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.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Preparation is Everything........
I like to use quizlet to introduce key terminology especially when we are starting a new unit. I decided to take a group of "lively" ninth graders to our new computer lab to work on the terms. Even though I had allotted the entire class period in my lesson plan for this activity, NTI teaches us to always have an alternate assignment for students to complete. I did not do that and when students figured out how to "cheat" the system and get done with the assignment quicker than I expected, the tweeting and face booking began. I finally had to pack up shop and return to class and assign a written assignment to finish out the period. Let me just say, "Lesson Learned". I will always make sure that I have an additional assignment or task ready for those students who finish early. I will additionally make sure that the assignment is not busy work, so that students feel rewarded and not punished.
That is so true Akisa! I learned that when I started substituting. The teacher would assign work to the students, but didn't have anything extra for them to do just in case they finished early. This created much chaos. If the students have too much free time on their hands, that's kind of like a recipe for disaster. You have to keep them engaged and especially make sure that it's just not busy work. Whether you count the extra worksheets they do for a participation grade, everything should count. If not, they will not take part and even tell you, "We're only do this as busy work. It's not going to count" What can you really say when that's what the teacher has done. Always keeping the students on their toes is a great way to keep them busy, keep their minds going, and best quality of all, it helps to manage the classroom a lot better.
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