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With this statement in mind, how will you decipher between which rules should not be posted in your classroom, and which rules should remain posted in your classroom?

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On page 202 of The First Days of School, the importance of knowing how many rules to display to a class of students at one time is addressed. According to Wong & Wong, “specific rules need to be limited to no more than five…limit your rules to a number that you and the students can readily remember – never more than five” (Wong & Wong, 202). With this statement in mind, how will you decipher between which rules should not be posted in your classroom, and which rules should remain posted in your classroom?

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On pages 189-190, discusses the importance of teaching note taking. In your areas of concentration, what is the benefit of teaching note taking to enhance student learning? In what ways does not having note-taking skills impact the success of your students in your subjects?

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Observations: On page 163 our authors state: “At-risk has nothing to do with the student’s intelligence, gender, skin color, national origin, or socioeconomic background. At-risk means the student is in danger-at risk- of failing or dropping out of school.” Also on page 164, our authors state “At-risk students become at-promise students when they can become responsible for their own learning by following the classroom and instructional procedures the teacher has established.” Synthesizing this text with element A in AMLE standard 1 which states, “… this understanding of the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral characteristics, needs, and interests of young adolescents to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments for all young adolescents,…”

Question: How will your structural procedures prevent most students from expressing undesirable behavior, such as shoving their papers and belongings off of their desk when you ask them to participate in classroom work, yet give them the expectations to become at-promise students?

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A teacher needs to be able to effectively start class every day. That means each “day of the school year and at the beginning of class, your first priority is to start students working immediately” (Martinez Pg. 130). When I was in 6th grade, there was one student who was late every single day, (I am not joking, I mean every day). So, my science teacher had to help him catch up depending on how late he was. We have been late to class at least once, and we know that kids will be mess up sometimes. So, how will you as their teacher help them catch up without interrupting the rest of the class?

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On pages 148-150, Wong and Wong (2018) discuss the three steps to teaching classroom procedures: teaching the procedure, rehearsing the procedure until it is routine, and reinforcing and providing affirmation that the procedure was done correctly. Is there a correlation between these steps of classroom procedures and AMLE standard 4b? Could this tie into any of the other AMLE standards and indicators? Are there any procedures you will need to teach in your classroom that these steps may not fulfill?

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Grady Sondgeroth

Page 133 and 134 in chapter fourteen of Wong and Wong The First Days of School talks about the first assignment for every day of class. It talks about how you should use the beginning of class to show what is going to happen the rest of class. It gives an example of starting with the schedule for the day, opening assignments, and present the learning objectives. It also talks about your assignment should not be grade, but a way to get the students mind going. What kind of a question or bell ringer would be found to be the best way to start class, but not be too much for students? Should it be a review question or something that will be answered during class that day?

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In my experiences I’ve had so far with young students, one of their primary concerns is knowing what activities or tasks are planned for the day ahead, seemingly so anxious and concerned about it. As Wong and Wong discuss on page 131, this question can be avoided by preparing an agenda properly, defining what activities students will be doing and when. It is very important to provide a clear, consistent agenda in a known location daily in the classroom. Wong and Wong mention their three parts of an agenda; the schedule, the opening assignment, and the objectives. When creating your own agenda, would you agree that these three things are what is necessary to include? Which would you alter/take away, and which new parts would you add to your own agenda?

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On page 141, Wong discusses the difference between rules and procedures. This implies that teachers often conflate the two. Why do you think this occurs? What do you think influences the thought that they are the same versus them being different?
Rationale:

After reading this I thought it was interesting that they deemed these two chapters very important and further expressed how these two words are different. I then began to think about what influences the conflation of the two. My guesses is either previous teaching and maybe it was not taught that there was a difference or there is the assumption that it is the same.

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On page 141 of The First Days of School, the difference between rules and procedures is addressed. According to Wong & Wong, “Classroom management plans should not be equated with discipline plans. Discipline is based on rules. Classroom management is based on procedure” (Wong & Wong, 141). The text then went on to express how rules are regulations that determine conduct, while procedures are steps that are used to accomplish a goal. As a future educator, how will you work to ensure that procedures are not misconstrued as rules in your classroom?

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In Chapter 15, Wong & Wong talked about different procedures to implement in the classroom, especially when trying to quiet a class. I loved doing attention grabbers and chants at the YMCA because so many of the kids loved them, but not all of the middle school ages campers liked some of them. There was one where the counselor chants ‘Yo, yo, yo. Listen up, listen up.’ and the kids chant back ‘Yo, yo, yo. What’s up, what’s up?’ This was one that appealed more to the middle school kids, but they viewed the rest as juvenile. I like thinking of new ideas to use for chants and there are so many resources out there to find one. Do you have any ideas for a chant you would do? Or do you think they’re too childish for the age group?

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In the “How to Start a Class Effectively Each Day”, there was emphasis that first priority is that students should get straight to work. With all of the security and safety procedures going on in schools would it make more sense for attendance to be the most important thing when the student enters the classroom? As a future teacher what are you going to prioritize when the student enter the classroom and why?

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1.     In Chapter 14 of Wong and Wong’s text, the use of a starting assignment as a classroom management tool is discussed. For example, a bell ringer posted on the white board. The book also mentions that these starting assignments are not to be graded.

I personally have been in many classrooms where this is used. But, reflecting over my time here at the College of Education and my own pedagogy beliefs, I wonder if students get something out of this method. I understand that it is used to get students on task quickly, so that instruction can begin. But I wonder how I can make these starting assignments valuable to my students because it is important for students to realize that they’re not simply doing busy work in order to truly be engaged.

With that being said, do you have any opinions on how I personally feel about “Bell Ringers?” Along with this, if you agree that these assignment starters should be meaningful, do you have any ideas on how to implement this?

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Mahdavi's Peer Card 8 - AMLE Standard 1a and Chapter 12

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Mahdavi's Peer Card 8 - AMLE Standard 1a and Chapter 12

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Observations: On page 123 our author states some bullet points for seating assignment examples. Some seating examples include: for peer group tutoring (3), for paired problem solving (4), placing lower-performing and more challenging students at the front of the room (5).

Discussion: Based on our authors choice of seating assignment examples, how would you use seating arrangement as a strategy to meet AMLE Standard one element? For example: Element A says, ‘They [teachers] use this understanding of the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral characteristics, needs, and interests of young adolescents to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments for all young adolescents, including those whose language and cultures are different from their own.’

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On page 111 Wong brought to our attention that there are things we can do to prepare our classroom for success even before the first day of school. Think beyond sending letters and creating a seating arrangement. In what other ways can we as teachers prepare for the first day and, why is the idea essential to a successful school year?

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On page 111, the author provides three techniques used by effective teachers before the school year begins. The last technique is to visit the home of each student before school begins (if appropriate). In most cases, this probably is not realistic or appropriate today. What are some alternatives to going to students’ homes that can have the same impacts and are more appropriate?

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In chapter 13, it discussed a variety of ways to arrange and assign seating and why this is important in a classroom. On page 124 it stated, “How students respond to your set of instructions will be determined by how prepared and organized you are when they enter the classroom.” (Wong & Wong) Being prepared and organized are essential to captivate the student’s attention and student’s trust that you are doing everything possible to ensure success. The rationale for the quote is when I did my field study   research at a middle school, my observations of the student/teacher relationship was frail. The teacher did not have clear instructions and the students sat whenever they chose, showing how inadequately prepared the teacher was. Which leads me to the question, what are some specific ways you as a future educator would do to be adequately prepared? Why is having a good seating arrangement just important as a good classroom management plan?

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On page 118, the critical nature of the first days of school is addressed. According to Wong & Wong, “Students will develop their own habits or routines in classes where teachers do not teach procedures and communicate expectations” (Wong & Wong, 118). I agree with this statement because I have witnessed students take charge in areas where there is no clear governance. However, I feel that students should have some sense of agency regarding the class agenda or procedures, especially considering that the classroom is like their learning home. How can educators establish student habits or routines, while also allowing them to feel like they have some form of influence in their own learning environment?

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Chapter 12 focuses on the first days of school and what should formally be addressed within the first week. Chapter 13 is about classroom seating and ensuring that the classroom is set up in a way that benefits learning. I know that it has been beaten in to our heads that we have to introduce classroom expectations within the first few days, but how many of your own teachers succeeded at that (that you can remember) and given that it is so important and is backed by research, do you see yourself creating this pattern of consistency within your classes, or do you think that the outside world is going to impact your classroom more than a list of expectations?

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On page 124, the author discusses how students respond to the first set of instructions will be determined by how prepared and organized you are when you enter the classroom. What are some strategies that you can use that are present in the book to help set your instructions and affect student behavior?

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On page 127, Wong and Wong (2018)  discuss what an effective teacher will do to arrange their classroom on the first day of school. They say assigned seating and an opening assignment are necessary. What classroom arrangement do you think will be the most successful for your content area and the format you would like to have? What will you have as an opening assignment?

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In chapter 12 page 117 of The First Days of School, it is suggested that you should learn to use volume effectively (be loud with tone not volume, as it will have a bigger impact when needed). This is something that I find myself struggling with because I am a very soft-voiced person. After using a louder volume for longer periods of time I lose my voice and it lessens my effectiveness when trying to speak to a group of people. I’m aware of others who have the same struggles in this class and am very interested to know in what ways can we improve our tone/volume in order to be effective in the classroom- and not be overrun by our students?

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In the chapter titled, How to Arrange and Assign Seating, there was discussion about the purpose of assigned seats. This had me thinking about the anxiety that I got on the first day of school about where to sit and who to sit next to. Walking into the classroom in the middle of the year with the desks moved on also gave me stress. What are the benefits and downfalls of switching up assigned seats throughout the year versus keeping them the same?

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Chapter 13 focuses on seating arrangements and seating charts.  Given your content areas what are 2 seating structures that you think would best facilitate learning in your content? Do you have any preference of the type of seating in your classroom? (i.e. would you prefer tables, standard desks, etc.)

A new trend in education has been flexible seating.  Students are given multiple options and layouts to attend class in.  Do you see a place for this in your classroom?  Do you see any pros or cons to this? Do you think this would work with your content area?

On page 110 the 7 things students are concerned about on the first day of school are listed.  One that stood out to me was “will my teacher treat me fairly?” This is a question that seems obviously present, but one that I had never considered my students having come into the classroom.  Reflecting on your own schooling and your knowledge gained in our teacher preparation program:  how do you think this concern can be alleviated?  Do you worry about demonstrating favoritism in your teaching career (especially in those crucial first few days)?

What are a few ways that you can address the main concerns of students in your classroom?

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Beginning on page 125 of chapter 13 the book begins to discuss how an effective teacher should conduct their seating assignments and how the topic is not up for discussion because the teacher is the one in charge and the facilitator. Think back to your middle school experience, did you always have assigned seats and what was your opinion of them at the time and has it changed at all? The book has a point that it helps identify and move the problem children but many students like to pick where they are most comfortable in the classroom. Has a seating assignment ever made you feel less comfortable in the classroom? Do you think students will learn any less if they were to choose their seats, even if it may be near their friends?

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Throughout my K-12 education, almost all of my teachers had differing opinions about seating charts. One of my favorite setups that I’ve seen was in my algebra class and our teacher had the seats in groups where we would be grouped up with different people for each lesson. It gave us a chance to work with different people/styles and I could tell she noticed who was talking to each other since I was always in a group with people I enjoyed. Wong & Wong mention this in chapter 13 as well as stating that a seating chart is a priority in the classroom. I personally think that middle school students should have the liberty of sitting wherever they want because they’re in school, not the military. I’m interested in others’ views on this topic, so what do you think about seating charts? Do you think you’d have one? If so, how flexible would you be on where students are sat?

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Wong and Wong point out that “seating arrangements affect communication, concentration, and cooperation” (Wong and Wong, 121). How do you use this to apply to your thoughts of classroom productivity? I.E who are your students communicating with/what are the students going to be doing, and how does the seating arrangement benefit this?

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DJ Terwilliger
There are going to be students in our careers that will come from families with little amounts money. When I was in 5th grade, my syllabus stated that the material would be shared with the entire class to help save money for other families. On page 111, Martinez’s second technique, that teachers use before schools begin, is sending a letter home to each student’s families with a list of materials to have. Since social distancing will most likely be encouraged in our schools, so sharing materials may not be an option. So, how will you as an educator help your students who cannot gather the needed class materials?

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Based on pages 127-128. From your experience in middle school, do you remember an effective and/or ineffective teacher that welcomed you into the class? In what ways do they align with the text and how did it make an impression on you?