How can I productively react when students misbehave or act up?

There are many different reactions that you COULD have as a teacher when a student acts up. There are also many different interpretations of what "postively reacting" is. For me, I believe it depends on the severity of what the student is doing. If it is simlpy speaking out of turn or being disruptive you could implement various strategies for class participiation. Examples of this are the tickets we used in Theresa's class or the "talking turkey" in Beth's class. If the student's actions are more severe then this, most of the time I would talk to them after class or find a time to talk to them quietly during class that does not single them out. Some students are simply looking for attention from you, find a way to give them this so they do not feel the need to disrupt class. Above all, try and refrain from sending them to the office. This takes away from their learning time and just means that you have to reteach the material later on down the line. Also, is passes the authority down the line to make it appear that you do not know how (or are not willing) to deal with it. Most importantly, the kids who act up need the extra attention. There is also a reason for them acting up that is NOT simply that they are a bad kid. Find a way to relate to the student and work on building a good studen/teacher rapport. Go the extra mile!

Which strategies are most effective for maintaining order in the classroom?

There are many strategies that are effective for maintaining order in the classroom. The most important ones that I believe I will implement when I teach are:

-Allow student input when creating the classroom rules on the first day.
-Clearly state class objectives at the beginning of the year, unit, and lesson.
-Get to know your students by a survey.
-Allow students time to vent at the beginning of the class, this will lead to fewer disruptions during the class period.
-Avoid sending students to the office. Not only does this take away from their learning time but it also passes the authority to a different person. Students will respect you more if you try and work out the problem with them.
-Make sure students know you are there for them. This will lead to fewer disruptions because it appears to them that you are on their side.
-Implement meaningful and engaging components into every lesson. This will help to maintain order in the classroom because students will be motivated and less likely to act out.
-Incorperate the multiple intelligences. If students are able to learn their own way they will be more engaged and less likely to act out.
-Get a solid system or routine. It is frustrating for students when things are constantly changing. They need something to rely in.

There are many different strategies to implement in the classroom that pertain to maintaining order. I feel that these are the most important ones. Students need structure in how things are done but sympathy from you when things go wrong. As a teacher you must remain firm yet flexible. Set the rules, but leave some flexibility in them for when the unexpected happens. Even the most dedicated students are able to act out if you are not willing to roll with the punches.

Quick Response: Chapter Ten

This chapter was appealing because it made the point that students actually did want to learn not only in new and different ways but OUTSIDE of school as well. The fact that students wanted to be steered toward after school and summer programs was uplifting because school then is not a requirement, learning is fun and important to them. The fact that students would be willing to do extra instead of just scrapping by was extremely uplifting because then learning means more to them then simply a diploma it is an experience, an invesment, and important.

Quick Response: Chapter Nine

I liked this chapter because it is easy to be fearful of things going wrong. Everyone likes to feel in control. The section that struck me the greatest was to not take a bad day too hard. Everyone is every profession has a bad day, teachers are going to have them as well. Students are going to be a bad mood, have things going on in their lives, and somedays they just honestly will not want to be there. As a student myself I have those day. As a teacher, you are not allowed to have those days because it is your job and that is what you are trained and paid to do. Passionate teachers are passionate everyday. It reminds me of my job on the phones at MBNA, if I had a bad phone call I could not carry that on to the next call because it was not fair to the student. When you have a bad class or a bad day you cannot carry that on because it is not fair to your students who are there, commited to the class.

Quick Response: Chapter Eight

This chapter I approached with a little apprehension becuase I am not sure whether or not I will teach outside of the state of Maine, and the state of Maine has little diversity. However, as the chapter went on I did find helpful hints not only in the form of teaching students where English is not their first language but in teaching students who have learning disibilites in general. I am not saying I will never have a student that does not speak English well, but I think the best way for me to look at it at this point is to look at it this way. The most helpful part was the section about differentiation at the end. Using different activities including oral exams seesm very useful. My teacher had a student with a second grade reading level and a learning disorder take a test the other day and the student took part of the exam orally. This showed to me that the important part was not remembering it all for the test, but checking for understanding completely from the students.

Quick Response: Chapter Seven

This chapter was by far the most infulential chapter of them all. It gave incredibly helpful insights into actually classroom strategies that could help students actually learn and relate to the material. The part I especially related to was the section of not sticking exactly to the book. The students gave suggestions such as giving supplemental reading, giving textbooks excerpts from other country's textbooks and relating the subject to everyday life. I particularly liked the idea of giving excerpts from other nation's textbooks for a history class because of different views of an episode such as a American Revolution, it really puts things in perspective. I especially liked this part of the book because my mentor teacher in the schools really stuck to the book in terms of the content, section by section, and chapter by chapter and it really bored me just for the time I was there. I cannot imagine what it would be like for the entire year.

Quick Response: Chapter Six

The section that most stuck out to me was the one on what actually motivates students. Some of the examples given were passionate teachers, issues kids care about, connections to the real world, and choices on things that matter. In particular what stood out to me connections to thereal world and passionate teachers. I think it is important in every subject to connect the material the students are learning to every day life and things that are important to them. In terms of passionate teaching, this is a subject that is extremely important to me. In everything I do I am passionate. Things are not worth doing unless they are done with all of you. Therefore, I know that I will be able to be a passionate teacher because history is already something I am passionate about.