Rules vs Agreements

This week we considered Norms and Procedures as a concept and for our own classroom.  Many of the norms, agreements, routines and procedures that I plan to implement are explained here, in our group presentation.  In my class, we will have routines/procedures like a clean-up song, bathroom buddies and a magic word/word-of-the-day. The more detail oriented processes will be dictated by the class set up, school-wide expectations and the students themselves.  Without getting into all the little details, I'd like to touch on a few of the essential elements that I plan on incorporating in my own classroom:

Class Agreements
At Playworks, in one of our workshops, the facilitator brought up the questions of rules vs. agreements. We discussed the nature of a rule, that it is generally imposed upon people with little discussion. In contrast, an agreement is one that involves input, accountability and can be empowering for all involved.  It is with this idea in mind that I plan to facilitate class agreements on behavior/consequences, communication and participation.  This does not mean that everything the students suggest will be included, nor does it mean that all agreements will be flexible. What it does mean is that we will discuss the value of the agreements, including the student perspective and make sure that all students are informed and in agreement.

Circle Time/Community Circle
Community circle time is valuable for so many reasons. Students practice greeting each other, communicating their feelings through check-ins and otherwise making connections with each other.  It is also establishes a forum to review concepts, agreements and address issues if needed.

I-Messages/Peace Path
Students come to the classroom with such a spectrum of experience communicating their thoughts and feelings, it is essential to establish an expectation for addressing conflicts.  Introducing the concept of an I-message or other structured process for sharing feelings gives students a platform to express themselves.  I-messages teach students that you can be assertive in communicating your feelings without having to be confrontational.  See more about I-messages here.

In the course of our work this week, I have taken away one broader connection that I had not necessarily made before.  At Playworks we are very careful to teach all the skills, steps and processes involved in the larger games that we play, so that all student feel included and able to participate.  When introducing classroom routines and expectations, I realize that we need to take the same level of care in teaching the students.  That means making sure that all expectations are clearly stated, demonstrated, modeled and reiterated.  Students will need to practice to fully understand what is expected of them. As a teacher I will need to reflect on the norms and procedures to make sure they are relevant to my students and they are are inclusive for everyone. Here is an interesting piece that incorporates some of the ideas.

References
Classroom Tips (2014). PVS.org. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/classroom-tips/

Vega, V., Terada, Y. (n.d.) Research: How SEL Classroom Management Techniques Build Academic Achievement. Retrieved on April 12, 2014 from: http://www.edutopia.org/stw-sel-classroom-management-research

High Expectations in my Classroom

This week's readings and videos highlighted the many ways that teachers can set high expectations for students, create an environment of engaged learners and address behavior challenges. Expectations for students can be managed and communicated in many ways and on many levels.

Establishing routines, behavior norms and connecting with students' interests are all strategies to maintain a high quality learning environment.  Even so, it is possible that a teacher can employ all these strategies and still be unsuccessful at communicating students full potential.  

Student goal setting is another level of strategy to creating an engaged, high-level learning environment. Engaging students in setting their own goals implies a level of accountability that may or may not exist if the goals are simply imposed upon the student.  As we learned in Module 3 that setting clear objectives for a lesson plan leads us to clearer teaching strategies, having students involved in setting their own goals can lead to greater learning connections.  Students that have a goal in mind can approach lessons knowing that the learning will move them closer to their goal. The motivation behind the learning goes beyond the request or expectation of the teacher and moves towards the interest and self-motivation of the student. 

Displaying or sharing student work is another means by which educators communicate the value of student work. In The First Year Teachers Survival Guide (2007), Julia Thompson writes, " If your students know that their work will be placed on display, published, read aloud or shared over the school public address system they will take it more seriously than if you are the only person who will see it".  While part of that seriousness may be a fear of embarrassment, there is also a greater sense of pride when a student knows that s/he will represent their class, peers or community.  Seeing representations of themselves is a validation of the students and the importance of their work.

Lastly, as noted in Marzano's Art and Science of Teaching (2007), it is necessary for teachers to reflect on their own perceptions of student ability. Teachers should consciously devote equal eye contact, rapport building strategies and active listening for all students, in order to eliminate subliminal or overt cues regarding expectations.

Thinking about incorporating these ideas into my own classroom, I know that I will need to be diligent, patient and consistent with both my students and myself.  I expect the first week or two of school to be primarily focused on 1) community and rapport building and 2) creating routines in the classroom and expectations in regards to behavior, communication and transitions during the day.  Once those routines and expectations have been established they will need to revisited regularly and consistently. That being said, once the work has been done, it is much easier to build on those routines and expectations and start diving into the deeper work of encouraging self-motivated learning!

Having student involved in their own goal setting, allowing them to assess their own progress and sharing their work with their larger community are all strategies I plan to employ regularly.  I also am happy to see the wealth of resources and ideas that exist, which makes this daunting task seem a bit more manageable! 

In regards to the group assignment this week, I have mixed feelings.  I have a tight schedule which requires that I am diligent in planning ahead to complete my work. While one of my group members plans and works in a similar way, the other group member had a different timeline and a different communication style. This is not the first time I have had this experience on a group assignment (not with the same people) and it is definitely a challenge. The issue is more about communication than anything else.  When people don't communicate their availability and don't respond to emails or other forms of contact, it makes it very difficult to manage my own time around the assignment. I have the impulse to complete the assignment on my own (or with the more involved group members) but I also value the input of others. I have a particular perspective and I do enjoy how my ideas or perceptions of the assignments change when working in a group. It is challenging when people have different schedule limitations and different communication styles.   


Citations

Marzano, Robert J. (2007) The art and science of teaching : a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Thompson, Julia G (2007), The First Year Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready to Use Strategies, Tools and Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day. San Francisco, Ca. Jossey-Bass.