Students feel safe and secure when there is a set of classroom routines. Please reflect upon what classroom routines your cooperating teacher uses in the classroom.
What are the established procedures in the classroom such as attendance, beginning class, ending class, clean up, etc? What is the physical arrangement of the classroom, tables, desks, positioning, etc? How does the teacher transition the students from one activity to another? Reflect upon the classroom routines - Are the routines providing a positive, safe, and secure plan to ensure student learning? do you agree with the routines that the techer uses? Why or why not?
Don't forget - your deadline is Sunday night by midnight. And please post two separate posts each week. For grading purposes it is easier if there are two different posts instead of one post with your comment and reply to someone else in class.
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The class I taught in was a resource Special Education class, so students came for help in specific subjects a lot of times that the other students weren't working on. Because of this, a lot of times the class had students doing a variety of things and there was not much time spent on one subject for the entire class. So at the beginning of class students would begin their own individual work and we would help each of them and make sure they stayed focused. At the end of class, we would reward each student if they worked till the end of the class time or finished all of their work.
ReplyDeleteThe arrangement of the class was black tables that could fit 2-3 people and chairs at each of them. We would alert students prior to the transition to another subject that we would be switching within a certain time, in order to give them a good enough amount of time to finish up what they were doing.
I believe the routines in the classroom were great and effective. I also believe it allowed students to become more organized. I do agree with the routines.
My teacher i think does a wonderful job in regards to keeping a steady routine. in the morning, the kids all sit down in class and work on activities their working on in class such as coloring, cut and paste, etc.. until all the students arrive. then after the pledge, she collects all the students folders with their paper work from the prior day and then reads them a story to start class. i think this is a wonderful way for the kids to settle down and get into the learning mode. for their tables, they have 3 groups named after cartoon characters such as spongebob and each group has 8 kids. i think this helps with the children learn to work with peers as well as help the teacher be able to focus on all the students better.
ReplyDeleteben- i never really thought about how much more children in the special education classes would be working on various things compared to a regualr classroom with everyone working on the same activities. i bet it takes much time and patience to walk around and help each student with their own specific problems.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher is very creative in the way she organizes the class. She has a stable routine, every morning she has the class takes a daily language quiz. Before the announcements she has each student state their math fact every day, so everyone in the class can learn the math fact. The class also has to learn a new sentence and rehearse what they have already learned of the Gettysburg Address. All of the students know exactly what to do in the mornings, it is very impressive and interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe classroom seating arrangement is sort of scattered around the room. The desks are suppose to be in rows, but they just look spread out every where in the room, if you gave it a quick glance. I think it could be a little more organized, but it works and is understandable to the teacher.
Ben- Ya I agree with chris it probably does take patience and time. The teacher needs to be calm and relaxed around the students, so the students do not become overwhelmed. It must be interesting to watch the teacher move around and help the students with their particular problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm observing a 6th grade science class. The class only lasts for a little less than an hour, so every minute counts. The students know that every day they are to come in and look at the daily assignment board and copy the information into their assignment books. After this, they have five minutes or so to do what is called a "warm-up activity." To be honest, the one they did the other day didn't seem to go with the lesson at all. Maybe it was review of another topic covered earlier in the year, but I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't much in the way of transition, except to say, "we're moving on to today's lesson so get your science learning log out and let's get started." I believe this works just fine. She then asks questions about what they already know about the subject, gives examples, and then they move on to taking notes into their journals.
As far as the classroom organization goes, she has a system that seems to work for her but wouldn't work for me. Little things are scattered all over the place: posters, class rules about several different things, the assignment board, books that can be checked out, 4 different clocks (only one of which is even close to being correct), etc. The two-person tables are grouped together so that some have 4 students, some have 6, and then there are a couple of students at individual desks because there isn't enough room for all 30 students. Overall, I'd say its fairly disorganized. In fact, I think it would be really hard for some students to focus in that classroom. There's just too much. Of everything.
I am there at the end of the day, so I get to see how class ends, too. The first teacher I saw was really good about watching the time and made sure she had time to hand out homework and explain it well. The other teacher ran out of time and said they'd finish the next day. Both teachers have their students stack their chairs so the janitorial staff can clean more easily.
In the classroom I am observing, the teacher has set up a carefree atmosphere. The students all feel comfortable in their surroundings. The teacher cracks jokes, and makes the students laugh. I enjoy being in the class because I get to watch how a hard subject (math) can be taught in a fun way that students will learn easily. The room is a very easy set up. All the desk are facing the smart board and there are computers are behind them. The teacher takes role at the start of class and all the students have to be in their desk as the bell rings other wise they are tardy. They end class working on homework assingments and everyone just picks up and leaves.
ReplyDeleteDebbie- I agree with you, little things scattered everywhere would not work for me either. Specially working with a 6th grades science class. How that teacher has it set up sounds like she needs a little help..
Chris and Brittany,
ReplyDeleteYes it was at first pretty hard to get used to teaching in a class like that. We, the teacher and myself, had to learn to prioritize and figure out who needed help the most on a particular subject. We also tried to pair our students up with at least one other person to work with. Sometimes pairing students up can cause disruptions and distractions, but the group work honestly worked out the best in that class. If our students were seperated, which some times they were, they would essentially shut down and not try. Having someone next to them working on the same thing often motivated our students to work harder.
Overall a Special Education class is hard to teach because a lot of times everyone is doing different things. It does require patience. If we, the teachers, break then the whole class falls apart. We have to know at all times what each and every student is doing, when they should be done with it, how they are progressing on it, and above all in a Special Education classroom we have to set in stone the procedure students need to go through. If we say one thing one day and another thing the next, that confuses a lot of those special education students. They need the unaltering guide and progression in the classroom.
The teacher that I am observing writes on the board what every class is going to be doing during the class period. She began the class with reviewing very briefly what they did during the previous class. She then went on to introduce the lesson and then closed the lesson by going over what was taught one more time. She then told the students about their homework, gave instructions and told them when it was due. From my understanding she does this with every lesson and every class. The rules were posted on the wall of the classroom. The same rules applied to every class. She was very consistent and enforcd the rules thoroughly. Sometimes rules like making sure the students shirts were tucked in took more time because she had quite a few students and a lesson to teach but order was always kept.
ReplyDeleteokay I am trying this to see if the picture thing worked and to comment.
ReplyDeleteDebbie- I totally agree. Every minute counts in a class that only lasts for 50-60 minutes. You have to engage students, teach something, get them to understand it and retain it!
From my experience of thirteen years of school, my teachers have had the same basic procedure for their class. Most of the time the teacher will wait for everyone to be seated and then take attendance. They usually have to do this first because most schools require you to send an attendance sheet via computer or have it physically taken down to the main office by some lucky individual who gets to skip 5 minutes of class. Next my teachers would usually ask the class how they are doing and kind of make small talk with the class to better connect with us before starting their lesson.
ReplyDeleteAfter they are finished with the lesson, if it has been a long one and there was five minutes or so left before the end of class, most of my teachers would reward the class by giving the last minutes to the students to do whatever they wanted with.
There is really not a lot that goes into these routines but i do think they made my learning experience a better one. It is nice going into a class kind of knowing what it will be structured like.
Kaitlynn- I very much like how your teacher writes a list of what the students are going to cover in class in order on the board. To me that is so helpful. I like knowing what i am going to be doing in class.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bishop- Referring to my comment above about the teacher writing what they are going to cover in class...I loved how you would put up what we were doing on the chalk board. Just one of the many great things about your class. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteDebbie:
ReplyDeleteI agree that little things all over the place would not work for. Because first of all as the teacher I would be distracted with all the stuff everywhere and unabale to focus. I feel I would be more concerned with where everything goes then my lesson plan. So that would not be good for me.
I am observing a 1st grade classroom and the way she has the room set up is really neat. First of all the kids do not have desk they sit at tables because as you can imagine 1st graders can get detracted by the smallest things, like stuff inside their desk. So my teacher has them sitting at tables where they can sit where ever they want each day so they do not get board. So then she has the kids supplies in plastic pull out drawers at the end of each table. So when things are needed the kids know right where to go.
ReplyDeleteThe way that my teacher normally transitions her kids is by making them stop what they are doing, putting it way, and meeting her on the "sharing rug." Where she then explains what they are going to do next. This way she is getting every kids attention.
I feel that another fun thing my teacher does is every time she leaves her classroom with her kids and then they come back, before they enter the room they have to read a sight word that she keeps by the door so they are consistently going over them and learning them. This is a everyday routine that I feel is a fun and good way to teach them their words.
I like my teachers daily routines, i feel that she really puts a lot of time and effort into then to make it work. I know that sometime she switches it up because she tells me if she is board then the kids must be too. I feel that it is good to do that every once in while because I know everyone hates doing the same things over and over again.
Brittany Evans - I am glad that you noticed that all of the students know exactly what to do each morning. The teacher created this. It didn't magically happen. When you guys become teachers remember that students do need structure. You have the freedom to choose how much or how little structure you use. But more learning can take place if students understand the expectations and the room is not chaotic.
ReplyDeleteDebbie - I appreciate your comment about your teacher having methods that work for her but that wouldn't work for you. You will experience that feeling a lot over this practicum and throughout the rest of your career as teachers. As you guys know, Dr. vandenBerg observes my teaching and he often has suggestions about how he might do something differently. Don't be afraid to watch other teachers and learn from them. And don't be afraid to decide you would choose to do something differently. Just always try to do what you know is best for your students.
Russ - you are too kind! I always appreciated when my teachers posted the agenda. It helps students stay on target throughout the lesson and it communicates to the students that you have prepared the lesson and that you are not just "winging it."
Keep up the great work - I am so pleased that you guys are able to reflect upon your observation or your past experience in education. I will be out of town until Sunday so I won't be able to post again until Sunday. Don't forget to post twice by Sunday night at midnight.
Ben D-
ReplyDeleteI loved how elloquently you wrote this: "If we say one thing one day and another thing the next, that confuses a lot of those special education students. They need the unaltering guide and progression in the classroom."
I personally believe that's true of all students.
Still dont have a classroom to observe, but from passed experiences I can recall a classroom with desks set up in a circle outlining the room with everyone facing inwards towards one another. This was an english class and the teacher loved group discussions. So, for the majority of the year, we discussed something relevant almost every day. This was really the only routine we had, and I know it helped make class easier for some people. Not always having to just dive right in to books or notes. But when she felt we needed to move on we did. And, if there was something we were supposed to do in class like an assignment that we didnt get to because of the discussion, we had it as homework. This bothered some people of course but it was never that bad. I felt the teacher did a wonderful job of teaching to her audience as well. She didnt dumb things down for us, but she did make us work to figure things out.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experiences in high schol I can say that strucured class was good in some classes and not so good in others. Some teachers needed to go by the book and have a definate plan for every moment but sometimes the teachers who I thought I learned the best from were very unpreictable. Every day we would do something different in class or do something that really got our attention I remember my Human Geography class in particular where almost every class we did exciting lessons and learned about different issues and topcs from all over the world. I was always excited to go to the class and see what cool new thing would be in store for us and I think that is why I learned so well.
ReplyDeleteIn the very same Human Geography class that I talked about earlier we did a daily activity called socratic seminar. In this activity we would be presented with the topic and then all together as a class get in a large circle and discuss it. After some discussion we would then divide the issue into one side of the classroom supporting it and the other side who was against it and there we would have more dicussion. The issues were all great and it was wonderful to see peoples opinions and their reasons for them. It was a very good activity and I thik a reat daily activity.
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't started my observation yet but the first thing that came to mind when I read the blog for this week was my fifth grade teachers classroom. The way she had the class room set up was so neat to me. She had all of the desks grouped into fours and there were two lamps for each group of desks. She hardly ever had the bright, irritating florescent lights on and it made the room so much more homey and comfortable. There was also a huge rug in the middle of the room with all the groups of desks on the walls. We used the rug every monday morning to get into a circle to tell about our weekend. It was always such a great way to start the week. I absolutely LOVED her room!
ReplyDeleteChris- I really like the idea of having the students in groups to get them to interact with each other. I think that student to student interaction is one thing that sometimes is over looked. If you teach younger kids to know how to work with others they will most likely do better in group projects, working environments and meeting new people later in life.
ReplyDeleteBrittany- Wow your class seems like fun! I never would have thought they did all of that before the announcements come on! I am very impressed that the students know exactly what to do! I never would have thought the Gettesberg Address would have to be learned line for line. Im shocked! So many things have change since we were all in.
ReplyDeleteI am staring monday on my observations so this is from when I was in middle school. I am going to observe math. First, I remember we had to be in our seats when the bell rang. We were tardy if we werent. The teacher then took attendance. Then we would turn in our homework or ask some fast questions on it. After that we would get right done with the lesson for the day. We would always have time after to ask questions. I liked this becasue it gave you a chance to see if you understood and could do it on your own. THe desks were always in rows. We had assigned seating. I didnt mind this to much and I think it is a good idea. I thought all the routines were very successful in teaching the students. I can't to see if things have changed!
ReplyDeleteFrustreated still.. no placement but high hopes for this week.. Anyways in my classroom managemnt class we actually did a whole big project with this so I will use some of what my classroom rules and procedures who use..
ReplyDeleteClassroom arrangement for a health room- All desks facing forward so each student can see the board without having to turn their heads to much. Teachers desk in the back of the room for supervision. Desk turned away from any windows to help with distraction. plenty of trashcans and storage near my desk for easy access.
Classroom procedures: Students should be respectful to others in their classroom. When announcements are being made their should be no talking. Tardines can occur 2 times in my class period (PE) one way is to be late to the locker room, second is to be late to the gym after getting ready. There will be absolutely no gum,soda, orfood allowed in the locker room or gymnasioum. Students will earn their grades. My grading scale: tes are 15% dresscode is 10% and participation is 75%.
Safety and secrurity- NObody should be in the locker room unsupervided. Students must remain in locker room until a teacher brings them into the gym. Students are not to touch any equipent set up for class. Students are to teat all equipment with respecet. ( just some rules and procedures)
Sammi- I have never heard of teachers putting lamps at students desk. I feel as though it could cause a distraction, but maybe not? Having four desks together is a good idea i think if you have students working together and helping each other out.. I just think that it could cause more talking? So I think I would only use this in an elementary setting maybe? I definitely like the idea of having a rug in the room for such time like reading groups and such.
ReplyDeletethe teacher i am observering does an awesome time going from one activity to another weather its notes to taking a quiz. Usually when they take a quiz the students grade eachothers papers and then turn them into the teacher then after that they usually go right into taking notes using a smart-board. I also think that she has wonderful control of her classes, the students tend to goof around like every class but they know when to stop and to get work done that why they usually get done with their work early.
ReplyDeleteThe class routine usually starts with attendence the teacher has assigned seating with the desks in rows to make it easier after they jump right into what they need to do for the day.
The teacher I am working with is very organized. In the morning, the kids come in and write in their journals. After about ten minutes they all gather on their story time carpet. since I help at a Lutheran school, they have "Jesus Time". they all share what they have learned about God and the Bible. The kids in the class all know the routine, and no one really acts out. the teacher is extremely organized and the kids seem to be learning a lot from her.
ReplyDeleteoh and i almost forgot... my teacher also has a different student each week do jobs like the weather, how many days of school left, and what the date and time is. i think this is a great way for the first graders to learn how to tell time and get comfortable speaking in front of the clas.
ReplyDeletein my classroom evey desk is facing the teacher and set in pairs. this groups of two are randomly chosen and change weekly. the idea behind this is to force everyone to get to know each other. when i first found out why the room was arranged like i didnt think it was such a good idea but after watching the kids get along so well i really liked it. everyone is extremely comfortable around each other which in the end established a comfortable place to learn. the teacher begins and ends class everyday by letting the students ask any questions they have about anything to do with school. this last about 2 minutes each time.
ReplyDeletelike debbie said earlier in the blog, all the students in class have a notebook provided by the school. this has all the rules and activities for he entire year. the teacher give the students time everyday to write down the assignments and their due dates.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher does a great job make the children feel comfortable. The students seem like they want to come to class because they enjoy the class. I always enjoyed Physical education as a child as well, but these kids have so much excitement. The teacher is very funny and wants the students to learn new activities. He has the children get in different groups all the time so students are not always with the same kids. He also inforces the rules that he has. He wants the children to listen when they are suppose to and he wants them to pick up after themselves as well. He has a set schedule every class to make sure the students can come into the class and get eerything they are suppose to get done in that class period.
ReplyDeleteAlex I agree I think every students loves a teacher that makes the subject fun. Kids want to feel comfortable with their teachers. I think it makes them want to take the time and learn new things that can be tough at first. They have a trust with a teacher that makes them feel comfortable.
ReplyDeleteKyle- I like the idea of switching up who sits where fairly often to get the students to get to know each other. How does the teacher handle the behavioral issue kids? Are they randomly assigned seats, too? Or is she more selective in assigning who sits next to them?
ReplyDeleteI am observing a diff art classroom now. no longer the crazy ceramics class! so kids are constantly up and out of their seats. however, the teacher does a very good job on keeping total control. she made sure that being punctual was a must and did a great job beginning the lesson. everyone stayed on task and was very quiet. all the desks were faced toward the front of the class so everyone had a view of the board. the teacher was very successful in my opinion, she kept the kids on task but still made the class a fun environment.
ReplyDeleteben.. wow in my opinion that class you helped out in sounded like a mess! if kids are struggling.. you and the teacher shouldnt have to choose who needs the most help, but instead get another teacher or student to help you guys out so the kids had an equal opportunity to receive help.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started my observation yet since I just got my placement on Friday, so I am going to post on how one of my classes were in high school. In my statistics class senior year, my teacher did an awesome job of introducing new subjects. She transitioned into them very easily and made the class very excited. She did a great job of making sure that the classroom stayed on task and understood what they needed to know. All of the desks were faced towards the board and where the projector was. She was successful in keeping the class under control.
ReplyDeleteMaria-I think that it is great when teachers incorporate group activities into their lessons. I strongly believe that students learn more when they are able to go more in depth into different subjects. They can then get more of an understanding and the topic might stick just a little better after more discussion.
ReplyDeleteIt is so fun for me to read what you guys are experiencing or have experienced in your classrooms. Reflect in your journals how you feel about the classroom routines. Do they work? Will you use them? Why will you use them?
ReplyDeleteSami - your 5th grade class sounds very inviting and cozy to me. I am just curious - do you want to be a 5th grade teacher? I wonder if the surroundings had such a profound effect on you that you now want to teach that grade.
When I taught 8th grade I used to have the desks in traditional rows to start the class period. After our routines of attendance, warmup, grading homework, and new lesson, I would then allow the students to move their desks into groups of 4. The students were so used to moving their desks into groups that they got really good and fast at moving in and out of groups. I believe in cooperative learning. I used cooperative learning strategies often and my middle school students enjoyed it. I wonder if you guys are observing any cooperative learning. I would love to hear about your experiences.
I hope you guys have a great week! Keep up the good work:-)
I have not started my observation yet but from past teachers I think its a good teaching quality for teachers to be strict on attendance and begin and end last on time daily. Before you start another leason you must clean up from the past leason so that students can be focused on learning.
ReplyDeleteI like when lindsey talks about teachers having a circle carpet for young grades its such a good meeting place for students to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom that i am observing i have noticed many routines that the different grades have established.I am observing an art room in elementary school so there are many different grades that come in each day.When they come in they are expected to sit down and listen to what the teachers instructions are. Weather that be to get out supplies or just listen to the projects they are going to start. At the end of the class the kids are assigned a captain for each table and a helper for each table. The helper has to put all of the supplies away that the kids are
ReplyDeleteusing for the day. Overall, i think the routines work for the children it gives them a sense of responsibility and still keeps the classroom organized.
As far as the furniture arangment all the table are in kind of an oval shape with a pathway cleared down the center.