Information and Communication

If I had to describe this past week in one word it would be informative. This week not only did I get to know my students better but I also went to my first teachers’ in-service conference. At this conference teachers from the three district high schools presented on how they do best practices as teachers. I went to two and learned a lot about the Socratic method and motivating students. I also learned a lot about the different cultures in my classroom. My students learned a lot this past week as well, but if there is one thing my psychology students will take from our Friday class, its that Miss. Doesn’t like snakes.

I learned this week that communication with my students isn’t just verbal and it isn’t just in the classroom. Saying hi to my students in the hall way and using their names makes them feel like they aren’t just one in the crowd of students in a classroom. Another way I communicate with my students is to thank them by name for staying on task in my classroom. I’ve started to do this because it was suggested as one of the ways to get the students not working motivated to work. This along with marking their paper with a highlighter pen has been working extremely well in my government class. When I mark on my students paper with a highlighter pen it indicates to me that they were working with the time I gave to them when that paper gets handed in. That mark will go towards a participation grade. This new system I implemented about a two weeks ago has really been helping getting my students’ motivated to use their time wisely.

Now, I use non-verbal communication as much as I use verbal. This is especially true when my students need to stop talking and switch their focus back to me. The most effective way I have found to get my students to stop their own conversations and focus on me is to stop talking, sometimes turn off the lights, and wait until they refocus on me. Many of my students will do the quieting down for me and as my cooperating teacher says. The louder I get the louder my classroom gets and eventually I’m going to end up losing my voice and I will continue to have the problem. So I started simply just standing and waiting. It works pretty good. Another way I have been nonverbally communicating with my students is a smile when they walk in or as I’m circulating the classroom. I also go and simply stand next to my talkers or interrupters. They hate it but they get the message loud and clear.

My students in both my government and psychology classes have gotten many different opportunities to communicate with me and each other; verbally, non- verbally and written. Their notebooks are the main source for this communication. Most everything they share with me and the class they write in those notebooks. Once they write their answer to a question of the day or a question I ask them during class; I have several students share their answers with the class. Often times I have my students share with a partner as well. Both psychology and government have now had experience writing information down that they themselves have gone out and found. They have also experienced presenting that information to the class. They don’t like it much but they just need to practice.

One thing I do a lot as a teacher is listen. When I ask a question I am listening to how my students are relating the information to their lives. I also am listening and assessing how well my students understood a concept. I do a lot of listening when my students are in groups. Often times I’ve found myself solving little conflict issues my students have run into. The main way I’ve been listening this week is students who are talking to me before or after class about issues in their lives. I have been making it a point to talk to the students who are not themselves or are not participating the way they should and see what’s going on in their lives. This past week two of my students were gone for more than one day. They were both in the hospital. Effectively communicating with them involved being sympathetic but also gaining from them the best way to help them succeed now that they were back in my classroom. I also learned that my students are more accountable if they know I’m going to ask them how they are if their head is down or if they miss class. They don’t really like to lie to my face so I get much better behavior just by making sure I’m communicating with my students.

So far the last huge way I’ve been communicating with my students is feedback on handed in assignments and questions answered in class. The work I give my students to do is work that I can give them a lot of feedback on. Their assignments usually have red ink on it no matter if its excellent quality or poor quality. When they answer questions in class I pull out the parts of their answer that were right and I work with the students on finding all the right parts to that answer.

As for my goals this week:

1.      I know for sure I have my students names in psychology but now I really need to work on Government. 

2.      I have determined that my social life really isn't important in this phase of life, right now I need to focus on school and getting through this experience. I'm sure my friends will understand. 

3.      Grading took up most of my Friday and it takes up a lot of my time during the week but hey I got through 95 journals on Friday before I left school so I didn't have to tote them home and back. The only problem was I was at school Friday till 8pm. :( 

4.      Eating healthy flew out the window this past week but hey today is a fresh start. 

5.      My relationship with God is going well, I can see him working in my students lives and I'm glad he loves them as much as he loves me. 

6.      Sanity is really a fluid thing I would say, or at least I hope.

7.      Being the best teacher I can be, continues to include developing better relationships with my students, but also includes getting better at using best practices. 

8.      Job hunt, where to even begin, where do I even want to teach?

9.      Incorporating my aide is harder then I thought it would be because she is not as motivated to be incorporated as I thought she would be. 

10.  I did very well at using real world scenarios in each class. My students will not forget the bystander affect, or the main elements to attitude for a long time. :)

11. My new goal for this week is to communicate more effectively with my students when I am in front of the classroom. 

12. My second goal is one I learned about at the teacher fair for our in-service day. That is I want to be real with my students. This includes staying consistent and being open with them about who I am and what I expect from them. 

I think that is it for now, 

~Abby