Monthly Archives: August 2013

Class Rules

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Golden Rules

A friend of mine just became a second grade teacher.  This is exciting for multiple reasons – one simply the fulfillment of a dream and two – I discovered I am student teaching in second grade.  We’re thrilled to have this common ground because it’s one way we can feel connected since she is no longer a classmate.  Anyway, this morning we discussed class rules briefly (through texting).  She’s required to have 4 for the classroom.  This is interesting because my supervisor just recommended this week that we keep rules short and somewhat broad.  This allows for teacher discretion to consider each behavior miscue in context.  Did Johnny’s parents just divorce?  We want to take this situation into account.  There’s still accountability, but fair does not always mean the exact same.  Different children have different needs.  Okay, so back to the rules.  Here are my thoughts:

  1. Be respectful and kind to yourself, others, and property.
  2. Follow directions.
  3. Try your best.
  4. Be positive.

It’s not anything new.  I plan to have students at the beginning of the year discuss what rules should be in the room, though students generally come up with rules that coordinate with what  I have written.   I will word the rules in accordance to our student led discussion perhaps with a little guidance.  Sound Sneaky? Not really – rules of fairness, respect, work ethic,  and a good attitude all cover the rules students will suggest because it’s what makes a community work well.  Expectations, how it looks, how it sounds, and why this is desirable will be discussed throughout the year.  In line with this, I just bought over 175 pages of a reward system that has fewer material rewards off of TeachersPayTeachers from a seller, Mel D.  It’s a dangerous, yet resourceful site – many items are free.

Kagan Workshop Again!

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Recap
Back in January, I attended the first two days of a Kagan Structure workshop. I couldn’t wait to complete the week. Last week I finished the final 3 days of cooperative learning, thanks to my physics professor allowing an early exit with the help of a friendly email from another professor. The bonus? I was in a hotel room for 3 nights all alone – better than a spa anyday.

The Workshop
Our presenter’s name was Angela. I love to listen to a great presenter and she was exceptional. I don’t recall hearing one “um” or pause – she just flowed. Okay, now for the content. I can’t help, but support the use of Kagan structures. It’s a way to let the children move and get students involved in learning without an easy path to mentally check out of the classroom or pass the buck to a more eager participant. One structure called “One stray” allows for adding a little change into the classroom without it being overwhelming. One student from each group moves to another group, either for one activity to report back to the original group or as a means of changing teams. Strays can be increased to 2-3 changes if needed/desired. “Spend a buck” has a fun, yet easy method of providing voter choice. Each student within a group receives 10 “bucks” for the use of voting. Everyone puts 1 dollar on each team member choice, then the remaining 6 bucks can be distributed in any way. Everyone receives at least 2 votes using this method. I imagine group projects, literature circles, and classroom celebration as areas where “Spend a buck” can be used. Another favorite is Inside Outside Circle where students switch partners when one circle moves. This provides 50% engagement at all times, movement, and multiple perspectives. Chairs can be used for younger grades. Now with a full week of Kagan training, in addition to training by several professors, I’m ready to roll.

My Take Away
Because structures are simply methods of increasing participation and not content based, It is my hope to use the many structures I’ve learned in every classroom. A strength is that differentiation is built into the program or easily incorporated. I strongly recommend this workshop to any who have opportunity. Check out the Kagan website. At this last event, there were educators from preschool through high school. I couldn’t help buying software to visually organize several structures I plan to use; I can’t wait to try them out.

Side note – I used the word structures 6 times and the word buck/s 4 times. I hate repeating myself, but they were the proper terms.