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Social Organization of School

January 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Schools are a large social organization that in any given day has opposing views swirling along with the learning , and yet have to be run in a benevolent, courteous fashion. Joyce Epstein at the Partnership Center for the Social Organization of Schools in Baltimore, Maryland came up with a framework to describe the six types of involvement that need to occur in order to have a successful positive school environment. She lists them as follows parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community.

There are many ways to parent that are successful.  Once a child enters school, home environments have to be set up to support children as students.  Schools have to provide information on what home conditions support learning.  Support programs and services are created to assist with health, nutrition, and social issues.

Communication underpins the whole environment of school.  Communication has to be two way.  Conferences, language translators, student progress reports, information vehicles for notices, and policies are all channels of keeping all sides informed and focused on the student.

Volunteering is the window that lets the public and parents understand what school is about.  It allows parents and teachers to work together toward a common goal.  It establishes relationships that benefit the student..

Parents are a child’s first teacher.  Learning does not stop when a student goes out the school doors.  Learning at home is  an important component of raising a child.   The teacher shares with the student.  The student shares with the parent.  The parent sends back information that enriches what went on in the classroom.

Decision making about someone’s child has to be a partnership to work.  Power struggles take away support from the student.  Joint decisions between parents, teachers, and administrators keep the system in balance and functioning.

Schools are part of a larger community.  Schools cannot do their job without community support. There is constant service integration within schools to address all the needs of all the students and their families.

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Importance of Group Instruction

December 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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In school, students have a variety of subjects that they are attempting to master inside of their little brains. To make matters a little more complicated, teachers are to teach students based on their differing abilities. Some students are able to master material much quicker than others, while some have a difficult time understanding the new, fresh material.

This problem is remedied within schools with differentiated instruction. Students are taught in whole group, with all students, and then the teacher separates the students in their class into three to four smaller groups that are around the same level of learning to go over information with them more specifically. This gives all students an opportunity to really learn the skills being taught, no matter what subject, and students are able to excel within their group.

Group instruction as well as small group instruction are both important to the students as a whole. The time that is spent in a whole group can focus on introduction of new information, reading stories on a particular topic, or introducing new spelling words through song. Then, once students are separated into their smaller groups, teachers can gauge what the focus that particular group of students need to ensure success.

The groups are generally separated based on skill assessments. Teachers might utilize standardized tests to form their groups, however there is some speculation about this method, specifically for younger children who try to rush or who don’t read well, but might completely understand the material. Observations are an excellent tool to assess students understanding and their ability to grasp information that would likely be useful in smaller group lessons. Some teachers create groups that are homogeneous, while others like variety and separate students in groups that are heterogeneous to allow for higher leveled thinkers to positively influence struggling learners.

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Classroom Management Tips

December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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In our society, classrooms are full of diversity; from multiple races, genders, English language learners, to exceptional learners streamlined into a regular classroom environment. Teachers today have to have specific guidelines for classroom management that will be effective for all of the diverse students within their class.

The first thing teachers need are clear expectations that are verbally introduced to students, as well as are visible in the form of class rules. This will help the teacher guide the student to the list of class rules when they are being broken. Rules might include raise your hand, be respectful of all people, do not interrupt, keep your hands and feet to yourself, etc.

Another tool that works well is when a request is made, teachers immediately address the individual students that are correctly completing the task. This usually ensures that the other students in the room want to have the teacher call their name and will quickly model suit. This can be done with almost every task within a classroom, whether lining up, putting items away, getting ready for lunch, or simply being quiet.

Strategies need to be in place when students aren’t following the rules. Students need to know, along with the teacher’s expectations in the classroom what consequences there are for misbehavior. Are they going to have to stay after class to help clean up? Will they have to report this behavior to their parents?
Many teachers provide rewards for positive discipline within the classroom to help those that are modeling correct behaviors. This might come in the form of a sticker or candy, or a special treat with a designated time frame. Some teachers pass out fake money for purchases in the class store, which addresses students’ motivation for positive discipline.

No matter which strategies teachers utilize, classroom management in some form is essential.

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When a Teaching Tactic Should Be Implemented

November 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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As a teacher you are constantly bombarded with different ways to make your teaching more effective. Some things, like the lessons you must teach the kids are handed to you from the top down, others are things that you read about in magazines or see at conferences and seminars. There are a million different ways to try and teach your students. Some of these are fresh approaches to famously successful methods and many of them will really catch your eye, but the question is: are my students ready to learn that way and can i effectively teach it that way?

These questions are the kind that you have to know if you want to make a successful transition into the teaching style. The first thing that needs to be assessed is the kind of children you have. Everything from their backgrounds to the kind of environment the school itself is a factor in if your kids are ready for that progressive type of teaching. In most cases your kids have to be ready to embrace change.

The other thing that needs to be done is a teacher needs to be able to fully grasp the concept of the method before they can begin to bring it into the classroom. Too many time teachers implement a style or method without being sure that they understand the method. The issue is that if a teacher watches a student having trouble grasping the concept of the lesson they might not understand it well enough to know how to get it to connect with the student.

If you are thinking about implementing a new lesson plan they you should be thinking about these things. The number one job of a teacher is to connect lessons to the student. Make sure the method is the best thing for you and your students.

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Instilling Discipline In The Classroom

November 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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As a teacher there are a lot of important jobs you must handle. The first is teaching the lessons to the children and making sure they understand and relate to what you are trying to teach them. The other thing you have to do and it might be the first thing you have to do is instill discipline in the classroom. If you cannot get your students to listen to you and behave themselves, you can’t hope to have them connect with your lesson plans. If you are interested in instilling discipline here are a few things to keep in mind.

The first thing you need to do is set a tone early. Children, like animals, can tell when a teacher is unsure of themselves. They can smell fear. Don’t let them see fear on you or things could be a bit hectic and difficult. You need to let them know from the moment they step into your classroom that you mean business.

Make sure your discipline is fair. If you begin sending people to the principles office for every little thing you will blur the line between what they can and can’t do. This will only lead them to believe there is no right behavior. This will cause them to act out. The rules that you set forth must be clear and the punishment must be fair.

There must be levels to the punishment. A severe punishment for hitting another student cannot be the same punishment for talking in class. While they both might be disruptive they cannot be dealt with in exactly the same way. There must be a different level.

Consistency and the ability to be stern are two things that matter the most in good classroom management. If you can do these two things any classroom you take over will be well behaved one.

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