What
This week, I watched my Collaborating Teacher line up the students in her classroom. She decided to change the way the students would line up this week. The students now line up ABC order by first name (she told me this will be the only year she does this). This is the first time she has ever done it this way. It was asked of her by the Kindergarten Assistant. It was a little confusing to the students at the beginning because she has added students since the beginning of the year and they are now located at the end of the line. Most of them picked it up right away and remembered who was supposed to be in front of them and who was behind them. When getting the students ready to line up she has them push in their chairs and stand behind them. She then calls them either by table, by what color they are wearing or by gender. The students know to line up quietly and quickly, however that does not always happen and the students need to be reminded to get in line. Since this is a Kindergarten class, many of these students have never been in a line before. Lining up was something completely new to them and it has taken a lot of practice to learn. If all the students can line up quietly and show the teacher they are ready to go, they get a “dollar” that can be used in the class store at the end of the week. Sometime the students are so noisy lining up my CT makes them go back to their seats and try again. Many times this happens when they are lining up to go outside or to the computer lab and they end up losing time because they had to go back to their seats.
I was able to line them up on Wednesday and for the most part it went really well. The students got in their line but some of them were out of order. I had to remind them of the order in which they were supposed to be in. Lucky for me, the names are in order on their cubbies that hold their homework folders. I just called out the names and the students moved into their correct spots. I was unable to give the class a “dollar” for lining up because they were not in their correct order and they were talking to the people around them.
Since I am in a Kindergarten class, the teacher uses a lot of rewards and coercive with the students. According to Levin and Nolan my CT would be in the be under the reward/coercive authority base. She gives them money for following directions but she also takes in away if they cannot follow directions. I would like to say that this is not the teacher I am going to be when I enter the classroom but I know at the beginning I will be at least until I can figure myself out as a new classroom teacher.
So What
Doing this performance task reminded me that something that should be so easy is sometimes hard for students who are just learning. It also reminded me that it takes practice not only from the students but also from the teacher. The teacher has to find the best way to line up the students that is not going to cause a “problem”. Students may have a hard time walking near another student because they talk or they can’t keep their hands to themselves.
Now What
When in my classroom, I know that I am going to have to move students around in the line until they can walk quietly and follow directions. This experience has helped me a lot to learn about what to do and what not to do when lining the students up to leave the classroom. I am excited to use some of the things I have learned in my future classroom. I know now that it is important to tell the students exactly what you want form them from day one. They need to know everything from how to stand and what side of the sidewalk they should be on.
This blog represents FEAPs:
This week, I watched my Collaborating Teacher line up the students in her classroom. She decided to change the way the students would line up this week. The students now line up ABC order by first name (she told me this will be the only year she does this). This is the first time she has ever done it this way. It was asked of her by the Kindergarten Assistant. It was a little confusing to the students at the beginning because she has added students since the beginning of the year and they are now located at the end of the line. Most of them picked it up right away and remembered who was supposed to be in front of them and who was behind them. When getting the students ready to line up she has them push in their chairs and stand behind them. She then calls them either by table, by what color they are wearing or by gender. The students know to line up quietly and quickly, however that does not always happen and the students need to be reminded to get in line. Since this is a Kindergarten class, many of these students have never been in a line before. Lining up was something completely new to them and it has taken a lot of practice to learn. If all the students can line up quietly and show the teacher they are ready to go, they get a “dollar” that can be used in the class store at the end of the week. Sometime the students are so noisy lining up my CT makes them go back to their seats and try again. Many times this happens when they are lining up to go outside or to the computer lab and they end up losing time because they had to go back to their seats.
I was able to line them up on Wednesday and for the most part it went really well. The students got in their line but some of them were out of order. I had to remind them of the order in which they were supposed to be in. Lucky for me, the names are in order on their cubbies that hold their homework folders. I just called out the names and the students moved into their correct spots. I was unable to give the class a “dollar” for lining up because they were not in their correct order and they were talking to the people around them.
Since I am in a Kindergarten class, the teacher uses a lot of rewards and coercive with the students. According to Levin and Nolan my CT would be in the be under the reward/coercive authority base. She gives them money for following directions but she also takes in away if they cannot follow directions. I would like to say that this is not the teacher I am going to be when I enter the classroom but I know at the beginning I will be at least until I can figure myself out as a new classroom teacher.
So What
Doing this performance task reminded me that something that should be so easy is sometimes hard for students who are just learning. It also reminded me that it takes practice not only from the students but also from the teacher. The teacher has to find the best way to line up the students that is not going to cause a “problem”. Students may have a hard time walking near another student because they talk or they can’t keep their hands to themselves.
Now What
When in my classroom, I know that I am going to have to move students around in the line until they can walk quietly and follow directions. This experience has helped me a lot to learn about what to do and what not to do when lining the students up to leave the classroom. I am excited to use some of the things I have learned in my future classroom. I know now that it is important to tell the students exactly what you want form them from day one. They need to know everything from how to stand and what side of the sidewalk they should be on.
This blog represents FEAPs:
- 2a (organizes, allocates and manages the resource of time, space and attention) lining up can takes time away from other areas in the classroom. Being able to line the students up quickly and quietly will help with the organization of time being used in the classroom.
- 2b (manages individual and class behavior through a well-planned management system) when the students line up quickly and quietly they are can receive a “dollar” to spend in the class store, however when they are talking they either have to give the teacher a “dollar” back or they have to move their clip down. In the classroom, I am allowed to give and take money and I am also allowed to tell students to move their clip.