TASK

6A:
Preparing for placement:
A. Outline three teaching strategies and three classroom management strategies
from Groundwater Smith core text that you will employ during your school
placement.


THREE TEACHING STRATEGIES


1- Know your content and be prepared

The most effective way to achieve this is to have a detailed lesson
plan, know what you are teaching, rehearse it and include other
options for possible scenarios or academic abilities.

Effective lesson planning, as per Madeline Hunters lesson planning
design, should include:

Activation of prior knowledge- this is imperative in getting
students ready mentally and piquing their interest. This could
be achieved by quizzing them on previous lessons, starting a
maths lesson by doing mental maths activities or simply by
pausing a scenario and getting students feedback and ideas.

Clear Objectives- Telling the students clearly what the learning
expectations are will give them a guideline and help them focus
on what to do. Objectives must be concise and include verbs or
phrases like: use concept, identify, describe how, compare, use
principle..

Set expectations- based on the learning objectives. For
example, by the end of the lesson you will be able to
differentiate between rules and laws and give specific
examples of each. Write down WALT and WILF on the board.
(WALT- What we are learning today i.e. learning objectives;
WILF- What Im looking for i.e. success criteria)


Modelling- showing students what they are learning provides a
valuable visual cue and enhances understanding and
 expectations. This can be done by demonstrating an act, using
videos or modelling the focused skill.


Set clear timelines for each section of your lesson- this is
important for effective time management- to ensure you cover
objectives, content and conclusions without running out of
time and missing out on critical information. It also works as a
guide so you can control student behaviour or distractions
more effectively.

Check for understanding- this should take place regularly
during the lesson to ensure students understanding of
concepts, and that all students are following. This can be
achieved by getting students to paraphrase what you said, or
by asking for feedback (thumbs up, thumbs down).

Practice- Opportunity must be given to students so they can
apply their knowledge in class either by guiding them through
specific tasks or by completing tasks on their own for marking
or discussing before the end of the lesson.

Conclusion- this is where you bring the lesson back together
and check for student learning again. Time management is
crucial to ensure the lesson is concluded.

2- Create a safe and supportive learning environment

Personalize learning based on recognizing different levels of
academic ability, development rates and behavioural attitude. In
other words, have a Plan B in mind. For example, for advanced
maths students, ensure you have additional activities set out for them
while their peers are working on first tasks. Otherwise, they will get
impatient, lose interest and distract others. Similarly, if particular
students are distracting others, do not get them to work on tasks
together as they will end up disrupting classroom learning.

Encourage cooperative learning by getting students the chance to
collaborate on tasks, and asking one student to sum up findings.
Another scenario is that if a student that does not know the answer
to a question, ask them to share with a partner what the answer may
be, give them a timeline and let them know you will come back to
them. This could also be achieved by working together on a KWL
chart, a graphic organize, and allowing different students inputs each
time, and giving them time to think beforehand. (K- what you Know;
W- what you Want to know; L- what youve Learnt).


3- Motivate the unmotivated

Motivation is key in helping students enjoy learning. It is about
understanding the students needs and devising ways to meet those
in order to assist learning. Individualizing instruction techniques
and utilizing modelling (videos, models, props), as mentioned in 1
and 2 above, can assist in motivating students. Other strategies
include:

Get students to move around or jump on the spot if their
energy level is going down or if they have been sitting down
and listening for longer than 20minutes.

Show interest, enthusiasm and passion for what you are
teaching.

Use light humour to keep class interested and the ambiance
non stressful.

Have a bag of tricks to break up lessons and introduce an
element of surprise to generate interest. Include quizzes,
debates, guest speakers or simulation games.

Link content to real life examples or to the students personal
interests or way of life.

Be patient, encouraging, understanding and compassionate and
show interest in what the students are doing and how they are
feeling. Be their mentor and role model so they are supported
and motivated to be better.

Give positive feedback and reward effort. Show optimism and
encourage good behaviour.

Encourage higher learning by encouraging analysis of
elements, evaluating systems and materials, and production of
 plans or set of operations as opposed to recalling specific
knowledge and interpretation of a concept. (Blooms taxonomy,
Fetherston p.92-93).


THREE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES:

1-Project Confidence (Cultpedagogy.com)

Being the very first practicum and the first one-on-one with students, stress and
anxiety may set in. Kids are good at reading body language and can also see if
you are efficient and prepared. (Groundwater-Smith, p.280). Therefore, it is
important that students see you as confident in order to earn their respect and
attention. Some ways of achieving that are:

Make eye contact when delivering a lesson and/or speaking with a
student.
Speak clearly and slowly- when stressed, we tend to rush our speech and
slur our words.
Pause- Ensure you stop for a few moments in between sentences when
reading out, delivering a lesson, or asking a question. Support that with
eye contact, helps project more confidence.
Drop your voice- if your voice pitch is high, you may sound nervous and
as a result, you may also increase the overall voice level in class. This is
especially helpful if kids are getting rowdy in class.
Watch your body language- Ensure you are not slouching or dropping
your head. Lean back slightly with head up and hands apart.
Know your content and be well prepared for lessons.


2- Adopt Low Key Techniques (Bennett and Smilanich (1994) low key)

These are techniques that can be used to prevent or respond to students
behaviour, quickly and effectively. Some of these are:

Winning Over: This is about your relationship with the students (and
parents) as well as that of students with each other. This enhances
students feelings of belonging and provides a positive learning
environment. Examples include remembering and using students names,
showing interest and enthusiasm in class, use of manners (thank you,
please, would you mind?), and meeting them at the door as they walk in
or out of the classroom.

Signal to Begin: You must get attention from all students straightaway.
This entails giving a signal that students recognize, waiting until they are
all quiet and attentive before you begin your lesson or instructions.
Signals can be verbal, such as saying, 1,2,3 eyes to me!, or any other
 rhythmical chant, and non-verbal such clapping three times or putting
your hand up until silence is achieved.

Proximity: Move around the classroom whilst teaching to prevent
misbehaviour. The alternative is to move to the area where the
misbehaviour is occurring, stand there for a while and make eye contact
until it stops.

Deal with students supporting misbehaviour first: For example, when a
student is trying to be a clown by saying something funny, and other
students are laughing, approach one of the allies laughing, stand close to
them, look at them in the eye and ask them directly: You find that funny,
do you?. Watch as the classroom goes to silence. Say thank you when
interaction is complete. This is addressing the problem safely as the
student may be seeking attention due to social issues or home trouble.

Other low key techniques include:

Dealing with the problem not the student.
Using minimal verbal signals such as the look or pause, and
Signal type of response expected such as hands up, think-pair-share (tell your
neighbour) and write-it-down.
Modelling Positive students behaviour by giving authentic positive feedback
such as: I really appreciate how you put your books away when I asked you too,
Lucas.


3- Attend to the layout of the room (Groundwater-Smith, P.289)

When establishing activities, think how the routines will be workable and
activities will flow smoothly.
For example, art and craft activities are best set out on desks. Ensure that desk
arrangement allows for easy moving around the classroom, that there is an
orderly way of getting materials out, cleaning up, and packing up.
On the other hand, discussion activities are better done in a circle or semi-circle
so students can see each other and interact better with you and each other. You
would need to give students clear instructions on where to go and how to sit. If
activities need to be done afterwards, then instruct them to go back to their
desks to complete tasks.