I was very excited to attend my CT's classroom again after a very successful experience during the previous meeting. I could not wait to interact with the students as they would work on their poetry packets.
Today, I noticed my CT's classroom management skills. Because it was Valentine's Day, and Friday, the students were extra excited and chatty. Because they are in middle school and some of them are dating already, Valentine's Day is a big deal. I noticed a little bit of side chatter during the free writing time, which my CT handled in an interesting way. Instead of addressing the negative behavior and causing a scene, he ignored it. At first, I thought that he did not notice it, but when he looked in their direction, I was sure that he was aware of what was happening. Then, when he stood up and walked over, and the students saw him walk in their direction and heard the sound of his feet tapping a little louder than normal, it caught their attention. Instead of ignoring him, the students calmed their talking and resumed their writing. I did not think that it would work because I have been taught to either give them a "teacher stare" or touch the back of their chair to let them know that I realize that they are not following directions.
Another student did not take this hint that my CT uses, so he had to bring him out to the hall. Instead of making a scene, my CT glided over to the student, asked him to meet him in the hall, and stood out there with the door cracked. I did not hear my CT's voice rise above a whisper, but I noticed that he simply said "Your behavior is unacceptable. Please stop disrupting my class." Then my CT turned around and walked into his classroom as if he had not had a quick discussion with a student. It worked too! The student went back to his free writing notebook and worked until the time was up.
I had a small issue with two of the students because they want to know everything about my personal life, in depth. Because it was Valentine's Day, one of the students asked me if I had a boyfriend and what we were doing. I simply responded, "That is a personal question and I am not going to answer it." Surprisingly, my answer worked because the student reluctantly turned his face to his computer and resumed working.
The free write prompt seems to always have a reason, or offers a bit of history, as it did today. For example, my CT wrote a little info paragraph about St. Valentine, who Valentine's Day is named after. He offered a little history about the holiday and asked the students why they thought such a bloody and violent occurrence would lead to a Hallmark holiday of love? I thought that this was an interesting way to tie in a current event to a writing assignment.
Today, I noticed my CT's classroom management skills. Because it was Valentine's Day, and Friday, the students were extra excited and chatty. Because they are in middle school and some of them are dating already, Valentine's Day is a big deal. I noticed a little bit of side chatter during the free writing time, which my CT handled in an interesting way. Instead of addressing the negative behavior and causing a scene, he ignored it. At first, I thought that he did not notice it, but when he looked in their direction, I was sure that he was aware of what was happening. Then, when he stood up and walked over, and the students saw him walk in their direction and heard the sound of his feet tapping a little louder than normal, it caught their attention. Instead of ignoring him, the students calmed their talking and resumed their writing. I did not think that it would work because I have been taught to either give them a "teacher stare" or touch the back of their chair to let them know that I realize that they are not following directions.
Another student did not take this hint that my CT uses, so he had to bring him out to the hall. Instead of making a scene, my CT glided over to the student, asked him to meet him in the hall, and stood out there with the door cracked. I did not hear my CT's voice rise above a whisper, but I noticed that he simply said "Your behavior is unacceptable. Please stop disrupting my class." Then my CT turned around and walked into his classroom as if he had not had a quick discussion with a student. It worked too! The student went back to his free writing notebook and worked until the time was up.
I had a small issue with two of the students because they want to know everything about my personal life, in depth. Because it was Valentine's Day, one of the students asked me if I had a boyfriend and what we were doing. I simply responded, "That is a personal question and I am not going to answer it." Surprisingly, my answer worked because the student reluctantly turned his face to his computer and resumed working.
The free write prompt seems to always have a reason, or offers a bit of history, as it did today. For example, my CT wrote a little info paragraph about St. Valentine, who Valentine's Day is named after. He offered a little history about the holiday and asked the students why they thought such a bloody and violent occurrence would lead to a Hallmark holiday of love? I thought that this was an interesting way to tie in a current event to a writing assignment.
