This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Laboratory Management
My challenge with laboratory management is getting the students to stay on task once they complete the assignment. Instead of continuing to practice the task or study, they tend to create distractions for their group. I find it difficult to manage all groups while checking off individuals. While I'm working with one or two students, they are sometimes socializing and goofing off on the other side of the room. Help! How do you get all groups to stay on task while you're not with or near them?
Is it always the same student or students that are goofing off. If so you may need to consider an improvement plan or progressive discipline.
ReplyDeleteAnother possibility that would be better is that of a classroom organization where some of the students that were in a role could help to intervene. Maybe you could find or develop a fun project for those that finish early that would seem like a reward. You could possibly realign your groups.
It is certainly challenging to keep all of the students engaged and involved all of the time. Hopefully some of these suggestions will give you some ideas that will help to reduce the amount of off task.
Thanks,
Ron
It is difficult to keep all student moving at the same time and produce the same level of high quality work. I like the idea of a reward for finishing early and of course with a high quality product, but student still should learn some type of self control with the classroom behavior. If student are finish and causing problems in class then there should be a consequence for that behavior and a lost of some type of reward.
ReplyDeleteGeorgette,
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! I insist on the students observing each other during the check offs or return demonstrations like we did in NTI this summer. They tend to learn more from each other and they are very quick to correct one another as well. I will sometime save the Unit Assignments Sheets
(2-3) for each unit to be completed before the end of each class period on lab check off days especially. I will randomly grade each Unit assignment sheet (basically grading on completeness because the sheets are reviewed for test preparation). I explained to the students that the assignments are graded randomly and they will not know which assignments will be posted in the grade book. I have also had the students to create a crossword puzzle (square for square)using the current unit key terms or the next unit of study. And no, they cannot use the computer to create the puzzles.
For the most part, the students are kept busy until they were called up for their check off.
When all else fails, I will call parents and inform of behaviors and then send in a couple of administrative referrals for disruptive students.
Hope some of this novice advice helps.
I do something similar in my class. When I do a lab, I teach them a task, and they repeat it. (Such as operating a jack or lift.) Even if they are in groups, the last ten minutes of class, I tell everyone that participated line up in a single file line at my desk. That's when I get my grade book out, and check off each student for the "tasks" or work. I speak to each student ask them to repeat a couple things to me, and then enter in a grade. I go on to the next student in line. The students stay in line and are relatively quiet. I did this once to just try it, and it has works awesomely! I used to walk around a check off each student randomly when they were all in the class, and too many were out of control. Having them line up seems to help. They also know for sure that they are going to get a grade once they make it through the line. I just tell them, if they move out of the line, they don't get a grade and they can try again tomorrow. No one ever gets out of the line anymore. :) Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to implement "side-work" that each student must complete after finishing an assigned project. What I will change for next semester is making this "side-work" a mandatory assignment. I will assign one extra project which each student must complete by the end of the semester. There will not be class time blocked out for this, so the students must use their extra time to work on this.
ReplyDelete