Yesterday I mentioned my issue with off-task behavior in the Writing Workshop. In particular is how I have some kiddos that like to roam. They need to get up and walk around, which is fine and good if used appropriately. Appropriate walking around you say? The type where they don't bother others, and start up conversations about the upcoming recess.Today brought about more intentional responses to those behaviors. First, I noticed that some of the behaviors came because the structure from previous days was gone (at least in social studies). We transitioned from reading/response to reading and narrative writing. The structure of reading and then trying to comprehend text with focused questions kept kids focused, and resulted in some good work being done. Without that structure, some kids felt unencumbered and too loose. Today we got back to our reading/response, and there was a definite change.
The next change was keeping some of my roamers with me. I have a small group table at the back of the room. I use it at times, while letting kids spread out to the table if they feel the need to get away from their table group. In this instance it was helpful to be able to question them, and talk with them about the reading skills we were using (inferring- a pre-assessment for me actually). While I would leave to circulate, I would head back to the table to check-in. The change in routine and their physical space resulted in a near absence of roaming. We'll see what comes tomorrow.
I have been seeing some inattentive and disruptive behavior in my classroom when we have individual writing sessions. The same handful of students seem to have a hard time staying on task, and it’s difficult to constantly give directions and reminders when there are other students that I need to get to. I like your idea about getting the easily distracted students (roamers) in one place and having them work with you at a separate table. I am curious to know how your reading/writing period went today with the use of that strategy, and asking questions to create more structure in your lesson.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I read in your previous post that you play music in your classroom. What kind of music do you play? We play classical music during quiet work time, and so far, we have been getting groans and complaints from some of our more outspoken students regarding the music choice. I am wondering if you ever play the radio and let students listen to popular music. I am apprehensive about my students listening to songs that have questionable lyrics, but they are also in 6th grade, and I hear them talk about Eminem and other artists that they listen to regularly. Could allowing them to listen to a radio station of their choice be something to treat them to once in a while, or do you think it’s better I stick to classical music? Thanks!
Today wouldn't be the best example of my writing workshop, largely because of the variety of projects we are finishing. From some beginning of the year stuff, to some postcards we are making for our little buddy classroom, kids were all over the map. By starting with expectations for what they needed to accomplish, I was able to get most kids on track. A few strayed but the were largely being social with peers about their work. Meanwhile I pulled a group of 3 to continue some work on social studies writing from the earlier 1:10-1:50 block because they needed more guided practice. Thus far I've found that my kids who are off-task usually need some support in breaking the task into smaller chunks, or a bit more guided support (teacher or peer). I've also found that when a large number of kids are off-task, more than the usual cadre of kiddos, I need to do some re-teaching because my original lesson wasn't effective for some reason.
ReplyDeleteAs far as music... anything from classical (mozart often) to jazz (coltrane, miles davis, monk), sometimes I'll put on some instrumental hip-hop stuff (rjd2). I prefer music without words for our work in the classroom, largely because then we don't get into sing-a-longs. You could try a radio station of their choice, but then you have DJs or ads which can be tough to tune out (even for adults). I have had the Postal Service on in the background really softly without much of an issue, but I do so infrequently.
All you can do is try. Monitor to see if it works. But I would alter small things each time, as you can get a better handle of what changes are really being impactful. Cheers! Let me know how it turns out.