Upward Bound-Lab Challenge

One challenge I had in the area of laboratory management this week was working through a handwashing activtiy with 24 students. We were reviewing our lesson on infection control and I tried out what I considered a simple activtiy to reinforce the concept of good handwashing.They watched a video on how germs are transmitted and proper handwashing before the activity. For the activity, I invited the students to place a small amount of special handwashing lotion over their hands and then wash them as they thought appropriate. After they had completed washing their hands, I had each student to come over to where I was standing (in a darkened area) to view their hands under an ultraviolet hand held light. Any residue of the lotion would glow on their hands under the light. Needless to say, it was a chaotic event. Because of the small amount of lotion I had to work with, and not trusting the students to work with the one light I had correctly, I thought it was best that I looked over these items personally. During the activity there were students not participating, talking, not following directions, texting etc. I did not put a time limit on the activity initially and finally told the students that we had to move on to our next activity and discontinued the event after about 10 minutes of time. It was interesting to see the number of students who suddenly wanted to go ahead and complete the task once they saw that time was running out!

KJ; CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT ISSSUES

As I had my observation this week, Dr. Montrois witnessed firsthand one of my major challenges. While introducing a new content area and making sure all students understand the content. Most of the time it requires some one on one time with the students while the other students are working or supposed to be working on the content on their on. I seem to get so involved with the student I am working with that I lose touch with the rest of the class and they commence to playing games on the internet or other actions not appropriate to my content area.
The way my lab is, I cannot move the workstations around for easier viewing of their screens. They are in three rows of ten with each having computer station. It makes it difficult to maintain and observe student behavior at all times.

Week Three - Lab Challenges

 Most of us in technology labs face many challenges. In my opinion, they stem from the demand of teachers multi-tasking with students and equipment. I have a split classroom that "developed" without fair-warning within the first couple of weeks of school. The class was to be level two but it has ended up being half level two and the other half level three/four. Pre-preparation could have helped me in my blight. However, it was an afterthought by the school to keep the classroom full at twenty-eight. I am managing the best that I can, but I have to depend on upper level video students to assist me.  The classroom is large and difficult to manage. This is because it is divided into an instructional section with desks and a separate section with a television studio. The studio is in a separate window in which I can see through glass windows. However, I cannot hear what the students are saying and see everything that they are doing. There is a separate control room. Fifteen students are in the studio. I have fifteen boys in the classroom to manage and to teach basic video curriculum. This involves lesson plans and supervised instruction. My dilemma is helping two separate levels at once. It is difficult. The boys need a constant watch. The new television production crew needs my input. Currently, I am missing my lunch to have a thirty minute slot with the upper level students. I feel pulled apart. I also feel strained with the responsibility of an expensive studio not under my undivided attention. I can tell the administrators not to mix classes for next semester but what about the rest of this year ?  I requested a security system immediately after the arrival of the new equipment this summer. Currently, it is not available. Any feedback would be considered and appreciated.  

Challenge

My biggest challenge this last week has been three students during my last block of the day. Just recently these three have decided that they like each other because they all laugh at the same jokes and like to make "sweet beats" by tapping on the tables and then not using their "inside" voices.

Basically, they come right in from lunch knowing that this is the end of the day and that finally they get to be together. My struggle has been to not direct attention to them. It seems like everyday they end up distracting everyone and I have to take action. I have tried several methods including separating them, eye contact, proximity, one on one talks...but I have not contacted parents. I think that will be my next step. They have been deducted in their employability points which helped for a little bit. My other concern with this same issue is that I do not want to constantly call them out because I don't want to ignore the rest of the class or make them feel like I am always picking on them to make them react negatively.

I think contacting the parents would be good and having a "final" one on one talk with each while laying out some specific consequences of their continued behavior. Or, I could monitor their lunches and keep them from buying cookies, slushies, or anything remotely close to sugar.

Thanks for listening bloggers. Until next time...DP out.

Challenge in Lab Management

My lab management has had some issues in the past few weeks. The way our lab is situated there are some areas that I am having trouble seeing the students at all times. Also when I am busy helping students others seem to take advantage of these "blind" areas and goof off. It is not possible to change around the lab as the stations are built in. I have tried using student monitors but haven't had much luck with them. I have had some luck when I remove the students that are playing around and put them into book work. But then they miss out on the lesson that I am trying to teach. As we only have two class periods in the lab, I hate for them to miss.

Challenges

Class of Seasoned Students

This is my second year teaching and I have a class in which a number of students were in one of the courses I taught last year. These students know each other very well and enjoy interacting. The challenging part for me is keeping the students from turning the classroom time into a social hour with each other. It has been challenging to try to keep them focused on the task at hand and complete assignments on time. I did change the seating arrangement in the class several weeks ago and that has helped. This is a second year class with frequent labs which can pose even more challenges. I have spoken to several other teachers in our department regarding the situation and they have shared with me that classes after lunch can be more challenging. Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions you may have.

My Challenge This Week

Well, my biggest classroom management issue, right now, is my last period of the day. I am struggling with keeping them on track and focused. It is a chore just to take attendance. The class seems so "checked out" it is hard to get anything done. I start taking attendance, and after getting through a few names down the list, the class would start talking again. What I am currently doing, is stop taking role and stare at the kids talking. My "star" students notice that I have stopped taking attendance because of the talking, and they actually tell everyone to hush. I am then left with the issue of; what happens when my "star" students are absent, who shuts up the class? Well, it ends up being me, and then I end up a flustered mess. It's the last class of the day for me, and it's the last class of the day for them as well. I want it to go smoothly, but honestly, 6th period last year was a disaster, and I never really got it under control. I have been told that this is why many teachers as for 6th period planning. I don't get the option to have a planning period, so I don't get the same one hour "mental" break in my day as other teachers. I am go-go-go all day long. I'm in my halls inbetween classes, and running in and writing my new Esential Question on the board and other class information while erasing the lessons from the previous class. I think half of my issue with trying to get the class to sit down and be quiet and to start their work, is that I'm so exhausted that I'm probably not doing as much for discipline as my other classes, and I'm not noticing it. More than half of my class doesn't even do my 5-10 minute warm-up assignment. They just sit there. I do not understand the lack of initiative in students today. I was raised that an A- meant that you didn't try hard enough! Does anyone have any strategies for getting the students motivated to actually do their book work/written work?

This Week

Challenge

What do you mean name one challenge in classroom management or laboratory? The whole thing is a major challenge. However if I have to isolate one major element, it would be professional behavior. How do you instill the importance of professionalism in the work place to teenagers? Although I have a pretty well behaved group overall, I still have students with the tendency of playfulness, especially the boys. Additionally I believe that a few are uninterested participants. As soon as I turn my back to help a group that is having difficulty, the horseplay starts. I have posted classroom and lab rules and asked for signed contracts. I generally have the student in violation read me the rule that they violated which curtails the behavior somewhat but not exclusively. Students in violation are respectful and obedient when caught; and it is not always the same student, although one of my special needs students is often involved. I have spoken with his specialist and he has offered suggestions from time to time that have not been effective. The disruptions although manageable are still draining on class time and effectiveness. I am open to all suggestions.

My Challenge

A challenge I am having concerns the sixteen computers I have in my classroom. Because of space, I have the computers lined up around the walls of my classroom. It is difficult to watch all sixteen computers at one time. Most of my students are very trustworthy, but I also have students who can’t be trusted out of my sight. Just this past week, I received a student referral from one of our administrators letting me know a student using one of my classroom computers bypassed the school security system on the internet. The student used a program that has the ability to bypass the security system on our network. When I received this referral, I was disturbed for two reasons. First, I was not informed by our administration at the time of the incident. Secondly, the student involved is an above average student and was surprised she had done this. I questioned the student about her actions. The student told me she did this action because of an assignment I had given to her group which was a group power point. I inquired as to how my group assignment affected her decision to break a school rule. She replied that she was attempting to get a better grade on the group project by adding a video clip to one of the slides. She tried several different ways to download a video but each time the Cobb County warning appeared on the computer. After several attempts to get the video without success, she decided to use the bypass software to get the video.

I was not at school that day. I believe the student would have had second thoughts on doing this action if I had been there. The substitute teacher was not aware of the student’s action at the time. I feel I may have let my students down by not giving more explicit instructions on the use of classroom computers. I am now correcting that oversight. Students are now not allowed to use any personal devices on my classroom computers and computers rules will be posted for all students to see around the classroom.

Ba humbug!

I have a particular challenge with my second period. We are on a block schedule so we are in our class for 1.5 hours. On my second block is when we have lunch, and unfortunately, lunch cuts into the middle of this period. It is not an issue getting the kids focused at the beginning of class, but after lunch it’s a different matter. Currently our bells don’t work, as it was damaged by a thunderstorm. Because we have no bell, my students will roll in at different times and the last ones to come in from lunch are the ones that tend to be most disruptive. What ever conversation they were having at lunch, it spills over to the classroom, especially if it is full of drama. It may take me between 10-15 minutes to get everyone to refocus on any task.

This second period class is the class that I have the ring leaders of behavioral issues. You know how you have 1 student where they do just enough mischief and to you it doesn’t seem enough to refer them to any kind of worthy discipline, I have 5 of those kids in the 2nd period. Three of these kids have an IEP, and I can honestly say that only 1 requires it and the other 2 are using it as an excuse. Talk to me my fellow teachers! What can I do, what can I do?

Challenge this week

The challenge I am have this week is getting all my grading done. I have a stack of written journal articles to grade (required by the county to incorporate reading and writing in all content areas), quizzes for medical terminology and abbreviation, summative unit tests, and many miscellaneous worksheets students have filled out that go along with watching videos, to charting vital signs, to writing descriptions of wound beds, etc. I feel that if I don't have a product required to be turned in by the student then they will not work. Also, truly, I am worried that if I have nothing to show that proves I used various methods to get the knowledge to the students then I will be found at fault for poor grades. I know that everything does not need to be graded but I am having a hard time deciding what should given a grade out of all that work. In our grade book we have three categories: formative (25% weighted), summative (60% weighted), and informal (no weight). I never actually enter anything in under informal because I am so backlogged by putting formative and summative in. I am wondering, though, if I should be entering informal assignments and then the questions is how do I evaluate those. I feel I spend my time wisely. I often spend my entire planning period grading, lunch grading while I eat, and grading after school. I end up having to actually plan lessons at home and have been very short on sleep this week due to that. I am exhausted.

Challenge, what challenges?

I tried the Jigsaw Cooperative Learning activity this week! I was also monitored twice this week by the Instructional Coach and a person from the High School Mentoring Team for new teachers. I was already tried and exhausted from last week's HOSA 3 day event and I tried to do jigsaw cooperative learning groups. Well maybe I should say I did the jigsaw learning activity. Deciding on the assignment and task was not too difficult because I was already been doing demonstrations and power point lessons on First Aid. Doing the workup for the Jigsaw learning was the hard part. Once I had explain the purpose of the assignment "300" times, the student finally decided that "she is for real" and began to work on the task. Overall, the students in my second period class did well with the assignment. The first period was too argumentative and did not want to work in groups with certain individuals. They also had the nerves to say ugly things about each other. I "politely" stepped to the back of the classroom with one lady and asked her to kindly stop making those "loud negative remarks" about a very capable young male student. Overall, the cooperative grouping exercise went well as was also expressed by the administrative mentor monitor. He wanted to know what I had told the student when we stepped outside the classroom. He was impressed by how the student returned to the class and her group and never said another negative comment.

The challenge I am facing is keeping all students engaged and completing the tasks given while I am checking off demonstrations during lab activities. And keeping heads on the desk!!! I have tried the strategies learned at NTI this summer. The students are also too noisy and talkative. I've given enrichment exercises related to the lessons being done and of course and the students finish those activities in an accelerated mode. They then want to sit and talk, gossip, fuss, walk, and request restroom breaks while I am trying to checkoff other students. There must be an easier way to do checkoff return demonstrations and keep the rest of the class "ENGAGED" as was stated to me by the Instructional Coach. Some students refuses to participate in the checkoffs (I dare voice how I really feel about that)and then questions why they have a zero for those lab activities.

Overall, challenges are many in a school day. As for me, I will be handling one challenge at a time and looking forward to my third year of teaching. That's supposedly when everything gets better and challenges are fewer.

Suddenly a New Challenge

A challenge that seems to have suddenly developed was when the two individuals in a particular work group, that seemed to start out working well, now seem as if they cannot stand each other. They both seem to be the type that learn well from reading and from intrapersonal activities. One is a male and the other is female, they both seem somewhat artistic. They both tend to avoid groups and view things from a different perspective. One is very smart and takes advanced courses. The other tends to interpret things and see things from quite a different point of view. I really believe they would be even more uncomfortable if they were aligned with a different group. In fact I think I would more than double the learning/teaching challenges. Again they seem not to get along as well with other members of the class, they tend to work better by their selves, and thus they seem to have gotten on each other’s nerves.

I would like to resolve the issue that has developed between them since their nature is more similar than that of any of the other classmates. I have explained that when they enter the work place they will often be working with people that might not be their ideal choice, but in order to succeed they must overcome those differences to be successful. Scratching my head on how to resolve this, while I look for a positive resolve without compounding this issue.

Thanks,
RS in Alpharetta

3rd week post

Well I have a classroom, control room, studio, 4 edit bays (rooms) and other storage rooms. Sometime I catch myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off, checking and checking on students which is what I am suppose to do. I am not complaining at all. Of course the area is set up that way because thats the way the real life TV news stations are set up. I find that this will expose the kids to real life working conditions. My former supervisor could not micromanage everyone you were held accountable for your actions. Thats what I am trying to instill in my students of course some get it and some don't. For the most part they stay on task its just a few I must keep reminding that, yes this is a fun class but we must produce a product. Overall things are okay, I will just strap on my roller skates and roll on. This is the 3rd month of school I can't believe it. 

challenges!! 3rd week

I am facing the same challenge that I faced last year. My students struggle to keep quiet during role call. I have asked them nicely, waited til they are quiet, and implemented the light switch. Nothing I seem to do has an effect on the students. I thought about reward but do not think I should have to reward for such a simple task. I am sure most of the issue is 26-32 girls in one room. I know this is small compared to other teacher's struggles, however it is incredibly important to my school that we get an accurate count. I hope someone has an idea that I have yet to try. Thanks for all your input!

It wouldn't be teaching without a challenge!!!!

Funny how this is the topic for the week!!!! Today I had my observation with my NTI supervisor, and I had chance to express my ideas about the challenges with my lab. Today the students did a small lab just to demonstrate the technique of baking. I explained the many ways I have tried to accommodate the 24++ kids that I have in each class with a lab size that was designed for maybe 10- 12 students. I've also had a couple people from the state to come in and look at the facilities in reference to me under going industry certification to give me ideas of how to conduct an effective lab with ALL students being involved. I was given some good ideas but of course there is a HUGE price tag that goes along with it. Since I am undergoing industry certification I was given a grant of $15000, sounds like a lot but when it comes to commercial equipment I could spend that on one piece ( that's without installation) so I must search the market for used pieces and utilize my students, coworkers and custodians to help me reinvent my lab. I was told to portray the image that the lab is larger than what it is by taking some of my larger pieces of equipment out of the actual kitchen by placing them inside of the class area. I must admit I do have a large space, so I can see this idea working. But until we reach that point I must continue to teach and provide the students with culinary skills. Today I was told that the way I conducted the labs was good but I like to see all my students working at the same time, today we tried the rotate method, where I allowed three groups to go into the kitchen at a time and prepare the recipe. That's hard when I am trying to monitor the lab and have other students sitting in the class unmonitored. Well at this point I have tried just about everything so if you have any suggestions I really would like to hear them............................................

Josh - Third Week Posting

So, everyone is probably getting tired of my "sour" attitude about teaching this year. And I truly wish it were getting better. Unfortunately I had another instance today, that further solidified my current disdain for my school setting.

While working on a video, I had several students use one of my computers to look up questionable material. It wasn't X-rated, but it definitely wasn't school appropriate. When I saw what they were doing, I told them that it was not appropriate and they were arguing that since they were able to get there without circumventing the Internet filters, that it wasn't wrong. I told them to leave the page open and I would get someone else's opinion... someone I thought would share my belief. I got someone (my superior) and had them accompany me to the room. The students had closed out the computer and when I told them to bring it back up, they acted dumb, then finally opened it. They loudly proclaimed their innocence and refused to accept the blame. When they actually pulled up a picture, it wasn't as, um, dirty, as the one I had seen, so the other teacher in the room told them to close it, but not to go to that site again.

Point is, the person I went to for support, didn't come through. I am finding this to be a continual occurrence in this profession. Someone is always demanding the most from us, but it isn't a reciprocal relationship.

Another gripe... and I'll try to be better.

New teachers (3 years and less teaching experience) at my school were required to go to a meeting at 7:30 one morning this week. The email said, "Come hungry, we will be serving breakfast..." So naturally, I assumed that the administrator in charge of it would provide breakfast. Not an unreasonable assumption. About 20 minutes into the meeting, I asked where breakfast was. He didn't know! Breakfast never came. I didn't eat breakfast. Do I look like the type of person who goes without breakfast?!?!


There... I feel better.


(**P.S. - Dr. Burns, I apologize for my use of the ellipsis marks. After working as write in the television business, I frequently interchange them with commas. They work better with my speaking style.)

Bernardo

This week I learn that one of my students was living on the street with her mother and little brother. This was really a shock to me and at the same time it made me sad. Sometimes we take for granted that everyone has a home to go to. This is not the case of my student. She has been living on the streets of Atlanta for 3 months. Somehow she has been able to defy the odds and continue to get her education. She is a bright young lady with a great future. I’m hoping that her mother receive some type of assistance that would allow them to move in to their own home or shelter soon. One lesson I have learned from this situation is hard to identify students who are like this . I only hope that their dreams are not shattered by life uncertainty.

Collaborative Learning

I really enjoyed the collaborative learning lessons in class this week. I have been trying some of the group ideas, sometimes successful, sometimes not so much. It takes a lot of planning to get everything together before doing group work. For example, specific lesson or project instructions, grading rubrics and student "monitoring" or self evaluation records. However, I find that the students do better when they know what to expect (that sounds like a no brainer) but sometimes the problem is I fully know what I expect but don't seem to express those expectations so that the students can understand. Having expectations in writing for the students as well as verbalizing they tend to better understand, or atleast be able to ask clarifying questions. One of the big questions I had before our class was how to grade group work. Again, having everything already planned will help. I like the idea of 50 - 50 because that will allow me to adjust an individual students grade depending on absences, poor effort, etc. I have done something similar a couple of weeks ago and the students with lower grades never commented. They know when they don't participate! As my GSU classmates continue to try collaborative learning please forward ideas that are working for you as well as those that don't. In other words, share the knowledge please.