Sunday, a day of rest and reflection. I'm going to try and introduce "Give Me 5!" from Harry Wong in my classroom this week. My greatest problem with my classes is not rampant misbehavior or lack of respect for myself or the other students, so much as it is their talking at inappropriate times and at inappropriate voice levels. Immaturity for the most part I suppose. I've been trying to use a variation of Wong's technique that the kids supposedly know, but it seems to have lost effect.
You know, in reading Love and Logic I am struck by all the great ideas, some of which I can use, and some of which I can't due to my school buildings rules when it comes to behavior, write-ups, etc. It reminds me of a line from an old song by the Byrds, "take what you need, and leave the rest". Kind of like AA and other twelve-step programs too I suppose.
I had a talk with my wife (a 10 year teaching veteran at the school where I am currently employed) last night about some of the methods in Love and Logic as well as Straight Talk. (We stay up very late several nights a week discussing teaching, education, etc. It's a great learning experience!) I asked her why my classes did not look like those of a couple of teachers on my team who I regard as master teachers. She told me that a lot of it had to do with when they got their education degrees, and the methods they were taught, and what their old-line expectations of a classroom are. I suppose there is a lot of truth to that. Those of us who are getting our initial certification now are being taught to have a classroom with more freedom for the kids, less directive.
I'm trying something similar to this with my class right now, and I am very nervous. I gave the kids a rubric and minimum direction as to the product I wanted. I want to try to see what they can come up with for me on their own. Aside from a group grade on the rubric, they will have to self-assess and justify their individual grade to me. I'm such a rebel at times. :)