In previous
columns, I have addressed my research and recommendations for the first day of
school. This column is going to address
how effective teachers behave during the first week of school to make sure
students follow the rules and learn the routines that improve student
engagement and learning.
*Now that you are into the first
week, what you said and did on the first day becomes a constant reference
point. “Remember on the first day of
class I discussed the rules of our classroom.”
*Effective classroom teachers
“teach” the opening routines of their classrooms to insure that students engage
quickly at the beginning of the session.
They have students’ practice what is expected of them. If you see
something that you do not like, stop what you are doing and fix it. The stopping and fixing communicates that you
are serious.
*During the first week, effective
classroom teachers review and hold students accountable for appropriate opening
activity behaviors. They insist on students’ attention, quiet, direct eye
contact and readiness. They don’t start any instructions until they have
everyone’s full attention. If a student
does not get ready, the teacher will often move toward them or say their name
to get their attention. “John, we are ready to start.” Experienced teachers start sessions standing
close to particularly difficult students to “pre-cue” them. These students “feel” the teacher’s presence
and feel more accountable.
*Novice teachers start giving
directions for activities before everyone is quiet and listening. They try to talk over students. They are forced to raise their voice and have
to answer many questions later in the activity. Why? Because the same students were not listening
during the opening. Novices simply start
talking too soon. You should get the
class quiet before you start saying anything.
“Let me have your eyes” is a traditional lower grade verbal prompt.
*Effective teachers make sure that
routines like coming into the classroom, starting the class, asking questions,
transitioning from one activity to another, moving about the room, passing out
and in papers, working in small groups, answering questions and leaving the
room are working with the appropriate levels of noise and efficiency. If they are not, then they stop the class,
explain their expectations again and start the routine again. This process
takes longer the lower the grade level. By the time a student is in junior high
school they know what is expected. They
just want to see if YOU do!
*Effective teachers know what noise
level is appropriate in each activity.
Openings should be quiet. No
talking. Purposeful group work may have
a busy noise level. Transitions might be a little noisier. Tests should be quiet. When the teacher is talking or another student
is asking or answering a question, students should be quiet. Students form impressions about a novice
teacher’s competence based on their ability to manage noise levels. Insist on the proper level of noise for each activity.
*Ask yourself this question: If you could decrease your class by one
student, who would it be? These students
are often talkative and out of rhythm with the class. They don’t get their work done. They are disruptive and seem to know just when
to cause a problem and how to do it. They
are usually, but not always, students who have difficulty performing in school.
They usually influence other students
negatively. You learn their name quickly,
but for the wrong reasons. You have to
speak to them, remind them, quiet them down, separate them from others, and pay
much more attention to them than you would like. These are the high maintenance students that
need to be managed in the first week or they will become more serious
problems. You do not want other students
in the class to think that their behavior is acceptable.
I have some
suggestions for gaining influence with these high maintenance students. I am going to review some of them so you can
have a good first week.
*Teacher Conference: Talk
with other teachers about this student immediately. They may offer some proven
insights or strategies that can help you.
You are not the only one that has been challenged by this student.
*Observe the Student: Watch
this student to see who he or she talks with, influences, travels with in the
halls, meets after school or is friends with.
Social groups can tell you who is influencing them.
*Establish Proximity: Stand
around or near the student as you are teaching.
Use a laser pointer to highlight material on the board while you stand
next to the student. The message to the
rest of the class is that you know something is wrong and you are trying to fix
it.
*Invest One-to-One Time: This
seems counterintuitive. Discover the
interests of a junior high or high school student and you have a pathway to
gaining influence with them. Do they
play sports? Do they have an after
school job? What other activities do
they participate in? Do they have any
hobbies? What music do they listen
to? What TV shows do they watch? What do they read? Do they have a favorite teacher in the
building? Talk to that teacher.
*Call Home: A call home during the first week can help a concerned
parent try to influence the student’s behavior in your class. I was always quick to call home. No point in waiting. You’re going to talk to the parents anyway.
