I
spent the summer poring over Pinterest (for teaching ideas, I swear!). One of
the areas in which my students need the most work is basic organizational
skills. I really like the strategies and activities that many of my AVID
teacher coworkers use, particularly the idea of using binders and regular
binder checks. I also adore the idea of interactive notebooks. I’m still
working out how to tailor this to a highly structured ELD curriculum and a
variety of language functions and tasks. (In each of my classes, we cover
vocabulary, grammar, writing, speaking skills, group collaboration, etc.)
Traditionally, it seems that interactive notebooks are done in composition
books, but I really prefer the flexibility of using three-ring binders.
Thanks
to an angel in the office, I was able to procure 156 three-inch binders. Not
only did I get binders, but each one also came fully stocked with divider tabs
and a pencil pouch replete with pencils, pens, highlighters and an eraser!
Score! :-D
At
this point, I plan on requiring the students to keep the notebook much like I
have my university students keep theirs. We have an area for class information
(syllabus, schedule, etc.) and separate sections for each topic covered over
the course of the semester. I think this will actually work out really well for
my kiddos. Plus, they will feel pretty grown up when I tell them it’s the same
format for my “big students” too.
Another
area in which we (the kids and I) need to work is tightening up the rules and
procedures so we don’t waste even a moment of instructional time. Even the good
days last year weren’t as fine-tuned as I would have liked. I created a list of
procedures as an addendum to my syllabus. In it, I outline the procedure for
each and every task throughout the day. Although this might seem like overkill
for middle schoolers, last year my kiddos struggled with basics like staying in
the classroom and not sharpening pencils when I was talking…). I think if I
outline everything now, it’ll make the year go much more smoothly.
Additionally,
I discovered the concept of Whole Brain Teaching and it seems like an amazing
option. It involves some routines and rules that engage different parts of the
brains and caters to students of varying learning modalities. They even have
information on working with particularly challenging students. Plus, all the
materials are free on their website, including videos and ebooks! Here’s the
link: http://WholeBrainTeaching.com/
I
also found some inspiration on YouTube (via Pinterest, of course) in the form
of videos of the entire first few days of school in a high school LA classroom.
The teacher is absolutely fantastic. He’s young and occasionally acts goofy
with the kids, but has complete and utter control of his class. As a
neuro-linguistics nerd, I totally appreciated the subtle language cues he uses
to reinforce what he’s saying. His
hypnotic patter was amazing! Dude, if you’re out there reading this, will you
marry me? Or can I at least pick your brain for more management ideas? ;)
My
final goal/resolution for the new school year is NO MORE YELLING. I did far
less yelling by the end of the year once the students’ behavior was more under
control, but it’s really not in my nature to raise my voice to kids. I think by
locking in those procedures, expectations early on, I’m well on my way to achieving
that goal. Fingers crossed!
