Share your ideas and experiences regarding classroom management, differentiation and accommodations, student motivation, engaging strategies, and lesson planning. I look forward to reading what you have to say!
Classroom management is tough especially when your student teaching, students can sniff out a student teacher who is timid, nervous, or unprepared. It's very important to implement classroom managment day one! You need to walk in that classroom and act like you've been teaching for twenty years, even though you haven't. The reason for this is because students can tell if a student teacher is confident and knowns what he or she is doing. If you don't feel comfortable you need to "fake it until you feel it", this means if your not comfortable act like you are until you actually become comfortable. Also, you need to be strict with your students whenever your mentor teacher hands the class over to you. The reasoning behind this is the stricter you are in the beginning the more lenient you can be with your students later in the semester.
Yes! Studies show that more teachers have a "handle" on their classroom if they start out this way than if they start out trying to be the fun, cool teacher.
Motivation - This has definately been an issue among students during my student teaching experience. The majority of seniors seems unconcerned about their grades in the class, and are content with doing the minimal just to pass.
Senioritis seems to be running rampant since about day one. Now that I have taken over all classes I have implemented a new system that will hopefully help students to be more motivated about actually learning the material and doing well in the class. During the first 6 weeks, under the instruction of my cooperating teacher, the classes had maybe 2 quizzes and then their 6 weeks test, which was open book and they were allowed to use the dictionary on the vocabulary part. I have explained to them that their second 6 weeks test will be somewhat harder than the first. The test will not be open book, it will be cumulative, and they will not use the dictionaries. However, it will only cover material we have throughly gone over in class and the 35 questions from the first day's test will be pulled almost word for word from the vocabulary and quizzes done in the weeks before. (The class did not seems thrilled about the new changes in testing.)
The catch, and motivation to perform well, is that for every quiz or vocabulary page that they make a one hundred on during the 6 weeks, they can eliminate 2 questions, of their choosing, from the first day of the 6 weeks test. (the test is split up into two days, the first for multiple choice/short answer/true false/fill in the blank and the second for short answer/essay)In their attempt to have to do less, they are actually having to do more. The class seems to be more focused and working much harder on their assignments. This method gives the class motivation to attempt to learn and do well in the class. Making one hundreds on quizzes is definately a reflection of their understanding of the material.
The biggest problem that I have with my classes is my students sleeping during the lecture. I usually contunially call on the student(s) that is sleeping and annoy them until they stay awake for the rest of the class. I had a big problem with one class and decided that I would make the students stand up at the back of the room and take notes if they were caught sleeping.
Motivation is definetly an issue with students in my class as well. The majority of the seniors in my class do not need it for graduation purposes, but need it in order to remain on the "Recommended Degree Plan." The big problem with those students who are willing to drop to the "Minimum Degree Plan" is that they have not passed the TAKS test and Central is not offering a TAKS class this year. Those students need to be in a math class until they pass, but are not putting in any effort on their class work. My cooperating teacher and myself have tried to encourage these students to stick it out and continue to try to do well in the class.
Classroom management is one of the biggest things that I have to really work on during my student teaching semester. All of my students are really good but I have a big problem with trying to control them. My cooperating teacher has even given me a book that will help me with this area, as well as advice, but nothing has helped me. Out of all five classes that I teach, there is only one that I feel I can control. Before beginning student teaching, I was too worried about the content part, that I never really thought about classroom management. My teacher told me from the beginning, "the content part is not as important as actually knowing how to run a classroom". If only ASU had offered a course on classroom management, I think that I would have beed more prepared for this.
Motivating students can be a very hard task at times. I have found through observations and experience that students respond with interest and motivation to teachers who appear to be human and caring. As student teachers we can help produce these feelings by sharing parts of ourselves with our students, especially little stories of problems and mistakes that we have made, either as children or even recently. Such stories can help students see teachers as approachable human beings and not as authority figures. Students are also quite insecure, and they secretly welcome the admission by teachers that insecurity and error are common to everyone. I believe that students are motivated by teachers who appear to be a "real person".
The hardest thing about classroom management that I've found so far is the fact that the students don't see me as their teacher. It hasn't seemed to matter what the cooperating teacher or I have said, some students still don't want to show the respect they should. It finally took me just "bringing the hammer down" to get them to realize that I'm the guy they have to answer to. Since then, I haven't had any problems.
It is really hard, particularly as a student teacher, to control much of the classroom. That is not to say it can't be done.
If the mentor teacher does not have a policy on sleeping, as in Emilee's case, it is difficult for you to enforce a rule of your own.
Motivation is probably the number one issue with high school students, because even when content relates to them, they don't view it as having anything to do with them in the "real world." In addition, classroom management has much to do with the students' perception of you as a student teacher and how much weight/authority the mentor teacher has given you in the classroom. Unfortunately classroom management is such a huge topic that it is not covered in detail until Graduate School. It also comes with time, trial and error, and being more confident as a teacher.
I have a class with some students that are classified special ed for different reasons. During that period, I co-teach with some of those students tracking teacher. And 3 of those 4 students do not put forth ANY effort to pass the class. They do not need to class to graduate, but if they drop the class, they will graduate on the minimum plan. Although those students do not put forth any effort, it is irritating that they get to correct their tests to a 70 while other students who fail their tests can only correct them for 2 points!!! This is irritating for myself, my cooperating teacher, and our co-teacher because those students seem completely unable to motivate and can drag the entire class down with them.
One of the teachers at lunch today was talking about how her 8th graders never remember an assignment or to do their homework from one day to the next. Starting next week on Monday, she's going to implement an assignment sheet which the students must have their parents sign every day. The reward, though, for getting the assignment sheet signed all 5 days is a 100 for a participation grade. Since participation is only 20% of the final grade, it's not like she's just giving good grades away. I really liked this idea for kids this age because they don't realize that 20% isn't all that much but it makes them focus to remember the homework.
I understand what Jacob Cox said in his post about students not seeing you as a teacher. In fact one day when we were doing notes in class I overheard a student say that I was not a teacher but just a teacher aid. This is one of the hardest things about being a student teacher. Though some students are really respectful to me others are not, and they just refuse to see me as their teacher. Like Jacob my cooperating teacher has told them repeatedly that I am their teacher and that they owe me respect. I haven't had any major problems with this but I am clueless as to how to make my students see me as their teacher and not just a "teacher's aid." This is one of the hardest things about classroom management.
I really like the send-it-home-to-parents idea regarding homework, especially for middle school. A lot of what you will see with students' "convenient forgetfulness" regarding homework will be a result of how strict the teacher is with it (or not) and what the school policy is regarding homework, although some of this is strictly because they are kids and often have not been taught organizational skills.
Also, as in Emilee's situation, working with special education students can be very frustrating because while I have a lot of sympathy for students who are in special education that work very hard, it is true that some of them have learned that they can work the system and not get punished for it. This can be very discouraging for teachers.
Classroom management and motivation can be especially tough for student teachers or first year teachers. This can be difficult because we don't have a lot of experience with classroom management or motivating students to be successful. One area that I feel I have been successful is lesson planning. I believe this is so because at ASU the education department really focuses on constructing effective lesson plans. In my opinion you never want to just lecture or take notes for an entire period. When teachers do this students tend to fall asleep or become disinterested. I always like to start the class period with a warm-up. This gives students an opportunity to reflect on yesterday’s lesson. It also gives me an opportunity to take role while students are working on their warm-up. After the warm-up I like to transition into notes and then have an in class activity that gives students a chance to apply what they have learned.
Accomadations! Throughout all of my classes I only have 2 students who really require any major accomadations. During about my 3rd week we were working on a project one day where students had to translate the words from lines in "The Pardoner's Tale" to a modern day rap. I assigned each student in the class 10 lines to translate, except for my one special ed student. To accomadate to her slower pace of working she was only assigned four lines to translate and I went to help her first, spending a couple mintues giving ideas and then moving on to the next student who needed help. After making the round with the class (which did not take long, there are only 9 in this class) I came back around to her and noticed that tears were just streaming down her face. I immediately went and asked what was wrong and she said "Ms. Cisneroz I can't do it, I don't know how to do this." I felt so horrible, she was soooooooo overwhelmed with the assignement and embarrased and upset that she did not know how to complete it that she sat and cried until I sat next to her and went word for word through the translation.
Making accomadations for this student has been such a challenge. I want her to have the opportunity to feel successful but at the same time I feel like she should be required to do, at least in part, the same work as the rest of the class. Her classmates had more lines and less help and still managed to easily complete the assignement. I just feel like it is difficult to judge what accomadations are going to allow her to successfully learn what the other students are studying while at the same time cater to her needs.
Motivating these students to be excited about a particular subject they're not typically interested in is something I have learned through my experience as a student teacher. For instance, when I was teaching my 3rd period Journalism class on sports writing, I don't have but maybe two guys in the entire class that are interested in any type of sport. This took quite a bit of time away from class for me to think about how I was going to get them sparked and motivated to write some really great sports stories. After some thought, I decided to show them an actual live sports broadcast to see how exciting it actually could be. Once I showed them this, I kept them constantly engaged with a question and answer session on how to effectively write a sports article. Once their interests had been peaked, they were primed and ready to write. I've got to say, I was very impressed with their efforts in writing to sports. For a whole classroom of people who didn't know much or care to know much about sports writing, you wouldn't be able to tell if you were reading one of their articles from an outsider's perspective. They really bought in to what I was trying to teach them and I felt like the method used in reaching them was very effective. They are a great class and I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the class as their student teacher. Currently, we are in the process of putting together a whole six page newspaper. There are three people assigned to write each page, and so far, it's going really well.
Today went very well. The past two weeks in our Journalism class, the students have been responsible for putting together an entire 6 paged newspaper spread including a Front, Editorial, Feature, Entertainment, Sports, and Jump Page. I assigned three people to each group to work on this assignment and I have been impressed with the effort and excitment displayed by each one of the students. They were really working hard today and were very responsive and attentive to what I had to say about their work. This assignment has many qualities a teacher looks for in administering materials to students. It is both a fun and insightful way of learning for all the students in the class. I enjoy watching them work together as a team and am looking forward to their finished product. So far, they've come along very well. They've named an editor in chief, named the paper (Crazy Cat News), and made positive headway on almost being completely done with this assignment. In the end, I will have each group explain the significance of each one of their pages to the class. Again, this was a very good assignment for us to do with our Journalism class.
Today I had to take a student to the office. I've had trouble with him all semester being disrespectful, but when he cussed at me today I decided it was time to take it to the next level. I don't plan on being a teacher that ships kids off to the office to let the principal deal with them; I'd much rather handle any problems in the classroom. While in the office, though, the student didn't argue with me or even try to say that he didn't misbehave. While this caught me off guard, it made me realize that he knew that because I finally sent him that he must have been in the wrong. The principal supported me 100% and even made it a learning experience for me. I'm actually glad that I had to take the student, because now I know how a well-handled conference with the principal should go.
Student teaching has been both frustrating and rewarding. At first I felt stressed and overwhelmed by all the work involved but as I gained more experience I have began to enjoy my time spent on campus. I never realized how many hours teachers spend outside of school planning and especially grading papers. If you fall behind on grading it is very difficult to catch up. Also, I have learned how to deal with students' behaviors in various ways. I have had trouble makers who have made a huge positive change in their attitude as this semester has progressed. Part of this is due to teacher/student communication and letting students know you are there to help them. I am currently dealing with one student who is making a very good effort to be a good student in my class and he tells me he feels his other teachers treat him "like a dog" (those were his words). He does a good job in my class but is constantly in ISS for talking back to his other teachers and I have told him to relax and control his anger. Any suggestions from you guys? what would you do with this student?
I commend all of you for the awareness this semester has brought to you regarding the benefits and difficulties associated with teaching. Student teaching is a reality check like no other.
In response to Michael's post-- while it may seem that planning each portion of a lesson is not necessary, it is most definitely a tool that encourages growth as a teacher. No teacher can prepare effective lessons without acknowledging what a good lesson needs to include.
Layne-- please tell me about something that concerns you. I appreciate that things are going so well for you, but I am also interested in what you are finding particularly challenging...
One idea I had this semester is for the class to use an axis and allies board for teaching World War II in history. You can use it for troop movements as a really cool visual aid. It will also inspire them to play the game outside of the classroom and further learn the history of that time period.
I have had the opportunity to substitute for another Spanish teacher this semester and gained a lot of experince. It gave me the chance to work with a new set of students (150) and also deal with a new set of issues. I have learned that the hardest students to teach are the apathetic students. This type of students are harder to teach than those who have special modifications and needs. I have one student in particular who refuses to work and talks back. A strategy I've used with him is simply to talk one on one about why he refuses to work and to try to understand him. It seems he lacks confidence and has low self esteem so his way of dealing with it is by talking back and refusing to work. I told him I am there to help each student and would never make him feel embarrased for asking a question in class. After our talks he seems to be trying a bit more in my class to do his work but has a long way to go. I am curious to read how you guys are handling apathetic students.
At the begining of student teaching I thought this was going to be easy. Little did I know that this experience was going to be diffcult but has been wonderful learning and teaching experience. It has had its ups and downs but it has gotten better over time. My classroom management has been diffcult but I have seen the progression from the first day of class. I started as shy and my voice was hard to hear. Now everyone can hear my voice and I am not afraid to get on to students.
Engaging students can be a difficult task for student teachers. In this day in age we have to compete with the internet, ipod's, cell phones, and any other outside distractions. I'm currently student teaching in the speech department at Central High School this semester. Here at Central students have access to many multimedia outlets, that some teachers deem distractions. In my speech class I try to incorporate technology into my lesson plans and assignments/speeches. By incorporating technology I feel that I'm engaging my students in the learning process and motivating them to be creative. Whenever I assign a speech I allow my students to use a visual aid. The visual aid could be a: power point, handout, or brochure. Students seem to enjoy working on their visual aids because it's a reflection of their creativity and use of technology. Since students now are so intune with technology they really enjoy being able to incorporate that aspect into their speeches.
Today four of us went and talked to an education class about the student teaching experience. First of all, I wish I had gotten to hear from students that were going through it at the time how student teaching really was. I hope that we did a good job of presenting the whole experience. That being said, I've had a great semester. Everything I thought was going to be terrible about student teaching (i.e. lesson plans) has been, but the overall experience has been great. It's surprising to see everything I've learned unfold into the classroom in one semester. It's kind of bitter sweet, to me, to have to call this semester all but done.
For the most part, the kids are great. An few issues I have had with my students are cell phone usage and talking. I notice sometimes they will text under a desk when my cooperating teacher says they must not text or talk on their phones while a lesson is going on. The school's policy is to take their phones up and send them to the front office where students have to pay 15 dollars to have them returned to them. It really works and cuts back on the amount of time we have caught them on their phones. Another problem I have noticed in the classroom is students talking while another student is giving a presentation or while I'm giving instructions on an assignment. I promptly call that student out and let them know that they should respect the person speaking, whether it be one of their peers or myself. This rarely happens much anymore because the students understand the rules and respect me and other students when we have the floor. They know what is expected of them. My cooperating teacher has allowed students to use their IPods when working on assignments, however, which allows them a little bit of leniency in the classroom. Today's classrooms are different than those of the past. Each day is a new challenge with cell phones, computers, and iPods aligned with keeping these students on task. It can be a difficult task at times, but with the proper management...the students understand and respect what is expected of them.
I didn't finish student teaching..I learned life lessons that are important to the classroom from it . Not every is called to become a master in your subject. What I mean by this is not every student is meant to teach your secondary subject we must show them how they can use it with their passion for life. Say a student wants to become a fiction writer. I would show them how history applies to becoming a better fictional writer and the deeper application that all that entails. Teachers are not there to make the students become us but to inspire them to become better in who they are truely.
At the beginning of the year, I had a class of 30 students, and I would get so frustrated with that class because it was so big and harder to manage than my other classes. As the weeks went on, that class has become one of my favorite classes, and I will truly miss teaching these students.
I also had the opportunity to have a substitute come into my class while my cooperating teacher was at a conference one day and got the chance to show my students that I was their teacher and not just a student teacher. I didn't have issues with discipline and they respected me even when the substitute was there.
I have taught and supervised student teachers at several institutions now and often the discussion of experiences seem more like horror stories. The difference between those stories and what I hear from you guys is largely a result of your positive attitude and how you choose to see the experience of student teaching. Understanding the realities of what this job entails, the realities of students and their perceptions, and the realities of your own strengths and weaknesses will make you a much stronger, much less stressed, and much more effective educator.
I would have to say that I agree with you Dr. Williamson. It seems like if we, as student teachers, understand the realitites of what our job entails, the realities of students and their perceptions and realities of our own strengths and weaknesses, we will be much more effective in the classroom. Since I've been student teaching in the classroom, I've noticed that teaching is only a small part of what is expected of me as an educator. Just from experience, I understand that roughly 70 percent of my time is used towards teaching and administering, while 30 percent is devoted to disciplining students and taking care of certain issues pertaining to their lack of production/missing school/participation/etc. My perogative is simple and the students know it...I require respect as their student teacher and do not tolerate disciplinary problems. They will be dealt with promptly and will know what is expected of them. I rarely have problems with any of them, but if I do...I take them in the office and talk one-on-one with them to find out what's going on in their life or if there is a reason they are acting the way they are. I believe that by listening to a student and really caring, I can be doing a great service in helping that child by being there for them. Each new experience (good or bad) in the classroom as a student teacher helps me to grow in character to potentially one day become the well-rounded teacher I can see myself becomming. Student teaching has been a useful tool in simulating real life experiences in the classroom and how I plan on coordinating/officiating those things later on in my own classroom.
Sometimes things do not get accomplished in a classroom- a lesson plan or a project. Sometimes not completing something is a good thing in hindsight. Plans get foiled and sometimes open up other doors. We may get a rare opportunity to share something of a life lesson that could be important for everyone-this could draw the classroom culture together. We shouldn't rely that something will always open up but be prepared to do what we need to do so that everyone benefits.
I agree with you Dr. W about how if we go into our classrooms with a positive attitude, then we should expect positive things in return. I have several friends who have yet to student teach, and they are going crazy expecting to have horrible issues with their students and faculty members. I must say that I know where they are coming from because I thought that I was going to encounter many difficulties throughout my student teaching career, but by keeping a positive attitude and letting my students know that I expect them to try to succeed, I have had great success with my students and they have come to respect me as a teacher.
I also agree with Jacob and think that it most definetly would have been helpful to have some kind of discussion like we gave your Dr. W's class about the expectations and situations to expect during student teaching. I think that overall this has done a great deal in preparing myself for the things that I will continue to encounter throughout my teaching career.
So far I have felt really good about how things are going this semester but this past Monday I felt like I almost lost control of one class. I was asked by an assistant principal to substitute for another Spanish teacher for a day and everything was going great until seventh period! Wow, this class was horrible. I had a very difficul time keeping them on task and afterwards took a few minutes to really think how I could take better charge of a class like that in the future. MRivers made a very good point in the blog above (dated October 8th)about class room management. Although I was confident and felt prepared for that class, in retrospect I guess I was not very strict with the students. I agree with Mriver's point about being strict and then becoming more leniant, but I will definetly start with a strict approach in all classes.
Yes, these are both great points. In addition, it is important to note that when you are substituting for another teacher, you do not have the same rapport or relationship with those students. They do not know your demeanor, your rules, or your teaching style. This certainly makes it hard to be effective on a short term basis. So, while there are certain behaviors you can carry with you no matter who you are teaching, keep in mind that these are factors also, and you shouldn't expect to have quite the same impact.
A few weeks ago was one of the worst days of my student teaching. My lesson plan went all wrong with first period. I had planned for the day to be a review day for the upcoming test, but none of the students were participating and I became really frustrated. All I wanted was for the period to end. After it did end my cooperating teacher and I got together and she helped me come up with a whole new review game for the next classes. During third period, I tried out the new review game and I was suprised to see that students were participating. So what started out as a really bad day turned into a great day. If it had not been for my cooperating teacher I would have been clueless as to want to have done but fortunately everything turned out ok. I think that all teachers have these types of days where everything goes wrong but you just have to learn to not let it get you down.
One of the things that I really enjoyed while student teaching was working with the ELL (English Language Learner) students. I think that the reason for this was me knowing what it felt like to be in their shoes. I always tried to have a lot patience with these students because I know what it is like to learn a new language. If they did not understand something I would explain it to them in Spanish. I think that that is one of the great benefits of being bilingual because you can always make connections to these students who feel out of place with the rest of the class because they are learning a new language.
What a memorable experience student teaching has been! This semester I learned so much from my cooperating teacher and from my students. I taught them Spanish, but they taught me how to teach effectively. I can relate with abustamante's blog dated Dec. 2nd. I have noticed that as the day progresses I am able to do the tasks at hand much better each class. real talk, I know I still lack experience and must improve in certain areas of teaching (as my english teacher once told me, "there's always room for improvement"). This was an exhausting and challenging semester but I feel great, proud, and accomplished! Class of 2009, I'm out!!
I have from the beginning of school have learned to make better lessons and get the students involved. Looking back at my first days it was rough but has gotten better. It is a joy to make lesson plans and figure out creative ways to make the subject interesting. Each day has gotten better and really have enjoyed the ups and downs that have occured.
As I have seen on Abustamantes post said about working with the ELL students is a good experience. I learned from my own that I need to be bilingual to help all my students. I have a ELL student and it has been difficult. I work with her but it has been a good experience. I am currently looking at taking classes to help learn Spanish better. As a student teacher I know something that I need to work on.
The day has finally come for me to say bye to my experience as a student teacher. It has been a wonderful experience and feel confident in my own abilities. I have seen the progression of myself and my students.I have enjoyed all my students and they have helped me grow as a teacher. This will be a bittersweet moment. I have shed tears of joy and frustration but have loved every bit of it. Good luck to everyone in the future! Congrats Class of 2009!!!!
Congrats to all of you, and I will swell with pride when I hear your names called out at graduation :) Feel free to keep in touch and use me as a reference when needed.
Wow! Already done? Student teaching has gone by so fast. There have definately been struggles but the joys far outweighed any dissapointments. This has truly been an amazing experience and I feel like the growth since day one is hardly measurable! Everything is a learning process, and this was a great start to the many lessons I will learn and teach in the future.
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ReplyDeleteClassroom management is tough especially when your student teaching, students can sniff out a student teacher who is timid, nervous, or unprepared. It's very important to implement classroom managment day one! You need to walk in that classroom and act like you've been teaching for twenty years, even though you haven't. The reason for this is because students can tell if a student teacher is confident and knowns what he or she is doing. If you don't feel comfortable you need to "fake it until you feel it", this means if your not comfortable act like you are until you actually become comfortable. Also, you need to be strict with your students whenever your mentor teacher hands the class over to you. The reasoning behind this is the stricter you are in the beginning the more lenient you can be with your students later in the semester.
ReplyDeleteYes! Studies show that more teachers have a "handle" on their classroom if they start out this way than if they start out trying to be the fun, cool teacher.
ReplyDeleteMotivation - This has definately been an issue among students during my student teaching experience. The majority of seniors seems unconcerned about their grades in the class, and are content with doing the minimal just to pass.
ReplyDeleteSenioritis seems to be running rampant since about day one. Now that I have taken over all classes I have implemented a new system that will hopefully help students to be more motivated about actually learning the material and doing well in the class. During the first 6 weeks, under the instruction of my cooperating teacher, the classes had maybe 2 quizzes and then their 6 weeks test, which was open book and they were allowed to use the dictionary on the vocabulary part. I have explained to them that their second 6 weeks test will be somewhat harder than the first. The test will not be open book, it will be cumulative, and they will not use the dictionaries. However, it will only cover material we have throughly gone over in class and the 35 questions from the first day's test will be pulled almost word for word from the vocabulary and quizzes done in the weeks before. (The class did not seems thrilled about the new changes in testing.)
The catch, and motivation to perform well, is that for every quiz or vocabulary page that they make a one hundred on during the 6 weeks, they can eliminate 2 questions, of their choosing, from the first day of the 6 weeks test. (the test is split up into two days, the first for multiple choice/short answer/true false/fill in the blank and the second for short answer/essay)In their attempt to have to do less, they are actually having to do more. The class seems to be more focused and working much harder on their assignments. This method gives the class motivation to attempt to learn and do well in the class. Making one hundreds on quizzes is definately a reflection of their understanding of the material.
Excellent idea! That's certainly one way to get seniors excited and focused :)
ReplyDeleteGreat model post here!
The biggest problem that I have with my classes is my students sleeping during the lecture. I usually contunially call on the student(s) that is sleeping and annoy them until they stay awake for the rest of the class. I had a big problem with one class and decided that I would make the students stand up at the back of the room and take notes if they were caught sleeping.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is definetly an issue with students in my class as well. The majority of the seniors in my class do not need it for graduation purposes, but need it in order to remain on the "Recommended Degree Plan." The big problem with those students who are willing to drop to the "Minimum Degree Plan" is that they have not passed the TAKS test and Central is not offering a TAKS class this year. Those students need to be in a math class until they pass, but are not putting in any effort on their class work. My cooperating teacher and myself have tried to encourage these students to stick it out and continue to try to do well in the class.
Classroom management is one of the biggest things that I have to really work on during my student teaching semester. All of my students are really good but I have a big problem with trying to control them. My cooperating teacher has even given me a book that will help me with this area, as well as advice, but nothing has helped me. Out of all five classes that I teach, there is only one that I feel I can control. Before beginning student teaching, I was too worried about the content part, that I never really thought about classroom management. My teacher told me from the beginning, "the content part is not as important as actually knowing how to run a classroom". If only ASU had offered a course on classroom management, I think that I would have beed more prepared for this.
ReplyDeleteMotivating students can be a very hard task at times. I have found through observations and experience that students respond with interest and motivation to teachers who appear to be human and caring. As student teachers we can help produce these feelings by sharing parts of ourselves with our students, especially little stories of problems and mistakes that we have made, either as children or even recently. Such stories can help students see teachers as approachable human beings and not as authority figures. Students are also quite insecure, and they secretly welcome the admission by teachers that insecurity and error are common to everyone. I believe that students are motivated by teachers who appear to be a "real person".
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing about classroom management that I've found so far is the fact that the students don't see me as their teacher. It hasn't seemed to matter what the cooperating teacher or I have said, some students still don't want to show the respect they should. It finally took me just "bringing the hammer down" to get them to realize that I'm the guy they have to answer to. Since then, I haven't had any problems.
ReplyDelete-Jacob Cox
It is really hard, particularly as a student teacher, to control much of the classroom. That is not to say it can't be done.
ReplyDeleteIf the mentor teacher does not have a policy on sleeping, as in Emilee's case, it is difficult for you to enforce a rule of your own.
Motivation is probably the number one issue with high school students, because even when content relates to them, they don't view it as having anything to do with them in the "real world." In addition, classroom management has much to do with the students' perception of you as a student teacher and how much weight/authority the mentor teacher has given you in the classroom. Unfortunately classroom management is such a huge topic that it is not covered in detail until Graduate School. It also comes with time, trial and error, and being more confident as a teacher.
Great posts so far!
I have a class with some students that are classified special ed for different reasons. During that period, I co-teach with some of those students tracking teacher. And 3 of those 4 students do not put forth ANY effort to pass the class. They do not need to class to graduate, but if they drop the class, they will graduate on the minimum plan. Although those students do not put forth any effort, it is irritating that they get to correct their tests to a 70 while other students who fail their tests can only correct them for 2 points!!! This is irritating for myself, my cooperating teacher, and our co-teacher because those students seem completely unable to motivate and can drag the entire class down with them.
ReplyDeleteOne of the teachers at lunch today was talking about how her 8th graders never remember an assignment or to do their homework from one day to the next. Starting next week on Monday, she's going to implement an assignment sheet which the students must have their parents sign every day. The reward, though, for getting the assignment sheet signed all 5 days is a 100 for a participation grade. Since participation is only 20% of the final grade, it's not like she's just giving good grades away. I really liked this idea for kids this age because they don't realize that 20% isn't all that much but it makes them focus to remember the homework.
ReplyDeleteI understand what Jacob Cox said in his post about students not seeing you as a teacher. In fact one day when we were doing notes in class I overheard a student say that I was not a teacher but just a teacher aid. This is one of the hardest things about being a student teacher. Though some students are really respectful to me others are not, and they just refuse to see me as their teacher. Like Jacob my cooperating teacher has told them repeatedly that I am their teacher and that they owe me respect. I haven't had any major problems with this but I am clueless as to how to make my students see me as their teacher and not just a "teacher's aid." This is one of the hardest things about classroom management.
ReplyDeleteI really like the send-it-home-to-parents idea regarding homework, especially for middle school. A lot of what you will see with students' "convenient forgetfulness" regarding homework will be a result of how strict the teacher is with it (or not) and what the school policy is regarding homework, although some of this is strictly because they are kids and often have not been taught organizational skills.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as in Emilee's situation, working with special education students can be very frustrating because while I have a lot of sympathy for students who are in special education that work very hard, it is true that some of them have learned that they can work the system and not get punished for it. This can be very discouraging for teachers.
Classroom management and motivation can be especially tough for student teachers or first year teachers. This can be difficult because we don't have a lot of experience with classroom management or motivating students to be successful. One area that I feel I have been successful is lesson planning. I believe this is so because at ASU the education department really focuses on constructing effective lesson plans. In my opinion you never want to just lecture or take notes for an entire period. When teachers do this students tend to fall asleep or become disinterested. I always like to start the class period with a warm-up. This gives students an opportunity to reflect on yesterday’s lesson. It also gives me an opportunity to take role while students are working on their warm-up. After the warm-up I like to transition into notes and then have an in class activity that gives students a chance to apply what they have learned.
ReplyDeleteI think when look at a lesson we need not compartmentalize the process of a lesson: planning, implementation,and reflection.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we see the lesson as a process, so we do not always reflect when we should. However some lessons require more reflection than others.
-Michael Wilkinson
http://freeencouragementblog.blogspot.com/
Accomadations!
ReplyDeleteThroughout all of my classes I only have 2 students who really require any major accomadations. During about my 3rd week we were working on a project one day where students had to translate the words from lines in "The Pardoner's Tale" to a modern day rap. I assigned each student in the class 10 lines to translate, except for my one special ed student. To accomadate to her slower pace of working she was only assigned four lines to translate and I went to help her first, spending a couple mintues giving ideas and then moving on to the next student who needed help. After making the round with the class (which did not take long, there are only 9 in this class) I came back around to her and noticed that tears were just streaming down her face. I immediately went and asked what was wrong and she said "Ms. Cisneroz I can't do it, I don't know how to do this." I felt so horrible, she was soooooooo overwhelmed with the assignement and embarrased and upset that she did not know how to complete it that she sat and cried until I sat next to her and went word for word through the translation.
Making accomadations for this student has been such a challenge. I want her to have the opportunity to feel successful but at the same time I feel like she should be required to do, at least in part, the same work as the rest of the class. Her classmates had more lines and less help and still managed to easily complete the assignement. I just feel like it is difficult to judge what accomadations are going to allow her to successfully learn what the other students are studying while at the same time cater to her needs.
Motivating these students to be excited about a particular subject they're not typically interested in is something I have learned through my experience as a student teacher. For instance, when I was teaching my 3rd period Journalism class on sports writing, I don't have but maybe two guys in the entire class that are interested in any type of sport. This took quite a bit of time away from class for me to think about how I was going to get them sparked and motivated to write some really great sports stories. After some thought, I decided to show them an actual live sports broadcast to see how exciting it actually could be. Once I showed them this, I kept them constantly engaged with a question and answer session on how to effectively write a sports article. Once their interests had been peaked, they were primed and ready to write. I've got to say, I was very impressed with their efforts in writing to sports. For a whole classroom of people who didn't know much or care to know much about sports writing, you wouldn't be able to tell if you were reading one of their articles from an outsider's perspective. They really bought in to what I was trying to teach them and I felt like the method used in reaching them was very effective. They are a great class and I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the class as their student teacher. Currently, we are in the process of putting together a whole six page newspaper. There are three people assigned to write each page, and so far, it's going really well.
ReplyDelete(Layne Kieschnick)
Today went very well. The past two weeks in our Journalism class, the students have been responsible for putting together an entire 6 paged newspaper spread including a Front, Editorial, Feature, Entertainment, Sports, and Jump Page. I assigned three people to each group to work on this assignment and I have been impressed with the effort and excitment displayed by each one of the students. They were really working hard today and were very responsive and attentive to what I had to say about their work. This assignment has many qualities a teacher looks for in administering materials to students. It is both a fun and insightful way of learning for all the students in the class. I enjoy watching them work together as a team and am looking forward to their finished product. So far, they've come along very well. They've named an editor in chief, named the paper (Crazy Cat News), and made positive headway on almost being completely done with this assignment. In the end, I will have each group explain the significance of each one of their pages to the class. Again, this was a very good assignment for us to do with our Journalism class.
ReplyDeleteToday I had to take a student to the office. I've had trouble with him all semester being disrespectful, but when he cussed at me today I decided it was time to take it to the next level. I don't plan on being a teacher that ships kids off to the office to let the principal deal with them; I'd much rather handle any problems in the classroom. While in the office, though, the student didn't argue with me or even try to say that he didn't misbehave. While this caught me off guard, it made me realize that he knew that because I finally sent him that he must have been in the wrong. The principal supported me 100% and even made it a learning experience for me. I'm actually glad that I had to take the student, because now I know how a well-handled conference with the principal should go.
ReplyDeleteStudent teaching has been both frustrating and rewarding. At first I felt stressed and overwhelmed by all the work involved but as I gained more experience I have began to enjoy my time spent on campus. I never realized how many hours teachers spend outside of school planning and especially grading papers. If you fall behind on grading it is very difficult to catch up. Also, I have learned how to deal with students' behaviors in various ways. I have had trouble makers who have made a huge positive change in their attitude as this semester has progressed. Part of this is due to teacher/student communication and letting students know you are there to help them. I am currently dealing with one student who is making a very good effort to be a good student in my class and he tells me he feels his other teachers treat him "like a dog" (those were his words). He does a good job in my class but is constantly in ISS for talking back to his other teachers and I have told him to relax and control his anger. Any suggestions from you guys? what would you do with this student?
ReplyDeleteI commend all of you for the awareness this semester has brought to you regarding the benefits and difficulties associated with teaching. Student teaching is a reality check like no other.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Michael's post-- while it may seem that planning each portion of a lesson is not necessary, it is most definitely a tool that encourages growth as a teacher. No teacher can prepare effective lessons without acknowledging what a good lesson needs to include.
Layne-- please tell me about something that concerns you. I appreciate that things are going so well for you, but I am also interested in what you are finding particularly challenging...
One idea I had this semester is for the class to use an axis and allies board for teaching World War II in history. You can use it for troop movements as a really cool visual aid. It will also inspire them to play the game outside of the classroom and further learn the history of that time period.
ReplyDeleteI have had the opportunity to substitute for another Spanish teacher this semester and gained a lot of experince. It gave me the chance to work with a new set of students (150) and also deal with a new set of issues. I have learned that the hardest students to teach are the apathetic students. This type of students are harder to teach than those who have special modifications and needs. I have one student in particular who refuses to work and talks back. A strategy I've used with him is simply to talk one on one about why he refuses to work and to try to understand him. It seems he lacks confidence and has low self esteem so his way of dealing with it is by talking back and refusing to work. I told him I am there to help each student and would never make him feel embarrased for asking a question in class. After our talks he seems to be trying a bit more in my class to do his work but has a long way to go. I am curious to read how you guys are handling apathetic students.
ReplyDeleteAt the begining of student teaching I thought this was going to be easy. Little did I know that this experience was going to be diffcult but has been wonderful learning and teaching experience. It has had its ups and downs but it has gotten better over time. My classroom management has been diffcult but I have seen the progression from the first day of class. I started as shy and my voice was hard to hear. Now everyone can hear my voice and I am not afraid to get on to students.
ReplyDeleteEngaging students can be a difficult task for student teachers. In this day in age we have to compete with the internet, ipod's, cell phones, and any other outside distractions. I'm currently student teaching in the speech department at Central High School this semester. Here at Central students have access to many multimedia outlets, that some teachers deem distractions. In my speech class I try to incorporate technology into my lesson plans and assignments/speeches. By incorporating technology I feel that I'm engaging my students in the learning process and motivating them to be creative. Whenever I assign a speech I allow my students to use a visual aid. The visual aid could be a: power point, handout, or brochure. Students seem to enjoy working on their visual aids because it's a reflection of their creativity and use of technology. Since students now are so intune with technology they really enjoy being able to incorporate that aspect into their speeches.
ReplyDeleteToday four of us went and talked to an education class about the student teaching experience. First of all, I wish I had gotten to hear from students that were going through it at the time how student teaching really was. I hope that we did a good job of presenting the whole experience. That being said, I've had a great semester. Everything I thought was going to be terrible about student teaching (i.e. lesson plans) has been, but the overall experience has been great. It's surprising to see everything I've learned unfold into the classroom in one semester. It's kind of bitter sweet, to me, to have to call this semester all but done.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, the kids are great. An few issues I have had with my students are cell phone usage and talking. I notice sometimes they will text under a desk when my cooperating teacher says they must not text or talk on their phones while a lesson is going on. The school's policy is to take their phones up and send them to the front office where students have to pay 15 dollars to have them returned to them. It really works and cuts back on the amount of time we have caught them on their phones. Another problem I have noticed in the classroom is students talking while another student is giving a presentation or while I'm giving instructions on an assignment. I promptly call that student out and let them know that they should respect the person speaking, whether it be one of their peers or myself. This rarely happens much anymore because the students understand the rules and respect me and other students when we have the floor. They know what is expected of them. My cooperating teacher has allowed students to use their IPods when working on assignments, however, which allows them a little bit of leniency in the classroom. Today's classrooms are different than those of the past. Each day is a new challenge with cell phones, computers, and iPods aligned with keeping these students on task. It can be a difficult task at times, but with the proper management...the students understand and respect what is expected of them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't finish student teaching..I learned life lessons that are important to the classroom from it . Not every is called to become a master in your subject. What I mean by this is not every student is meant to teach your secondary subject we must show them how they can use it with their passion for life. Say a student wants to become a fiction writer. I would show them how history applies to becoming a better fictional writer and the deeper application that all that entails. Teachers are not there to make the students become us but to inspire them to become better in who they are truely.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the year, I had a class of 30 students, and I would get so frustrated with that class because it was so big and harder to manage than my other classes. As the weeks went on, that class has become one of my favorite classes, and I will truly miss teaching these students.
ReplyDeleteI also had the opportunity to have a substitute come into my class while my cooperating teacher was at a conference one day and got the chance to show my students that I was their teacher and not just a student teacher. I didn't have issues with discipline and they respected me even when the substitute was there.
I have taught and supervised student teachers at several institutions now and often the discussion of experiences seem more like horror stories. The difference between those stories and what I hear from you guys is largely a result of your positive attitude and how you choose to see the experience of student teaching. Understanding the realities of what this job entails, the realities of students and their perceptions, and the realities of your own strengths and weaknesses will make you a much stronger, much less stressed, and much more effective educator.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I agree with you Dr. Williamson. It seems like if we, as student teachers, understand the realitites of what our job entails, the realities of students and their perceptions and realities of our own strengths and weaknesses, we will be much more effective in the classroom. Since I've been student teaching in the classroom, I've noticed that teaching is only a small part of what is expected of me as an educator. Just from experience, I understand that roughly 70 percent of my time is used towards teaching and administering, while 30 percent is devoted to disciplining students and taking care of certain issues pertaining to their lack of production/missing school/participation/etc. My perogative is simple and the students know it...I require respect as their student teacher and do not tolerate disciplinary problems. They will be dealt with promptly and will know what is expected of them. I rarely have problems with any of them, but if I do...I take them in the office and talk one-on-one with them to find out what's going on in their life or if there is a reason they are acting the way they are. I believe that by listening to a student and really caring, I can be doing a great service in helping that child by being there for them. Each new experience (good or bad) in the classroom as a student teacher helps me to grow in character to potentially one day become the well-rounded teacher I can see myself becomming. Student teaching has been a useful tool in simulating real life experiences in the classroom and how I plan on coordinating/officiating those things later on in my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteSometimes things do not get accomplished in a classroom- a lesson plan or a project. Sometimes not completing something is a good thing in hindsight. Plans get foiled and sometimes open up other doors. We may get a rare opportunity to share something of a life lesson that could be important for everyone-this could draw the classroom culture together. We shouldn't rely that something will always open up but be prepared to do what we need to do so that everyone benefits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Dr. W about how if we go into our classrooms with a positive attitude, then we should expect positive things in return. I have several friends who have yet to student teach, and they are going crazy expecting to have horrible issues with their students and faculty members. I must say that I know where they are coming from because I thought that I was going to encounter many difficulties throughout my student teaching career, but by keeping a positive attitude and letting my students know that I expect them to try to succeed, I have had great success with my students and they have come to respect me as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Jacob and think that it most definetly would have been helpful to have some kind of discussion like we gave your Dr. W's class about the expectations and situations to expect during student teaching. I think that overall this has done a great deal in preparing myself for the things that I will continue to encounter throughout my teaching career.
So far I have felt really good about how things are going this semester but this past Monday I felt like I almost lost control of one class. I was asked by an assistant principal to substitute for another Spanish teacher for a day and everything was going great until seventh period! Wow, this class was horrible. I had a very difficul time keeping them on task and afterwards took a few minutes to really think how I could take better charge of a class like that in the future. MRivers made a very good point in the blog above (dated October 8th)about class room management. Although I was confident and felt prepared for that class, in retrospect I guess I was not very strict with the students. I agree with Mriver's point about being strict and then becoming more leniant, but I will definetly start with a strict approach in all classes.
ReplyDeleteYes, these are both great points. In addition, it is important to note that when you are substituting for another teacher, you do not have the same rapport or relationship with those students. They do not know your demeanor, your rules, or your teaching style. This certainly makes it hard to be effective on a short term basis. So, while there are certain behaviors you can carry with you no matter who you are teaching, keep in mind that these are factors also, and you shouldn't expect to have quite the same impact.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago was one of the worst days of my student teaching. My lesson plan went all wrong with first period. I had planned for the day to be a review day for the upcoming test, but none of the students were participating and I became really frustrated. All I wanted was for the period to end. After it did end my cooperating teacher and I got together and she helped me come up with a whole new review game for the next classes. During third period, I tried out the new review game and I was suprised to see that students were participating. So what started out as a really bad day turned into a great day. If it had not been for my cooperating teacher I would have been clueless as to want to have done but fortunately everything turned out ok. I think that all teachers have these types of days where everything goes wrong but you just have to learn to not let it get you down.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I really enjoyed while student teaching was working with the ELL (English Language Learner) students. I think that the reason for this was me knowing what it felt like to be in their shoes. I always tried to have a lot patience with these students because I know what it is like to learn a new language. If they did not understand something I would explain it to them in Spanish. I think that that is one of the great benefits of being bilingual because you can always make connections to these students who feel out of place with the rest of the class because they are learning a new language.
ReplyDeleteWhat a memorable experience student teaching has been! This semester I learned so much from my cooperating teacher and from my students. I taught them Spanish, but they taught me how to teach effectively. I can relate with abustamante's blog dated Dec. 2nd. I have noticed that as the day progresses I am able to do the tasks at hand much better each class. real talk, I know I still lack experience and must improve in certain areas of teaching (as my english teacher once told me, "there's always room for improvement"). This was an exhausting and challenging semester but I feel great, proud, and accomplished! Class of 2009, I'm out!!
ReplyDeleteI have from the beginning of school have learned to make better lessons and get the students involved. Looking back at my first days it was rough but has gotten better. It is a joy to make lesson plans and figure out creative ways to make the subject interesting. Each day has gotten better and really have enjoyed the ups and downs that have occured.
ReplyDeleteAs I have seen on Abustamantes post said about working with the ELL students is a good experience. I learned from my own that I need to be bilingual to help all my students. I have a ELL student and it has been difficult. I work with her but it has been a good experience. I am currently looking at taking classes to help learn Spanish better. As a student teacher I know something that I need to work on.
ReplyDeleteThe day has finally come for me to say bye to my experience as a student teacher. It has been a wonderful experience and feel confident in my own abilities. I have seen the progression of myself and my students.I have enjoyed all my students and they have helped me grow as a teacher. This will be a bittersweet moment. I have shed tears of joy and frustration but have loved every bit of it. Good luck to everyone in the future! Congrats Class of 2009!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all of you, and I will swell with pride when I hear your names called out at graduation :) Feel free to keep in touch and use me as a reference when needed.
ReplyDeleteWow! Already done? Student teaching has gone by so fast. There have definately been struggles but the joys far outweighed any dissapointments. This has truly been an amazing experience and I feel like the growth since day one is hardly measurable! Everything is a learning process, and this was a great start to the many lessons I will learn and teach in the future.
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