Keeping a Rowdy Class Engaged...Strategies Anyone?

Hey everyone!
Like the others who have gone before me I will tell you a little about myself first and then get on to the blogging shtick.  I'm Madge Audy and I'm currently student teaching at Vergennes UHS in a science classroom.  Personally I am an avid reader and bird enthusiast!  I have a BAS in Biology with concentrations in wildlife and fisheries biology but have come back to school to get my MA in secondary education.  Ok but back to the school thing, my cooperating teacher is teaching two different classes this semester which include Intro to Physics and Chem (IPC) as well as Earth and Space Science (ESS).  These classes are both required for students to graduate VUHS and as such are very diverse in student interest levels.  In IPC the students are mostly 11th graders with some seniors thrown in for spice and then the ESS class is almost completely made up of 9th graders.

My question has to relate mostly with my second section of ESS students.  The first section is made up of 9 individuals who are capable of completing independent work (and seem to enjoy it) with one TBI student.  The other students always include the TBI student in everything they do so even though I often have to create alternative assignments and other study materials to his level (3rd grade) but this class is not the one that I am often struggling with. I often have to create two completely different lessons as what I plan for the first class won't fly well with the second class.

The second section of ESS has 23 students in it (mostly males) and more than half of them are on some form of 504/IEP plan and I have one Persian ELL as well in this one class.  I find that this class has a very short attention span and am wondering if any of you have come across similar classes and if so what strategies have you used in the past to keep them 1) on topic and 2) keep them interested for more than 10 mins in any given learning activity.

So far I have found that as long as I have them moving around every 10-15 mins whether its going into hands on activities, having them actively participate in on the board lectures/projects or small group reading/work works rather well with the class in general.  If the students have to sit for more than 30 mins of direct instruction and writing notes they can get stir crazy and then more difficult to have conversations with.  Do you guys have any other ideas or strategies that I might be able to try out with these guys?

Thanks for reading!

M

How do you handle stress?

I am doing my student teaching in a kindergarten classroom with 14 very active students. May I add that 10 are boys....each day is never the same. Tantrums are thrown, arguments and drama are heard and tears are shed throughout the day. Don't get me wrong, I love it! But it can get exhausting after a while. These vacations are much needed for both the students and the teachers. We have talked a bit in previous courses about managing stress in order to maintain that positive teacher role and attitude. My question for everyone is how do you handle your stress? What do you do after a long school day to get yourself prepared for tomorrow?

Jess Reed, Johnson State College

Hello to all,

My name is Jennifer Adams, and I am currently student teaching in a fifth grade classroom at Barre City Elementary and Middle School (BCEMS). Though I’ve only been here for a short time, there are about a million things I’d love to write about; although today I’ll be writing about positivity and goal setting.

Within the first two weeks, when I was strictly observing and becoming familiar with the school and the students and teachers who embody it, I noticed a reoccurring theme of positivity speckled through my notebook. There were positive notes on little sticky notes throughout the entire school, posters which encouraged positive thinking, and cabinets covered with strategies on how students could turn their negative thinking to positive thinking. For instance, one scenerio involved a student saying or thinking “I’m not smart because I made a mistake” with the thinking strategy attached below stating “mistakes help me to learn”. Another example involved a student stating “I’ll never be as smart as her” and the thinking strategy attached advised students to state “I’m going to figure out what she is doing, and try that!” This cabinet is called Change your words. Change your mindset, and this is a huge focus within our school.

Knowing that positivity is a primary focus within the school, I set aside time on Fridays now to make goals. It may sound silly, or like a waste of time to some teachers, but I’m already seeing a change among my students.

I started with talking to the students about goals. I asked them what a goal was, how many had set one before, and why they’re important. Finally I asked the students how many of them had set goals and not achieved them, and how that made them feel. Surprising to me, many of my students had set goals, and then felt defeated or ashamed of themselves for not accomplishing what they had planned on. We talked about this and how when setting goals it’s good to start with small goals, something they can achieve within a week’s time. To some students, this may be as simple as bringing a pencil to class with them everyday. For others, it may be practicing conversion in math so that next Friday they can convert centimeters to meters. For the rare few, setting a goal may be too daunting or intimidating, so I advised them to think about their personal life, and not set a goal for school but for home instead; many of those students chose to set goals for the sports they play.

I then handed each student a piece of paper with a goal bubble on it. Inside the bubble it stated “My goal this week is…” Then I instructed them to write their goal and write 2-3 steps in which they’ll take to achieve said goal. I gave them 10 minutes to accomplish this, and did so because I know that there were some students who were going to struggle with writing even the simplest goal for themselves. I encouraged those students to make that a goal for themselves, “My goal this week is… to become more comfortable with setting goals for myself. I can do this by thinking of what things I may be struggling with. Then I can brainstorm ways in which I can help myself not to struggle. Once I have found that out, I can make a goal, in hopes to see improvement”. For those who struggled this week with writing a goal, my hope is that by thinking about it for a week, they may feel more comfortable writing a goal next Friday.

After the ten minutes, I asked if there were any students who’d like to share their small goal and the steps in which they’d take to achieve it. Many students offered to share their goals with the class, which even inspired struggling students, and it really enforced a positive outlook among the students right in the morning!

After they had shared and left for their first class, I began looking at the pile of goals. I was amazed, and felt very warm. Some students had made goals to stand up to any bullies, and they would do so by telling the bully to stop. If that didn’t work, they’d take the student being bullied away and tell an adult. One student made the goal to raise their hand at least once in Math class, because they knew they had good things to say, but just didn’t have the courage to speak up (I actually saw this student raise their hand twice in math throughout the week!).

Some of you may be reading this and wondering why it’s important. Here’s my answer… It’s important because you may know your students as students, but do you know them as a person? Do you know what is bothering them? Do you know what’s important to them?What they’re thinking about when you’re up there teaching and they’re off in space? Knowing your students as more than students is key to not only them improving, but for your improvement as well. It’s also an important step in helping students who have a hard time being positive, to be more positive by changing their words, which will change their mindset.

Hi everyone! My name is Alison and I am currently student teaching at Derby Elementary in a 3rd grade classroom. It is stressful at times, but very rewarding and enjoyable still.

I’ve been figuring out that student teaching is basically a 5 month long job interview, but also a 5 month long 50-60 hour work week. I found this out when I started student teaching in a 3rd grade classroom this past January, and for the past 5 and a half weeks I have found a few ways to survive it!

• I journal every day, during the day and after. I write about what worked/what didn’t work for me, I jot down questions and comments so I can reflect on my progress and ways on how I can improve. I also write about anything I need to, to help me de-stress.

• I always have a positive attitude, and leave my personal life at home so that I only focus on the tasks at hand

• I try to be over prepared, which I found helps me with my organization skills

• I find ways to relax after school, even if it is only 20 minutes of reading a good book or exercising, it helps to clear my head and organize my thoughts

• I have built relationships with all of my students, which creates a great atmosphere in the classroom

• And whenever offered, I jump on each chance to teach a lesson even if it seems daunting.

I hope these tips are helpful to all, because they have certainly helped me a great deal so far. If anyone has any other helpful tips, please share!

As this is the first blog of this semester and I really have no idea what to write about, I am a little confused and nervous about what to talk to you about. I am student teaching with seventh and eighth grade students. But in a couple of weeks, I will be switching to working in an elementary classroom where I will be working with first graders. I am looking forward to this, although I have enjoyed my time with the older students.

I guess, I should introduce myself and tell you a few things about myself. First, my name is Bernice and I am a mother of four children (three boys and one girl). I enjoy reading, crocheting and spending time with my family. I find myself looking through the internet for ideas on techniques for relaxing after a very stressful day or a quick dinner idea that is easy and healthy for my family. One of the sites that I find interesting (and hopefully you will be able to use the site, too) is http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/COS/Self_Help_and_Handouts/Visualization.

I really like this site because I can choose the beach scene and listen to the audio for a few seconds then view the beach scenery (especially during the winters up here in Vermont). But I also find that crocheting helps me to relax so I will grab my crochet hook and start making just about anything from afghans to slippers. And Pinterest has some wonderful ideas on almost all topics, from relaxation to healthy meals, crocheting patterns to lesson plans.

This year, I plan to get my portfolio done and hopefully graduate in May. I have a long way to go to finish up my portfolio. This is a goal that I will have to really work hard to get it completed on time.