Advice From a Teacher's Teacher
I just randomly came across a link to this blog on msn.com called "advice from a teacher's teacher." Notice the language.
An Epidemic
One of my better second year teachers (Kandice) recently wrote me that her class room was infected with “runnidus overthe mouthious” . It seems that the minute she begins to talk, it triggers an automatic talking response from the whole class. My first thought was to bandage the whole class, preferable duct tape. This is just a quick fix and really does not rid us of this virus but can get us in a lot of hot water.
So I began to research several alternatives:
The first step is preventative. We must inoculate against the virus. This comes in the form of clear stated rules that are enforced consistently. You have to do this every time because if it is allowed to escape just once, it becomes contagious and the process has to start all over.
What if you have one or two students who are immune to the inoculation? They keep re-infecting the class? This will take some individualized precautions. Talk to the students privately and give them a special hand signal to let them know you are aware of the behavior. Another alternative is to stand by the offender until they can cease the infection. I have even used a special behavioral plan that consists of tally marks on the desk. This takes a lot of time and effort but the key is not to stop your instruction as it is implemented.
Kandice ask for meditative breathing techniques, which can work but only for isolated cases. Take in a deep breath and try a long, dramatic pause. Then, if necessary, accompany your pause with an equally dramatic stare at the offenders. I call this the “evil eye”. Most seasoned teachers can give a look that chills the soul of any student.
Special Equipment can also be used. I have seen Stop Light Noise Meters or a homemade version that consist of a certain number of levels. Every time the class reaches an unacceptable level then fill in the meter. This gives a visual cue and assists you without stopping instruction. Consequences for reaching a certain level must be enforced.
A stop watch can be used to time the amount of disruption. They will need to pay you back for all the minutes you lose in clssroom instruction.
Sometimes it is just better to give in and put them in an active learning environment that encourages cooperative learning groups and engagement. If you have a certain amount of material you need to lecture , create an Anticipation/Reaction Guide or a Lecture Bingo Card.
posted by jodi m @ 9:38 PM
1 Comments:
How can this person call her/himself a teacher? I always recognized a teacher as someone who, at the very least, enjoys working with children and young adults, and as someone who cared about whether or not her/his students are learning.
There are several things I find appalling in this blog. First, the comparison of students' talking to a virus. Perhaps the teacher should not be talking at the students, but with them. However, a comparison like this warrants some anaylsis. If a singular student's voice is a 'virus', then we can consider the voices of many students an 'infection'. We can also consider the teacher's attempts to discourage talking as an 'antibiotic'. Now, if we know anything about 'disease' (the students' possible attempts to think critically), it would be obvious to this teacher that an antibiotic cannot cure a viral infection. A viral infection must run its course before it is cured.
The second thing that bothered me (among many, of which I will not be able to list all) was the prescribed methods for the teacher to "fix" the talking situation in her classroom. These students are being silenced by a teacher that cannot realize that they may want to contribute to their own education. I mean, the "evil eye"? Come on. All these students are going to learn from it is that their teacher is (for lack of a better word) a bitch, not participate in class, resist whatever she may try to teach them, and make fun of her outside of class. By treating these students as inferior beings, this teacher does no service to either herself or her students. And the "noise meters"? Do not treat your students like idiots. It is only going to make matters worse. All of the methods this "teacher's teacher" has prescribed seem to me as if they will only foster worse behavior and resentment. In my experience, resentment for a teacher often means resentment for the subject matter, no matter how relevant or interesting it may be.
Finally, the blogger says that as a 'last resort', it may be better to "give in" and place them in an active learning environment or cooperative learning groups. Why must this be the last resort? It seems from the blog that this is the type of interaction that these students need. They seem to want a forum for discussion and expression. If this teacher were smart, she would realize this and not discourage them from speaking, but encourage them to do so critically.
What a disheartening look at what some students face at school every day.
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