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James StewartCHEP
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@ellythomas :
A keyword in your post is that you were "substituting" in a class. Students, who may be less self-regulated than most, may feel having a "substitute teacher" in their classroom opens a new door of opportunity for unbounded behavior. In the context of a substitute teacher, students may engage the idea there are no defined boundaries or guidelines; or for that matter consequences, so they feel empowered to "seize the day." If possible, I would consult the regular teacher on the classroom management guidelines she has in place and make the class immediately aware that I am supporting… >>>
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Encouragement and connectivity to the meaning of the content in relation to prior knowledge will encourage brain connections and relationships that will in turn foster storage in the brains long term memory.
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How often do we as instructors enter the classroom and engage, or believe we are engaging, students with the wonderfully prepared lesson we are anxious to present without guaging whether our learners are ready to learn. Determining the state of the classroom and making necessary adjustments prior to beginning the lesson is essential to its' success. If a student is still mentally engaged with baggage they brought into the room they are most likely not engaged with the instructor. We have have to creatively and critically assess what we might do to create an engaging learning environment.
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The best possible lighting we can offer our students is daylighting. Is energizes, has blue in it's spectrum in the main part of the day and energizes. The color temperature of the light sources, when showing videos and presentations, can be varied so the classroom doesn't seem fit for sleeping. This can be accomplished by bringing in some inexpensive lamps from a discount store and placing them in the back of the room. The halo effect works well and the screen is clearly visible. Don't be afraid to use colored bulbs for that "gone to the movie" experience for students.
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I have found guiding students and making myself emotionally available by explaining what it was like for me to be a student helps them feel more comfortable and open up the classroom for discussion that is genuine and engaging. The days of instructors pointing to a student for whatever reason to make them a focus in the general classroom are as antiquated as "stand and deliver" methodologies for instruction. It is true that students "don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."
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One relaxation exercise you can do at your desk is to sit up stright in your chair, extend your arms, cross and grasp your hands. Now, pull your hands under and up to your chest. Next, take in a slow and deep breath inhaling as much as posssible and exhale while firmly holding your hands to your chest. Each time it will stretch the muscles in your back and chest and give you a feeling of relaxation.
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Dr. Daniel Amen wrote a book by the title listed in the subject line. He says that we have ANTS. That is Automatic Negative Thoughts and we choose to accept or reject them. If we reject it diminishes our stress, if we accept...well you know the answer.
Discussion Comment
When students are writing essays they often come with limited or minimal organizational skills. Some of the predictive analytical software has the ability to find common strands and keywords that are appropriate to a topic. Though the words are different, they have similar menaings. I sometimes I have students use different colored highlighters to identify keywords or concepts in their writing that are similar to one another. This allows me to determine their critical thinking skills and how they relate to various bits and pieces of their writing. It helps the student realize if they have wondered off course since… >>>
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In a team focused professional learning community it is often difficult to plan in the longer view when others are planning shorter, or not at all.It makes it difficult when members fail to interact with partners when they fail to communicate. Impromptu, or meetings that are poorly planned and yield little to no results, can destroy the plans for the day and if enough of them occur in a short time frame this might apply to the week.
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The use of technology in the 21st century classroom is, in my opinion, no longer an option. However, when speaking of its efficiency it still commands a formidable presence in the planning scheme and must not be considered a tool for students to become completely self-taught or assessed without consideration of several other factors gathered from empirical observations.