Today was my first full day with my teacher at Bigelow Hill Elementary School. I am placed in a fourth grade classroom. The classroom has around twenty students. This is a self contained classroom. I primarily started today by just observing. I feel very lucky to be in the classroom with my CMT. She is very organized and very willing to give me her insight and all the help and feedback she can. One thing I looked for specifically was the norms.
This classroom has a lot of norms. One of the norms is when the students come in at the beginning of the day they look at the list in the front of the classroom and they know what to do. The list gives them the order they are to do things in for the day. The list stays the same almost every day giving the students some structure. Students know that they are in charge of their own learning and the teacher has them say that throughout the day. It is still one of the first weeks of class and the teacher is still trying to get the students into a solid routine.
Another norm I saw in the classroom is that students get a chance to move from their desks to sit where they want. They can move from their seats at pretty much anytime during the day. The teacher does not care. Sometimes students will move because someone at their table is misbehaving. I also saw students move so that they could see what the teacher was doing. This is a norm that was established at the beginning of the year. The students know that they are allowed to move around the room if it helps them.
There were many other norms that I saw throughout my day. One norm the teacher talked to the students about when I was there was the sign language they use in the classroom. Instead of always coming up to the teacher and asking if they can go use the restroom, get a drink, go to the library, or get into their backpack the students do the sign. The teacher acknowledges the sign from across the room. The teacher likes this norm because she can still be having a conversation and meeting the needs of many students without having a large line of students waiting to talk to her. The teacher also explained to the class and me that when she talked she expected all the students to look at her. She did this so that she knew if the students were paying attention. I think that is a good classroom management trick to use in the classroom.
I think the classroom I am in is a very effective one. The class has a good structure that the students are still learning. I also think the students get along well. There are some students that cause more disruptions than others but as far as I saw the class was pretty well behaved. I am lucky to have my CMT because she and I get along. She is also full of resources and tips that she is excited to share.
Hi Andrea,
It is good that your teacher has norms set into place and they are staying consistent each day. It’s important for students to know what is expected of them, so the norms need to be concrete and part of each lesson. I also was in a classroom where the teacher had students using “signs” to communicate needs. I liked this method, but I warn you to be aware of students taking advantage of it. Since it is so easy for them to communicate, they may communicate more often.
I’m excited that your CMT has a lot to offer, take as much of it in as you can this semester! I’m looking forward to seeing how you incorporate these norms into your lessons an whether there are any norms you add once you begin teaching!
Tyler