A New Year Reflection

Throughout any school year I have taught, I have acquired new knowledge, strategies, and resources that could help further shape my teaching. Instead of waiting for the next LTO to implement and adapt, I have decided to start as of next week when we all return to our lovely students. This post will contain a reflection of the changes I wish to implement in my current Grade 3 classroom. Kind of like  how we do 2 stars and a Wish with our students, I too will reflect on what is going well and what I would like to do differently.

Overview

• Birthday Wall
• Daily 5 Schedule 
• Morning Entry Routine
• Classroom Materials
• Computer Schedule
• Classroom Jobs
• Visual Schedule
• Mindfulness Area
• Kindness Inquiry
• Student Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
• @Educate.Invest.Inspire

Birthday Wall

This is something that I have seen done in one of the Kindergarten classes at our school back when I was a Designated Early Childhood Educator and I LOVED it! I was meaning to put it up during the first month/s of school but they just flew by! I finally got around to it on the last day before the break and I really recommend having one in your class. It is nice for the students to see themselves reflected in the classroom environment and it makes it easy for us as Teachers not to miss out on birthdays.

Daily 5 Schedule 

When I first implemented the Daily 5 schedule, I would continuously shift around each name, individually, each day. This over time was not sufficient for me, and after observing what other teachers in Primary were doing, I have adapted the schedule to be more efficient. 

Morning Entry Routine

Each day I am very consistent with the morning entry routines and often find myself having to repeat them even though they never change. I decided to record them on a piece of chart paper and I have posted it onto the whiteboard at the front of the class. Instead of repeating individual instructions multiple times, I am now just saying, "please show me 1, 2, 3, 4". This has been an effective strategy during our morning routine and I will be continuing it into the new year.

                          

Classroom Materials

I am still uncertain how classroom materials can disappear so quickly (mostly pencils). I have created 5 bins, 1 for each of the 5 table groups we have. In each bin contains a variety of needed classroom materials that the students at that table group can use as they wish. As a group, I had the students do a material count and create  their own material checklist. Each day a different member of the group will  be responsible for retrieving and returning the materials bin for their group. At the end of each day, as part of end of day routines, they are to go through the checklist to ensure they have all their materials. If anything is missing, they are encouraged to look around the classroom and also to ask other groups. This is a great responsibility task for the students and a great way to ensure everyone has what they need. 

Computer Schedule

Whenever there was an opportunity for free choice, many students would rush over to the computers and arguments would always occur for who was there first or who was not getting off when the timer was finished. I quickly realized that this needed some organization so that harmony could be restored. I decided that since we have 5 groups and we also have 5 days in the cycle, that the schedule would commence as follows:
Day 1- Group 1
Day 2- Group 2
Day 3- Group 3
Day 4- Group 4
Day 5- Group 5
This means that only that group could be on tech each day, which eliminated the arguments and unfairness of tech time. Not everyone in that group likes or wants to be on the computer, and you will often have empty computers. Some students may beg to play on the computers from other groups because they see it not being used. It is up to your discretion to let them play. I did in the beginning and quickly realized that it still caused the same issues, so in January when I go back I will be more firm on the schedule. This way, each student will have equal turns throughout the week-no one excluded and no more arguments over computers.

Classroom Jobs

The classroom jobs are a hit or miss. Some students actively fill their responsibility and some students disregard it completely. In my class, I choose names out of a container and when the student is called, they have the option to choose one of the available jobs listed or to go the following week (you can only postpone once, not multiple times in a row). I decided to add some pictures to the cardholders for each classroom job to make it look more appealing to my Grade 3's and it also helps to have a visual representation if you don't know what the word means. I also added brief descriptions of what each job entails, in case they forgot. Hopefully this draws more interest and we can continue to keep the class nice and tidy and running smoothly as a team!

Visual Schedule

At the beginning of the year, I had only posted words on the visual schedule for the students. I constantly had questions like "when is it lunch?" "when is it recess?" "do we have gym today?". I decided to also add pictures to each of the items on the schedule so that the students can make the association between the pictures and words- it looks nicer too!

Mindfulness Area

When I was a DECE working with Mrs. Dutt-Lym of KindieKorner, she taught me of the importance of spaces, including one where students can use it to self-regulate. I have carried this throughout my years as a DECE, and into a classroom Teacher with my own grade 3 class this year. However, I noticed that the area was not really being used. In January, I will be asking the students what they would like to see in the mindfulness area and how they would like to use it. Perhaps the student input will generate more use for the area and its materials. My grade partner Mrs. Gaffen shared a wonderful Zones of Regulation resource which I posted closer to the area so it can be utilized there.

Kindness Inquiry

In the new year, classes at Moraine Hills Public School are going to take part in individual kindness inquiries so that we can share our learning with the rest of the school. Each class will co-create and research their own inquiry question and document their learning throughout. Future blog post to follow about our class inquiry! Our Vice Principal Mrs. Cariglia-Bull and one of our teachers Mr. Harber had created the logo above for our school :) We also have had t-shirts made.

Student Self-Assessment and Goal Setting

Not only, is this a time for Educators to self-reflect on current teaching practices, but a time for our students to self-reflect as well. Visit "Capacity Building Series: Student Self-Assessment" for ways you can support this for your students.

@Educate.Invest.Inspire

Thank you for reading my first blog post of 2019! I look forward to sharing more of my learning journey with all of you. Please feel free to follow my other Educational Social Media Accounts by clicking on the links below:

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"Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success"- Richard Carlson 

& "We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience"-  John Dewey

~Mrs. Rose Marcelli-Najafi, OCT, RECE

Behaviour Management Strategies Part 2

Over the years as a Teacher, I have adapted certain behaviour management strategies that work best with varying situations. Each situation will require an individual response based on the severity of the situation and the student's history, triggers, etc. Below is a general outline of how I apply behaviour management strategies in my Grade 3 classroom.

To gather students attention

I like to use a clap sequence, rain stick, or TRIBES strategies to gather students attention, and this seems to work well. It is important to ensure you have the attention of all your students and you wait for quiet before giving instructions, otherwise you will find yourself repeating them several times.

A lesson during instructional time

I am a very calm and patient teacher, many little things such as fidgeting, do not bother me. However, if someone is disrupting a lesson during instructional time which prevents themselves or others from learning, that is not fair or kind. I always start with a warning which is usually a non-verbal cue or the students name. If they are still disrupting the lesson I show them the number 2 and tell them if they continue they will get a note home to their parents in their agenda. I may also ask them to relocate to a different spot on the carpet if their current spot is a distraction to them. If the disruption persists, then I ask for their agenda and write a quick note to their parents. This strategy has been very effective in my class so far and I will continue to use it. Another helpful strategy which I have not had to use too much this year, is the first/then approach (ie. first finish your work then you can play on the computer for 5 minutes). The reward can be any preferred activity of the student's choice.

Independent work period/free choice period

In contrast, if there was an issue happening during a work period it would look a bit differently. First step would still be a warning. Second step, I would speak with the child 1:1 at eye level and inquire about what has happened? how can I help? and discuss what will happen if the behaviour continues (this part is difficult to do during a lesson in instructional time because there is an audience present). Third would still be a quick note home to parents in the agenda. It is important for parents to understand how their child is learning and behaving at school.

A conflict between 2 or more students

If there was a conflict between 2 or more students, I like to use the YRDSB Restorative Approach. Find out what has happened? who was affected? what were you thinking or feeling? how can we make it right? what might you do differently next time? Depending on the severity of the situation, I would document and contact parents. There are some instances where I am unable to meet with the students to resolve this issue in a timely manner and I would contact the office for EA support. Our Educational Assistants at our school are really supporting and skilled in managing conflict resolution. 

CPI Support

In the event that the student has escalated their behaviour and are now harming themselves or others or may be threatening themselves or others, I would just call the office for CPI support. CPI would also be called if a student is displaying signs that they may be escalating. It is important to check if your students have a Safety Plan or Individual Action Plan and respond accordingly. 

Thank you for reading! A New Year Reflection blog post is coming shortly!

~Mrs. Rose Marcelli-Najafi, OCT, RECE