Hi all!
Thought I’d check in.
That’s how I’m feeling right now. So, so tired.
Prac is going well. Very well really. I already know all the kid’s names, and I’ve already done a good amount of teaching. And you know, I’m doing okay!
The class I have can be a bit challenging – but then every class has its challenges. There are a handful of kids that you have to be on top of at least 90% of the time, otherwise they become very disruptive, and that is really quite draining. But we’re getting there, and it will be good for me to hone my behaviour management skills. Anyone got any good ideas???
From next week I will probably start taking 100% teaching responsibility, and the thought is partly terrifying but mostly exhilarating and exciting. I’m actually looking forward to the process of planning and implementing what I will teach over the next 3.5 weeks.
Anyway people, I’m off to bed… at 8pm, like a grandma. Except that grandma is still in there playing her computer and much more wide awake than I.
‘Night all!
So glad things are going well!
ReplyDeleteWhen I had year 3 for my final prac these are some of the BM techniques I used:
Groups with rewards. Any time a group finished first, worked silently etc they got a tally mark. The key to this was staying on top of it and making sure that I gave out a few tallys during every session.
At the end of the day I worked out which team got the most tallys and that team got a star. Once a team got three stars everyone got an iceblock from the tuckshop. In the 6 weeks I did it only two groups made it to the iceblock, and I just bought them the 50c ones, so it only cost me a few dollars.
I also used the good old, "I really like the way that Zoey is sitting there so nicely" or "I love the way Mayana is listening so politely!" Etc. This worked a treat with the class I had.
The other thing I did was I had a big suduko (a very easy version) up on the side board, and the students could work on that silently when they'd finished their work..
Isn't it funny how a change to routine can exhaust us so much? I've been zonked this week with my new job.
ReplyDeleteI also feel a huge amount of Mum guilt about not seeing my baby as much as I'm used to :(
That being said, I'm so glad that you are having a great time at prac, this time nextyear it will be totally your class!
Thats great Zoey that the teaching is going well. Have been thinking about you and praying it goes well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Talia, rewarding the kids who are working well is a great BM technique!
As a supply teaching I have a prize box and during the day I give our raffle tickets. At the end of the day (or week if your full time) I have a raffle draw (maybe 6 draws) and give out prizes. Another way is for them to collect the raffle tickets and trade them for a prize when they get 20!
Hope you have fun and I"m sure you will LOVE being 'the boss' of the classroom. It feels mighty good to take control and see progress!
Teaching certainly is tiring! I think it's amazing that you are doing when you have Mayana! I certainly wouldn't have been able to!
ReplyDeleteMy kids have a sticker booklet each. When they get 20 stickers they can swap for a prize from my box. I like stickers or a ticket because when you are giving them out it is very obvious to the kids who aren't getting them and they usually shape up pretty quickly. Don't be afraid to make a big deal of it either. I spent 15 minutes looking through the exciting new stickers I got on ebay with them. They were so excited that they wanted to see EVERY one (I love how year 4 students still love stickers).
The other thing that I think is really important is a teacher's presence in the room. I learnt very quickly as a relief teacher to look confident even when I was totally not on the inside. I find that if I stand tall, project my voice in a no nonsense way and place myself in the middle of the room it sends the 'do not even try because it will not work' message. Even moving and standing close to a kid who is doing the wrong thing is sometimes enough. I have found that if I go and sit behind my desk or stand to the edge of the room it seems to be an invitation to chat and muck up.
When I was on my internship my mentor teacher told me that if you are organised you avoid leaving opportunity for kids to muck up. I found that really helpful because if you are focused on them 100% of the time and keep the pace of the day going they sometimes don't even have the chance to think about misbehaving!
Following through with consequences is the single most important thing though when it comes to behavior management.
Anyway. I'm rambling. Sounds like you have a great class!