For this week's challenge of applying new learning into our classroom, I totally borrowed an idea from a fellow classmate. [Shout-out to Caleb: You ROCK!] I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use this idea since I could imagine it working so well with my class at this particular moment. I think I will be taking a look at Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano in the near future.
My class has been having a hard time with staying focused during work time lately. There are just too many social butterflies needing to flutter around! I have been striking out with things that I have tried over the past couple of weeks so when I saw this idea I figured it was worth a try.
Today we had a fairly complex Art project planned. I gave the directions and explained how important it is for everyone to stay focused and really work hard. I then wandered around the room and made notes about each student regarding five different questions:
1. Did I stay in my own work space?
2. Did I follow the directions?
3. Did I use my time wisely (not rush)?
4. Did I complete my project?
5. Did I work quietly?
It was hard for me to not give reminders, especially to those who need them pretty consistently but I stuck to my plan. After our Art time ended I handed each student a piece of paper with the five questions. They put up their privacy folders and answered each question about themselves. I used a smiley face / straight face / sad face sort of scoring and gave examples of each option. I then compared the self-monitoring scores to what I observed. The results I saw were pretty expected. A good number of students were quite honest, a few on each end of the spectrum were overly critical or overly passive on their behavior. This is something I am going to do more regularly and see if I can get some improvement. It was a very insightful activity!
I would be very interested in trying this tactic within my 1st & 2nd grade art classes. It seems to be very easy for kids to wander away from their task if they aren't aware that their teachers are monitoring specific things! I'm curious to know what the art project was. : )
ReplyDeleteWe did a a watercolor scene with silhouette trees. Lots of fine motor and detail work :) I'll have to take a picture to share!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how honest 2nd graders can be! Did you tell them about the self-assessment beforehand? I'm assuming no, but thought I would ask! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't tell them ahead of time. I thought about doing it but wanted everyone's true colors to shine ever so brightly :)
DeleteDid you follow up with any of the students to review their individual responses?
ReplyDeleteI circled my own response with marker on the students' papers and handed them back. I then met with the six kids who were the furthest off-base with their responses. It was just a quick two-minute conversation about what I observed. Most of them gave me the 'puppy dog eyes' and appeared to feel bad about not being honest. It was a good moment of growth for those few.
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ReplyDeleteYes! Critical Friends unite!!
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