Place: My classroom will be setup so that the students will sit in
pairs. This allows them to have another person to work on tasks in class with,
but reduces the amount of distraction that a group poses. This seating plan
will allow for open walking space, the ability to maintain close proximity and
eye contact, and a good flow of energy. As I talk with the class, I walk
through the classroom. This allows for better management of classroom, since I
can easily go around and see what each student is doing. I can more easily
interact with the students and gain their participation.
People: Every
person in a student’s life is a resource that can be utilized to help him/her
succeed. The pupils can explain material in more simple way than the teacher
can think of sometimes. Peers can give another way to present material, connect
to students, or simply work with you to create a new lesson/activity. The
principal can help in reaching out to parents or getting things done. Parents
give another perspective about their child and may be able to help with the
student succeed in school. All of these people are assets in teaching and
management. They can inspire a new idea or plan and possibly help in the
creation of a new way to manage/teach the class(es).
Purpose: Create
critical thinkers who understand the content and learn about life. Students
must be taught how to analyze any situation and assess what they need to do
next. Being a critical thinker helps students in the real world outside of the
classroom, and will help them be able to stand on their own two feet. In
today’s world it is a bit of a dog eat dog society, and to be able to survive,
you must be able to think logically and critically. I want to help students
learn, not only the mathematical material that I will cover, but also things
about life: maturity, confidence, time management, organization, and many other
lessons that will help them throughout life. Education is not just content, but
also life skills.
Practice: Student
cooperation is essential. Getting to hear what they understand/think to assess
what they understand correctly and what may be need to gone over again or
retaught. When teaching, questions will be implemented into lessons in order to
assess what the students remember, as well as see how they scaffold what they
have been taught into the new topic/concept. When a question is asked, I would
pose it to the class and have someone else answer it. This allows the students
to see their peers as a resource and get them to ask one another questions if
they are not already inclined to do so.
Punt: Always have
a back-up plan. There are various plays in football in order to get the ball to
the end-zone for a touchdown, just as there are various ways in teaching to get
the light bulb into the socket so it will light up. When questions or a concept
is posed in class, don’t dismiss it if it doesn’t match what is being said or
doesn’t match your lesson plan. Provided the question or comment is related to
the topic, find a way to address it or possibly implement it into the lesson.
Pace: They say
that a steady pace wins the race. In order to keep the flow of academia going
and keep the class running smoothly, there must be a set pace for lessons.
Granted, a lesson may not go as planned, and a concept may need to be retaught;
or the students may catch onto a concept quickly, and the lesson plan that you
thought would take the entire class period, may only take 30 minutes. The
steady pace must be in line with the concepts that need to be taught and any
extra or less teaching the students need to understand a concept. The pace of a
course is dependent on both the lessons that need to be taught and the rate at
which the students are learning the material. One class may need to have a
second class period spent going over a lesson, while another class is onto the
next concept. At the same time, both classes should be on a pace that allows
them to complete a chapter/section at the same time, so that they can be tested
about the same time. Any two classes of the same section should be at about the
same lesson, so that they aren’t tested at completely different times. Any two
classes a teacher has that are the same subject should have their tests, if not
on the same day, then within two days of each other. That is, let’s say Class A
and Class B are both Geometry, but Class A took two days on understanding
vertical angles congruency, Class B’s test is on Wednesday, but Class A’s test
would be on Thursday.
Priorities:
Students must realize that in each class, they have priorities; things that
must be done. In my class, we would have a token system. Students will start
off with $500 (not real money, of course). They must purchase their desk for
the semester; they are allowed to sell their desk or rent it out at their own
determined prices that someone else in the class is willing to pay. Extra
materials are available to rent or buy: pencils, paper, books (rentable only),
calculators (rentable only), food, and drinks. If at any time they go bankrupt,
they are then evicted from their desk, must start over with $500, and buy their
desk back. Before they can buy their desk back, it is put up for sale. Another
student can buy that desk and then sell their current desk back to the bank.
The student who went bankrupt can then buy the now vacant desk. The system is
10% of their grades for the class and is a total of ten points. Each time a
student goes bankrupt, their grade for the system is dropped by a quarter
percent; if a student goes bankrupt once, the ten points goes down to 9.75,
bankrupt twice then down to 9.50, etc. At the end of the semester, students who
break even get the grade that they have earned thus far (if no bankruptcies,
then a full ten points is given) and students who turn a profit are given an
extra five credit points to be used on any assignment. Students earn money by
turning in their assignments, completing tests and quizzes, and tasks in class.
The amount of money they earn on assignments is determined by the quality of
their work.
·
Homework assignments: A-$10, B-$7, C-$4, D-$1,
F-no profit.
·
Quizzes: A-$25, B-$18, C-$10, D-$1, F-no profit.
·
Tests: A-$100, B-$80, C-$70, D-$50, F-no profit.
Jobs in class:
·
Taking Attendance - $10
·
Writing assignment on the board - $5
·
Picking up trash before or after class - $8
·
Collecting Homework from the class - $5
Participation:
·
Answering a question (correctly) - $3
·
Putting work on the board - $5
The system not only teaches them to prioritize tasks, but
also how to handle personal finances.
Policies: A long
list of policies can be difficult to remember, so keep it simple.
1.
Be ready to learn. When the bell rings, it is
time for class to begin. The talking is to stop and you are to be working on
bell work or listening for instruction.
2.
Act and speak in an appropriate manner. No
yelling, screaming, shouting, or profanities. Respect your environment and the
people you are sharing it with. Don’t be disruptive during teaching or work
time.
3.
No electronics out other than a calculator. If a
cellphone is out, I have the right to take it and will give it back to you at
the end of the day.
4.
Ask permission to leave the room. Be it for a
drink, to use the restroom, go to the locker, the office, etc. you are to ask
permission and receive a pass before leaving the classroom.
5.
If any of the preceding policies are broken
repeatedly, a conference between you and me will be scheduled. If after that
conference the policies are broken again, a conference with you, your parents,
and me will then be scheduled.
Personal Differences:
Being a part of the public education system, there will be students in my
classes with various ethnicities, races, gender identities, and experiences.
While their views may be different than mine, it is important to respect each
individual’s opinions. Just because their opinion may different than my own,
does not mean they are wrong or that I should necessarily critique what they
have to say. Unless what they think is disrespectful or possibly harmful to
another person or people, it is important to teach my students and instill in
my classes to respect diversity in others.
Planning and
Participation Point of Intersection: It is important to get students
involved with the content. Student participation and responses are incorporated
into the lesson plan and are used as a part of the lesson.
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