a formal lesson before, and while I know I'll have a lot of support at MCA, I can't help feeling nervous. I hope I'm not the only nervous one!
Lily! You're not the only nervous one! I am too -- especially now having received our assignments for our classes. Grade 5 English AND Literature AND Social Studies AND Grade 6 English AND Literature?!?! Very exciting but very nerve-wrecking!
ReplyDeleteOk...first off I will agree with Lily and e.b. about being nervous! This week's articles were super informative, but definitely a bit daunting as well. I am so glad that we have co-teachers and master teachers to work with and draw ideas from. Everyone's responses thus far have definitely helped put certain aspects of classroom management and lesson planning into perspective. I never realized how much went into the day to day planning! But that makes me really really really excited to get started :)
ReplyDeleteI love the plan to discuss behavior during orientation. As has been said already, consistency is obviously a huge deal, and especially for the middle school age group. I agree that the articles from the first week about the various age groups has provided a good foundation for thinking about classroom management.
As for lesson planning, I agree that having clear objectives is necessary. I feel like I am the type of person who would plan methodically, but then also get a little sidetracked by something totally random. But, as was stated, these tangents sometimes turn out better than what was planned!
Meghan
Allison - I am in total agreement with you on the "consistency in addressing behavior" issue.
ReplyDeleteWhen making separate lists of expectations for students and myself, I realized they contained mostly the same criteria: respect, diligence, and patience. I hope to maintain a level of order based on these mutual expectations, with the understanding that we are all accountable.
This year, I also want to focus on following through with all promises and/or consequences.
In regard to lesson planning, I've found that staying ahead of the game is the best way to go. I feel less stressed having plans in place ahead of time, even if they are not detailed. I like to include, (listed in order of relative importance): Objectives, procedure/materials, references, and evaluation
~Lindsey