Classroom Management
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Classroom management is successful when students respect each other and the teacher, and the teacher respects the students in the same manner. We sometimes forget that children are fully formed human beings, who in the teen years, lack rationality but emotions and "bad days" still are relevant. I believe that it is important for teachers to be in charge but, also to make an effort to build a community in the classroom where students feel safe. This takes time and work, and it is essential to set these expectations during the first days of school. I have three columns that I follow to manage a classroom:
Procedures
Procedures are anything from bathroom passes to daily routine. Predictatbility is key for procedures. Anytime a student needs to ask for something, they will be expected to ask in French. These procedures will be set from day one and the students are expected to follow them all year. In my class, students will come in and work on their warm-up activity until further instructions are given. During quiet time or large class discussions, students will hold up a number, depending on what they need, so that I can just nod permission without disrupting the class flow.The following activities have routines or proper procedures that we (as a class) will go over and discuss:
Community
In secondary education, community building is essential to these students in order for them to flourish in the classroom and outside school walls. Current research has proven that community building in schools does wonders for the students' pshycological health. People, especially growing people, need to be a part of something greater than themselves, it is part of our biological make-up. So with my students, we will build a community in each class that is comfortable for all learning styles, free of bullying, and supportive of each other in all our strengths. To make this community successful, from day one I will:
Expectations
The third column for my classroom is the expectations of the students, the classwork, and what students should expect of me. As a class on the first day, as a class, we will come up with a "Constitution" to abide by all year that expresses the expectations for our class. I will guide this collaborative effort by first saying:
Rules that are put into effect in order to achieve these three pillars of classroom management:
- Procedures
- Community
- Expectations
Procedures
Procedures are anything from bathroom passes to daily routine. Predictatbility is key for procedures. Anytime a student needs to ask for something, they will be expected to ask in French. These procedures will be set from day one and the students are expected to follow them all year. In my class, students will come in and work on their warm-up activity until further instructions are given. During quiet time or large class discussions, students will hold up a number, depending on what they need, so that I can just nod permission without disrupting the class flow.The following activities have routines or proper procedures that we (as a class) will go over and discuss:
- Coming into class and greeting me with a "Bonjour"
- Journals for grading and notebooks for notes
- Procedure for class discussions and small group participation
- When it is appropriate to use English and when it is not
- Procedure is for turning in assignments and projects
- Procedure if a student was absent or tardy
Community
In secondary education, community building is essential to these students in order for them to flourish in the classroom and outside school walls. Current research has proven that community building in schools does wonders for the students' pshycological health. People, especially growing people, need to be a part of something greater than themselves, it is part of our biological make-up. So with my students, we will build a community in each class that is comfortable for all learning styles, free of bullying, and supportive of each other in all our strengths. To make this community successful, from day one I will:
- Expect each student to treat each other with respect (no hitting, name-calling, or making fun of someone's ability to speak French)
- Incorporate community building exercises like collaborative research projects, time for telling stories, icebreaker games
- Be supportive of all skill levels and expect the students to do the same
Expectations
The third column for my classroom is the expectations of the students, the classwork, and what students should expect of me. As a class on the first day, as a class, we will come up with a "Constitution" to abide by all year that expresses the expectations for our class. I will guide this collaborative effort by first saying:
- I expect each student to do their best, and not feel pressured to be the best.
- I expect students to be supportive of each other in the very difficult task of learning a foreign language, therby never laughing at someone, never using derogatory language, and never keeping others from learning.
- I expect students to be held accountable to turn their work in on time, get to class on time, and I expect them to hold me accountable for this as well.
- I expect students to speak French at all the times that they can.
- I expect students to come to me for extra help if they are struggling.
Rules that are put into effect in order to achieve these three pillars of classroom management:
- No eating or drinking during class (drinks with a closed top are okay!)
- There are signs at the front of the room that let the students know when it is not okay to use their phone, when it is okay, and when they can listen to their own music. These rules are put in place to avoid distraction and be sure that students get the most from learning during class time.
- We have hand signals to ask for certain things.