Norms and Procedures
Teaching is more than feeding students knowledge, it’s about giving them the skill-sets they need to develop and succeed as well rounded individuals.
To do this the classroom and school environment as a whole needs to foster inclusivity, support, empathy and respect in a welcoming manner. The norms and procedures create the foundation in which these elements of the learning environment can be built on.
While already implementing some decent norms and procedures in my classroom, this unit was able to provide me with a broader understanding of their importance and useful ways that they can be crafted to create an optimised and organic learning space.
Developing and implementing these elements as early as possible is crucial, they should be consistent and where possible allow students to have a say in what they are to allow them to feel some form of ownership over their learning environment which will make them more compliant to the norms that THEY have developed.
Some key norms expected are as follows:
Punctuality - Arrive on time and be prepared before class begins. If students are late then they should enter from the back quietly and take their seat.
Hands up to speak - Everyone deserves a chance to speak and contribute, let them have a chance to be heard fairly without being spoken over or drowned out.
We support and include one another - We all understand we’re at different levels, so we work together to lift each other up and progress.
Mistakes are expected - Use them as a tool for progress and move forward.
Be leaders of their own lessons - don’t be afraid to share areas of interest to the teacher, it can help make the learning process more relevant and interesting to the class while delivering the lesson objectives.
Teacher - Always provides audible and visual access to information simultaneously to students to give a clear, comprehensive understanding of learning objectives and instruction.
Some norms are obvious, such as putting your hand up to talk, being on time etc. However, what I learnt was that while norms are important, the way they are implemented and dealt with when not adhered to is equally, if not more important.
Transitions
Transitions play an equally important part as setting the classroom norms as the effective implementation of transitions act as a support and guide for the classroom norms. Through this unit I started to understand that the careful implementation of the different elements within this plan is like a soft thread, when the thread is manoeuvred correctly, it creates a finely woven blanket.
Having a familiar, repeating structure to the lesson, with repeated transitions enables students to gain expectations of what is coming next and allows for better psychological and physical preparation for the lesson ahead.
Well-transitioned classes leave little to no room for distractions or disruptions as they maintain the “flow” of the learning experience.
The use of effective audio and visual cues and body language is essential for transitions and comprehension.
Spot-checking student comprehension as the lesson progresses encourages engagement and supports transitions as it allows the teacher to identify if there are any misunderstandings.
Setting clear expectations with examples and explanations allows for more effective transitions between instruction and completion of tasks followed with a clearly defined time limit for each task.
In addition to this, I personally like to arrive to the class as early as possible to complete the set-up of any materials and tools I’ll be using and use the extra free time to chat informally with my students with the intent of building relations, gaining insight into their interests, build trust and it also acts as a way to let the students know that class will beginning shortly.
Setting High Expectations
High expectations in my classroom are something that should be extended beyond simply achieving high grades relative to their capabilities, but extending into their interactions and respect for one another, the expectations of themselves and those around them.
Simply put, aim high. It’s not enough to simply be academically adept, students need to be able to have a well-rounded set of social skills and 21st century skills including creativity and collaborative skills.
This can all stem from respect, a willingness to voice their opinions and support them in a respectful manner, finding solutions for problems independently and as part of a team and developing a growth mindset where if they hit a setback then they address is as a learning opportunity.
I expect my students to have the same expectations as me and if they approach me with challenge I don’t know the answer to, then we will find the solution together so both of us learn.
I think it’s important to lead by example and furthermore believe that these expectations should extend within the greater environment of the student. Beyond the classroom, supported and encouraged in their homes and beyond.
Expectations should be explained and instilled early on, with my HS students they are no longer children, but young adults. So they should be made as part of the deciding factor on what is expected of them, giving them the autonomy and responsibility is also a key learning aspect they should take as a growth opportunity.
Using Technology Tools
Technology is heavily integrated with every aspect of our daily lives and as a result communication and access to information has transformed as a consequence of that. I see little to no reason that technology shouldn’t be harnessed to increase student participation and facilitate learning.
Within an ESL classroom it allows for more methods of language to be practiced and used with and allows for a greater range of resources to be used with opportunities for students to research and present their findings on project work in English. Self-exploratory projects based on a theme allows for students to research using the entire range of language skills to acquire knowledge, plan, develop and present their presentation.
Within my school it is a good opportunity for them to develop computer literacy skills as they usually have little time on computer based learning. It does however have limitations as within the class, not all students have computers which means sharing in group work is often required along with the challenge of temperamental internet.
Tools such as Plickers and Nearpod are useful for the teacher within the class as they allow a greater, instantaneous insight into students understanding and performance through formative assessments. The efficiency and accuracy saves a lot of time (especially in a Chinese public school where a class can have approx ~50 students) as the software presents reports on performance automatically allowing for lessons to be better tailored to the classes needs.
Often, the apps can allow for an increase in accessibility and participation through flexibility of learning methods and the way that informations is presented. Furthermore, homework assignments can become more interesting and creative while developing those computer literacy skills and a sense of accountability. One thing I’m working on is having the students develop a personal progress log with their English speaking assignments so they can track their progress and identify areas for development, the how they wish to present and tools they use is up to them (for example, using Voki rather than filming themselves).
Communication with Parents
Parents are a valuable asset to have on board in maximising the learning outcomes of the student. Well informed parents can help maintain a positive classroom culture by enforcing and guiding norms and expectations at home.
Consistently ongoing communication with parents ensures that parents remain informed and supportive of student’s progression, challenges and ongoing needs. However, the amount of communication between the parents and teaching staff will vary depending on the needs and the age of the student.
School news letters are a useful way to keep parents updated on school-wide events and news, however, bi-weekly reports from homeroom teachers can give parents a general overview of their student’s class events and news while an open social media group chat (WhatsApp, WeChat etc) can be useful to address group concerns or keep parents up to date with real-time updates.
As I’m teaching high school students, they’re expected to have a lot more independence and responsibility over their own educational progression than, say, elementary students.
My students parents are and should be informed of their progress in key areas, such as end of term results or if there are particular areas of concern, such as a frequent failure of the completion of homework or behavioural problems in order to help identify the cause and find a solution.
However, my school dictates that any concerns or issues should be relayed to that students specific homeroom teacher and it will be their responsibility to communicate with the parents directly.
A caution that I have learnt, is the parents must have a firm understanding of norms and expectations the same as students. Such as, communication should be kept within business hours and that questions will be responded to within 24 hours unless it’s an emergency. Otherwise parents may develop unreasonable expectations and the teacher’s personal time will suffer.
Impact of Video Observations
Video observations of lessons allow a teacher a prime opportunity to self-assess and critique themselves. It allows a teacher to identify things that would otherwise go unnoticed by them such as those subconscious actions that may hinder or make yourself less accessible to the students through the use of particular language, habits or body language.
Additionally it allows the teacher to identify classroom behaviour that occurs when preoccupied with another student or while writing on the board, and, in general, the ability to analyse room for improvement for better classroom management and practices as a whole.
On a larger scale video observations allow teachers to share and observe best practices and to continually learn and grow as a teacher, essential as technology and methodologies evolve to fit with the changing classroom environments.
In-person classroom observations have their uses, but often the presence of a teacher’s peers usually alters the classroom environment and doesn’t present a true representation of the class as student behaviour often changes in response to the foreign presence in the class.
Video is less intrusive, gives a truer representation of the class as a whole and ultimately gives peers the opportunity to give better, more valuable feedback on those classes.
It also extend your potential peer learning community and feedback opportunities far beyond who can attend your physical classroom giving a greater field of experience and peers to share and learn from.
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