I have recently moved to my second placement for my O&P class. I have recently started in Crawford, Nebraska with a kindergarten class. I had never seen a kindergarten class before besides when I was that age. I thought this was the perfect time to see how someone manages a group of students that young. I can only learn so much from reading online so learning first hand has been great.
So far in this classroom these kids respond so well to everything the teacher asks of them. I have notice that school wide the thing that gets the students is saying class, class and the students respond to yes, yes. I loved this tactic because so many teachers try to talk over the students and nothing gets accomplished. The students think it is great and respond so well. In addition, other ways she gets the students attention is by rhyming phrases. It is fun for them and keeps them excited about what is going on in the classroom.
I have also noticed other things in this classroom in my time there. She expects the students to be very respectful to her and each other. Even at such a young age she has them say please and thank you to everything. I really loved the fact that when they go to answer a question from her that she has them stand and deliver their answers. They have to stand up straight and speak in a loud voice. I had never seen a teacher do this before but I loved it! I feel that at a young age students are learning how to respond and be confident in their answers by doing it this way.
She has classroom jobs for the students as well. She has someone be the line leader. They know their role. In addition, when they left the other day they were not being quiet. She would make them sit down and they would wait to be called on again to line up at the door. She dismissed them by what they were wearing. I thought that making them sit down and trying it again made them learn to follow directions.
I go back to this classroom one more time next before my time there comes to an end. I am so excited to see what I learn next time I got. I have learned so much this far and I am feeling more prepared each time. For more information about the Crawford Public Schools click here.
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Great post! I love that you are getting out there to experience it first hand. It is way different seeing all of these ideas online and then going to the classroom seeing it in person, working or not working.
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Having designated jobs for individual students can be a great way to help allievate certain children from getting off task. One thing to remember is that when dealing with classroom management, it is always easier to ease up than it is to try to become more “strict”. Once you set a tone for the year, it is hard to change it. I enjoyed reading you blog this week!
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As a future high school English teacher, it is interesting to read about classroom management techniques in elementary classrooms. Out of all you have listed here, I especially love how you mention the teacher has her students stand up whenever they speak in class. Not only does it provide for routine, but like you said it helps those children to have confidence in themselves. I hope you enjoy your last day with the kindergartners for O&P!
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I love your reflections on the Kindergartners at Crawford Elementary School. I work on a daily basis with two preschool teachers. I feel that the best way to be the best teacher you can be is through hands on observation and experience. Many of the techniques you talked about work nicely with preschools as well. I have also found that having students help keep the room and their desks clean helps to keep the mind focused as well. Lining up based on what they are wearing is a wonderful tactic. For younger ages lining up based on different colors is a wonderful way to help students memorize their colors. I also think each student having a line number helps with their numbering skills as well. Of the techniques you learned about, which do you think you would use the more efficiently in your classroom?
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