Royce is Observant?

Hey guys!

1.) Describe effective management strategies you observed for opening a lesson, applied during a lesson, and for lesson closure.

One of the biggest management strategy I have picked up is putting something in the students hand as they come into the classroom. The first thing these kids do otherwise is come into the room, get cozy, and promptly get off task. They will otherwise not come into the class asking what they will begin working on, and certainly don’t look around the room for some work to do. Alternately it could be the expectation that they sit down quietly and get to work on something that is on the board, but that isn’t a tactic I have observed because that’s now how my mentor does things. I’d need to set that expectation up at the beginning of the school year with my own class. Perhaps next semester when I’m flying solo I’ll set that expectation when I am teacher. So I can only assume it will work in a relative way without having seen or done it myself.

2.) Name 3 common transitions you observed and how did the teacher handle those.

A successful transition is integrating one topic into the next as we move forward in the class period/unit/whatever measure of splitting up assignments and work. One element of a transition is that it is either so seamless that it’s hardly noticed or paused on or is expected by the students no matter how jarring it is. In the wood shop class I observed I enjoyed how the day always starts with a briefing. It’s all about making sure everyone knows what their job is for the day before they get to work, it’s a daily expectation and therefore the students transition into the next step is seamless. The first part of the day always leads to the second, without a doubt, and clearly. Transitions then because situational. If a student completed their work or had questions about it the wood shop teacher may then shift that students work specifically to improve upon something or begin working on a new skill related to the activity at hand (in this case carving, sanding, and painting an apple out of wood). The final transition is cleanup, which once again is every day.

3.) Describe a strategy that you observed and may apply to your classroom.

I am in love with the classroom management style implemented and damn near required in a wood shop class. I love the structure and clear expectations. I want students to walk into my class and expect a briefing and have a nearly definite idea about what they’ll be doing that day before they walk into the room. I hope I can quickly pick up on personalized learning and I have a feeling that the technique applied by the wood shop teacher is one I should definitely be using. Students wont all be on the same step but I can definitely get them transitioning into the next step because it should all be interconnected. If I’m doing a unit on suspense I want to make sure that everyone is getting an equitable immersion into suspense, which may mean they don’t all start at the same place. Some may need to understand the vocabulary and plot structures surrounding suspense while others may have them nailed down and be ready to be perhaps creating their own suspense stories.