Today was another eventful day in my classroom that was full of giggles, wonder and at times confusion. My poetry unit will be coming to an end soon, which is both bittersweet as the students are beginning to really grasp the key characteristics of poetry. However it has been challenging at times and because the class does writing powers every Thursday morning, and to do poetry in the afternoon as well is often a challenge. Thursday we focused on limerick poetry which is full of rhyme and laughter, my class really enjoyed the poem “There Once Was a Man from Peru” we went over it at the beginning of the lesson. I had written out the poem on chart paper so the students could have a better look at the poem and the important characteristics of this type of poetry. When I volunteered in a grade 1/2 class in Burnaby I used to always write out the poems on chart paper for the “poem of the week” I loved doing this and it was a nice way to introduce and immerse the students with poetry. I also liked the chart paper technique as it allowed me to really focus on my own printing and use various colours to highlight the rhyming pattern in limericks, AABBA. Overall the lesson went well and almost all the students finished their poems in class. The next time I am at practicum I will give students an opportunity to either finish some poetry they have yet to complete or be given an opportunity to write some new pieces. At this time I will also go over assessment with my students and let them know what I thought the group did well at and what aspects need a little more improvement.
As for classroom management strategies there are just a few that are consistently used in my class. Both my school adviser and her co-teacher next door rely heavily on their voices and verbal cues and reminders. Both teachers have acknowledged that their voices are not the best option however they are often easiest and result in student’s prolonged attention and listening. From my experience working with children and youth in various recreational and educational settings voice and verbal cues is something that I have relied on as well. In large spaces when there are a lot of children my voice is something that has always shown me results and something that children are used to and respond to. The nice thing about voice and verbal cues is that they can be manipulated in all sorts of ways such as, call back techniques such as “1,2,3 eyes on me; 1,2 eyes on you” or the volume of one’s voice, whispering and silly voices can also be effective when attempting to get students attention. As for behaviour management techniques my school adviser uses many and it often depends on the context, situation or specific student. For example we have one student in our class who struggles to stay focused in class and is high energy and struggles to control his impulses. She has told me for him to utilize positive reinforcement throughout the day and give him many brain breaks and leadership opportunities throughout the day. My goal for my own teaching and for classroom management is for my students to know that I respect and value them for who they are, no matter what they do or do not do inside or outside the classroom.
