4
Classroom Jobs
How can you prevent chaos your classroom when you are changing activities or ending the hour? Don’t shoulder the burden yourself. Instead, enlist the aid of your student who are certainly old enough to share some responsibilities with you.
1 .Becoming responsible for yourself and your possessions is a part of growing up. Establish a daily routine in your classroom that students can easily follow. They should expect, for example, that Fridays are free reading days or that they must complete a journal entry at the beginning of each class. Also , make sure your students gather needed materials for the day’s assignment as they enter the classroom.
2. Although we expect middle and high school students to be individually responsible, there are some classroom jobs that can be completed more efficiently when done by one or two students. Imagine the chaos that ensues when the whole class is tossing calculators at you as they dash out of the room when the bell rings. Now picture the serenity of just one or two students moving about the room before the bell ring, collecting and checking in the those same calculators. Other jobs that can be completed more efficiently by one or two students include distributing and/or collecting classroom textbooks, journals, homework, and other materials necessary for class activities.
6
Classroom Meetings
Students who have a forum to air their thoughts and opinions are less likely to disrupt instructional time. Classroom meetings are a great way to lend structure to the process and keep the lines of communication open.
1. Make holding a classroom meeting a regular tradition. Set aside about 15 minutes every other week or so to debrief studentts about recent chassroom experiences. Duringthe first few meetings, be sure to clearly explein your expectations.Guidelines can include the foollowing :
a. Raise your hand to speak.
b. Listen poliely while another person is talking so you don’t repeat what someone else has said.
c. Complaining and tattling on others is not allowed.
d. Be supportive of what others have to say.
2. It is critical for you to facilitate and guide each meeting to keep the discussion productive.Without structure and you guidance, meeting can deteriorate and lose value and effectiveness.
3. Use classroom meeting time as an opportunity to teach problem-solving skills. A problem-solving framework is a great way to guide students toward becoming effective problem solvers. Consider using the Thing Paper in Chapter 1 as a guideline.
4. To help provide some open discussion for the meeting ,place a box or large hanging envelope near your desk where students can put written suggestions, comments, or concerns. Instruct students to indicate on their message whether their thoughts are private or can be shared during the classroom meeting.You may want to establish a symbol such as a star to indicate a private message.Remember that the objective of the classroom meeting is to provide the students a forum for discussion.You role is to facilitate the dialogue,listen,and learn from them about what is working in your classroom and what is not.