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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Hindsight is 20/20

What I would do differently as it relate to a teaching activity this week is change how I responded to the inappropriate classroom behavior of my 4th block.   My response to their behavior was reactive and not proactive.   Which was completely opposite of what I learned in NTI and know as on so many other levels.    On Thursday I planned a small group activity that we never got to because of students' excessive talking, laughing and playing around.  Knowing that this block is my most challenging class I should have planned better how I would address my habitual behavior issues.   With this class its seems that when I address one behavior issue another is developing during that moment.   To me it seems as though I am spending more time addressing behavior that teaching.   All I can say is I was completely and totally perplexed by the total disregard for the lack basic respect.   As a result I was completely off my game and modified the lesson to reading aloud, lecture and note taking :(   I have tried the usual consequences; warnings, parent phone calls  even referrals to AP but nothing has deterred the inappropriate behavior.  So I plan to spend a good part of my Saturday calling parents and planning what to do with about 7 individual students.

3 comments:

Paul G 2011 said...

Angela, I am there with you and had basically the same thing going on in one of my classes this past Thursday. I was finishing up the lesson and trying to transition into a lab activity. The students would not calm down after 2 or 3 minutes of me being patient and trying to gain their attention. The kids would not stop interrupting me, talking above me, standing up, and moving toward the lab, and so on. One of my female students kept asking can I put my purse in your office over and over and over. I answered her 3 times with yes you can when I finish with the instruction please sit down in your seats. About half the students were sitting and trying to concentrate on my transition instructions. I finally after trying different attention getting techniques- whispering, firm voice, blinking the lights without total success I slammed my hand down on my desk and yelled HEY at the same time. It worked. You could have heard a pen drop and every student was looking at me attentively. I cancelled the activity and had them sit without making a sound the rest of the block. The first student that made the sound got detention and a second student tried to use his cell phone and lost it for 3 days. They all sat quietly and lost the privilege of going in the back. They also had to listen to what I expect and the consequences speech the last five minutes. Dont know if I handled it correctly or not but thats what worked on that day. Some days………some days.

Eric J said...

Not just you. It seems that all kids are becoming more disrespectful, and it seems to get worse each year. I don't know the reason, but it is a problem.

I have this problem as well with my 4th block - it is my largest class with 31.

I find it easiest to ignore the troublemakers and teach the ones that want to learn and participate. Once the lesson or class is over, then I deal with the problem students on THEIR time, not mine...

Jessie said...

I am sorry you had a bad week! I had a few of those students last year that were so bad that they all ended up with school behavior contracts. My administration, thank goodness, backed me up. Majority of those students either were taken out of the class, expelled, or relocated to other schools. I try really hard to keep these students sooooooo busy that they don't have time to breath! I really show these students tough love and I hope and think that in the end they respect me more because of it. It is strange how some weeks these kids are hellions and some weeks they seem letargic! I blame it on the moon phases!!! LOL