Professional studies - Classroom management & lesson planning

Aims of the session 

}Define ‘Classroom Management’

}Raw ingredients

}Cardinal sins

}Voice and body language

}Language

}Follow up

}Low, medium, high strategies

Initial tips and points:

Start lessons with a question
- This enables us to see what their baseline understanding and knowledge is at the beginning of a lesson. This re-engages them with the topic and allows us to asses memory. 

Progress Windows
- phrase on board, totally different language. This is a metaphor that allows a teacher to grasp the knowledge and understanding of the student sin the class.
- progress board at the back of the class. 
- ask students to put a post it note with their name on, on the board next to one of the following phrases; "Are you speaking swahili?" "I think i understand what you're saying", " I understand, I can speak that language a bit", "move over teacher, Im fluent"
(or something to this effect)
-throughout the hour you can between elements of the session, ask them to move the paper along the line.those who are left not having a clue you know to focus on more next time etc

You can use colour coded sticky notes also, maybe pupil premium kids could have blue and black, low achievers could have grey and white, high achievers could have pink and yellow.
you would have to colour code it so that they didnt know they were being grouped so give each group two colour choices, but you still know what they mean?

Questions
-Have questions that you want to pose to the students written down in notes or on a hand held devise/ipad, so that you have them to go along with your powerpoint and can prompt yourself

Words around the top of the classroom
-Words on laminated sheets around the top of the classroom such as, "however", "because", "on the other hand", "An example of this would be" etc,
-you could ask a student a question, let them answer, then say right, lets go over here (pointing to the word around the room, for example "on the other hand") and go to the next student. 
This is an amusing and engaging method for teaching.

Make it into a competition
-split the class into two, and reward all good communication, ideas and behaviour with a point. at the end of the lesson the team who wins get a point on system? point toward a prize etc. bad behaviour can make you lose a point, this could encourage team work and increase peer pressure to dismiss troublesome behaviour.

Make it exciting and engaging with a timer
-give them a countdown! "think of five objects you could out in your stationary holder" (20 seconds...) "GO!" "now... write them down (20 seconds...) GO!"
- do the countdown
This makes it a challenge, there is a sense of urgency but in fact there is plenty of time. making the lesson fun would cheer them up, engage them, new energy etc
You can also use timers in powerpoint!

Use Dweck
- Encourage and reward behaviour, encourage and reward effort. Effort is key. this is universal regardless of ability. with effort COMES ability. Effort is never a detriment. Make time and room for those who try hard.
"You should be very proud of how hard ou have worked today, well done"
- On the other hand, show dissapointment and perhaps some sadness/melancholy over underachievement. this doesnt feed any attention seeking behaviour, just shows youre actually sad for THEM that they havent tried hard this lesson. offer to help, but in their time.

Shouting makes for more shouting
-If your volume is forever in the air, they wont react accordingly when you need them to!

I really like that
-Dont be stagnent, walk around and look at their work, encourage and reward any goodness! "I really like that", the student will automatically feel that they can contribute in the follow on task because you have already told them that their idea is good and right. this allows for a free flowing lesson and dynamic throughout. Plus, they should feel happy and proud to share. 

Build your score

-everyone pick a red (this is easy questions, and has a smaller reward... eg, 5 points)
-give the students the option to then pick from a range of other colour coded questions or tasks etc that get progressively harder but higher in points value.
-team or person with the highest score wins.
This is reinforcing Dwecks theory in a way because you are rewarding the effort with higher points for picking more challenging questions. but also allows less confident or strategic play where many simple questions could be answered but you would need to complete significantly more.

Interactive and oldschool can be hand in hand and can be as good as a modern/tech approach. For example. there is a programme for creating triangles etc, and you measure lines and drag etc. but in reality the students will remember nicely if you took out to the playground with a piece of string and chalk.also,
THEY can do it themselves which reinforces learning.

One class specifically had a thinking pose so when teacher asks them to think about something they get into their pose and consider.

Talking stick/teddy/object
Only one person speaks at a time while holding the object such as a teddy etc,

Think of a person perhaps its someone related to your field... so, picasso, or the work etc. the others have to guess who it is or what it is your thinking of. 
the teacher can pose these questions also for example... im thinkning of someone who uses bright colours, someone who used thick blobs for van gogh
or, im thinknig of a wood that is dark, its lines are close together etc for mahogony

Use the register for tasks? 

Stamps... order stamps online to reward hard work and whoever has the most stamps at the end of term wins something?

See activities for teaching and learning

Think about physical presence in the classroom, own that space! Talk from the back of a class looking at a powerpoint, that way you can read it but also see the back of their heads to monitor chatting etc.

Draw a line under negatve issues and behaviour at the end of the class. try and hone in on anything good that the student does next time. look as though you are really trying to encourage good behaviour and stick to it! let them know their behaviour from last time is forgotten and we start fresh.

Body language, thumbs up etc 

Get photos and a table plan together so you can begin getting on top of names

Remember to try and engage with every student along the lesson and make effort to get each sudetn to have an input.

Empathise with all excuses! even if that child has been late before for example, do not make a mockery of them or pay attention to it. Try and allow them to come in quietly and sit down and come to them afterword. they could have been in pastoral etc.

give them a revision task as often as possible to reinforce learning





Use lesson objectives as a lock screen item on computers!

Measuring understanding tools
Progress windows
Mindmap colour answer measurement and progress
Thermometer, dry wipe
progress chart with sticky magnet pictures of how far along their work they have come so far in terms of practical.



Always probe 
- "Whats the definition of infinity, what does it mean?" 
- (usually silly) student answers... "The back of cereal puffs"

This could turn in two directions. Most likely response would be "stop being silly" then moving on to another student. Always probe even daft answers...
- There's a picture of character holding a box of cereal puffs, with a picture on of character holding a paxck of cereal puffs etc"

Greet at door, don't ever "flap" at the computer, build rapore instantly as soon as students come through the door. this establishes an organised and routine presence that has continuity.Also this enables us to monitor behaviour instantly. Check uniform and silliness etc.

Could get students to always stand behind desks first before you come in and sit down. this establishes a sense of control and respect
Leaving routine the same... this allows time to congratulate and reward positive behaviour.

can do multiple choice questions at the end of the lesson, reinforcing knowledge gained from session and allow them to leave in order of answering correctly?

End task, multiple choice about today, they answer it quickly, or it could be a quick end task thats really easy to mark making your life easier but checking their knowledge easily, give a small task in their books, why do you think this etc, or.. yes, now... elaborate. This also then sets up for the following lesson an entry task. 
"Hello, here's your books, see your end task from last week and read your feedback while I take the register"

Contribution to the lesson in a positive way put their name in the tub and at the end of the week do a lucky dip. this means that the more times you contribute the higher the likelihood you will win a prize. promoting good behaviour and engagement.

Independence
30-70% teacher to student percentage of input in class
summarise rather than waffling on. direct commands and expectations
Always have objectives clear and concise.

effective group work
- small groups or pairs because larger groups dont actually work as well. you need a lot for them to do if in a larger group. they will inevitably get distracted or bored. 

independent learning
-training students to be independent and think on their own about what they've learned

Challenge
its important to challenge them, get the stuck sometimes so they begin to think and engage in the challenge of escape!

Questioning
Socratic questioning SEE WORDS AROUND THE ROOM

Engagement
active learning
new technologies
motivating activities
Pace: Have you made effective use of lesson time? 2 mins on this and that, short blocks and a twenty minute activity for example.
Get an ipad for use in class with PP

NOVA ELEMENTS
PUPPET PALS

Use the characters to make a story to explain certain things, for example i created a short clip on soft/hard/man made woods using a princess and a squirrel and discussed the sustainability of woods by asking him to only gnaw down softwood trees because they grow back faster and we can use that material for a wider variety of things.
We even as adults were really engaged and focused on the task at hand. could set this as a 15 minute task broken into 10-5 minutes.

great for kids story homework tasks etc. can you get it on a smart phone?

QUIZLET

Had a go on quizlet, there are resources readily available to utilise such as online games with built in questions etc where you save the planet from asteroids by answering the questions, flashcards you can use digitaly or print etc. see more when lesson planning


CLASS DOJO

see account!!!

uses a simple system of uploading a register so each student has a profile, you can then reward the character/avatar and it makes little gfestures and sounds. you can also punish it, at the end there is a total etc. you could say that every one that ends on -5 loses a point on the system and everyone that is +5 gains one. you could make this shorter term also to be more engaging ie at the end of every three lessons there is a prize, or maybe a silly punishment? like that person has to give a 1 minute presentation of the subject we have been covering?
it also links to parents but i would have to enquire as to whether i can do this.

seperate behaviour from the person and work
Reward hard work and effort




Feedback
Quick activities for progress - Mind-maps, question and answer tasks, ask the same question or mind-map pose question a few times during the lesson and change the colour of the answer "post it"notes so visual aid for progress understanding.

Assessment for learning - short, medium, long term assessment to show next steps and stages

Action on feedback - giving students the opportunity to make improvements on what they have contributed.


Subject knowledge will always earn you the most respect.

Go through and take twenty minutes a week to reward a star student. stick to it and give them what they deserve!





LESSON PLANNING

Work with mentor 48 hours before in order to be fully prepared, test it out in the room etc.
tables
mindmaps diagrams
could be easier to mark, remember that!

what is in the lesson plan?
apply this to my observations

ALWAYS have objectives really clear. this is a tool for measuring that each lesson the students have achieved understod etc use an activity alongside that as a visual clue for teaching? like, each students face moving along a board etc

have an aim such as 
All students must be able to do this
all students should be able
all students could have a go

build up lessons in the same way as bloom, see the new grading system. 
I can identify this
I can explain or apply
i can have a go at analysing an alternative and evaluating something different etc

dont rely on them to bring equipment when you ask them to

news articles
samples of wood
watch videos on youtube and cbbc
get them to write a poem about the topic... such as types of wood!
do the drawings
teacher student quiz.

brainstoem or chart with options such as 
I would like to get better at
I have learned
I have got better at

evaluating their own learning

personal aims... put a sticky note in their book at the beginning of term that is a personal aim or wish for themselves in terms of their work etc.

use images and visual aid where possible

card sorting?

use metaphors... ie- iron man as a demo of innovation

art and fractions... the amount in thirds or quarters of mixed colours such as 1/4 yellow-red.. ratios

confidence and self esteem -  how do we get this to grow
how do we teach them to deal with failure growth and reslience nurturing

what can we link in that they identify with? music/films etc

TUTOR TO YOU

Timers on powerpoint!