I love reading everyone's comments. It gets me excited for next school year knowing that engaging our students will be everyone's number one priority. For this post I will post a couple questions, just pick the one you want to answer and label it so we know which question you answered. Hope everyone is having a great summer! It's going fast!!!
Chapter 3 Engage for Positive Climate
#1- What strategies might you use to influence your students' states?
#2- How do you plan to turn your group of students into a family?
#3- What can you do to ensure the 3 to 1 positives to negatives ratio needed to optimize growth?
When I read abut 3 to 1 positives to negatives, it got me thinking about my own classroom and in life. It's so easy to be negative, especially when we talk about ourselves. I love the idea of every 3 to 1 comment and think that's the way, even outside the classroom, should be looked at. I want to be more positive to my students, my co-workers, my family, and myself. Negativity just brings everyone down and shouldn't have a place in life or school. I am going to be more aware of how I talk and always look at the bright side of things :).
ReplyDeleteI think what struck me the most in this chapter is teaching students what the appropriate emotional response should be. Growing up they probably are only exposed to a limited amount of emotional responses, and I think they are probably more negative than positive. At school we can turn it around and make it more positive than negative.
ReplyDeleteCreating a classroom environment where students are excited to come to school everyday should be at the forefront of a teachers mind. Then demonstrating for students appropriate emotional responses to situations should be second. Once students have these tools to use in their everyday life, a relationship can be established and the students are going to enjoy coming to school and putting their best effort in.
Using class meetings at the beginning of the year to build a "family" in the classroom will be critical to this as well. I think in addition to the daily class meetings, the "family time" that we are going to be using to really connect and get to know students will be critical as well. Yes they may come from a lousy background/home life, but I want to make an environment at school that isn't yucky for them, I want it to be a place they enjoy coming to and sharing with me how life is going or their achievements that they have made in class.
I think what you said about modeling appropriate emotional responses is very important. I think many students often don't have the opportunity to see appropriate emotional responses at home so it isn't fair to expect them to know what that looks like. Thanks for including that in your post!
Delete3. The first thing that came to mind is how it is harder for students to behave appropriately at school if they are not practicing the behaviors at home. Shouldn't that be the same for us as teachers? It we aren't practicing the positive attitude at home, it will be harder to be consistent with it in the classroom. I agree with Lori and think attitudes are contagious. When others around me are negative, it is hard to stay positive. So my goal is to continue to downplay negative attitudes, supporting others where I can...and see the positive side to things. Dwelling on the negative gets us nowhere, and I can't stand to not be productive! :)
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to address the question, “How do you plan to turn your group of students into a family?” but then I sat staring at the screen. Uh….how am I going to do that? My teaching position next year offers a lot of different opportunities for building that “family” atmosphere that weren’t available in my 40 minutes per week structure that I had in the computer lab. I am both excited and apprehensive about how to create that feeling, so I went back to the text for more help.
ReplyDeleteWhen rereading Chapter 3, I noticed that I had put a star next to the line “you should invest at least half of your class time in some kind of social interaction.” Studies have shown that cooperative learning has a significant influence on student achievement. I think that implementing those types of learning activities is one way to work toward that feeling of teamwork and family. Within that structure, I would be able to address many social issues that arise when students are asked to work together. To piggyback on Kelli’s comment, we can then model and practice the right emotional responses to situations that arise in the classroom. If we are not providing students with opportunities to interact through cooperative learning, we can’t possibly have the opportunities to have students practice appropriate social responses.
Another suggestion from the author was “getting to know you” activities. I have such a hard time implementing these because I HATE participating in them myself. I am extremely introverted with new people and I project my anxiety about them into my classroom….which I know is completely WRONG but I have a really hard time getting over it. However, because I have many new students to get to know next year and will have 6 grade-level families to build, I am going to challenge myself to do more in this area (and also focus on helping students like me who struggle to participate). I would LOVE if you could reply with one or two of your favorite ice-breaker or getting to know you activities. Or, if anyone knows of some text or online resources, I would be GRATEFUL!
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DeleteAllison, you're going to do GREAT! You may not have realized it but, you did amazing things at Monroe and the kids adored you!! I agree with your comments about teaching the appropriate positive social and emotional responses. I think too often we just assume that kids know the appropriate way to respond when in fact, no one has ever taught them.
DeleteHello everyone! Just in case you didn’t see my first post, I will be one of the new 3rd grade teachers at Monroe next year! I am very much looking forward to meeting all of you and working with such a close-knit staff! I have only taught for one year so far but I was in a school with a demographic very similar to Monroe’s and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for including me in this book study!
ReplyDelete(1) I plan to reread the section about Action #2 several times before school starts, because I found myself nodding the entire time I read it. I think the most effective way to influence my students’ states is to ensure that they understand all of the possible states they might be experiencing. Instead of ignoring negative states, I think it would be beneficial for students to be able to identify that they are tired or angry, and then have strategies for changing their state of mind. I hope to try all of the solutions listed in the book because I can see why each one would have a positive impact on students. I also plan to look elsewhere for other strategies to improve students’ states of mind. I know GoNoodle has many brain break activities that focus on breathing and getting focused, which would help decrease negative feelings and allow students to relax. Formative assessments can be very helpful as well. I can check in with students and have a way for them to show me what state they are in, and they could also have a way to show me which state they hope to be in soon. If anyone else has other potential solutions, please share! ☺
I think what you said about helping students understand their states is really important. I have discovered that the kids often have a limited vocabulary of emotions. Kids have described themselves as "mad" and acted with anger when disappointed or frustrated were really the emotions they were feeling. I think that helping students identify their states goes a long way in helping them develop appropriate responses.
DeleteI used GoNoodle.com with my kindergarten students last year and they LOVED it. We also used some other clips from YouTube too to just give them a couple minute break. Great idea of making students aware of the different states to increase their awareness.
DeleteGoNoodle is fun! Welcome to Monroe Dana :)
Delete3. I think we have all witnessed how powerful positive comments are with students, especially those students that may be more disrespectful or impulsive than others. I want to make sure that I am using the 3 to 1 ratio not only at school, but in my everyday life. I hope that by practicing it with myself (ya know, at the good ole gym! ;) and with my younger siblings it will start to happen naturally when I am back with the kiddos in August. It is so much easier to turn around your own day or a student's day if everyone in the classroom is feeling positive and happy to be there. So often we have our students working in partners and small groups. I think it is just as important to teach them to say several positive things to a friend and then give them a critique or something they could work on. Writing comes to mind with this in particular. In class meetings, they could share 3 things they did great yesterday and 1 thing to work on. If everyone in the classroom is making more positive comments to each other than negative comments, I can totally see the engaging classroom environment that the author talks about happening in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteWow! I am actually blogging! LOL! I have always tried to be POSITIVE! This book has been awesome so far! It really has just reinforced how important it is to build a family with class meetings, giving the students a say (to a certain extent), and raising the bar. At first, I was not in agreement with the "push" in kindergarten curriculum, but the results have been astounding. We just need to remember they are children and be POSITIVE. As long as we are there for them and they feel safe, we are on the right track. I am very anxious to start the school families. I think that will make a huge difference. Monroe is already on the right track with the Family Meals, Pizza Bingo Nights, Library Wednesdays (with lunch bags) in the summer, etc.I could go on and on. I guess that is why I love working at Monroe. Thank you for allowing me to keep on teaching!
ReplyDeleteBecky- I love that after many years of teaching you are still so passionate about what you do and willing to jump in and try new things alongside the wealth of knowledge you have as an experienced educator. The amazing things our kindergarten kiddos do are because of what each of you have done to bring them along as a person and a student! Loved your blog : )
Delete2) I really feel passionate about creating a "family" in my classroom. As students come into my classroom, I want them to feel safe and welcome. I think it is just as important to form positive relationships with my students, as it is for them to form positive relationships with one another. I think some of our students need to be shown positive relationships and how they work. I want to use morning meetings daily to start our day together and demonstrate our classroom language (positive and polite). I want to incorporate cooperative learning groups. I also want to use getting to know you activities throughout the year. I think these can be a simple as a question of the day. Something that we can talk about at morning meeting to get to know our friends a little bit better. I am also very excited for the school wide families that everyone has been talking about. I think this is a wonderful way to develop a positive environment school wide.
ReplyDeleteI have been interested in cooperative learning for a long time and I hope to have many opportunities to implement it. In graduate school, they believed that we would teach the way we were taught and they used lots of cooperative learning techniques. I think that is where I began to understand that school is the kind of place I make it. I was just more comfortable knowing the norms for the situation. That is a big part of what cooperative learning is for me. Because the way to work is explicitly taught, students can be sure that they are doing the right thing and, since we are all in it together, there is lots of support of the positive kind. I think about trust and respect. Respect, for me, means understanding. I can't treat an old pillow with respect unless I understand that it is important because it belonged to someone who was cared about and who loved it. Trust comes from knowing that I am a valued part of the group no matter what. Once I feel trusted, I feel trusting and then things just fall into place because I am willing to understand and respect the norms of the group. I hope to feel like that everyday and extend that feeling to everyone I have contact with.
ReplyDeleteI was stunned by the research done on the positive to negative comment ratios in high income vs. low income households. I can't imagine living in a home where for every positive thing I heard 2 negatives followed. Growing up my parents were constantly building me up with positive praise and I do the same with my boys. There is a quote I came across once that I LOVE and live by with my own children. " Parents nee to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry..." Next year I will apply this same quote to the students at Monroe. Since I don't have my own class of students I will work hard to fill my "family" kids' buckets high. Everyone young and old enjoys hearing positive praise so I am excited to see the difference these 4 to 1 positives we agreed to do in our school PGP will make in our school community.
ReplyDelete3 - I totally agreed with the author when he said simply 'people like to feel good.' I have always played an instrumental Beatles CD each morning as the kiddos come into our classroom to set a calming atmosphere as they complete their morning routine; however, already through most of the year I decided to play "The Best Day of my Life". I would get so pumped up if I would hear it during, although short, commute to work each day, just like an inspirational talk or a great movie like "Mr. Holland's Opus." I decided that maybe my kids needed to know that it would be the best day of their life too. I was so impressed with the smiles that greeted me each day when they could hear the song from the hallway. I want each day to be a positive place for kiddos to feel encouraged and supported. I think not just having the teacher using the 3 to 1 ratio, but include the students in giving and receiving positive comments. During our morning meeting, students could give each other compliments and then fill out a white ticket. I think hearing those positive words from peers is important as well. I will strive to use the 3 to 1 when conferring with students about their learning goals as well. It is like the sandwich approach: a positive, a struggle, and a positive. I agree that this needs to be apart of who we are not just in the classroom, but in our everyday life with our peers, family, and co-workers.
ReplyDelete2) I chose to answer this question about how my plan to turn my group(s) of students into a family because my idea of what I had thought about this has changed since I read this chapter. In my mind, I'm thinking I'm going to play this game and have them do that survey that I ALWAYS do but, the stakes have changed. This isn't what connects us and establishes a family-like relationship. Every time I read one of these chapters I'm feeling ecstatic about the upcoming year yet, I feel a bit a guilt too. Maybe I didn't properly teach that positive social and emotional response. Maybe I just assumed that they already knew it and not realizing that their environment never allowed for them to know the appropriate response. My plan to turn my group(s) into a family are to focus on getting to know the students as individuals by building those, "Multiple layers of relationships that matter," and to focus on the teaching part of positive social and emotional responses in my classroom.
ReplyDelete3. I love the reminder by the author when he said that the teacher is the "weather creator" and that "a positive climate is one of the greatest gifts a teacher can give to his or her students." Given the statistics of the negative environment these kids endure we can provide a safe, nurturing, positive environment. I think kids do need to be taught the correct way to respond. I will be working on making this a focus. I also liked the list of solutions he provided. I have used many of them but it's easy to start the year off with a great positive environment and then fall into bad habits as the year goes on and we are tired. I want to make sure that I maintain a positive classroom environment all year!
ReplyDeleteI identified with this statement, "If you don't build students' status in class by giving affirmations, letting students show their uniqueness, and encouraging peer approval, they'll seek status outside school through risky behaviors or criminal activities. (Not that I identified with the risky behavior or criminal part of that statement. LOL!! I identified with the importance of encouraging peer approval. We all seek it out, why not teach the kiddos how to affirm their classmates and provide them the opportunity to do it.)
ReplyDelete2. I plan to build my family by increasing the amount of time spent in cooperative groups. I'm continuing my PGP next year to gear lessons towards student-led learning activities vs. teacher-led activities... giving students more choice in their learning activities and allowing students to take a lead their learning. In the beginning while I'm modeling lesson activities, we'll spend time writing rhythms/chants around getting to know the kiddos better. I'm going to brainstorm with the kiddos topics that they'd like to know more about their classmates... what outside activities they do, chores they dislike the most, a time when they were most proud of themselves, etc... I don't think any year that I've taught I've gotten past simple, basic information like: number of siblings, number of books read over the summer, favorite subject/color/food, etc... It's time to dig a little deeper. Getting super excited about the school year!!!!
While reading chapter 3 my favorite quote is, "Students don't choose their parents, their home environments, or their upbringing." I always have to remind myself that many of the students I see don't always have the parental support, so it is my job to check in on them everyday to make sure they are doing what I expect of them. I feel that having small groups of students helps build relationships because we have a lot of one-on-one time. I need to make sure that my students have a social as well as educational experience. I need to remember that they need a time to share their experiences. I was very surprised tot learn that we are only born with 6 emotions and the rest need to be taught. It explains why many students act the way they do. It also shocked me that if the other emotions are not taught, it can effect their future social and academic success. I liked the idea of role playing. This is a great thing to do with our families since we will have a variety of ages. They can share their experiences with one another.
ReplyDeleteOh darn, it happened to me too! If you don't select the account at the bottom you want to comment as and hit publish, it delete the comment. Oops! Here goes again:
ReplyDeleteInfluencing Students' States:
Reducing lecture time: I've already tried to make my mini lesson 10-12 minutes. The author says 5-8 minutes of lecture for elementary students. Wow. I guess that goes to show that we really need to get to the point ASAP during the modeling part of the lesson and then give students more time for active engagement. He says students will be less bored or overwhelmed and I think I could do a better job allocating the specific minutes of the lesson a little better to make the lesson more engaging in both math and reading.
Giving students more controll: I've always allowed students make choices, but I think I often just feel the need to "get things done" and I just decide a lot of things myself. This year I will allow students to make more choices. After reading this chapter I was at the school library yesterday. Sarah and I were doing a craft with the kiddos and simply let them choose if they wanted to color and then cut it out or cut it out and then color, which seemed to please them. It's the little things! :)
Looking back, I think that's part of what made me love and respect my favorite teacher so much. My third grade teacher would allow us to pick two or three bonus spelling words each week, which in turn made us study harder. Our class won a school wide incentive and there were probably twenty choices of activities. Our class chose a "bunking party" where we spent the night at school, played games, ate pizza, and watched movies. That obviously was the most time consuming activity, but she would never discourage our choices if we were given options. I think that there were wonderful relationships in that class and it all stemmed from our teacher. That's the teacher I want to be. :)
Influencing Student States:
ReplyDeleteThis chapter provided great ideas to control what we can. It reaffirmed we can't control many things in our kid's lives, but we can and need to change what we do have control over.
Lecture time: I have been working on reducing mini lesson time to the ideal 5-8 minutes and it is hard sometimes. I also plan to keep working on it in every subject area. Kids need to be actively engaged especially in the early years where we are in charge of making learning a lifelong activity. More social interaction is also key and the turn and talks are one way to keep kids actively involved. I plan to build on this in all areas.
I also plan to build on the more compelling questions aspect in our turn and talks and build on problem solving skills within 2-4 students as well. More scaffolding is something I plan to work on with my students.
I especially enjoyed the suspense aspect in strategies to battle engagement. Whenever we can catch our students off guard and cause them to stop and think, we've got them. We need to capitalize on this as much as possible. Great ideas!