Strategies:
1. Name Game: I plan on playing a name game with my students to start building a community. We will all stand in a circle and the teacher will explain the purpose of the game. One student will begin by saying his name and then the next student goes and has to say his name plus the previous person. The following person will then say his name plus the previous two persons and we will continue in that manner as we go around the whole circle. The last person then has to attempt to repeat everyone’s name. We will then repeat the game starting with a new student that way someone new will be the last person and attempt to repeat everyone’s name. After doing this activity twice, any student can then attempt to say everyone’s name.
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2. Getting to know me: In order to start building a relationships with my students, I will give some background about me in hopes of relating to them in some way. After introducing myself, I will have five to ten minutes for students to ask me anything they want. I expect students to be shy but I am sure I will have one brave student that will start the questions and we will continue from there.
3. Classroom Rules: In order to build a safe environment for everyone in the classroom, I will ask students what they think some expectations for the class, for both students and the teacher, should be that will allow for this classroom to be safe. Allowing the students to come up with rules gives them some sense of power in the class and let’s them know that I value them and that we should all be equals in the class. These expectations/rules will be posted on the walls of the classroom. (Kohn, 1996)
4. Student’s Roles: I want to have a classroom where every student is important, a classroom where if any student is absent at any time it will be noticed because his or her role will have to be covered by someone else. Students will all be sitting in groups of four and on the ceiling on top of each group there will a card from a deck of cards. Tables will be from A-9 (A being 1) and each student will be a suit from the number. Each suit (diamonds, hearts, spades, clubs) will have a specific role in the classroom; like picking up material, picking up handouts, writing on the whiteboard, etc. The roles will be introduced on the first week of school. (Villa, Thousand, Nevin, 2010)
5. Random Student Calling: I will have two systems in the classroom on how students will be called on which will be explained in the first week of school. The second day of class, students will write their names on a notecard and on the back they will answer five questions that will give me some information about them and where they will also tell me their previous math grades and whether or not they like math. The notecards will be placed at random in a single ring binder and whichever card is on top is the person who will be called on and I will turn the cards to keep calling on them. Another way I will have set up is with a deck of cards that will be in an envelop where I will pull out a card. Both methods will allow for the calling on students will be random at all times
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6. Routines: Everyday before we begin the lesson, we will have a couple of minutes to talk about anything we want or that students want to share. In the first week of school, the students will begin practicing the routines that will be part of the classroom. For example, if you are absent there will be an area where the handouts for that given day will be filed. Coursework packets are another major thing that will be a part of the classroom; instead of turning in every worksheet students will turn in 8 or 9 at a time as a coursework packet.
Sources:
Kohn, Alfie. (1996). Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Villa, R.A. Thousand, J.S. & Nevin, A.I. (2010). Chapter 9: Students as Collaborators in Responsibility, Collaborating with Students in Instruction and Decision Making, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, p. 171-188.
Kohn, Alfie. (1996). Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Villa, R.A. Thousand, J.S. & Nevin, A.I. (2010). Chapter 9: Students as Collaborators in Responsibility, Collaborating with Students in Instruction and Decision Making, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, p. 171-188.