I was not sure what to expect with Farm craft’s first graders on Friday since we had gotten a heads up from a teacher that they have been a difficult group. I was actually looking forward to some challenges but did not encounter anything I was not able to deal with. I have some methods that I have stuck with from the first day that seem to be working for me. Determining from the get go what the class uses as the quiet signal helps me get my footing and also helps remind the kids that even though they are outside and doing fun stuff there are still some classroom rules that apply. Also, I know that kids like to know what they are going to be doing before they do it so I let them know early on. Often, I can address what they are already thinking so we don’t run into sharing issues, time issues, etc. They want to know that they will get a turn doing the fun stuff.
I try to stick to the positive by giving them alternative behavior as Carol has said, asking them to walk instead of saying “Don’t run”. I welcome feedback from the teachers because they have more experience than I do and also because even though it is early in the school year, they know these kids better than I do. The teacher that was with me was thrilled with the opportunity to give her kids hands on activities and said that she felt it was the answer to what they were seeing as behavior problems. She said space and time constraints prevented them from doing more hands on activities.
All I can say is “Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce.” When I say, “Wow, you are such good listeners!” I mean it. I am thrilled when things are going well. I know that feeling of not having the focus of the kids and feeling things might spiral out of control. Every good teacher I’ve known has told me that you have to get the attention from the get go. You can always ease up, but it is virtually impossible to reign in.
I found it useful to determine their quiet signals as well. The clap/clap/clapclapclap worked to get their attention without fail. I didn't think the group had behavior problems out of the ordinary: they were first graders acting like first graders. Perhaps having so many adult chaperones helped, but they seemed to be a great group.
ReplyDeleteI agree that using a signal helps get attention and maintain control of the groups. The clapping works wonders!!! Almost all kids recognize it, use it and follow it up with return clapping and quiet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the advanced notice of behavior concerns was a startling difference from what I expected. The kids did not seem to have bad behavior, they were just first graders... Exploring and happy to be out of the classroom. I have seen far worse behavior from similar aged students. I was expecting far worse. My group was great and the large group was pretty good overall. Also, agree that the number of adults helped. Having three adults to 12 students really set the stage for a positive farmstead program.
I also love the idea of asking them to do positive things, and I think that I will need to be reminded of this. I am sure this is partly due to the fact that most of the early years of my educational experience was mostly "don't". I want to stay positive, to encourage them positively. I am certainly glad that Matt's day went well, and I think that my day went well, however I must admit, that until it was mentioned by others, I hadn't really realized, that while my group had 4 parents, I had very little support from any of them. This causes me to wonder if there is something that I am doing that minimizes the parents feeling like the should or need to be involved.
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