Oct 11 2008
Something New
This week I tried something new. I didn’t like the way class discussions were going-only a couple students raising their hands to answer questions-so I decided to do something about it. I have these note cards with each students name on them and now I use them in discussion. So I tell the students beforehand that I will be using the cards and whomevers name comes up needs to answer the question. At first I really didn’t like this idea. I don’t like calling on kids who don’t want to be called on because it makes me uncomfortable. I think that some students really don’t like the attention or pressure of answering questions in front of the class. But I got over that and used the note cards. It actually went well. It was really nice to hear other students opinions, thoughts, and ideas. I believe class and discussions get boring when there dominated by a few voices. So I think I might keep doing the note card thing. It makes students responsible for the material we are covering and it keeps them on their toes.But to get here I had to realize that it’s not about me and what makes me uncomfortable, it’s about the students.
This week I also took the students to the library to pick out free choice novels and it was crazy. Some kids we here and others were there. It was pretty hard to manage them in the library. So if your’e planning to go to the library be prepared. I think the students thought it was like a field trip.
Well that’s what I got for this week. Hope everyone is well.
Best,
Sara
One response so far
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Hey Sara,
Yeah, I like that. When we were in our minor placements, I would call on the kids that weren’t paying attention as sort of a classroom management thing, but I like your method better. It seems like it would force students to pay attention and to think about their stance on issues rather than just skating by and assuming other students will carry the discussion. I am running into a similar issue in my classroom. When I pose questions to the class, it is the same students that always raise their hands. When try to switch it up and call on students that aren’t raising their hands, they usually won’t have an answer. Maybe I should try using those note cards. It seems like a fair way to include the whole class and make students accountable. Nice work!
Ian