Year Two Is A Comin' With Some New Ideas!

Back to school for teachers is a little over a week away. It's my second chance to turn a traditional classroom into a non-traditional classroom. Well, I guess I've really been experimenting with non-traditional classrooms for years, but on a small scale. This year, phase two!

Just like last year, my room is set up differently than the traditional rows, which I think really only exist in a small number of classrooms really, or in small groups. Maybe rows should now be considered non-traditional! I once again have a couple of individual desks, a few sets a pairs, and groups of three and groups of four. I also have a round table that students can choose. That's new! But the really new thing is two of my desks have no legs! Well, actually their legs and the screws are safely tucked away. These two desks are in the front of the class and sit on a carpet. There are also two large round pillows that students may choose to use to sit on. I think the child who always wants to put his feet in the chair might just like the idea of there not being a chair.

In the back of my room, I raised the legs on two desks to their full height. These desks, although they will still have chairs or stools if I can find some the right height, are for the students who want to stand. Personal that drives me crazy, but it's not really about me. There are always those students who just want to stand, and this option gives them the chance to. Although I wish the desks could go higher, this is a good start. Maybe some day I can convince someone to purchase a couple of those desks for my room.

That's not all! I have two desks that are designated for exercise balls. I have seen students sit on a ball and it was surprisingly effective for them. I decided to give it a try. One of those desks are by themselves and another is in a group of four. Both desks are on the outside edge of the desk configuration. I might have non-traditional groupings, but I like a sense of balance, therefor the desks still fit into a structure of sorts.

The rest of the desks are at traditional heights and with plain old blue student chairs. So what happens if I find more students want to sit on the floor, or stand, or sit on a ball? Well, then I adjust the desks to fit them. I believe that students will learn best when they are physically comfortable. When I was in school, I remember more times than not being distracted because my butt had grown numb. Admit it so did yours!

Just like last year, students will pick their desks as they arrive each day, but I think this year I will start off the first couple of weeks with asking students to try each of the desk options, both the number of desks in a group or individual and the different type of seat. Once they have each gotten to try everything I'll know if I need to get the Allen Wrench out and go to work on any chair legs.

End of the Year Reflections.

Well, in many ways the experiment worked wonderfully and in others it didn't!

I would say that 90% of my students left the 5th grade more responsible for their learning and their behavior.Unfortunately, that means some didn't. One in particular stands out and unfortunately all the other students would agree. The problem of creating and maintaining a personal responsibility classroom is that there is no guarantee of complete buy in by the students or their parents. This student didn't buy in because his parents didn't. However, this post is not about him.

Rather it is a reflection. I can look back and see the good that came out of this class. I know many of them walked out the door on the last day feeling like they were responsible for the grades on their report card and for turning around behaviors. They walked out taller, not just literally, than when they came in back in August.

I can look back at the choices I made to help instill a sense of responsibility in them. I can think of ways to take that to the next level and ways to do it more effectively. I can also look back at the things that I thought would work, but didn't. I can either scrap them or revamp them for next year. I know that I need to be better prepared in some areas and that others can continue as they are.

Overall, I am very pleased with the results of the year, and I look forward to creating an even more personal responsibility classroom next year!

New Year...Sort Of

Well, today was the first day of a new year. Okay, the first day of 2014 with the kiddos. Changes started right from the start. I meet the students at the door and told them that they could choose a single seat, but if they chose to sit at a group 2 then had to be one girl and one boy. I also told them there is still groups of 4 and that they needed to be half and half, but that isn't a new rule. I also told them that was their seat for the day, so choose wisely. Oh, and I told them that I would move them if needed. By the end of the day I had to move a boy and girl today for talking.

That was change number one. Change two came in Math class. Actually many changes. I gave each student a plastic folder with prongs. I gave each of the three front and back pages of division notes. I told them that would be their math "book" for this unit. We would add practice pages as we work through the unit. They were actually pretty excited about the new math "book".

I also told them our schedule would be different. We would no longer go over homework at the beginning of class. In part because they would be choosing three homework assignments to complete each week and had to have all three turned in by Friday. Each Monday there will be a number of homework sheets on the back table and they need to choose three from them. Of course, I pointed out that they need to choose ones that they really need to work on, not ones that they are already good at. One of my least responsible students pipes up, "that will make us responsible for what we learn!". Yes, I agreed with her it certainly would.

I also informed them that we would work on that day's topic, for example today we did estimating quotients, right from the start. Thirty minutes into class I loose seven students who get pulled out for EC services. When they left before I pulled two small groups to work on the skills while the others had their choice time. Well, choice time is no more. Instead, we will do some more skill work and then they will have to finish working on it on their own. The last twenty minutes of the day is where choice comes in. Students who are done with their practice work can come to a review group that I will have. Today's group was order of operations. I had two students. If they finish their practice work, and choose not to join the review group, they can review math facts in their agenda.

What happened to the laptops? Oh they may use them only when I give an assignment on them and on quiz/test days.Once they are finished with their quiz or test, and after the required check-your-work time, they may use the laptops to pull review games or view review videos. That went over with complete silence. I mean if a cricket had been in the room that would have been the only sound. Then I told them the last change.

I used to let them correct their weekly quiz and would give them bonus points, but no more. I told them they would have one shot at the quiz. That was still meet with silence and literally dropped jaws.

So we had our first math class of 2014 and I have to say I like the changes. Next post I'll tell you some other 2014 changes that started today.