Questions for each chapter
Please answer these questions for EACH chapter (based on the number of chapters depending on your grade level book):
1. Based on the information in this chapter, what should we doing differently in our classrooms and schools? In what ways might your suggest we start making the changes needed if we are to meet the needs of all students?
2. In what ways might your translate the principles presented in the chapter into practical, everyday useful methods?
3. If you were to plan your next steps for making your curriculum more brain compatible what would I be seeing you do differently in your classes?
Question 1: Providing routine to the students throughout the day is essential for learning as the brain seeks order and patterns. Routines reduce frustration and confusion. It is important to create expectations and organized procedures for the classroom. We need to decide what we need to put in place to help them thrive instead of focusing on what we want them to do. One important thing to do is state the expectations of the classroom in a simple, positive manner instead of having classroom rules. It is equally important to make sure we teach our students what common courtesy is. Also, it is important as teachers, to develop procedures that are clear in organized so students know what exactly to do in various situations. Just as important as developing procedures, is to model, coach, and help the students learn these procedures. Procedures are different from instructions in that procedures define the social part of the activities and instructions are more tasked-related.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: Practical methods include create a poster with a simple, positive message about expectations, role play different situations in which manners are involved, make sure procedures are brief, positive, and start with a verb, make sure procedures are no more than five/six steps, and give students practice in writing step by having them give directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Question 3: I need to start make sure the kids know the routine throughout my therapy sessions, rather than just coming and leaving speech. I always make sure they know that routine, but next year I need to focus helping my kids learn the different routines for the other activities we complete in therapy and continue to practice and model these for the students until they learn them.
1. So many times we walk into classrooms that look like it is out of control. In some cases it is, in others it is organized chaos! However, it is very important (as highlighted in the chapter) that classrooms have routines and procedures to truly create an effective classroom. Rules and expectations need to be created together and collaboratively because they are going to be the ones following and enforcing them. This is important because kids need to know what is expected and have a teacher and setting that is predictable. With predictable, comes procedures. Procedures need to be created for almost everything possible. How to sharpen a pencil, line up, asking a question, listening, etc… Again, there are a ton of ways to set your routines and procedures, teachers need to find a way that work for them as establishing and determining what how the procedure is going to work is up to the individual teacher.
ReplyDelete2. The chapter was filled with practical ideas that teachers can do. This is always a great reminder during the summer for staff because routines and procedures must be set immediately when the kids come in the fall. All teachers need to set their expectations and the chapter outlines several expectations. These fall under: respect, responsibility, and doing their best. The routines that I think schools and teachers need to establish right away would be: Direct Instruction expectations, morning routines (beginning of class), finding help, and asking permission to leave, sharpen pencil, etc…
3. My husband is a principal and he has me very interested in implanting Rick Smith’s Conscious Classroom management techniques. It gets more specific on the “how” but is filled with very much of the same content as the book does. You will see me next fall having all sorts of new routines and procedures for my kids. We will go through a routine to get quiet (using chimes), I will set a procedure for outlining directions (1, 2, 3, Go), and there will also be an opener on the board everyday when students enter so they can begin working and the class routines then begin.
It is funny how there are procedures for even the simplest things, like you said, how to sharpen a pencil!
ReplyDelete1,2 &3
ReplyDeleteThis chapter spends a lot of time giving the scientific explanation to teen behavior. Harry Wong wrote a book that is great for putting this information into practice.
Teachers that are successful spend the first few days going over procedures on how the class will run.
If you set up procedures, you ovoid disciplining students and you can then manage it. You have to simply remind student to follow the procedure and the managment is not personal.
Chapter 4: “Secrets of the Teenage Brain”
ReplyDeleteChapter four discusses the communication aspects of the teen brain. When teens say that no one understands them, this can actually be the case. Adolescents brain is just developing the ability to fully communicate between two hemispheres. Teens may hear a disproportionate amount of criticism. Teachers understand that timely feedback is important in the learning process. So how can teachers give students feedback with out having them shut down? I believe teachers can do this a few different ways. One way is to preface the comments you or students are about to make. Teachers could also have students turn around when they are giving feedback. Another option would be to made positive comments every time constructive criticism is given.
The frontal lobes, higher level thinking skills, and the amygdala, emotional center of the brain, can be controlling the teenage brain at any given time. The amygdala can put the brain in a fight or flight mode. That is why it is so important for teachers to understand the emotional importance in the classroom. Another area the amygdala controls is the reading of body language and facial expressions. When I read this I thought about students with autism. Is there a difference in the amygdala in students with autism?
When there are complications with the brain it can be hard for people to understand (if there are no physical signs of this). I work with students who have learning disabilities and it can be tough to have other teachers understand how the learning disability doesn't necessarily interfere with their intelligences and students usually don't just out grow it. It can be easier to explain when a student has a physical disability because it is visible. The brain is complicated and I am so glad more research is being done on it. Understanding of the brain can be helpful when discussing learning disabilities.
Understanding the effects of stress on the brain can help teachers understand how they themselves may forget basic things under stress and how teenagers can feel this way on a daily basis sometimes. I have definitely had moments of major stress where I can't recall my pin number or a password. Having this analogy can help teachers understand where students are at sometimes. Especially during the end of the semester. Proactive planning (by teachers and aministrators) during the end of the semester can help ease some stress on students.