AuthorPatrick is just setting out on the journey of becoming a teacher. Archives
November 2017
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10/15/2017 Classroom Management: Transition TremorsThe other day I attempted to measure the actual time spent by learners in my practicum classroom on focused work. Of course each student varied in their enthusiasm for the assigned projects but I felt a general idea was needed.
So, with eagle eyes I watched and with quick glances at the clock I came to the conclusion that probably only between five and ten minutes per block were infused in learning. There are around nine blocks during a day, mostly averaging around 30 minutes in length. Add it all up and I would say they spent a total of about one hour of actual, concentrated learning out of a potential 5 hours. What were they doing then? Well, several learners I noticed were adept eraser monument builders and carvers (Stonehenge was given a run for its money). For others it was talking, in their mind their classmates had far more interesting things to say then the teacher. And of course drawing, coloring or doodling was another birthright of the class that few would give up despite protestations from the big desk up front. No doubt these issues are common to all classrooms but to my mind, the most pronounced pitfall was the actual transition times between these blocks. And tiny blocks they are. Is anything really expected when 30 minutes is given to a subject while ten minutes of that time consists of learners wandering about trying to find folders, old assignments, pencils, and discovering the multitudes of detritus collected while searching through backpacks? To me, standing there and observing this wasted time, transitions seem horribly antiquated with math, science, social studies all strictly divided with their own little books, assignments and folders. I thought we were entering a new world, an interdisciplinary world where different subjects flow and crash into one another like the spray and chop of an ocean tempest. So, in order to adjust to this new sphere of global knowledge, why not allow the classroom to mimic it? Let it begin, say, with an exploration of rivers in British Columbia. Which are the longest, how were they formed, what biomes reside in them, and what threatens them. Now, here the teacher deftly directs the learner's along a path of discussion that introduces First Nation perspectives on rivers. A period of time is spent exploring this issue. Success! We experienced a transition in subject without the usual disaster and maybe even without the learners knowing. Next step, how might the First Nations have responded to American and British gold prospectors as they moved from the coast inland to the Cariboo during the mid 19th century gold rushes? Incredible, we just transitioned into social studies without digging out new books or worksheets. And to top it all off, let us consider the successes of these gold seekers by comparing the amount of gold in ounces retrieved from their claims. Did a gold miner in the Cariboo make more than a prospector on the Fraser considering the varying ounces of gold present in the two places and the costs of bringing supplies up from Fort Victoria? Yes, we just switched into mathematics. This is how I would like my classroom to function. Sweeping from subject to subject in an manner that leaves students occupied and yet oblivious to the change in mental landscape. Perhaps those learners who are used to groaning with the appearance of math worksheets might instead become engaged in considering elements of math without even knowing? I will end this hopeful rant with some words from Kerry Williams (2008): “Classroom management needs to be about fixing the classroom, not the students. We need to make sure the students get what they need. A classroom that allows them opportunities for autonomy, belonging, competency, and reflection is the place to launch everything else.” (23) Reference: Williams, Kerry C. (2008) Elementary Classroom Management : A Student-Centered Approach to Leading and Learning. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Inc.
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