Chaotic Wednesday

My Wednesday practicum hours showed me how switching from one unit to the next can cause a little bit of chaos. Logistically, there were still some students who were concerned with the previous unit. They had just taken their summative assessment on Monday and had received their scores and feedback. Some students knew that they were expected to retake the assessment to see if they could improve their score. Other students had yet to take the assessment because they were absent. This seemed a little chaotic to me at the beginning of the class sessions because some students were so focused on what they had gotten on the assessment, when they would retake it or take it for the first time, while Mr. Scott and many other class members were ready to put the unit behind them and start to discuss the American Revolution.

It was good to see this little chaotic scene (it really only lasted maybe five minutes or so in each session, but it really stuck out to me) because it shows me how transitions can become complicated. The students will have the time to retake or take the assessment as it was fairly short and they could use their break time to complete it (which is standard practice, the students know that break time is used to complete assignments if they are not finished, if they hadn't started them when they were expected to, or if they need extra time).

Some of this seemed to set the tone for the first class, though. It seemed to me like the students could never really get focused. Mr. Scott used his usual classroom management system by using "Gimme Five" - which did work to get their attention when he needed to speak or give directions. What didn't work, though, was his use of the "think cards". Rather than halting his lesson to speak to an individual about their behavior, he simply hands a think card to the student or students who needed a reminder of the expectation and they know that it is a warning of sorts. For Henry, the think card was effective. He knew that he had been talking when he wasn't supposed to be and his behavior changed accordingly. For Josh, the think card didn't change much about his behavior. He quieted down for a short period of time, but he never focused on the reading assignment. He didn't work with his group to complete the assignment despite reminders. Josh was more worried about his food and making comments on the things that people in other groups would say - that tended to be quite off-topic - rather than meeting the classroom expectations. With about ten minutes left of class, after being separated from his group mates with the expectation that he would get serious about the assignment and really work on it, Josh was given his final warning and eventually had to go out in the hallway for a private conversation with Mr. Scott about classroom expectations and how his behavior did not meet them.

This was a new experience for me. I had seen Mr. Scott give out these think cards, but he had never had to go as far as separating a student so the rest of his group mates could work without distraction or to take a student into the hallway. It was a nice reminder that even when we are clear with our expectations and are consistent in making sure that students are meeting them and being respectful, the early interventions in our classroom management won't always do the trick. In a veteran classroom, it's hard to see this in action all the time because most of the time there aren't really any classroom management issues to observe. A lot of it is handled silently or so discreetly that nobody really notices it. It will be interesting to see if there is a pattern over time that when a unit ends or there is some other significant transition, classroom management becomes more important in keeping everything in line. Regardless, I have something to keep in mind when looking toward the future.