The student led classroom relies on the fact that every student knows it takes everyone’s help and participation to successfully run the classroom. Students need to feel needed and relied on. They need to know what tasks need to get done each day and week, as well as how to do them. Solarz encourages you to set high expectations of student leadership, then provide space and encouragement for them to take control; you will see the students shine. The more responsibility the students are given, the more likely they are to find success. This is where encouraging effort and risk taking is most crucial. The teacher should train the students to figure out what needs to be done, figure out the best way to do it and then go for it. Provide feedback, but never get upset at their mistakes.
Classroom Jobs
Solarz suggests that the teacher only create the list of jobs that are absolutely necessities. After that, let the students figure out what jobs need to be done; with teacher feedback of course. The following are some of the jobs that Solarz is sure to have in his classroom:
Attendance Takers
Mail Distributers to give out all flyers and packets that are sent home
Absent-Minded Professors who are responsible for taking care of students who are absent from school. They fill out a form telling parents everything they learned that day and they gather books and supplies that are needed so the parents can pick them up from the school office.
The Laptop Cart Monitor who checks the cart schedule, gets it when needed and returns it when done. They also make sure they are all plugged in correctly.
The Pencil Sharpener Dumper who cleans out the sharpener each day.
The Morning Greeter who says “Good Morning” to everyone who walks in and reminds students of the daily goal.
The Afternoon Reminderer who reminds everyone as they leave the class at the end of the day to make sure they have stacked their chair, picked up their mail and completed their jobs.
Recapper reminds the the class what the homework is that night (it is posted on the board and online as well).
The Announcer is responsible for leading the end-of-the-day discussion about upcoming events, giving important reminders, and telling students to stack their chairs, get their mail and do their jobs.
Silent Day
Towards the end of the year, Solarz plans a “Silent Day.” On this day, the teacher does not say a single word to anyone. He doesn’t answer questions, give directions, talk to peers at lunch, or anything else. The students run the class for the entire day without any teacher guidance. They have to pretend that the teacher is absent. The entire year students show responsibility and that works to earn them a silent day. They know they won’t get one without taking responsibility for their actions and seeing that all the tasks get done.
Rituals vs. Routines
Solarz distinguishes between rituals and routines. Rituals are activities that follow a similar pattern from day to day and week to week but are motivational in nature and are eagerly anticipated by the students. In contrast, routines follow a similar day-to-day pattern but lack the motivational element. Creating daily rituals that the students are excited to lead is a key element in the student-led classroom. Knowing what’s expected or needed often motivates them to take charge of the situation without being asked. This is crucial because without the excitement, these activities can turn into boring routines which students often look to avoid. There are always going to be boring but necessary routines like hanging up coats and removing supplies, but when you assign specific students to take leadership and coordinate this, you can turn boring routines into more exciting rituals.
For those of you who teach Language Arts, Solarz has some great ideas for Literature Circles that you should read about on page 130 of the book.
Solarz has a great classroom ritual to end each day that he calls REARJMCL, where the students write down the homework, evaluate the day, reflect on the goals they set for themselves and set new goals for the next day. REARJMCL stands for:
Recap, Evaluate, Announcements, Reset the Room, Do You Jobs, Get Your Mail, Stack Your Chair, Line Up! After a month or two of practice, this ritual can be done in just fifteen minutes.
1. How to Make Your Questions Essential
2. Growth Mindset: Building Your Child's Work Ethic
3. Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff
Links to Interesting Web Tools:
1. 16 Books About Learning Every Teacher Should Read
2. 4 Visual Dictionaries and a Thesaurus for Kids
3. Three Classroom Tools to Measure Student Learning
Quote of the Day:
1. Classrooms Don't Need Tech Geeks....2. 4 Visual Dictionaries and a Thesaurus for Kids
3. Three Classroom Tools to Measure Student Learning
2. The Real 1:1 is Not About Devices
No comments:
Post a Comment