The smartest person in the room is the room.
Resolving Classroom Issues on PhotoPeach
Group Support Advisory
Three Types of Meetings
- Planning/Decision MakingSetting norms, choosing a name, theme etc., organizing events
- Check-InReflections, Assessing understanding or progress
- Problem-Solving/Consciousness RaisingTapping prior knowledge before a unit begins
Sample steps in running a class meeting
- The teacher or student suggests a problem. (may take from problems submitted to classroom mailbox)
- The class is asked to ask questions about the problem.
- Ask some students to restate the problem
- Open up for suggestions, Write down all the suggestions.
- The students or class decides on which suggestions to follow through with.
Setting class rules and consequences
- Class discussion of rules
- Mistakes can be learning experiences. Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Consequences are oportunities to reflect/ be helpful. It can be a time to take a break from the action (time out) to take a few breaths, relax, calm down and gain self-control. Check in with student to see how he/she is doing and welcoming back to group.
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Class meeting idea: I also dismiss any students who are not participating in the meeting to return to their seat and fill out a form that I created. It's just a simple form to reflect on why they were asked to leave and what they can do to not be dismissed next time. I keep these forms and if a student is consistently asked to leave meetings they have a conference with me and we discuss another alternative for them.
- National School Reform Faculty on Classroom Meeting Protocol great link to class meeting protocol
- Cultures establish rules and norms. Check out "School 'Rules!': Ten Activities for Establishing Classroom Rules" from Education World. Practical and rich with teacher voices, this article explains behavior contracts, class pledges, and even 110 "Rules of Civility" favored by adolescent George Washington:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson274.shtml
Basic skills for Problem Solving "Teaching Children to Care"
K-3 At these ages, children can:
K-3 At these ages, children can:
- describe problems or give information without using put-downs or blame
- give their own opinions in a group
- express their own views and thoughts using the "I voice"
- listen while others share ideas or opinions
- maintain eye contact
- wait rather than interrupt
- say something affirming about the ideas or solutions of others
- accept more than one possible solution to a problem
- chose the most "workable" solution to the problem and then stick to it
- develop more than one solution to a problem
- explore different points of view
- anticipate different outcomes of proposed solutions
- evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of solutions and give logical reasons
- use active listening to paraphrase and recall the ideas of other students
- listen and respond to others empathetically
- agree to consequences and abide by them
Class Meeting Resources and Ideas
- Opinion continuum
- Along Strong, supportive human relationships are the foundation of effective learning. The Along platform is a free digital reflection tool that can help foster better student-teacher connections and establish a system for regular contact.
- Mind mapping classroom issues gr 3-8 Video and teaching tips.
- You Can't Say You Can't Play
Author and kindergarten teacher (and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient) Vivian Paley tells the story of an experiment she conducted in her classroom to make children less cruel to each other. She instituted a rule: "You can't say 'You can't play.'" In other words, if two children are playing, and a third child comes over and wants to join them, they can't tell him or her to get lost. They can't reject him or her. This is the cause of unending pain in most classrooms and playgrounds. Podcast - Character Trait Focus
- Class Meeting Ideas
- Class Meetings: A Democratic Approach to Classroom Management
- Class Meetings Resource
- Community Garden An urban naturalist describes the ways that community gardens improve the quality of life
Kids Who Volunteer in Their Communities Grades 2-6 | video + teaching tips
It's not just the mothers-in-need who benefit from the actions of the Kids Care Club. Hear what the student volunteers experience.Melba Pattillo Beals Grades 9-12 | video + background essay Far from seeking out an activist role, Melba Pattillo Beals was simply trying to attend high school; yet, in doing so, her actions changed the course of history. Hear her story firsthand.
- Laughing Matters: Strategies to Build a Joyful Learning Community is an engaging leadership resource that offers practical strategies for bringing humor and fun into your school’s classrooms and culture.Book $