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Lindsey Hancock
journals as their textbook to help assist them in any practice problems they may
have to solve. Mrs. Reid makes sure to highlight the main ideas over and over when
teaching her students the material and having them copy down the new
information. They really enjoy this method of learning because the students are
able to go back and refer to the notes they took without asking multiple questions
about the topic they are discussing.
ENTRY #2
Technique #3 Stretch It
Description This strategy is a one that can help stretch the students thinking
beyond just the right answer. Most of the time teachers will just answer the
questions with Yes or Good job! We as the teachers need to challenge our
students to push beyond just the right answer and ask them to think deeper. One
way to do this is to ask Why? and How? to really ensure that the students know
why that is the right answer. By asking a student to explain their answer, it is asking
them to stretch their knowledge and making sure they are really understanding the
information rather than just memorizing and repeating back information.
Observation/Implementation One way I have observed this strategy in the
classroom has been during math lessons. Mrs. Reid will always challenge her
students to take it one step further and think about how they found that answer.
Every morning, the students come in and do their morning work, which is math
problems. After they complete it, they go over the answers as a whole class.
Students will be asked to give an answer to the problem and explain why they used
that method of solving that problem. This strategy can work both ways with either
getting the right or wrong answer. If the student is right, it will allow them to
understand why it is right. If the answer is wrong, most of the time they will catch
their mistake in the explaining the why process and then will correct their answer.
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Most of the time, my 5th graders would not blurt out the answer and they would wait
to be called on. I would make sure to allow enough time for each student to come
up with an answer on their own and then be able to share it with the whole class.
My teacher at Irondale Community School has done a great job of using this
strategy throughout the day. She makes an effort to call upon different students and
not have the same child answer every single question. She holds them to a high
standard and expects them to not speak until they are called upon.
ENTRY #3
Technique #30 Tight Transitions
Description The tight transition strategy is one that is very useful in a highly
effective classroom. Students are held to a very high standard to make sure they
can be the most productive that they can be throughout the day. Having tight and
short transitions will allow for more learning time in the classroom. Teachers need to
take advantage of the time they have in the classroom. The most important
resource in the classroom is time and teachers should use this effectively. Moving
materials are also affected during transition time. Students have to carry different
materials between classrooms and teachers need to master this at the beginning of
the year to maximize time learning in the classroom.
Observation/Implementation Mrs. Reids 5th grade class has mastered the tight
transitions in the classroom. They are on a very tight schedule to maximize their
learning time. Each day they have 3 designated restroom breaks so that way the
students dont have to get up in the middle of teaching time to disrupt the class.
They are also 5th grade so they are able to move quicker to and from their specials
or from class to class. The 5th grade classes at Irondale Community School change
classes in the afternoon. They make sure to pack up their things before lunch so
that way they are able to move quickly and efficiently to the other classroom when
they return for lunch. I like the way Mrs. Reid established classroom transitions at
the beginning of the year so that way her students will have maximum learning
opportunities.
Technique # 29 Do Now
Description This strategy is used during the morning time for students to have an
assignment right as they enter the classroom. This gives the students an
opportunity to be hard at work before the teacher even enters the classroom
teaching new material or reviewing old material. This strategy is also very useful in
older grades because students are more independent and able to complete morning
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work on their own. The Do Now requires consistency and preparation on the
teachers part. Most of the time it is the same thing every day but it doesnt have to
be. Having consistency when entering the classroom can help students get into a
routine and know what to do.
Observation/Implementation I have seen this strategy being used in my classroom
at Irondale Community School. Upon entering the classroom, the students get out
their morning/daily work pages of math. Students immediately get to work after
unpacking their materials. They have a packet that my teacher hands out weekly for
them to keep in their binders. Students are required to keep up with their packet
throughout the week. After they complete their morning work, Mrs. Reid will go over
the worksheet to make sure they get the correct answers.
ENTRY #4
Technique #37 What to Do
Description This strategy is one to remember with all students. Students need to be
given explicit instruction on what to do and when to do it. Most of the time students
will get in trouble if they are sitting around doing nothing because they dont know
what they are suppose to be doing. A good teacher will provide instructions of what
they should be doing rather than telling them what they should not be doing when
they are just sitting around staring off into space. When teachers make a critical
distinction between defiance and incompetence, this will have a pervasive effect on
the classroom culture and the relationship between her and her students.
Instructions must be specific, concrete, sequential and observable.
Observation/Implementation Mrs. Reid does a great job at providing her students
with explicit instruction each day in her classroom. During the morning time, she
requires them to complete the 4 to 5 math problems in their daily work and then
has another option in a folder at the front for the students to complete after they
are finished. She has set up these rule and guidelines of what to do in the classroom
a the beginning of the year to ensure that each student can get the best education
that he or she can possibly have in the amount of time they have at school.
Because they are in 5th grade, she holds the to a very high standard and provides
specific, concrete, sequential instruction that she is able to observe throughout the
classroom daily.
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Description This strategy holds all of the students to a very high standard. It is
expecting all 100 percent of them to meet the rules and regulations of the
classroom. By expecting all of her student in the classroom to meet these
requirements the teacher is establishing her authority in the classroom from the
beginning. Using this strategy in the classroom can help establish a positive
atmosphere in the classroom as well. If students are following directions, they will
learn what they need to and have a good classroom experience. The teacher needs
to have all authority in the classroom, and once she is respected and holds students
to that high standard, students will have the best experience possible.
Observation/Implementation Following directions is not an option in Mrs. Reids
classroom. They have a system in place to hold students accountable for their
behavior. They have a red folder that follows the class around to specials and any
other activities around the school. Students can receive checks if they are talking
out of turn or not following directions as told. If the student receives 4 checks
throughout the week, they will be in detention on Friday. If they follow the rules set
in place, they will be able to participate in Fun Friday. This system allows not only
the classroom teacher to have all authority but also any teacher that they visit to
have the authority as well. Students respond well to this system and know what
rules and procedures to follow when they are in the classroom as well as with
another teacher at a special.
ENTRY #5
Technique #23 Call and Response
Description Call and Response is probably one of the most common strategies that
teachers use in their classrooms. This is when a teacher will call out a question and
the whole class will respond in unison with the answer. There are many different
examples of how this strategy can be used in the classroom effectively. There are
five levels of call and response and they include: repeat, report, reinforce, review,
and solve. These are all very different ways to make sure the class is on the same
page. Some steps are very simple, like just repeating what the teacher said, but
some require more thinking, like reviewing all they have learned on a particular
subject or what they have learned the past few days.
Observation/Implementation During morning work check time, Mrs. Reid allows the
class to call out the right answer sometimes when she asks a question. She will
have a student who called out that answer go further into detail about how they
came to that conclusion. Another way this strategy is used in the classroom would
be when she splits them into groups and has them answer different questions and
the group will answer in unison because they have worked on the problem together.
Then she will have one student explain their answer. Sometimes she will also have
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them relate the information they are learning in one subject back to another subject
or even something they have learned recently.