As the school year dies down, I am thinking about what I want to make sure my students know right from the beginning to make March, April, & May go a little smoother. My reflection consists of thinking about how I can make the most of my time with my students so that learning goals can be met, students are able to grow, and positive relationships can be formed. Thus, I have set a goal to improve my communication of classroom processes and procedures in the First 20 Days as suggested by Fisher and Frey. Like so many other secondary teachers, I spend little time practicing processes and procedures with my students at the beginning of the term. I am anxious to jump right in to teaching content because I have so much to teach and so little time. The reality though is that effective classroom management is a balancing act. Students will learn better if those proceses are practiced in the beginning and consistent throughout the semester. Through my reflection I have discovered that one of the techniques missing from my classroom this year was an effective attention getting signal. Thus, my research began to find something that I thought might work for next year. Below are resources that I have found that may work for you too!
Lots of ideas suggested here for a variety of age groups. . .
Getting their attention without saying a word
And my personal favorite. . .
Finally, here's a great article by Michael Linsin of Smart Classroom Management on how to effectively implement an attention getting signal.
