It is important to remember to encourage students and “catch them being good”. Especially when students are offered free choice, as in Daily 5, a teacher might only comment on students’ behavior when they are not following the rules. To do so is to miss opportunities for positive reinforcement. When you think about it, it doesn't make a lot of sense to give exact, specific directions, and then provide feedback only when those directions are not followed. It's like grading a test, but only marking the wrong answers, taking the correct ones for granted. The students should get credit for what they do right and acknowledgement from the teacher will reinforce behavior that meets expectations.
Positive behaviors I will look for during Daily 5:
- Choosing a good spot
- Sitting elbow-elbow-knee-knee during read-to-someone
- Getting started right away
- Working the whole time
- Sharing books, computers, and materials
- Collaborating with peers on writing and editing
My ELL students have a standing homework assignment to read books on the subscription service Raz-Kids. The site is quite helpful for ELLs as the books are leveled, and it lets them follow along with a fluent reading of the book, read it themselves, then take a comprehension quiz before moving on. Through the year, I worked to get kids doing 1 hour of raz-kids per week. Eventually, all but a few got there, I think as our relationship developed and the started to see the results of their work with me. Next year I want there to be more consistency, I want to get there faster, and I don’t want low-expectations to squeak by.
I’m going to make a chart where students get a sticker or stamp every week they complete their reading homework. Alternatively, I could just set up a separate Class Dojo for my ELLs and use that. The rewards they earn will mostly be along the lines of special privileges, but I will calculate an appropriate goal to work toward collectively, and reward them with an ELL party at the end of the year if they reach it.
I also want to involve parents more next year. Many of our parents live in other countries and speak no English, but I want to make an effort to establish contact with as many as I can at the start of the year. Their learning English is a main reason kid get sent to our school, but I believe many of the parents are reticent to take part, not having had a Western education themselves. One idea is to have 10 or so messages pre-translated into Chinese. We might not have much of a dialogue, but at least I could ask for help with homework or behavior, and let the students see their teacher and parents at least trying to work together.
Probably a teacher’s greatest advantage in managing student behavior is understanding it. Over the school year, I’ve developed relationships with my students- I know who their friends are, their hobbies and interests, and what they respond to in the classroom both positively and negatively. My colleagues in elementary have been getting to know the same. As we’ve gained experience with this group of personalities, we’ve become increasingly proactive in managing our classrooms. Certain students don’t need to be seated together, other groups work well together. When working with small groups, we know what students and what areas of the room we need to keep in our peripheral vision. Our ability to preempt misbehavior will increase the more we know, and this is why we share information on our students (with such aloof parents, teachers piece together a student’s background from what they let slip). Participation in after-school activities also deepen our understanding of our students as individuals.
I find that students who have spent time in class with me know what kind of behavior I expect, so that looking in their direction, or starting to move towards them, can be enough to stop problematic behavior. When such behavior persists, particularly if it affects other students’ learning, we will generally take time off their recess. We are careful not to ask them to catch up on missed work or let them read while they are sitting out. We don’t want to create an association between learning and punishment
An in-class time out seat might work better. I liked what it said in the Marzano text about a student on time out “demonstrating their willingness to rejoin the class by attending to the academic activities that are occurring”. This approach gives the student a better chance to correct the behavior promptly, and I think they are less likely to be resentful and defy the rules despite the punishment. I guess you could say it’s more of a rehabilitative than punitive approach.
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