Well ladies and gentlemen, the week is officially over and I'm about to head home for the weekend. Before I do that though, I wanted to include a tidbit of information that I had forgot to mention in my other blog posts.
i. Students that arrive late- students who are late must have a "late" slip and present it to the teacher upon entering class - UNLESS the teacher feels like being nice.
ii. Taking attendance- attendance is taken online and at the start of every class. Collingwood has implemented a "PCR" system that serves as an attendance record, homework channel, and assignment collector. It is also used for marks - giving and sending.
iii. Students that fail to complete assignments by the due date- They are given extensions and allowed to hand in the assignment without penalty whenever it is complete (something I completely disagree with). Notes and good excuses are encouraged and help with sympathy marking.
iv. Students who are away on the day of a test- students need a note signed by a parent. Tests are re-scheduled when it is convenient for both teacher and student.
v. Students who want re-test- retests are given ALL THE TIME here at Collingwood (again I completely disagree with this aspect). All the student has to do is ask for one.
vi. Collecting assignments- students who have completed the homework/assignments on time hand them in at the beginning of class.
vii. Students who wish to use the washroom during class time-all teachers allow washroom time - students must ask to go and teachers CAN say no.
viii. Consumption of food/drink in the classroom- this is completely up to the teacher. Some teachers allow food/drink, some do not. Water is allowed in all classes.
ix. Structuring individual activities- I've noticed that there is a lot more individual work than group work and I think it's because when in groups the students do not focus and talk about other things.
x. Structuring group activities- The largest group work I've seem is done in pairs and the students must work together with who they are sitting beside. There is very little movement during class time.
xi. Detentions- I have not heard of any after school detentions. Lunch detentions, however, do happen.
In almost every one of the classes I observe the teacher begins with a "Welcome/good morning/good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," and with that, ALL the students stand and say "Good morning/afternoon Mr./Ms. (insert name here)." As they stand, the teacher's do a uniform check, pass the cell phone basket around, and invite the students to sit.
Until next time,
LC
Showing posts with label classroom managment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom managment. Show all posts
Friday, October 15, 2010
Day 3 - Classroom Management
Today is Friday! I can't believe that the week is already over! This morning I met with the principal of Collingwood an she is FABULOUS! I told her that I was having a little trouble filling out my time-table for today and she sat with me, talked about who I should see, and filled not only today's blocks, but next weeks as well! I now have a variety of subjects and teachers to go and observe...it's like this big weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
It couldn't blog last night because I went to both a Junior and Senior Girl's Volleyball game last night - I sat on the sidelines and helped as much as I could. The senior girls (grades 11/12) didn't need my help as much as the juniors did, but that didn't matter - it was quite the experience. I made friends with the coaches and was invited to come to their practices during next week. Extra-curricular activities and school sports are VERY important in this school and staff who coach/are a part of these activities are treated like Gods. Anyways, here's what I observed yesterday:
I focused on class management yesterday. I only observed three classes yesterday - French 12, SS 10, and Eng 11; it was still a full day because in last block I observed the teacher-librarians give a presentation/lesson on cyber-bullying to grade 8's and 9's.
I was warned prior to going to SS 10 that the class was rowdy and needed a lot of attention. I prepared myself for the worst (ex. kids hanging from the ceiling); but what I got was simply a lot of talking, moving around and typical interruptions. The teacher was forced to constantly stop class to address two kids in particular. She never lost her temper, nor did she ever raise her voice above normal. Because this teacher had been having problems since day 1, she imposed a new seating plan, started the class with a pop-quiz to get them settled and then moved into her lesson. She was constantly interrupted because certain students would talk across the room, turn their chairs to face the back of class, and wonder around the room. And so, I pose this question to you all, "how would YOU address a student who was constantly standing and moving around, talking out in class, and physically lying across the desks as he completed the independent practice worksheet?"
English 11 - now that was a class for class management. There are 9 kids in the class, four boys, five girls; 1 IEP and 1, how shall I say this, 1 difficult child. The teacher was INCREDIBLE! I really liked his teaching style and the way he conducted his class and will be returning to it later today and next week. Anyway, for the most part the student were well-behaved and the teacher kept control. However, when it came to cell phones he used a three-strikes, I take it policy. The difficult child had his phone taken away within the first 10 minutes of class and then spent the remaining 55 minutes trying to negotiate, compromise and con his way into getting his phone back. I like to think of myself as a pretty patient person, but I'm almost positive I would have lost it, thrown him out, done something; so I asked the teacher how he managed to keep his cool and he simply said, "He's only hurting himself, and by giving into that temptation and throwing him out, he's getting the attention he wants. So really, all you need to do is isolate him enough that he finally starts working and doesn't pull others down with him." I felt so inspired. I couldn't believe it.
Until Next Time,
LC
It couldn't blog last night because I went to both a Junior and Senior Girl's Volleyball game last night - I sat on the sidelines and helped as much as I could. The senior girls (grades 11/12) didn't need my help as much as the juniors did, but that didn't matter - it was quite the experience. I made friends with the coaches and was invited to come to their practices during next week. Extra-curricular activities and school sports are VERY important in this school and staff who coach/are a part of these activities are treated like Gods. Anyways, here's what I observed yesterday:
I focused on class management yesterday. I only observed three classes yesterday - French 12, SS 10, and Eng 11; it was still a full day because in last block I observed the teacher-librarians give a presentation/lesson on cyber-bullying to grade 8's and 9's.
I was warned prior to going to SS 10 that the class was rowdy and needed a lot of attention. I prepared myself for the worst (ex. kids hanging from the ceiling); but what I got was simply a lot of talking, moving around and typical interruptions. The teacher was forced to constantly stop class to address two kids in particular. She never lost her temper, nor did she ever raise her voice above normal. Because this teacher had been having problems since day 1, she imposed a new seating plan, started the class with a pop-quiz to get them settled and then moved into her lesson. She was constantly interrupted because certain students would talk across the room, turn their chairs to face the back of class, and wonder around the room. And so, I pose this question to you all, "how would YOU address a student who was constantly standing and moving around, talking out in class, and physically lying across the desks as he completed the independent practice worksheet?"
English 11 - now that was a class for class management. There are 9 kids in the class, four boys, five girls; 1 IEP and 1, how shall I say this, 1 difficult child. The teacher was INCREDIBLE! I really liked his teaching style and the way he conducted his class and will be returning to it later today and next week. Anyway, for the most part the student were well-behaved and the teacher kept control. However, when it came to cell phones he used a three-strikes, I take it policy. The difficult child had his phone taken away within the first 10 minutes of class and then spent the remaining 55 minutes trying to negotiate, compromise and con his way into getting his phone back. I like to think of myself as a pretty patient person, but I'm almost positive I would have lost it, thrown him out, done something; so I asked the teacher how he managed to keep his cool and he simply said, "He's only hurting himself, and by giving into that temptation and throwing him out, he's getting the attention he wants. So really, all you need to do is isolate him enough that he finally starts working and doesn't pull others down with him." I felt so inspired. I couldn't believe it.
Until Next Time,
LC
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