Thursday, October 15 I completed two hours of learn and serve in the afternoon. I usually have learn and serve on Wednesday mornings. I had never seen these students before, due to the change in time of day. Mrs. Burkett was off-site doing some type of training. There was a substitute in the room...again. It seems like there is a substitute frequently and I wonder if that is best for the students. I realize that whatever training she is having is necessary but the students ask for her every time she is gone and seem disappointed that there is a sub. Sometimes Mrs. Burkett is also out of the school due to IEP meetings. They started class with twenty minutes of independent reading. They had a test to complete, they read a poem titled "A Different Christmas Poem" and then had to answer questions about the poem. Some of the students found the test to be very difficult, they did not know what some of the words meant. Some students looked worried about the test. It is common that students get stressed out or anxious during a test. On a website I found a picture of the ABC's of test taking. The picture and rules could be enforced in any classroom. "One of the most stressful experiences for students with learning disabilities can be test taking. The level of anxiety that is often associated with testing compounds their problems with learning and exacerbates their learning difficulties" (Kirk et. al., pg 137). Our text book offers ten ways to help students become more successful and ease the tension they may feel during tests.
The substitute said there had been an incident with cheating earlier in the day and I wondered if it was the same two girls I spoke to about cheating. She also said that the students were rude and disrespectful, earlier in the day. There were no major problems in the two classes I was there for, later in the day. It was nice to see a different group of students and how they behaved. These students were very mild tempered and respected the substitute, for the most part. There were either many students missing or these classes are smaller than the classes earlier in the day. The only disruptions were bathroom breaks. Hopefully on Wednesday, October 21 when I go to learn and serve Mrs. Burkett will be in the classroom.
Good observations. Professional development and IEP meetings take teachers out of classrooms often. I think your question makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting too that you notice the bathroom break issues. Behaviors often increase during transitions. There are researchers who look at this amount of time alone. It's amazing to add up the wasted minutes.
How would you structure your classroom schedule and/or lesson plans to better support a substitute? What about classroom jobs? Does it seem like Ms.B's students are learning?
And what's up with the Christmas thing? How is this culturally relevant? Who might like it, and who might it offend?
The students were so bored, I think the bathroom breaks were more entertaining to them than what they were learning/supposed to be doing in class. They also needed a break to take their mind off their work. They are not able to focus for long periods of time.
ReplyDeleteI would give the substitue more to do with the students. It seems like they are always working independently when a substitute is in the classroom. I have noticed they are all very willing to share their thoughts and answers to questions. If it were my classroom I might have the substitue read a short story/poem to the class, have the students read it themselves, then brainstorm ideas of theme/share similies & metaphores/other literary elements together. They love to write on the white board or smart board. The students are willing to volunteer and they are more interested when are called on. It seems like the students are always learning and improving but I just know that they pay closer attention when they are more involved. They love being able to talk, not staying silent.
I was confused about the Christmas poem and then I read it. It was about a man who was dreaming he had an American solider on his doorstep on Christmas. He basically said how much he appreciated the soliders service to the country. This may upset a student who has a member of their family in the armed forces because it points out the sacrifice they make. It may also make them proud because it is nice to see soldiers are appreciated. It may offend a student who does not celebrate Christmas. There is a diverse student body so every culture should be represented somehow.