Okay, now that I've enjoyed that, it's time for some reflection! Here is a general run down of thoughts from this week:
- I have found that since refusing to help students spell, the writing sessions have been going much smoother. When I explain my approach to the students, some like it, others shrug their shoulders, and I haven't had any complain. You can see my approach to this, along with a few other quick problem solving strategies in my last post.
- Teaching in schools with different student groups can highlight strengths and weaknesses. While I have been working on my awareness of what is going on around the classroom while working with specific students, I have had two students run out of my class this week! In such situations, awareness should be immediate as possible. Since then, I have planned to buy some bells for a door hanger, allowing me to know when students run or wander out, or even in, without my knowledge. On Thursday, I also implemented another point system: class exit points. We started the day with 30 points. Any time someone leaves the room, unless I have sent them for a job, the class loses a point. If they didn't ask permission, they lose multiple points. At the end of the day, we still had about 20 points! While this class did not have any reputable 'runners,' I do believe that it reduced the amount of students asking to go to the toilet unnecessarily. In fact, it's one of the few times I would have one student asking to go without someone else also asking. Of course, when talking about this, we did discuss that it is better to lose a point than it is to wet yourself, so if you really need to go, you'd better go!
- When spelling words have not been left or are not clear, I have found that it is best to change up the schedule a bit and do spelling activities after writing. This way, I can mark students writing on the spot and they can use their misspelled words as their spelling words for the day. Due to my approach to spelling during the writing session, I have only had one student not make mistakes, but looking back through his book we were able to find words. Spelling roll-a-word has become my staple activity now. The students love it and it is the perfect 'reward' for taking risks with their spelling.
- When no work or specific routine has been left for me, I now have my own routine down to an art. The morning session is literacy focused (and while my writing was strong, I have had to do some research on reading activities and groups, so follow me on Bloglovin' if you want to keep updated!). The middle session is maths focused. In the final session, we work on completing work and have free time, if they have earned it (at the beginning of the day, they are told that in order to have free time, they need to complete their work and not waste my time. Each minute they waste of my time is a minute off their time). The benefits of this timetable is that I have time at the end of the day to catch up on marking, the children fulfill their responsibilities for their rewards and most, if not all, of the work is finished before the end of the day. This leaves the regular teacher with no loose ends when they return.
- In order to encourage meaningful activities for early finishers and those enjoying free play, I have also spent the weekend collecting resources for 'challenge packs.' These will require a few more resources than my previous challenge capsules freebie and will provide include a greater variety of learning activities such as science experiments. If you are interested in these freebies, do make sure you go to the sidebar and follow me, allowing you to keep updated.
That's it for today, but as you can see, there should be more coming soon, so don't be strangers.
Learning is a lifelong journey, even as teachers. What have you learned lately?
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