Rough Transitions Part 1: Classroom Layout

This year has been quite the change professionally (personally too but I can handle that!).  I moved from a middle school to a high school.  I truthfully didn't think that it was going to take me this long to adjust but it has.  For weeks, I felt like I did not get anything accomplished.

This is my first gif ever added!

Over the next few posts, I am going to highlight one of my identified rough transition points.   I am not doing this to say I have failed, I am doing this because I have identified the things that I struggled with, need to work on and things that I have overcome!

The first one I am going to talk about is student desk layout (aka classroom design)  If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I was going to struggle with classroom layout, I would have laughed at you.  I was the kid that made scale models of my bedroom as a kid to 're-arrange' the furniture.  I put it in quotes because everything was so heavy, I never actually moved it but I felt that I did because of my model!. 

In the past, I had tables which was nice because it automatically grouped the students naturally in two's.  This year I have desks with detached chairs.  I started with pairs but saw everyone else had groups of 3's so I thought I would try it.   I seated at the 'head' a strong student who others in the group could rely on AND I could count on that students to be the supply gather.  It looked good on paper, visually it was nice as well but  I HATED IT!  There was a lack of student accountability in some groups while other groups did so well.  There were some students who preferred to work alone but there wasn't room for them to do this without being distracted and students had backs to each other, so class conversations were crap!  So last week, I made the move.

 I decided that I was going to listen to MY instincts and do what I wanted to do.   Like I said before, some of my freshman could NOT handle working groups of 3, others could.  Some needed to be isolated and held accountable.  Others needed 'ends' to sit on due to limited distractions.  I started moving desks at 7:10am (school starts at 7:30) and I ended up with awesomeness!   

• Red-  These are reserved for my kids that are considered 'highly distractable'.  They are on the end, towards the front but still have someone next to them to reach out to.  
• Orange- These are the 2nd priority in the class.  Students that can't handle a group, that need to be held accountable and need to focus.  Although they in the 'middle' of the classroom, in real life, it is actually like islands.  It is amazing.  In addition, sometimes during conversation, I will pull up a chair between them and just 'hang' out which is really me giving them extra support without them realizing it. 
• Green-  These are the kids that are rocking it.  The kids that can work on their own but are also a great resource to other students around them.  When we 'pair' up, this student are working independently, but asking questions to both sets of pairs on either side.  This also allows me to supplement these students and have materials already there for them.  
• Purple-  This is the second tier from the top.  These students are strong students but have to work at it.  This is why they are on the end so they still have someone to converse with and can easily talk to the other purples kiddy-corner from them.  
• Blue-  These are similar to the purple kids but they are better at working in groups. 
• Brown- Party of 1.  I have 1 student who falls into this category.  He can't handle himself anywhere but has proven that sitting alone is how he does best.  He is not shy of asking questions which makes this the perfect place for him! 

The remaining gray squares are the middle of the road fillers, we all have those!  I really like the 5-ers as I call them.  They form the perimeter of the classroom and when we are having class conversations (over the past 2 days) it has really helped!  They are looking at each other, interacting and listening too!   Long story short, I did what was right for MY students.  I would hope as the year goes on, I could add some more groups and adjust as needed but for right now, this is it!  

Have you struggled with your desks/tables?   What are some 'tricks' that you have for arranging and seating your high school/middle school students.  I am learning so much this year and I just want to learn more! 

Happy Sunday! 

Katie 

Why Popsicle Sticks and I DON'T get along!

It was during a recent post conference with a co-worker that student questioning strategies came up.  What I have been working on this year is really engaging all students.  Here is how I have been trying it....

• Ask a question
• Call on a student
• Call on another student to clarify previous students answer
• Ask another student to repeat 
• Ask another student to put in own words

You get the idea.  This goes and goes and goes till I believe all students have an understanding and/or participation of all/most students.  It was suggested that I should use Popsicle sticks to make sure I get to all students.  Ok, I can deal with that but I almost fell off my chair when I heard the second statement.  To make sure that I reach all students, once I call on a student, I should NOT replace the stick in the cup!  NOOOOOOOO! I screamed in my head. 

What's my beef with Popsicle Sticks for Student Engagement? 

The first thing I thought of was what if I were a kid in my classroom.  I would pay really close attention till my name got called and then I would check out because my job was done!  

So today on my way home from work, I called Annie because I felt that this subject matter was an "Annie" topic.  Her first reaction was , "Oh NO!"  After she talked me off the Popsicle Stick ledge, she shared me her tricks for the sticks!  Thanks so much!   

So here is the alternative to Popsicle sticks!  Random Name/Number generator.  This essentially does the same thing as the sticks BUT if completely random.  I haven't done much digging into this yet but I found this one that is user friendly and fast!   I think an app for this would be great that I could just have on my phone/iPad.  One more awesome thing about this random name picker is that it is based on Math and when a student says "You're picking on me" because they have been picked numerous times,  I can point out that I had nothing to do with it!

What strategies do you have for calling on students and making sure that all have a chance to speak? 

Katie 

***Update***
I was in my PLT meeting today after school and this exact topic came up!  The pros/cons of popsicle sticks, random number generator and random name generator.  The general consensus is that they are acceptable AS LONG AS the sticks are put back!

Current Struggles

There are a few things that I am struggling with this new school year and I am hoping someone, anyone can help!

• Freshman attitudes
• After dealing with middle school students, I thought that high school attitudes would be nothing.  Well, the mix of high schoolers I have seem to all play off the worst of each other.  In one of my classes, I have the following
• highly distracted x2
• clueless x 2
• joksters x 3
• the 'all I want is teacher attention' x 1
• middle of the ground but not a leader x6
• too cool for school x 2
• and of course the blenders (the rest)
• So what do I do? This is their current seating arrangement: 
• They are in pods of 3
• Each pod has a leader, a student who has strong math skills
• Each pod has an outgoing student who isn't afraid to ask questions
• There is mixed ability at each pod
• The distractors are all seated so they are facing 'out' and not towards the general group.
• I have incorporated movement, humor, engaging problems but they seem to still be pushing back. 
• I hold high expectations and I am not about to give in on things this early.  I have a group of girls that continue to fight on 'rules' such as being in your seat when the bell rings, being ready for class when the bell rings.  Out of the 28 students in the class, it is these 3 that just ruin it!  What can I do? They ruin my day. 
• Working checkpoints into a demanding curriculum/pacing guide
• We have a pacing guide that is pretty set in stone.  We have a curriculum map that should be followed.  I want to work in check points but I feel there is NO time!  I was thinking about using exit slips and entrance slips.  I want to but the hesitation I have is the time.  Since there is such a wide array in the classroom, what take one student 10 minutes may only take another 1 minute.  How I do balance this?  How do I work around this?  I have done it in the past but for some reason, I am running on empty and have nothing. 
• Co-teaching
• This has been a frequent topic of my blog lately.  Things just aren't working.  
• From my end, I feel my co-teacher wants to be involved but doesn't give the effort, dedicate the time and knows that I will take care of it.  
• I am struggling being a good teacher in these classes because I am not comfortable

So I have just aired my flaws and problems.  Please help!!!!!

Do you have suggestions for classroom management techniques that work amazingly? 

What about managing the demands of a pacing guide and the need for ongoing assessment? 

Co-teaching relationship building?

I feel that I am a 1st year teacher out of college again that has absolutely NO tricks up their sleeve anymore.  I am deflated and need some inspiration. 

Growing Mind and Bodies

Being a middle school teacher is way more than teaching students math.  Some people say they would never want to teach middle school but truthfully if you can teach middle school, you can do ANYTHING!

Including but not limited to, my role as a middle school teacher is to:

• Encourage students to join different clubs
• Encouraging some kids to talk, to anyone!
• Help them deal with parental issues
• Organize their lives including but not limited to folders, lockers and schedule. 
• Be there to listen when they don't know what do to about a boy/girl
• Know everything about their 'time of the month'
• Know when students need to go to the bathroom for a BM
• Hold a Pokemon lunch once a week, because they still like to play with their friends
• Modeling correct manners and following through with please and thank you's
• Making sure they 'have' something instead of 'got' something
• Introducing them to things in life, like the prices at the grocery store

And probably my favorite roll as a middle school teacher, measuring their physical growth.  Some boys grew 4 inches from the start of the year!  WOW

What other roles do you play other than teacher? 

Class Dojo and my Classroom

This year I have started using Class Dojo with my classes.  I explain Class Dojo as a way to communicate, track and recognize non-academic behaviors in the classroom.  It is a FREE user friendly program that is web based.   I loaded all my classes on the computer but I primarily use the app on my iPad because it is even easier to use!  The premise behind what they call "Awards" is that positive awards give points, and needs work awards take away points.

I use Class Dojo to communicate with parents.  There is a messaging feature built into the program that will allow you to send whole class broadcasts or messages to individual students parents.   I use class broadcasts to keep parents informed about things in the classroom and other team reminders such as field trips, report cards, announcements, etc...  I also will message individual parents from time to time.   I send good notes home, when they happen, like a text message and same thing with student improvement concerns.   I have also heard from parents that they like using the Dojo because it less formal than an email and comfortable like a text message.

I use Class Dojo to track student homework completion, readiness to learn, behaviors that I value in students and many other things.  For example, at the beginning of class I go around and select the students who completed their homework and then 'Give Award' to those students.  It is also really helpful during group work.  I can look around and track which students are on task and off task.

 I give more positive awards than 'Needs Work' awards because I want the students to be recognized for good things.  With that being said, I have also identified 8 point take away behaviors.  When parents see negative behaviors awarded they ask questions and want to help correct the problem.  

I use Class Dojo to recognize students and reward them.  I have created a Class Dojo point cash out system.  Every 2 to 3 weeks, I record their cumulative point total and let them choose what they want to do with their points.  They can buy raffle tickets (currently for a Rubik's cube) , pencils/erasers or a free lunch period with their Dojo Points OR they can turn their points into PBIS Awards.  PBIS Awards can be used at the monthly school store for cool little things or out of uniform passes.   Along with 'cashing' each student out, I recognize the student in each class with the most points and the class with the highest average point total per student.  These students get a free raffle ticket for working hard!

Why do you love you Class Dojo? 

Math Chat lead by Students!

Over the past three years, I have learned that getting students to discuss math is sometimes more important than anything else.  I always encourage students in my classroom to talk to each other about WHAT they are thinking and WHY.  Today, in my last math class of the day, it happened and it was a dream come true!

The warm-up on the board was a question about Mr Rey's bank account.  He had a balance of -26.00 and deposited some money and ended up with a balance of 23.00.  I pulled this question from our fall benchmark test and thought I would see how they did.  They had 4 options to choose from.  A. $3 B. $23 C. $43 D. $49.  I instructed the students to justify/prove their answer.  Students talked talking to each other at the table clusters then before I knew it, students were talking to each other across the room!  I made a quick decision, pulled some tables together and made one large 'conference' table as the kids called it.

The things that I noticed that students were doing...
- Speaking up for kids that were too shy to share
- Silent leaders surfacing
- Little to no off task behaviors
- A sense of group and ownership
- Explanations beyond the, "I picked C" solutions
- Students asking other students to explain
- Modeling of real life problems/discussions/solutions

When I felt that they were at a point where they had come to a general consensus, I stepped in and summarized the behaviors I listed above.  Then we went on to present our findings.  This group of 13 kids had 5 different ways to solve this one multiple choice problem!  I was so proud of them and what they had accomplished without even knowing it.   Needless to say, GEMA had to wait but this was too good of a teachable moment to pass up!

Ever have something like this happen?  Till another day!

Katie

Bringing Integers to Life!

When I was in my first year of teaching, I had stumped upon this activity somewhere.  I wish I tracked everything during that time but lets be serious, I was barely keeping my head above water.

The concept behind this integer activity is to get kids out of their seat moving while seeing if they make any connections from adding integers to subtracting integers.  

Directions: 

1. Start on the first number in the problem

2. Face the negative numbers for subtraction and the positive numbers for addition. 

3. Walk forwards for positive number and backwards for negative numbers. 

Check out this short clip.   Kids love this activity!  It isn't perfect so I haven't posted it on TPT yet.  If you would like it, leave a comment and I will send it to you!

This year kids cheered when I rolled out the GIANT number lines.  It really has nothing to do with anything but it sure felt good that they were excited!

Katie 

We've hit Integer Season!

An important topic in 7th grade is integer operations.  This is the first time that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers are formally introduced.  I went about it differently this year than 2 years ago.  CMP3 suggested using chips to introduce addition, so that's what I tried!

I really liked it.  I felt that students really grasped the idea of adding integers.  They could see when adding a positive and negative number which had more and that determined the sign of the sum.

I also found that this concept really helped those struggling students.  This is a picture I snapped while helping a student one on one build her confidence in solving. 

After the introduction, I set students on a journey with a partner to answer questions from our online book.  This is where I saw students helping students the most.  They were explaining it in terms that made sense to them.  

The journey through integers is not always easy but I highly suggest using chips.  After using chips, I also taught students how to use the number line to add integers.  I left it up to the students which way of reasoning worked for them and never actually taught a formal way to add integers.  I would say 93% of students are confident in their integer abilities.  The other 7% I am working with daily.  

What are some methods of teaching integers you have tried?  Even if they didn't work, we can always learn from mistakes!

Katie 

Balancing Frustration and Perseverance

So today was the first day that students came around to their different classes.  So, today was the first day I had to mold these find students into what I would like!

I have talked about 'Get it Together' activities in previous posts and today made me even more of a firm believer that these activities are AMAZING!  Students came into the classroom, sat anywhere they would like to and I started with 4 ground rules. 

• Work with your group
• If a group has a question, all group members hands must be raised
• Don't give up
• Respect the materials

They did awesome today.  1 group throughout the day had some issues but other than that, everyone worked together, was excited about solving each puzzle, couldn't wait to get to the next one, communicated well and DIDN'T GIVE UP!

I encourage you to try it out!  Order the book on amazon and prepare to be amazed!

Bloom's Taxonomy

While planning a recent lesson, I once again started thinking about the SAMR model and how I can incorporate this more into my math classroom.  While doing a quick google search, I came across this picture and it intrigued me.  Thanks Neil!

Bloom's Taxonomy has also intrigued me more and more throughout my second year of teaching.  Teaching in a district that is 1:1 and constantly looking for better ways to teach, this absolutely intrigues me.  A few questions I have about the above are as follows.  Feel free to answer and of them in the comments!

- How can I use a wordle with concepts such as solving systems of equations? 

- Should I be using google sketchup (something I have always wanted to do) but where to I find the time to teach the basics of it to all students? 

-How can I use wikipedia for students to research a math concept without the language being too technical? 

How can I get these kids to go from 'Pete and Repeat' in math to actually living, breathing and loving math?  It's not easy but somehow I am making way.   

On a separate note, today when going through solving systems of equations with substitution, I told the students that ALL great mathematicians talk to themselves.  I got many looks of 'Yep, Ms. Wicklander has officially gone crazy.'  I challenged students to talk to themselves while solving.  Challenged them to question their every move AND answer themselves too!  It was tough for many but at the end of class, it was louder but not because they were talking to their table buddy but because they were talking to themselves!!!!!  Amazing I tell yah.  Days like today put a smile on my face and make all those 'non smile' days worth it.  

Get it Together!

The lastest thing that I am raving about are these activites from the book "Get It Together"

My curriculum partner has been using 'Get it Together' activities for years and let me tell you, they are AMAZING!  They are a series of clues that students must work together to come up with a solution.  They range from building models with blocks/sticks, arranging the order of people to figuring out how many things each person has.  

Students may not always be excited about these activities at first but within seconds of diving into problems, they are 100% engaged and working their hardest.  The groups of students that are usually 'too cool' for group activities are usually the most enthralled by these.  The activities range in difficulty and could be used for high school students also.  Amazing resource that I think all should try.