Structured Wait Time

I am a second grade teacher that serves in a high English as a Second Language (ESL) demographic. I have 20 students and 16 of my 20 students are English Language Learners (ELLs).

One of the struggles I have encountered in the classroom is student participation. Most teacher information promotes the act of using random selection; all 20 students' names are on Popsicle sticks and I randomly select from a pencil box when I need students to answer questions. This strategy is meant to keep students on their toes and encourage the teacher to select anyone in the classroom, rather than sticking with students that love to answer or showing preference to certain students.

Wait time is another huge component in teaching. Teachers have been advised to count to 8 or 10 in order to give students time to think about what they want to say before giving an answer to a specific question.

Problem: What happens if your student doesn't need wait time? Will wait time provide an answer to a student that doesn't know the information? Will wait time give a Spanish speaking student the language that is needed to answer the question?

I attended an English Language Development (ELD) over the weekend, and left with many ideas that I have already incorporated into my primary classroom. Dr. Jill Hamilton-Bunch of Point Loma University suggested that instead of giving students more wait time ask the following question:

Do you need more time, language, or information?

Time: If the student selects time give them eight seconds to contemplate their answer.

Language: If the student selects language it is because they know the answer but are struggling to form it correctly using the English language. Provide the student with a sentence frame. Sentence frames I've developed for my classroom and use on an ongoing basis are as follows:

I can explain that ____ and ____ are synonyms because they are words that mean the same thing.

A ____ has ____ faces, ____ edges, and ____ vertices.

The word _____ is a noun because it is a _______ (person, place, thing).

I try to have my sentence frames visible and on all teacher created documents.

Information: If the student selects information it is because they do not understand the question and they might not know the answer! If you are reviewing nouns and verbs and you pose the question, "What is a noun?" and Student B says they need more information, simply reply with, "A noun is a person, a place, or a thing". Ask the question again. One participant at this training suggested that this is force feeding information to students. On the other hand, Dr. Hamilton-Bunch believes that this allows the teacher to notate that Student B doesn't know the info and more instruction is necessary. Plus, there is nothing wrong about supplying a student with more information. It's information they need to know. You can only hold students accountable for the information that you teach and continue to spiral (continuous review) throughout your lessons.

I immediately began using this strategy in my class on Monday and I am pleased with the results. "I don't know" is no longer an acceptable answer if it is not coupled with "I need more information".

What new strategies have you used in the classroom?

Bathroom Policy Follow Up

Thank you to all who commented re: the bathroom dilemma. Before I wrote that post I had a brief idea of what I wanted to do and it involved bathroom passes, tickets, and just way too many options for students. After I wrote the blog post and read your comments I decided to make it simple as possible. Since my bathroom policy will be different than it was last year, I will see how it starts out and MIGHT make changes if I need to.

Bathroom Policy: Students are to use the bathroom before school, during recess, and during lunch time. Students will not be allowed to use the restroom within the first 10 minutes of
The start of school
The beginning of a lesson (Direct Instruction)
The end of recess
The end of lunch
Should a student need to use the restroom during class time, the student is to raise two fingers without disturbing the class, and I will acknowledge the student. The student is required to sign out using the Bathroom List, set the timer for 3 minutes, and be back in their seat before the timer rings. If a student takes longer than 3 minutes a card will be pulled. Excessive restroom use will result in pulled cards, detention, notes home, or a contract. I will use my discretion based on the number of times the student goes to the bathroom. Exceptions will be made for any student that has a doctor’s note on file with the school nurse.

So there you have it. You might think 3 minutes is too short, but our campus is small and my classroom is directly across from the nearest bathroom.

I start school Monday! Wish me well!

I just bought the shirt in this blog post from Have Fun Teaching

Teacher Reflection Part 3: The Bathroom Dilemma

One of the biggest pet peeves I have as a teacher is the horrible, "Can I go to the bathroom?" question. It's not that I hate that students have to go to the bathroom, it's just that it starts a domino effect. The next thing you know 20 kids have to go to the bathroom and the lesson is close to being ruined.

Every teacher deals with "the bathroom question" in a different way. I've come up with a new and improved way for my classroom, but before I divulge my changes I am seeking your help.

What suggestions do you have for me?
a. Should I have bathroom passes? If so, how many does each student receive?
b. What should be the rules for the bathroom? What are the consequences if the rules are broken?
c. What are the rewards for students that follow the rules and do their best to make sure that they use the bathroom on their own time (i.e. before school, recess, lunch time)?

Thanks in advance! I'll post my idea in the next reflection.

Teacher Reflection: Part 2

I was raised by two great parents that demanded excellence. It was enough to skate by with the bare minimum. Whether it was participating in marching band or completing a fourth grade project on the California missions, it was always expected that we would go above and beyond what was asked. I clearly remember a seventh grade project in which my social studies teacher (Hello, Mr. Bevilacqua) requested that we complete a packet by working on a series of options he provided. Our unit was on Islam/Middle East and we could complete 6 out of the 10 options: write a story, create a crossword puzzle, write a sentence in Arabic, and so forth. Did I complete 5 options? No. I completed all 10. I used a word processor to type a 6 page story, create a crossword, and used my family’s Encyclopedia Britannica to observe the Arabic alphabet and copy it in my best seventh grade penmanship. I received 160 out of a possible 120 points, and I still have the completed assignment.

But what exactly inspired me to be an overachiever and go beyond the norm? Was it the extrinsic motivation (my parents)? Did my intrinsic motivation propel me to want to complete more than I had to? Did the great lessons my teacher taught about the Middle East inspire me?

As I reflect on the possible driving forces behind my seventh grade drive, I realize that it was a combination of all three. But what happens when you have a second grader that does not have a parent(s) that pushes them to succeed, or that lacks intrinsic motivation? The role of academic cheerleader and coach is placed upon the teacher.

Teaching has been an extreme eye opening experience. Never did I think that I would say “Back when I was a kid’ at the young old age of 25. I figured that phrase was reserved for those that had experienced the world and had something to tell. False. I have used and thought this phrase more times than I can count during the 2009-2011 school year.

Students just aren’t what they used to be. It amazes me that my students can give a line by line recap of High School Musical 2 and recite the latest Lady GaGa lyrics, but draw a blank when I ask them remember the main character’s name in a story. It also amazes me that these students have the latest and greatest in technological gadgets (PSP? Check. Xbox? Check. Wii? Check? Nintendo DS? Check) but can barely hold a pencil or form a complete sentence with a subject and a verb.

I had one student complain, “Ms. Lockett, you’re asking too much! A paragraph is a lot to write for me!” I simply stated, “Awww! I can’t apologize for that. Practice makes perfect. Keep writing, and before you know it you’ll be on your way to writing 5 paragraphs!” The student sat in shock. I think he was waiting for that golden sentence: “It’s ok. Finish what you can and you can do the rest later” or “Take a break”. I will point out that this was one of the lazier students, and by the end of the school year he was writing 3-4 paragraphs without breaking a sweat.

I also reminded the students at least once a week that if I saw someone giving me 40% effort and I knew that they could give me 70% or 80%, they could bet that I would be all over their case. Take for example my class clown: this young boy was content with attaining 40-60% on his Benchmark standards assessment. It was frustrating for me because I knew that this child could do better than a 60% on Math and a 45% on his English Language Arts. On our last Benchmark assessment I watched as he grabbed his pencil and prepared to randomly bubble in any letter on the Scantron test sheet. Because the test had started I could not say anything. He looked up, saw my cold stare, and stopped. He looked at my rigid stare again and then he looked back at his work. He looked up again, browsed the motivational posters in the room, looked back at me, and then sat for a few seconds. I saw as he took a deep breath and then retraced his steps. I was an ecstatic teacher and he was a happy student when the results came back: 95% on Math and 80% on English Language Arts. He asked if I could write his scores down on a Post-it note. I obliged. He wore that neon pink Post-it pinned to his chest until he lost it during recess, and promptly asked for his scores to be written on another Post-it.

This leads me to my reflection:

How will I effectively motivate students to always do their best and inspire them to make an investment in their own academic success?

*I cannot compare my students to my own lifestyle. I am dealing with an entirely different generation. Many of my students live in single parent home or in homes where parents do not speak English as a first language (parental support can be a struggle). I need to remember each child as an individual and focus on their strengths, and use these strengths as a way to improve their weaknesses.

*Let students know from Day 1 that excuses will not be tolerated. My students will know that before they even open their mouth they needed to classify their comment: Is it a suggestion, reason, or an excuse? Excuses will not be tolerated.

*Embrace what students love. Using High School Musical as a platform, we began to discuss movies and books using the strategies taught in class. Who were the main characters? What was the problem? What was the solution?

My work is definitely cut out for me, but if I can at least help one student pull up the straps of their intrinsic fortitude, then my efforts will not be in vain.

Teacher Reflection: Part 1

I'm basking in the glory that is summer vacation. I wiped snot off noses, stopped fights, admonished whiners, wrote detentions, and somehow in the midst of parenting I also got to teach.

When the bell rang at 1:05 pm on June 9, 2010 my heart was slightly pricked. "My second graders are leaving." Then the clock struck 1:30, and I still had a room filled with 5 second grade students that.DID.NOT.WANT.TO.LEAVE.MY.CLASSROOM. Eventually they did leave and I was left alone to pack up, put up, sweep up, and dust off the remaining 2009-2010 school year.

Now that I'm home enjoying my summer (yes, be envious) I've had some time to sit and reflect about the 2009-10 school year and how these reflections will affect my 2010-11 school year.


1. A mini Chandra will always be in the classroom. I think back to my primary grade years, and I shudder at the mere thought of my antics: brazen, bold, bossy, and too smart for my own good. However, I rarely remember anyone (with the exception of my mother and father) reminding me that bossy was NOT good. So instead of letting the mini Chandra take over my classroom, I simply pulled the student aside and explained that she was being "bossy" and such antics would not be tolerated in the classroom.

We came up with a plan: a simple signal from me would remind said student that "she was doing it again and needed to dial down the bossy". The second plan was my own concoction: when setting up student groups, sports, and other group projects I would allow the student to play leader. To be quite honest, this girl has an uncanny ability to strategically organize groups of people. "Ms. Lockett," she'd say, "I think the teams are unequal. That team has four solid hitters, and we only have two. Can we change this?" This in itself is an intelligence; plus, she used a mathematical key term (unequal) and an adjective (solid).

Instead of stifling the student, she was able to excel in this area by putting her excellent interpersonal skills to work by observing a problem and offering a solution. I also reminded the class that instead of blatantly shouting out, "I know what to do!", they could simply raise a hand and state, "I have a suggestion." Lovely Janie Doe seemed to always have a suggestion, and when her suggestions were on point, I tried my best to incorporate them into the classroom.

Lesson learned: Don't let a student run the classroom. Instead, make every moment a teachable moment. Promote individuality, but not at the expense of others. Engage the student at all times, and remember: you were a student/kid once.

MoMoMod: Modest Fashion Blog

I'm not new to the blogosphere. I've kept some sort of blog since my senior year of high school. Diaryland, Xanga, TypePad, WordPress, Blogger--been there, done that. I'm even a contracted blogger and get paid to ghost blog for certain blogs.

Well, last month I launched a new blog/website with the help of DB (darling Brandon, a fantastic Silicon Valley web developer tech wonderman aka my boyfriend).

MoMoMod is short for More Modern Modesty. MoMoMod was birthed from a few things: my love for writing/shoes/social networking and my desire to tap into the low key modest fashion blogging world.

MoMoMod has been around for one month and we've already had 2700 unique visitors, hosted one giveaway, and have nearly 40 blog entries.

MoMoMod is not trying to define "modesty". Ladies that visit the website should already have an idea of what modesty means to them. MoMoMod is designed to spark inspiration and creative ideas for others; it's also a creative outlet for me.

There are more than just Pentecostal Apostolic ladies that want to dress modestly. People from other religious backgrounds pride themselves on being "modest" (Google it sometime), so don't be alarmed if *horrors* a guest blogger features jewelry, makeup, pants, or something YOU do not like.

Being modest is more than just floor sweeping denim skirts, Aeropostale hoodies, and Sunday night church hair. Modesty deals with the inner woman as well, and MoMoMod will feature posts dedicated to these ideas.

Sooooo!

Stop by. Browse. We're still in Beta mode (i.e. freshman, rookie, new, continuous updates).

www.momomod.com

Unselfish Prayer: Going Beyond Me

My pastored hit several key points yesterday regarding prayer and our
need to pray for more than ourselves. He explained that too often we
pray just enough to make sure that we are not lost, and have no regard
for others.

This thought has been on my mind, and I've decided to change the way I pray.

There are several people that I can name that are in desperate
situations and I have not been praying like I should.

My pastor encouraged me, and I hope that I can encourage someone else
to step outside of their own boundaries and thoughtfully and
prayerfully intercede for someone else.