"Things" and Finding Things

One of the best (and by "best" I mean "most practical") parts of grad school has been the opportunity to share (and steal) ideas from classmates, classroom teachers and professors. If you're anything like me, though, you're brain can't possibly remember all of these marvelous activities and certainly not recall just the one you need when you need it. One teacher suggested starting a filing cabinet (the real, physical kind) where each activity gets a manila folder. On the folder you can write notes about the last time you used the activity and thoughts about how to adapt it, improve it, etc...

I like this idea. I like the idea of keeping the physical worksheets themselves there to flip through and I like the ability to take that file with me into the classroom and make notes as I'm using it. But so far I haven't started it. I collect these worksheets, and then they never make it home. Or they make it home and get "filed" in the pile next to my desk.

What I really need is a place, not for the activity itself, but for the *idea* of the activity.

I've been using a nifty productivity utility called "Things" to manage my daily tasks, classroom assignments, etc... and am beginning to get into the groove of inputting new tasks and then (this is the hard part) CHECKING Things regularly to see what's coming up and what's missing.

While reading about Things, I've seen that other people also use Things to collect ideas, not just concrete "To Do's, which gave me this idea: I've created a Project called "Teaching Ideas" and then a series of tags: Productivity, Character Development, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Technology, Communication, Cooperation, Writing etc... As I hear of a cool classroom activity, I put it in the Teaching Ideas project with a brief description and then tag it with all the appropriate tags. So, for instance, in class a fellow student talks about epals.com (a secure site where students from around the world can connect with one another). While in class, I open up Things on my iPhone, go to Teaching Ideas and create a new Item called: EPals.com: global pen pal. I then tagged it with "communication", "cooperation," "writing."

Now, next time I'm looking for an activity to help students practice their writing skills, I can just search Things by the tag "writing" and it should return "ePals" as one of my options.

Now, I just need to attack the pile by my desk...

Developing an Education Outreach program

Now that this class is over, I'm going to shift the focus of the blog from group project to individual journal. I've just been invited to join a fledgling theatre company here in Chicago as the Education Outreach Director. (Director of Education & Outreach? Educational Outreach? I dunno, they all sound awkward and a little pompous)

We have our first company meeting on Monday night and I am trying to prepare by researching other Education Outreach programs. When I think of Educational Outreach, I think of my experience from grade school: Worksheets and teacher's guides or one of the actors stepping out before or after the show to ask questions of the kids. Seems very simple, right? But I think there could and should be more to it than that, so I've been digging around to see what other organizations (not necessarily theatre groups) have been doing with their EO programs. Now that I have a good idea of the usual scope of such things, I know where I'd like to start - by asking the other company members for their thoughts!

My plan is to have a brainstorming session (facilitated by big art pads and lots of notes & doodles). I want to know:

1. Any preconceptions about EO.
2. Given a handout of other EO mission statements, what goals personally resonate?
3. Who do you want to reach?
4. Are there different goals for different audiences/parts of the country?
5. Who will we doing the outreach? Local educators or our company members?

This should provide a solid foundation for building the program and assure that it meets both the expectations of the members and the needs of the audience. I'm excited to jump in!

Technological Distractions in the Classroom

by Kelly Presmyk

What are the distractions?

Ever since schools were developed, teachers have had to deal with classroom distractions. From students talking, giggling, and passing notes to getting up and walking around create problems in schools. Today, these are not the only distraction that a teacher will have to face. Technology is becoming more and more popular among adolescents and in some cases consumes their lives. Some students cannot leave their bedrooms in the morning without putting their iPod in their ears. Some students feel “lost” without their cell phone on them at all times. Some adolescents play their portable video games constantly. All of these technologies create major disturbances in the classroom. As a novice teacher, it is important to know about these disturbances and how to deal with them in your classroom before they get out of control.


(Image retrieved from: http://kimandjason.com/blog/2007/11)

Who is causing the distractions?

According to The Adolescent, “In 2004 nearly half of all American teenagers owned their own cell phone; girls are slightly more likely then boys to do so” (Rice, 310). The issue of allowing students to have their cell phones in school is a very messy battle. On one hand, the parents and students feel much safer if they can have phones. They feel this way because of senseless violent acts that have happened in schools in the past. Parents also want their children to have phones in case their plans change. According to National School Debate, “84% want cell phone contact between themselves and their children during school hours if there are changes in schedules.” On the other hand, “66% are concerned their children will overuse text messaging or cell phone instead of focusing on school or homework. Parents are also worried about their kids using mobile access to inappropriate content such as pornography.”

As a teacher, you may or may not be familiar with all that a cell phone can do. More then likely, your students know everything there is to know about them. This is why it is so important to understand the distractions that the cell phone can cause in your class. The most basic distraction is that the ringing that the phone produces is a big problem. However, today students are using phones to cheat. They are taking pictures on their phones and sending them to friends. Some students also take inappropriate pictures of their classmates during class and starting vicious rumors. Students use their class time to text message their friends. Text messages are huge sources of bullying in schools. According to National School Debate, “Over 30% of parents believed their children will be exposed to mobile bullying or harassment.”

Cell phones are not the only technology that causes classroom disturbances. The iPod is another way that students entertain themselves in class. Students have the ability to watch movies and listen to music during class. Some students have also found ways to put their iPod in their clothes and have the speaker in their ear during an exam. This is an extreme form of cheating, but is a major disturbance in the classroom.

What can you do to prevent these distractions in your classroom?

As a novice teacher, it is important to let your class know about your rules regarding these technologies. Here are some rules that you should try in your classroom:

• Make it clear that the cell phones are to be put on silent during your class.
• If the cell phone rings, you could answer it or take it from the student for the class period.
• If your school allows students to have these technologies, have the students put them out on their desks or under their chairs. This way, you can see that they are not using them during class.
• If there are students abusing your rules, make sure you stop class and discuss with everyone how disruptive these technologies are.

As you can see, cell phones and iPods can be a major distraction in your classroom. However, the iPod can do much more than just play music. They can be a very great way to have your students learn creatively. The creator of the iPod, Apple, has become strong advocates of schools using iPods in education. Since adolescents today use these technologies so much, try these ideas to use them as an asset to your lessons:

• Record daily lessons so that your students can upload them and play them over and over again.
• Have your students record songs about the days lesson and play them for the class.
• Upload historic speeches from iTunes and listen to them in class.
• Visit iTunes.com and upload podcasts from grammar and math lessons to the Constitution.
• Save documents containing the daily notes and have students upload them to their iPods.
• Download a program called Quizzler Maker and create 10 question quizzes for your students to take on their iPods.

Using iPods to promote learning in your class can be a very helpful tool for your students! iPods are a portable way for your students to learn outside of the classroom. From music files to videos, iPods can bring excitement into your classroom. Please consider using these technologies in your lessons instead of fighting the fad. Overall, you as the teacher need to make the decision. Either you need to stand up and stick to your rules about cell phones, or incorporate them into the learning experience.

Talking Out of Turn

by Kelly Presmyk

Before adolescence, a child’s mind is very limited. They approach thinking very concretely. They cannot understand reasoning or consequences. Once adolescence hits, their brains are developing rapidly and they become more interested in socializing with their peers. According to Adolescent Development, students at this time become interested in the opposite sex. They need to talk to their friends about their girlfriends or boyfriends. Students talk about TV, music, sports, and food. All of these things that they have to talk about, they find time for in your classroom. This can be very disruptive!

Why?

According to an article by Ling, 53% of teachers listed “talking out of turn” as the most disruptive behavior in their classroom. This is a very disruptive behavior and there are many reasons why students talk during your class. There may be students in your class that are experiencing anxiety. They act out with disruptive behaviors in order to avoid the feelings of anxiety. According to Anxiety in Children and Adolescents, “the disruptive behavior is typically an action that helps the child avoid the anxiety-producing stimulus. This can include talking.” Other students find that talking is the only way that they can get attention. They get attention from you and from their peers when they are being called on to stop talking. Another reason for talking is that the students need to be accepted by others. They talk so that others don’t feel like they are outcasts. Some students talk to gain “status” among their peers. If they talk out in class, they are seen as the “cool” kid. Status is very important to adolescents because it also means that they are accepted and socially part of some group.

Here are some characteristics of students who disruptively talk in class:

• Student talks all the time
• Student talks out loud to them self
• Does not listen well
• Does not come to class prepared to learn
• Sometimes does not realize they are talking
• Student loves attention

Here are ways that talking out of turn is disruptive to your class:

• Teacher & students get annoyed of noise
• Students have trouble staying on task
• One student talking leads others to believe that they can talk too
• Time is taken away from lesson to discipline
• If student is not disciplined, they continue action daily
  

How to prevent and stop it

You have to be proactive with your discipline or the talking will continue and eventually become out of control. Here are some suggestions that you can use in your classroom to minimize the problem of talking out of turn:

• Set guidelines for your students about what is an appropriate time to talk. For example, let them know it is not okay to talk during lessons, but is okay during group work time.
• Before asking a question, remind the students that you want them to raise their hand quietly and wait to be called on before answering. If a student shouts out, then politely remind them that they were to raise their hand, and move on to another student who is following your directions.
• Change the seating arrangement in your classroom. Sit the talker among quieter students and try this. If this causes too much of a disruption to the quiet students learning, try another arrangement, for example, next to you.
• Try to give rewards verbally or physically for following directions and not talking.
• Allow student talking during group work, but make sure you are walking around and keeping students on track.
• Create signals so that your students realize when it is time to stop talking, and start listening.
• If the talking is consistent everyday, take the student aside and talk to them privately. This way this won’t burst their self esteem.

Cheating

by James Reardon

“Who will not be deceived must have as many eyes as hairs on his head” --Proverb

What is cheating?

“Academic cheating is defined as representing someone else’s work as your own. It can take many forms: from sharing another’s work to purchasing a term paper or test questions in advance, to paying another to take a test or do the work for you. Statistics show that academic cheating among high school and college students has risen dramatically during the past 50 years” (nocheating.org).

The first thing you need to know is that high school students have always cheated and the trend has been on the rise for the past twenty years. A poll conducted by Who’s Who Among American High School Students in 1998 revealed that eighty percent of America’s top students admitted that they had cheated, at least once, during the four years of high school.

Why students cheat:

Students cheat for various reasons but the most common reason seems to be due to the pressures of receiving good grades and attending a good college. Some students will do whatever it takes to succeed in life even if that means cheating.

“Early research indicates that cheating seems to have more to do with the particular situation than with the general honesty or dishonesty of the individual. Many students will cheat if the pressure to perform well is great and the chances of being caught are slim.” (Educational Psychology)

One of the advantages today’s students possess over the average teacher is their knowledge of technology and how to use it. The rapid advancement of computers, IPods, cell phones and hand held mini computers has given today’s adolescent a great advantage over today’s teacher. The use of the internet is a very effective tool which is being used to help many students better understand various topics. However, many students also use the internet to complete homework, essays, and write research papers. Most adolescents are well aware of the mass of information available on the internet and know how to copy and paste this information onto their paper. There are numerous websites that offer thousands of completed research papers for students for a fee.

How to prevent cheating in the classroom:

There are numerous actions and strategies a teacher can take that will help prevent cheating in the classroom as well as tools to deal with cheating if it does occur.

1. At the beginning of the year, you need to clearly define to your students what cheating means and the consequences they will face if caught cheating. It is important that you are very clear in your definition and that all the students clearly understand the rules regarding cheating.
2. I would also recommend that you create a written agreement for both the students and their parents to sign. This will serve two purposes: first, when you confront the student and the parents about the cheating, you will both have this agreement as a reference for the misconduct and second, the student becomes empowered to report any witnessed cheating. There will be parents who will defend their children and refuse to believe that their child would ever cheat. It is important that you are certain of the cheating before you approach a student or parent.
3. If the school allows you to set your own class rules, simply do not allow cell phones or iPods, as well as any other digital devices, during class time. This will quickly eliminate the technological advantages adolescents hold over most teachers.
4. Decide on the type of test you will administer and the arrangement of desks in the classroom. Multiple choice tests are the easiest tests to copy and essay tests are the most difficult. However, if you prefer multiple choice tests, there are ways you can help prevent cheating. For example, you can use the same exact questions and rearrange the order of the questions for two or three different tests. The more traditional style classroom which has rows of desks is more conducive to multiple choice tests. Obviously, you could change the arrangement of desks on test day, but your students may feel uncomfortable with the change.

Student’s Refusal to Follow Instructions or to Participate in Class

by James Reardon

What does not following instructions and refusing to participate mean?

Some adolescent behaviors, such as not following instructions or refusal to participate, are typical behaviors at various developmental stages. We know that children will have these behaviors at some point in their development and it usually corresponds with times of stress. When a student refuses to participate, he/she decides that they will not contribute in any way to class discussions or group projects. Student’s today are under more stress in the classroom and this creates a greater fear to participate.

“We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win situation by either giving the student alternative options to verbal participation (unless it’s speech class) or simply carefully coaxing some response out of them. Remember, some students are terrified to be in a class setting- especially if there are round tables rather than desks-allowing for little anonymity.” (Classroom Management)

Why students choose not to follow instruction or refuse to participate in class:


These two behaviors are ways an adolescent may decide to show his/her rebellious nature. A student may choose to not follow instructions because he/she may not know the material or may want to impress his/her classmates. It seems that the biggest reason student’s refuse to participate in class is the fear of being wrong or appearing stupid in front of their classmates. Students who have problems fitting in socially were also seen as more likely not to participate. As teachers, we need to recognize the impact one student, or group of students, may have upon another student in terms of their behavior and actions or non-actions.

How to resolve the problems of ignoring instructions and refusal to participate:


First, it is important that you do not let either behavior take you off track of your current lesson plan. You should ask the student to see you after class and you can discuss the problem one-on-one. Explain to the student the importance of following instructions and that if he/she continues this action, you will contact his/her parents to meet. There are numerous actions and strategies a teacher can take to encourage student participation in the classroom.

• Begin the year discussing the importance of student participation in the learning process. Also, tell the students that there are no dumb or bad ideas. There may be better ideas or solutions than the one suggested but every idea needs to be considered.
• After discussing the importance of following instructions and active student participation, decide on the weight you will give class participation on determining each students final grade. It is important to explain to the students exactly what positive class participation means to you. Positive class participation is not simply the act of talking but rather the act of trying to contribute positively to the class discussion.
• An important contributor to class participation is the alignment of the desks. It is important that you give this careful consideration prior to your first day of class. If the desks are moveable, you can alternate how the desks are aligned to encourage participation. Obviously, desks arranged in a circle, versus rows, will encourage more active participation from the students. If you feel that these strategies are not encouraging participation, inform the student’s parents of this behavior and ask for cooperation.

Tardiness

by Ashley Bishop

What is Tardiness?

Your school handbook should a include definition of what constitutes “tardy” for your school, but generally being “tardy” means coming to class more than a few minutes after the last bell has rung. Students who come late to class disrupt the learning environment for the other students, require more clerical work for the teacher and cost teaching time for everyone when a teacher must repeat information. But tardiness is more than just a disruption! More time in class has a direct effect on school achievement and performance on standardized tests. A direct correlation has also been found between chronic school tardiness and later chronic tardiness in the workforce ; so building good attendance habits now is vitally important for your students’ career success later!

Why are students late?

Don’t assume that a tardy student is a bad student! There may be reasons outside of the student’s control that cause him to be late or miss classes such as lack of transportation to school or having to care for a younger sibling. Sometimes the school itself is to blame: if you’re on a large campus the student may simply not have enough time to get from one class to another! Find out, first, what is causing the student to be tardy before jumping to conclusions. Some students are chronically tardy because they don’t see the value in school, particularly if they are already working outside of school. One teacher said of his student, “[He] couldn't believe I was holding him accountable for his tardiness. He thought high school should be like college: You go to class only if you want to.” Like violence, tardiness is also a form of rebellious behavior expected in certain social groups.

How can I prevent tardiness?

• Establish and post clear rules and consequences at the beginning of the year and then stick to them! Teens are hyper-aware of “fairness” issues and will notice if you apply rules to some students but not others. They will also quickly notice if you aren’t really keeping track of tardies! Let them know that you notice and care when they are late.
• Let parents know your rules and consequences and let them know you expect their help.
• Establish a regular habit of getting immediately to work. If students see that missing the first few minutes of class only means missing chit-chatting with their friends they won’t see the point in being on time.