If You Want to Learn Something -- Teach it!

That's good advice.  Giving your students opportunities to "teach" each other gives them chances to exercise many skills and build their abilities as leaders and persuasive speakers.  Whether working in pairs or reporting to the whole class, writing an essay or short story, or debating a point, give students opportunities to engage with content and feed it back.

One final point:  HOW your students may solve problems or interpret your directions and assignments can be a surprise - usually pleasant but sometimes not.  You may have a clear idea of how you expect they will answer questions, perform in role plays, etc.  But they may have "filters" to do with their own background and limited experiences of life.  They may come up with very imaginative solutions to problems.  Perspectives, attitudes, degrees of maturity all affect problem-solving in children as well as adults.  Remaining open and really listening to the students as they share their interpretations can be the best teaching.

Give them problems to resolve.  Let them use their creativity and critical thinking skills to solve problems in their own ways.  Getting students to "take ownership" of content and problem-solve independently can provide important insights and lessons for both students and teacher.

One of the pleasures of teaching is seeing your students gain greater confidence through successfully resolving various problems.  Help them succeed by giving them the freedom to fail.  And teach them to persist!

All the best,

Steve 

Teachers Pay Teachers

Classroom Rules

Author: Steve Hiles

There are many different schools of thought regarding classroom rules.  There are teachers who let the children decide on the rules and how they will be implemented.  Other teachers have rules already in place that they expect to have followed.

This is strictly 'teacher preference' and both methods have merit.  You may wish to use both!

Student Discussions of Class Rules

Letting the students decide on the rules provides for 'buy-in' and ownership of the process, whereas having rules already in place enables the class to 'hit the ground running.'  Either way, it is you call -- there is nothing saying that you cannot do both as the year progresses.

I would, however, keep the number of rules down to 3 or 4, especially during the first days of school.

You  might wish to start with your own "ground rules."  These are things that are important to you to maintain control and support your teaching.  You can tell the students at the start that later on that week or later in the term, they will be asked to discuss and develop a new set of class rules.  If you choose to do both, students will have a chance to "try out" the rules and to think about what is important to them for a pleasant classroom experience in the classroom.

In the first days, making the class rules the central focus of the class hours can be very fruitful.  Give the students a chance to discuss the reasons and purpose for a given rule, the disasters it might help prevent, and the consequences if a rule is not followed.  Keep asking questions and help the students to imagine circumstances in which the rules help.

ACTIVITY: First Day Focus on Class Rules

One of my first day activities involves the children in discussion of the rules.  I supply art materials -- paper, colored markers or pencils, etc.  -- so that they can illustrate what each rule "looks like."  I give them different settings and ask, "What does this rule look like in the classroom?  In the hallway?  In the cafeteria?  On the playground?"

After the students have had the chance  to draw or write comments, as a whole group, we compile information on a chart.  I keep the chart posted where it is visible and use it to reinforce the rules during the first weeks.

Please bear in mind that it may become necessary to have sessions to "Review the Class Rules" later in the school year, especially after Fall/Winter or Spring breaks.  Students often seem to forget (or choose not to remember) the rules that they followed before the holidays.

A final thought about rules...

Not only do class rules need to be taught, modeled and rehearsed to be truly effective, but the teacher needs to be consistent and fair in applying them.

What I have found with respect to Class Rules is that spending a lot of time on the rules upfront during the first days of school, and reviewing them often in the early weeks, helps avoid ongoing headaches through out the rest of the year!

All the best,

Steve