Just as the class begins a quiet activity (a 10 minute writing) a student, the same one who’s done this several times this week, gets up and sharpens his pencil.
Since the rest of the class is already on task, I would take the pencil sharpener aside and ask the student why his/her behavior is inappropriate at this particular time. I would explain to him/her the concerns I had for this behavior interrupting other students as well as the concern I had since this is a daily thing. I would then take out the class agenda and see if he/she could think of a better time when such a noisy activity could take place. Ideally, I would agree that he/she should sharpen several pencils as soon as he/she comes in. By doing this not only would I have helped remedy his/her behavior but this new action would serve as a model of when it is the best time to sharpen your pencil.
General discontent prevails. No one is interested in the lesson, no discussion develops. The lesson isn’t working.
I believe instances like these can defiantly be beneficial to me, especially in the early years of my career. As soon as I realized that the lesson was steadily going down hill I would evaluate. I wouldn’t just silently or privately reevaluate my approach; I would ask the students to tell me why the lesson didn’t work and/or how it could be better. They are a part of the classroom and a deciding factor in whether a lesson fails or succeeds. Therefore, they must be a part of the solution. Hypothetically, the students probably let their disapproval for the lesson known to the whole class. This is when I would take the chance to use the students’ thoughts to benefit the classroom. I would call on students and have them tell me why the lesson didn’t work or how it could’ve been better. The response “I don’t know” is highly likely, therefore, I would encourage them to think of a lesson they did connect with and how that lesson and this one were different or maybe even similar. I would encourage the students to speak their opinions to the whole class but also allow them time to write. A written response would allow me the chance to keep the students’ learning preferences and refer back to them when designing other lessons.
Since the rest of the class is already on task, I would take the pencil sharpener aside and ask the student why his/her behavior is inappropriate at this particular time. I would explain to him/her the concerns I had for this behavior interrupting other students as well as the concern I had since this is a daily thing. I would then take out the class agenda and see if he/she could think of a better time when such a noisy activity could take place. Ideally, I would agree that he/she should sharpen several pencils as soon as he/she comes in. By doing this not only would I have helped remedy his/her behavior but this new action would serve as a model of when it is the best time to sharpen your pencil.
General discontent prevails. No one is interested in the lesson, no discussion develops. The lesson isn’t working.
I believe instances like these can defiantly be beneficial to me, especially in the early years of my career. As soon as I realized that the lesson was steadily going down hill I would evaluate. I wouldn’t just silently or privately reevaluate my approach; I would ask the students to tell me why the lesson didn’t work and/or how it could be better. They are a part of the classroom and a deciding factor in whether a lesson fails or succeeds. Therefore, they must be a part of the solution. Hypothetically, the students probably let their disapproval for the lesson known to the whole class. This is when I would take the chance to use the students’ thoughts to benefit the classroom. I would call on students and have them tell me why the lesson didn’t work or how it could’ve been better. The response “I don’t know” is highly likely, therefore, I would encourage them to think of a lesson they did connect with and how that lesson and this one were different or maybe even similar. I would encourage the students to speak their opinions to the whole class but also allow them time to write. A written response would allow me the chance to keep the students’ learning preferences and refer back to them when designing other lessons.