- How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors? - How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class? - Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
I think that the needs of freshmen very pretty significantly from those of my seniors. My freshman need more encouragement and less criticism, they need me to build them up and help them find confidence, and they also really need my high expectations, because the transition from middle to high school is a tough one.
My seniors need my toughness more, because the transition they're getting ready for is even tougher. They need more criticism for the same reason-- they have to be ready. They also often need my advice about college itself, because they don't often know what path to take.
As for cognition, I would say that a higher level of cognitive awareness effects the quality of the discussion more than the amount. It is harder to keep a lower-level learner occupied because if they don't understand, they tend to give up more easily (limited experience talking), and they tend to hide their confusion behind comedy, which can be disruptive.
I work to balance safety and community in my class. We give one another a hard time which builds community, but occasionally lines are crossed. Then we work to patch up our little community, and usually, we can. In general, kids seem to feel pretty safe here at RCHSj.
It is amazing how the needs of freshmen can be so different from those of juniors and seniors who are only two or three years ahead of the freshmen. Freshmen need validation and confidence that they will succeed. That is why I have a banner posted in my class that says "Welcome... You will all succeed." (I got that idea from Wong's book!) Freshmen also need help in learning how to manage their time and be self-driven because they no longer have their middle school teachers to monitor their every move. Freshmen need compassion and encouragement, but they must also be taught how to survive in the high school where more responsibility is placed on students.
Juniors need encouragement to stick with school and begin considering what they will do after they graduate. Seniors need even more persuasion to figure out what they will do after graduation. Juniors need to know that their teachers care that they stay in school and seniors need to know that their teachers care about what happens to them after they graduate. Juniors need test preparation for the ACT and others and seniors need help applying to colleges or jobs.
All in all, freshmen need to feel welcomed, encouraged, and confidant. Juniors and seniors need to feel cared for in the future and need help preparing for what is ahead.
The relation between participation in class and cognitive ability can be represented by a bell curve while the relation between disruption and cognitive ability can be represented by an upside down bell curve. At the low end of cognative ability, students do not understand,they fall behind, become frusturated, and eventually give up on trying to participate in class. This results in a high level of disruption. At the very high end of cognitive ability, students are far ahead of their peers and become bored by the classroom learning. They don't participate as much because it seems pointless and lame. Their boredom eventually causes a high level of disruption. The students with average cognitive ability are being taught and engaged at their own level and thus feel compelled to participate, thus reducing their classroom disruptions.
I believe that my students do feel save in my classroom and in the school. All the teachers in my school emphasize the importance of acceptance, friendship, and bullying prevention. If I or any other teacher hears students insult eachother in the classroom or in the hallway, we are quick to correct the behavior.
Very nice blog! It was interesting to read your viewpoint and I agree with it almost one hundred percent. I certainly agree that freshmen need more compassion and seniors need more toughness. But I also think it is important to be somewhat tough on the freshemn as well so they get used to taking responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof. We need to be understanding that freshmen are going through a difficult transion and perhaps give them a few extra chances, but I think teachers need to become more tough on their freshmen as the year progresses so the freshmen can learn right away that they need to self-manage.
I am teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grades so I hope it is ok to discuss the differences at those grade levels. First let me say I am teaching at a Catholic school and I am certain my students feel very safe both at the school and in their class rooms. Perhaps they get a little nervous when they go to confession! I find that most of the sixth graders are somewhat timid in class and in the halls. This is their first time that they are switching classroms between subjects. Many seem overwhelmed by the barrage of homework they have compared to last year...and they certainly aren't used to lugging books from class to class!Always before they had a homeroom teacher who was with them most of the day...so, I think they feel a little intimidated. I am also moving slower with the 6th grade on lesson plans. Their grasp of math concepts seem slower and I find they are easily distracted.I cover almost every segment of every chapter twice in order to insure they understand the problems and examples.
Eighth grade seems vastly more mature. They also seem more intent on getting good grades and moving on into high school. I have found that they are very aware of their grades. Most of them manage their time better and are very aware of when we are going to have tests and quizzes.
The Seventh Grade class seems to be the biggest challenge. They are easily distracted and have a rough time staying focused. They are also my largest class. They seem to be more consciuos of their peers behavior. I find that I have to monitor many of them very closely to insure they had in their daily assignments.
Nathan, I was really impressed by your blog. Your third paragraph on cognition is very well stated. I noted your comments about how it is harder to keep a lower-level learner occupied because when they don't understand, they tend to hide their confusion behind comedy.
I have found, with my limited experience, that those students with the higher cognitive skills seem to go one of two ways. Some students take the role of serious student and focus on learning and achieving. Other students with good cognitive skills are not challenged or perhaps not interested in the assignments.These students can also take on the role of class comedian and can be disruptive.
o How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
The text talks about the four stages of cognitive thinking. The third stage of development is referred to as concrete operations and during this state students develop a sense of logic and stability in the facts of the world. They become hands on thinking and relate problems and solutions to the truths they know and the understanding that things can change forms but still maintain some of their original characteristics. It is discussed that students leave this stage in their mid teens during the 9-10th grade level and enter into the fourth level. The text also discusses how some people do reach the final level and remain in concrete operations. The final stage of development is called formal operations and is defined by students being able to think about problems in an abstract form and be able to consider alternatives where variables might be able to change. In this phase they can start demonstrate hypothetical reasoning. Another characteristic of this stage is adolescent egocentrism. This is the lack of self confidence and feeling that everyone is “watch me.” As students develop through stage four this lack of self confidence seems to lessen and students gain self confidence.
o How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
As students develop cognitively they show and increase ability to participate in class. They develop their formal operations thinking and understand abstract ideas and hypothesis. As their cognitive ability increases, so does their ability to question or discuss concepts. Along with this maturity, their level of disruption should also decrease.
o Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school?
Our students feel very safe in their school environment. We have a safe community with very little serious crime. This safety only increases their ability to develop as students. I would consider my room to be one of the safest in the building because of our location an access to fire exits and the distance from a possible school invasion. As a staff we discuss the danger of the “it could never happen here” approach to school safety and our responsibility to be aware of our environment.
o How do the developmental levels of your students affect your instruction? Your class management?
In my classes, I deal with 10-12th grade students. Understanding the transition from the third to the fourth level of cognitive thinking is crucial in developing lessons that are meaningful and effective. I use many class discussion and activity lessons and like to see active participation from all students. Being aware of adolescent egocentrism and the reasons for it can help me relate and understand their feelings toward these activities. Identifying students that have severe anxiety can help make the classroom more comfortable.
I agree with your breakdown of the differences between Juniors and Seniors. Many of my students at that Junior level sometime need that encouragement to stick with school and not become apathetic toward class. During that Junior/Senior transition, I think some students need to understand how their focus should change and begin looking post high school. Sometime they become focused on getting to the end of their high school career and should be looking to prepare for the next level in their life. I am seeing that with the increased cost of school, many students are entering the work force or considering technical colleges as a cheaper alternative to college.
1. How do needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors and seniors?
Freshmen need more nurturing as well as structured self-discipline wherein a teacher needs to establish more modeling on how to be accountable in delivering their works on time while making them feel safe. They also need more emotional support system in meeting their self-esteem needs while raising their sense of being capable to do the demands and works of a high school. Unlike juniors and seniors, whose sense of accomplishments in the first two years in high school was already validated when they moved to being juniors or seniors, freshmen need to develop not only their self-confidence but also knowledge of their competencies.
Hence, they need more validation, in words/phrases and from their own successful accomplishments of class works compared to juniors or upper classmen. Since graduation seems like a long way off from where they are, a sense of discouragement can more easily lead to wanting to give up formal schooling compared to seniors who can already “see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Juniors also learned their strengths and weaknesses in academe and have learned either how to get by a passing grade or learn how to aim for an “A” despite their incompetency in some areas in the academe. On the other hand, seniors are more willing to do what it takes to make it to graduation and even start preparing for what lies beyond graduation whether it is joining the work force or going to college.
2. How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in class? The level of disruption in class? Increased cognitive ability raises the level of participation in class because the learner employs the most sophisticated and abstract learning processes. When teachers provide challenging tasks, such as problem solving, that meet the cognitive developmental stage appropriate to the varying cognitive stages of the students, the students’ capacity to stay on task and participate actively. Most of my students' cognitive development levels are in the "concrete operational" and "formal operations phase." The level of disruption is higher in class when teachers use strategies that either dumb down the students’ cognitive level or way beyond their cognitive development.
3. Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school? Our students in GCHS generally feel safe in school. My classroom has also been consistently providing and safe environment, emotionally and physically. Since there have been open discussions on anti-bullying, which is an ongoing thrust, and since I continually strive to make my students feel that I do care for them beyond grades, I believe my students feel safe in my classroom. They know that it is alright to make mistakes but they also know that I expect them to be able to meet my expressed expectations.
I agree in maintaining a balance of providing a challenging task that will meet the needs of students with high cognitive level and the ones with lower level. If you teach way beyond their cognitive level, you would lose your students' interest or frustrate them with a senseof overwhelm while if you dumb down or go way too low their cognitive level, they would get so bored and lose interest. There is indeed a correlation to the level of participation to the students' cognitive level.
1.How do the needs of freshmen vary from juniors and seniors?
Freshmen are somewhere in the latter stages of the concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage. Most freshmen still need help with theoretical and abstract problems and are still in that phase where they think everyone is watching them. Junior and seniors,for the most part, have passed the period where they believe they are on center stage. They have developed a sense of their own identity and have the ability to confront theoretical and abstract situations. Although, the book does say that some people never go beyond the concrete operational stage.
2.How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
As students develop cognitively they can increase their ability to participate in class. Their ability to think and understand abstract ideas and theory also increase. Their sense of their own identity has increased significantly. As their cognitive ability increases will the students participate more in class and will they be less disruptive? For the most part, the answer is probably yes. However, peer pressure and social and moral developments are still a big part of high school life. Some students may retreat within themselves while others become aggressive and act out in class.
3.How do the developmental levels of my students affect my instruction and class management?
In my classes I have 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. There seems to be a huge gap in the development of 6th graders versus 8th graders (11 year olds versus 13 year olds)……both mentally and physically. Logistics is a challenge for 6th graders. They have always had one primary teacher and class room. They need help managing their workload and supplies. At times, I will still read aloud and interpret the material with my 6th graders to insure they have the ability and will to follow through with their lessons. I try to have lots of hands on activities and discussion periods.
7th and 8th graders are in that self identity stage. Some tend towards goal setting and are studious and driven to getting good grades. Others are in that “everyone is watching me stage” and either hide within themselves or act out. I like to keep these classes busy with assignments and class participatory activities. I am not sure I have mastered the ability to help the withdrawn students.
The biggest need that my freshmen have over the upper classmen is structure and rules. The freshmen are always testing the waters to see what they can get away with. If the rules are in place then they know what our expectations are. I feel that they also lack maturity. The increase of cognitive ability in the upper classmen allows for more challenging lessons. My upper level classes with upper classmen can handle more challenging concepts as well. I spend much of my time teaching basic concepts over and over.
As for safety I think that the students feel safe in my classroom as well as in the school. I am at a new school this year and the rules are clear and enforced. This was not the case at the school that I was at last year. Teachers did not always enforce the rules so the students would get out of hand at times.
Developmental levels of students have a tremendous effect on my class management and instructional approach. As teachers we all need to be aware of the difference in our students. Great teachers develop lessons that challenge and enable all students to learn at their level.
I am teaching 7th and 8th grade students for the third year. However, my first year teaching I also taught Freshmen through Seniors as well. I can see the transition of junior high students into high school.
Especially at the beginning of the school year I can tell the maturity level and cognitive level for the new seventh graders are lower than the eighth grade students. Even though our junior high is in the same building as the elementary there is still a huge transition. The sixth grade students are used to having a home room teacher that would remind them of everything.
It is pleasantly surprising though at how much these seventh grade students will grow, mature, and take on responsibility. I can see these results in the 8th grade students this year. They are focused on their work and conscious of their grades. Although, during this year I try to help build their self-esteem and wean them of my constant approval. I want to help them to feel confident in themselves and their work so they will be able to succeed even more in high school.
I do notice in my classes that cognitive level and disruptions go hand in hand. Usually I have the one or two class clowns that try to cover up their lack of understanding or learning with comedy acts. Most of my cognitive students can focus with the minor disruptions. I also have several low learners in my class that need additional attention as well as para support. However, most of these students have been together since kindergarten so they have learned to work with each other, help each other and put up with one another.
This brings me to my final comments on class community and safety. I always start out the year by stating that my classroom is a safe place. I also like to tell the students that it is a no bully zone. Even though I teach in a small school in a small community I know there can still be things that happen at home that we are not aware of. I think our students feel very safe at our school and in my class because they feel like they are a part of the decisions and the activities that we do as a whole.
Regarding halbin's post: I liked the way you presented the cognitive abilities in relation to a bell curve with regard to being disruptive. I hadn't really thought of it that way but now I see that there are two areas where cognitive abilities can affect their attitude to either give up as in the lower achieving students or to become so bored with the information that nothing is challenging. Students in this area often cause more disruptions because they need to be challenged and have trouble staying motivated because they are ready to move on.
I notice in my junior high students that the new incoming students need more nuturing and help to make the transition and feel confident just as your freshmen do in high school. Thanks for the great insights into your teaching life.
The needs of the average freshman are drastically different to the need of an average senior. The freshman will be timid and unsure of themselves and will need more nurturing and support giving activities. The senior will need more preparation for the real world a sort of tough love. The real world will be coming fast at this senior and they need to be emotional and morally prepared. As a high school instructor, my opinion is at this age most of the students have a high functioning cognitive ability. The major difference is the comprehension ability and reading/language skills of the students. I have found that the students that struggle with the subject and fall behind, left unaddressed, will become a classroom disruption. My challenge is to find ways to motivate and teach this student in new ways to convey the subject. I would say that the majority of my students feel safe in my classroom. The relatively small class sizes and various teaching practices I use allow for students to have a comfortable learning environment. Our school also practices 16 social skills from the ‘Boys Town” Model. The model teaches that for all individuals to become productive citizens they need to have 16 social skills master. If a child does have to be removed from the class the principle will go over whatever social skill got them there. After the principle and the student have discussed the proper way to complete the social skill then the student is asked to apologize to the teacher. Once the student has apologized the student is allowed back in the class. For example, one of the social skills is following instructions and the three steps are: Step One., make eye contact with whom is giving the instruction. Step Two, remain quiet. Step Three, report back once the student has completed the assignment. Although this may seem unrealistic the school has seen a decrease in behavioral problems.
- How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
I can only speak for 8th graders because that is what I teach but it's pretty close to freshman. I think it's very important to create an environment where my students feel very safe to do their best and be themselves. At this age, kids are overly concerned about what others may think of them so it's important to create an environment in which they feel like it's okay to take a chance and put themselves out their a little bit. This is something I feel doesn't need to be stressed as much in a classroom where juniors/seniors are present because they already have such an attitude, in my opinion, about who they are and other issues are probably bigger than a safe environment.
- How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
The more cognitive students are able to work those some of the disruptions in my class; which with 8th grade, is quite frequent. I feel disruptions are easier to address with your cognitive students because you can talk to them once and they usually don't need to be redirected over and over.
- Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
My students feel safer in my classroom than others in my building I feel. I share a lot of personal stories that put myself on a level closer to than them so, in turn, they feel like they can share more of themselves as well. KH Middle School is very safe for the most part and kids know that if issues come up, they will be addressed in the best interests of the safety of students.
This is just a comment to Taajnia's post. I really do find it remarkable the progress that students make in just one year of middle school. I subbed for another teacher who taught 7th and it was such a chance in the kids. Not only physically but just in the general attitudes and cognitive abilities. It's amazing how much kids progress and also reminds us of how vital we are in moving them along in this process.
Let me begin by saying that prior to my high school experience I taught junior college for 8 years. I was not in any way prepared for the neediness of the high school level student. My seniors and juniors enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology are self-motivated, respectful and mature students who are developmentally ready for the rigors of a college prep class. My general biology sophomores, on the other hand, are a mixed bunch. Some are developmentally ready for the demands of biology and some are not. Even though I am only a third year teacher, I can almost pick out the students who will succeed in my class and those who won't in the first couple weeks of class. The maturity level of some biology students is very low. I have had some students at the 4th grade level in reading, and some with such severe behavioral disorders that they literally can't sit still for 6o seconds. It is challenging to say the least. I have tried many interventions and strategies for the minority of developmentally challenged kids. The students who are extremely disruptive and incapable of working in a group situation need to be sent to the office so that the rest of the class can perform and achieve at their highest level. I alwalys strive to include the entire group, but I have come to the realization that this is not always possible! I had a student doing pirouettes around the room a couple of weeks ago. (Are you serious!) I have to attribute the difficulties to the varying levels of development, maturity, and readiness of the student. NCLB does not take into account the student at the very bottom of the develomental scale. This student cannot cope with the demands of cognition, emotion or even morality. Some of these students don't know right from wrong or even basic respect for another student or adult. This student doesn't always fit in the classroom environment. Having a doctoral degree myself, I sometimes wish the instruction for teachers included more practical advice and less theory.
In response to Maria's post, I must agree that the younger student needs more verbal validation and encouragement. I try to utilize smart board activities as much as possible, yet the yonger students almost seem afraid to participate and need more encouragement and goading to get out of their seat and have fun with the technology. The smart board and promethean board are super fun teaching tools. You would think they would draw all students out of their seats! My juniors and seniors almost do battle to work with the smart technology, yet the younger sophomores need to be practically tipped out of their chairs! I need to really goad them and encourage them. Once they try it they realize how cool it is and how much fun it is! I always tell them, "believe me, this is much better than having to listen to me explaining things to you. You can just play with the smart board and figure it out for yourself!"
The needs of freshman are different from those of Juniors and Seniors. Freshman need more guidance and instruction. The are still getting used to high school and they are still learning how to be responsible for managing their time and developing their study habits. Juniors and Seniors seem to be a little more difficult to mold. They are more likely to have figured out which types of classes they enjoy and might already have a plan of study in mind.
Increased cognitive ability seems to affect the level of participation in class. Students with a higher congnitive ability or more likely to share their thoughts and opinions with the class and volunteer to answer questions. Students with a lower cognitive ability are generally more disruptive. They seem to want attention and they can't get it by answering questions because they may not be confident enough to answer them so they find other ways to become involved in the class even if its just disrupting the class and getting others off track.
I believe that students feel safe in my classroom because I run the class consistently and my students know what to expect. I feel that if students are treated fairly and in a well managed classroom they will feel safe. I also feel that students feel safe at our school we have school cops, security cameras, IDs, and lockdown drills.
In response to Halbin... After reading Halbin's blog I was reminded of the bullying training and bullying presentations that all teachers in our building have to give. This is mandatory so that all students know what to do if they are bullied or witness bullying. I hope that the district's efforts do actually make students feel safer at school.
In response to gegen... gegen said that "Great teachers develop lessons that challenge and enable all students to learn at their level". I agree I found this to be the greatest challenge my first and second year of teaching. I had students from one extreme of cognitive ability to the other. Just this year I finally feel like I have organized my lesson plans so that students of all levels remain engaged in the class the entire hour. It was so hard to find a way to challenge the higher ability level students in my computer class without leaving my slower students behind.
I teach all grades in high school Spanish, and at times I can teach freshman, juniors and seniors all within the same class period. It can be very tricky to engage freshman and juniors with the same activities, so it is very important that I use multiple teaching strategies to ensure that all of my students are being reached. It is obvious that freshman need to feel accepted and need a very structured environment. They are coming from middle school, where they have been the top of the food chain and now have returned to the bottom. For many, they feel overwhelmed and lost. Getting freshmen to feel secure enough to answer questions in front of juniors and seniors is difficult. So, I make sure that I do multiple cooperative learning activities so that my students can get to know each other on a personal level as well as an academic level. Freshman tend to be very needy; they need to feel accepted, they need to feel validated in their knowledge, they need to know the rules and consequences, they need visual aides and concrete examples. In contrast, juniors and seniors are able to take instruction orally and complete assignments without concrete examples. They are able to think abstractly and develop the ability to hear something and then complete it without having to be told how or what to do numerous times. Although not all freshman are at the same place socially and cognitively, they share the need to fit in. They are entering an age where security amongst others is more important than rules and school work. I find that my students that feel like they have a place in a group of friends tend to do better or at least try to do better in school than those that are “outsiders”.
2. When students increase their cognitive ability, the level of participation in class rises greatly. Students tend not to participate when they do not have confidence in their cognitive ability. When students do not feel like they are in a safe learning environment where mistakes in answers are okay, they tend to withdraw or act out to take the focus of their cognition and on their behavior instead. With increased cognitive ability, participation increases and distraction decreases.
3. I believe that my students feel very safe in my classroom. I make it a point to make an obvious mistake or two throughout the first weeks of school, to show students that it is okay to be wrong, because we all learn from our mistakes. Usually it is the spelling of a vocabulary word or something like that, and it makes students feel good about their knowledge when they can point out that the teacher made a mistake. Our school does not have a big bullying problem, and almost all students have the opportunity to find their niche. In order for me to have successful classroom discussions with freshman through seniors, everyone must feel accepted and safe, and I believe by the end of the first nine weeks, I have created that environment. It is not something that comes quickly, students must see overtime that they are accepted and corrected in an uplifting manner to buy into the safety of a classroom.
4. My Spanish 1 classes have much more routine than my upper division Spanish classes. When teaching Spanish 3 or 4, I am able to explain a grammar concept and then orally tell students what they need to do with the information in regards to an assignment. Usually, they are able to complete their assignments beyond my expectations on their own. When dealing with Spanish 1 and 2, I have to make sure to model the results I want from students. I have to be very direct and clear in instructions in order to make things clear. In regard to class management, I am much stricter with freshman and sophomore classes than with junior and senior classes. Because I usually have my students from freshman year through senior year, by the end of their schooling they know the expectations and procedures and follow them accordingly. I have to “train” the younger students as to my expectations in the classroom in the beginning years.
I am in a very unique position in that I do not teach a core subject. Students are required to take at least one year of my class and after that it is optional, so in general I see over half of the freshman class and then a select subsection of the remaining upper classmen. The needs of the freshman vary greatly from those of juniors and seniors in the ways that many of you have stated. They need increased input, moral boosting, and general supervision. Where uppers classmen need constant encouragement, enhanced positive criticism, and the opportunity to overcome larger tasks.
I also agree with the class that the level of cognitive ability does increase the over all participation in most class activities. It is important to note that there will be a hand full of students even in the senior class that is not cognitively caught up with the rest, therefore we need to anticipate disruption even at this level.
I as others agree with Halbin’s usage of the bell curve as a descriptor for the levels of cognitive ability found in each one of our classes.
In regards to this comment -The students who are extremely disruptive and incapable of working in a group situation need to be sent to the office so that the rest of the class can perform and achieve at their highest level. I always strive to include the entire group, but I have come to the realization that this is not always possible!-
My selection of upperclassmen are in general the ones who have more trouble with general Ed classes and are often counted as the lower cognitive students simply because they do not learn the same way as the majority of the student body does. In this case I would approach with a differentiated instruction. If a select group of students does not work well in a group on a certain assignment maybe they should be tasked with the same content but in a different format. For example instead of just listing different parts of a flower, make part of the assignment to draw or sculpt the flower then label the different parts. Then assign the sculpting or drawing to lower cognitive level students in each group. I would never send a student out of the classroom unless there was no other way. Attendance is the key to an education, I can’t teach unless you are here. (There is a tone of ides out there for Differentiated Instruction if you are interested)
In response to Annette D… I agree that freshman need more guidance and instruction. It is easy to see that Piaget’s theory is right because the concrete-operational child still needs visual aids, and concrete props. They also need shorter, well organized readings unlike that of older students. In regards to disruptive students, towards the second semester, students that are not succeeding in my class tend to become more disruptive to draw their attention away from their lack of knowledge and more toward their behavior. It is difficult to keep all students at the same point of cognition. I have found that weekly vocabulary quizzes over 10 words helps students stay focused and at least they all know the same vocabulary. From knowing the vocabulary, all students can pull words from translations and readings to hypothesize on what the text is describing. I also agree that an SRO in the school helps deter an unsafe environment.
In the idea of Discussion I have three ideas to point out that I would love to have some input on.
1 Just as many of you I am immediately prompted to say that my students feel safe in my classroom (Chest puffs out here). I think that for the most part as far as physical safety we do provide for students. How though do we provide for our students Emotional safety? Not so much in OUR classroom but in the school it’s self. Bulling from peers, Teachers, Coaches, where does the line need to be drawn. I have heard a coach say, “ Today’s kids are pansies, they all just need to toughen up and get over it.” I don’t agree with this but maybe I am wrong.
2 I think that this disruptive lower cognitive level directly correlates with another issue that we as high school teacher’s face. The participation of parents in my opinion often reflects this behavior. The question I ask though is why do we get so upset when a parent doesn’t participate for one year when the student hasn’t had any parent participation for the last 15 years?
3 Why is it that we as teachers always say that students need to finish their senior year to get ready for the real world? I hate to say it but our students as a majority are already living in the (Real World). Over half of the juniors and seniors have dealt with living alone, working for income, rape, sexual activity, drugs, and making life long decisions. I don’t think that it gets any more real than that.
How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors? I have a more unique situation because I teach a non core high school subject and in all of my classes i have at least one student from each of the 4 grade levels. The needs and behavior of upper classmen are much different then those of my freshman. I feel like I'm dealing with freshman misbehaving most of the time. They are unfocused and always distracting each other. I then have to deal with the seniors getting really annoyed with the "immature" kids. At first I was amazed at how developmentally different students are at just 3 years apart in high school. Then I started thinking that I'm not surprised that a 6th grader is a lot different then a 3rd grader. Maybe it's because some of my freshman look like some of my seniors.
Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school? It is my goal to develop a safe classroom environment. I can see that my students are comfortable and feel safe. Our school is also very high achieving. We do have a safe environment for kids to develop and grow. Students are not worried about physical harm but they are also safe in that they can trust the teacher to keep kids inline. What I mean by this is that they are safe from bullying in the classroom. As with any school bullying is a problem though. The internet and texting is a common tool used to bully. Our school has our fair share of social bullying. I see this much more then any physical bullying. We are alway striving to make a save environment and put into place policies to protect our students.
How do the developmental levels of your students affect your instruction? Your class management? As I mentioned earlier, I have students from every grade level. This greatly affects the way I teach and manage my class. I first need a seating chart and I have to tweak that chart after the first few weeks after learning the behavior of some of my students. I have to be careful to build an environment that doesn't pit the seniors against the freshman. If I can show that I'm serious about my subject and that they will need to listen and participate in order to succeed I can get their attention from the beginning. I talk about respecting others as well as the class. These are just a few things I do to deal with the developmental differences in my class.
I appreciate your comment about the safety of your class. Consistency is one of the most important elements I believe. When students know the routine and know day in and day out what is expected of them then they are comfortable and more willing to participate. I strive for this in my classes as well. I teach a class that has students working out of their seats a lot. If I don't have specific ground rules they class could go in a direction I don't want. However, most classes have ground rules. It's being consistent in enforcing them that makes the difference.
In response to jeff. I hope that as teachers, we giving our students the tools that they need for the real world daily. I agree that a diploma does not equal a pass for the real world. I also feel that we need to offer more classes for those students that don't plan on going to college. We could better prepare some of them by offering more apprentice type programs. Don't get me wrong I still believe that they sould all have a basic education. Beyond that we could be doing more to prepare them for the real world.
In response to Amanda Y I also have a student or two that act out to cover thier stuggles in my art class. When they get frustrated with the project they tend to get into more trouble. Currently though I have one freshman that just lacks confidence. He has the talent if he would just work. For some reason he always needs to be the center of attention. I have moved him twice now with little effect. This week he will find himself at a table by himself. If anyone has experience with a similar type student please let me know what worked for you.
In response to Nathan and many other posts, I agree that the developmental levels vary considerably. In my sophomore classes I feel like a cheerleader who has had too much caffeine! You have to stay so "up" to deal with the many things encountered, and be that cheerleader and encouraging adult figure to constantly reassure. Did I mention that you need to constantly reassure? The juniors and seniors are so easy! They will keep eating up the information you throw out at them. They still need reassurance but it is not as constant. They are self-motivated and competitive with each other overall, so I don't need to be that crazy cheerleader everyday. Those students who had me for biology appreciate a more serious and less caffeinated "me"!
In regards to the posts of Don, Maria, Hablin, and myself, I want to address this issue of finding a balance between tough/encouraging with 9th grade students in particular. I have about 3 weeks more experience with that now than I did when I wrote that, so my "cognitive development" is likewise advancing with remarkable rapidity.
As I continue to work with freshman, they are rapidly becoming more like my seniors. While this could be correlated to my high expectations of them, I think it also says something about the potential speed of their development. I now am beginning to believe that they may initially need a great deal more encouragement/understanding/chances in order to successfully transition between MS and HS, I am starting to believe that this process need not take an entire year. I have 3 classes of freshman right now, and I would say that with the exception of slightly less vocabulary and formal writing skills, they comprehend, discuss, and think in abstract terms every bit as well as my seniors do. They are past the coddling stage, and are really starting to be hungry for challenging/relevant topical material to sink their teeth into. I'm going to have to start bringing the heat in those classes like I do with my seniors, if I expect them to continue to advance at their current rate. I amend my initial post to say this: Push them just to the point of impending revolt but no further, and I think you'll be amazed at what they'll accomplish.
This is a comment to your comment to Taajnia's post. It is true how amazing the one year can bring to the transformation of students' attitudes. Last year, in my sophomores class, I had students who were in my freshmen class the previous year and they were bouncing off the walls and were reluctant to learn. But when they became sophomores, they came maturer and more concerned in being able to do the works required of them. It is like those summer months that I did not get to see them triggered the growth of self-actualized individuals.
David Green - How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
Having taught freshman last year and seniors this year, I saw the freshman needing a lot more discipline and structure imposed from the outside. I think this do to their need to better understand themselves as learners in a social environment. My seniors and juniors this year while still needing explicit guidance in terms of how to do quality work are much more comfortable with the task of learning not to mention with each other socially. As a result I spend much less time managing the class and more time investing in stimulating academic challenges.
- How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
I find the variance in cognitive ability to be the biggest factor in participating in class. If I set the bar too low in terms of expectations for the class the higher ability students check out or act out. If I set the expectations too high I get about 4 students who are excited and participating while the rest cower or goof out of fear that they will appear ignorant. I'm still searching for a good marriage of the two and have found cooperative learning activities to be good ways to get everyone involved.
- Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
Yes and yes. Overall student participation this year has been good, and as far as I can tell students feel free to discuss and explore issues in class. There is still a certain percentage of students that hang back. Students seem comfortable with each other and safe in the school. Most don't even lock their lockers.
I appreciate your perspective at the middle school level, Don. I think you do a good job of explicating the our text and incorporating that in your obsevations. Our middle school is in the same building as the high school, and I notice some similar trends.
I have found a similar joy in the...dare I say eagerness of the juniors and seniors in my classes as compared to the freshman and sophomores I had last year.
Along these lines I'm curious to hear more about specific things you do to foster a sense of community, safety, and accountability in your classes.
In response to Amanda Y. I had a great fear that many of my students would act out to cover their stuggles. My 7th hour class only has 12 students but 6 of them either have a I.E.P or have been on academic support. However, surprisingly I have not had any problems yet. I Believe what helped my students was sharing with them that school was not easy for me but I made the choice to succeed. I also let my student know that your sucess is not directly corrected to your I.Q but rather if you chose to suceed. I myself struggled enoumously in school with dyslexia. and still do. I am honest with my students about this. I have found out that many of my student have form a respect for that. My students also know that no disability will be used as excused.
This is a response to Jeff regarding his three ideas he would like discussion on. Jeff, all three of your observations are right on point...and I am sure I can't really say anything that will change any of those situations. But,I do accept the challenge to try to make my students feel safe anywhere in the school. Notice I said try. We can't be everywhere. But,if we see examples of bullying from other teachers, para's, aide's, or coaches we should try to take that person aside and discuss the issue. Given we are the "new teacher" on the block we should probably tread lighly and try to be as tactful as possible if we hope to be successful.
In response to your first point, I think that this is a demonstration of the ‘normalization’ of bullying. Sadly, many adults think that bullying is a rite of passage of adolescence, and that it is a normal experience. I think that these adults may have experienced a relatively less damaging dose of bullying, or possibly have been the bully. They believe that their experiences are perfectly normal and therefore harmless. In a way, this is a demonstration of the egocentric thinking that people are supposed to grow out of! I agree that this kind of behavior is bad from kids and worse from adults. Every school should be a no-bullying zone, whether form students or from teachers and coaches!
I teach classes that range from freshman to senior-level. Like many people, I have noticed that freshman tend to need more support from the teacher, especially if they are in a mixed class. They are often uncomfortable with their new ‘bottom of the heap’ status, and they don’t know the other students or the teacher. However, this is not always true. I have one class this year that is comprised of twenty plus freshman. Our middle school keeps all the students in the same classes within their grade level, so most of these kids have all been in the same classes for the last three years. They know each other very well, but they don’t know me and I don’t know them. They have a very solid group identity and well established group dynamics. They are mostly very supportive of each other, and in fact almost conspiratorial (sadly, mostly against me!).
With this group, I’ve actually had to be tougher, in order to shake them up a bit and break them out of their comfort zones. They are easily distracted and fond of random diversions in conversation. I am mostly concentrating on teaching them organizational and categorizing skills, and working on their problem-solving. Many of them are still in the concrete operational stage, and I am trying to provide scaffolding to help them learn to deal with ideas on an abstract level.
My seniors, on the other hand, are a very stable group of students, many of whom are genuinely interested in the subject matter. They are serious and responsible, and aware of how their futures depend upon their present. The vast majority are in the formal operational stage, and very comfortable when working with abstracts. They don’t require nearly as much positive reinforcement from me, and in fact often request constructive criticism, in order to do a better job on their tasks.
I have not noticed any link between cognitive level and class participation. Many of my students who seem to be in the concrete operational stage like to engage in discussions with the class, and are not afraid of asking questions. They will often try to create links between topics and concrete examples, in order to improve their understandings. My students who seem to be in the formal operational stage may be disruptive, as they attempt to find links between dissimilar topics, sometimes quite absurd. In my experience, classroom engagement is more a matter of personality and personal tastes. Students who are comfortable speaking out, and who enjoy science, will be highly engaged. Students who are comfortable speaking out, and who are bored by the lesson for whatever reason, may be disruptive.
I think that my students feel physically safe in my school. We are very small, and have had very, very few problems with any sort of violence. Unfortunately, bullying is a problem in my district, due to the tight groups formed by students who have been in the same classes since kindergarten. I have been working to prevent bullying and rudeness in my own classroom, but it is not an area in which I am experiencing great success, thus far. I will be taking a workshop on bullying this fall, which I hope will help me in this area.
I have found and noticed in my two years so far that the freshman need encouragement, but also that you have to be firm and not give too much of an inch because they will take a mile. They are not used to the responsibility and freedom of high school. I think this is the most difficult class for me to teach because they do require constant supervision not only for disruptions, but also to watch for comprehension or signs of confusion.
In contrast, the upperclassmen know how they are expected to behave and learn at the high school level. While this is good, as a teacher I believe you need to be helping them think about college and provide them a college type environment. Show them that when they need assistance they need to ask for it.
I believe that as cognitive ability increases, so does the level of participation. There are also those students who are not high on the cognitive ability list. They will participate more often to increase understanding. I believe that the level of disruption decreases as the cognitive ability increases. There is also the exception here of the students at the top of the cognitive ability list who are ahead of their peers and are bored. I think we should always promote higher levels of thinking and questioning. This will help class discussions and aid in the understanding of material by other students. They move on from rope memory and start coming up with their own understandings and theories.
We had a new principal last year who came from a large school. So he was attuned to safety procedures. We kept all doors of the school locked from outside except the front doors by the office. My classroom was a place students felt at ease. I used a variety of humorous comments and stories in my lectures to keep them interested. They also felt free to open up and share answers and experiences. I believe and have also been informed that most of my students felt safe in my classroom.
I think Clevenger has a very good point that teachers need to be aware of. In his response to Halbins post is was mentioned that students need encouragement to stick with school. I found it unbelievable this last year how many freshman were already talking about how they were going to drop out of school when they turned 16. We need to stress and encourage the importance of education and what it can do for them. I also think the point about cheaper alternatives to college. i encourage my students to consider technical colleges if they don't want to go to college. It will provide them with an education or training in a particular field that they can make a living in.
According to Piaget, everyone must reach the third stage of development, concrete operations. By the time students become freshman, they have reached the stage. It is at this point that high school students differ drastically, both from freshman to seniors, and within their own classes. While the book states there is some debate as to whether everyone reaches the fourth stage of development, I believe they probably do, however, probably at different rates. For instance, I teach Geometry, which requires a higher level of thinking. I believe to be extremely successful in this class, you must have at least entered the fourth stage of Piaget’s theory of development: formal operations. In my class, I have students from freshman to seniors. The freshman that have reached this stage are really successful, sometimes even my best students. Freshman that have not reached this stage, do not take the class, they take Algebra instead, which is much more concrete. Upperclassmen can become successful in this class, if they have reached the fourth stage. Those students who have not reached this level of development seem to struggle, regardless of their age. As for other types of development, according to Erikson’s 5th stage of his psychosocial theory, adolescents are ‘exploring themselves’ via the Identity vs. Confusion crisis. And while freshman and seniors may deal with this crisis alike, seniors would have more of a tendency to also deal with the 6th of Erikson’s stages: Intimacy vs. Isolation. So, there you have it, while both seniors and freshman are emotional, I have found that the 6th stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, can effect upperclassmen more often and freshman tend to deal with issues about themselves more often. Levels of cognitive development are obviously going to effect a student’s participation in the classroom. The level of cognitive development would directly lead to the level of success of the student, especially in a class such as Geometry. Therefore, I believe you can have several types of activity based on the level of development. For instance, in the extreme cases of development, very poorly developed and extremely highly developed, you may have an amount of disruption. Poorly developed individuals will struggle and be frustrated, which could cause disruption, discipline issues, or non-compliance. On the same hand, extremely-developed individuals could be bored with the subject, and have the same issues. The average developed student for that peer group would probably lead to the best participation in class. Therefore, it would be the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that poorly developed individuals either get much attention and assistance, or be moved to a class setting that better suits them. And highly developed students would need extra work, or be moved to a more difficult subject. I feel that my students feel very safe in my class, as well as my school. I think students in most classrooms and schools feel safe, right up until something happens. There is a level of innate trust that has been built throughout the schooling years that remains, until it is broken. So, as long as nothing bad happens, the students feel nothing bad can happen. You know, it is like we often say, “It couldn’t happen to me.”
DONNA O I notice that you stated that you did not notice differing levels of cognitive development effecting the participation of your students. However, I also noted that you stated you felt the participation by your students was more directly effected by their personalities and personality traits. You stated people who normally would speak out or who are ' comfortable with the material' will participate and those who appear 'bored' will not. If you have time, read what I have to say in my post and respond. I would love to hear what you think of my position. I feel that the students are not choosing to not participate because they are bored, rather they are bored due to their cognitive development. And those that are participating, have the appropriate level of cognitive development. I find it hard to believe that someome with a low level of devlopment is going to choose to participate. Anyway, just some thoughts... Very nice post!
The first question that was posed, how do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors? is one that I deal with on a daily basis. The way that my schedule is setup I have at least one class of intro students (mainly freshmen) and at least one class of upper-class students (mostly juniors/seniors). The freshmen, while they are smart students, need to have information presented to them in a way that allows them to think on their own while at the same time making sure that the work is given to them in chunks so that their progress can be checked. From a class management standpoint the freshmen need more rules to be put in place as many of them are still in an adjustment phase of having all the freedoms that they have and they have not yet figured out what is acceptable and what is not. In comparison, the juniors are normally at a level where classroom instruction can be setup where they are able to spend more time working on their own finding information instead of to have all of the information given to them. From a class management side, the juniors are also normally my best behaved. With the seniors, many times they are the same as the juniors, though there are situations where they are better and worse. They can be given an assignment and be allowed to work on it alone or in partners/groups and be relied on to complete all of their work. Unfortunately, other seniors take a much different approach. Some take the approach that I am done, I'm a senior, I'm outta here and I don't need to listen to you or do what you ask of me.
The second part of the question, how does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class? I think that this may be one of the most important elements in my classroom. As the students gain more cognitive ability the better they are at classroom participation, working together in groups to solve problems and better at dealing with more complex issues. In just the course of a school year I can see freshmen that start to gain or enhance their cognitive ability and things that they would not have understood at the beginning of the year or would not have been able to talk about are now materials that they get. I also think that as their cognitive abilities grow the disruption in the room becomes less, or at least if there is disruption it is topic specific and not off base somewhere.
On the last part of the discussion question, do your students feel safe in your class? In your school? I believe very much that I create an atmosphere in my room where my students know that they are safe both physically and mentally. The students know that I do not accept horseplay in my room and that they will be respectful of the other students or I will have them removed. From a mental side, I work very hard to make my room a place where ideas can be expressed freely without fear that someone will make fun of them or ridicule them. With this has come the consequence of having some very strange conversations, but my students know that they can be open with me and they quickly realize they I will not tolerate them making comments that are degrading to other students. They understand that if they have a comment to make that is negative towards someone that they need to keep that conversation to themselves. Basically my students know that they can ask questions that are on their mind and that there will be a free and safe discussion about that question. As for the school itself, I think both from a physical and mental side, for the most part the students feel safe. Being a 6A school I was worried that safety would be the number one issue. Thankfully our school is very good with security from a physical side and is very open minded from a mental side. I would say that just about every type of person is accepted at our school. That is not to say that everyone likes everyone, but they do seem to do a good job of tolerating everyone, which I must admit was one of the biggest, and most pleasant, surprises that I got when I came to South.
This comment is in response to Donna O. regarding the bullying issues at the school.
Donna, having grown up in a small town and gone to school with almost all of the same kids from kindergarten through graduation I know first hand the type of bullying that you are talking about. I think many times people overlook this because they think the kids have known each other forever and that they are just playing around and that what they are doing doesn't mean anything. Well, I can tell you it does mean something and I think part of the problem stems from the kids knowing each other for so long. I don't think when they get older that they see the growth and maturity in the other students, they just see that same kid that they picked on back in the 2nd grade. This can make it difficult for the the bully to fully understand what they are doing and it can make it hard for the student that is being bullied to say anything.
I am glad to hear that you are working to help stop this activity in your class. I think the more you can do in your class the more these students can see what exactly is going on. Being in a small school you may also want to try to look outside your class and see how these students act in the halls, at lunch and at sports. Many times other teachers and/or coaches may not being doing anything to stop what is going on as they know the students parents very well or they have known the student most, if not all of their lives.
I have noticed that when I call the students on their rudeness, their usual defense is "Oh, we're friends, I'm just kidding." Like you said, they've internalized the behavior to the point where that is their normal method of interaction with that person! Often, they don't even seem to recognize that what they said was hurtful.
At this point, I've established a "No meanies" rule in my classroom. I don't care if you've been friends for fifteen years, and that you always call each other "stinky-poopoo," in my classroom you will be polite! The students seem to think I'm a stick-in-mud, but I'm ok with that.
I agree that you need to encourage the kids to stick with school, stress the importance of education for a successful life and/or career, and emphasize the fact that they can truly do anything they want if they put their mind to it and put forth a little hard work.
I had a 7th grade class of gifted students last year who all were really intelligent, good students and wanted to be successful one day in something. I spent two days doing a project where they had to state what they wanted to do as a career and why, and then proceed to look up how they could become that or start the profession. They had to find schools that offered programs, see what prerequisites they needed to begin them, how much school would cost, decide where they wanted to go based on location, cost, etc. They were all so intersted in it cause they had never thought about those things before and had no idea how expensive college was. They also had to look up average salary for the location they wanted to live and those stats blew them away.
The kids need to be pushed, given high but realistic goals, and constantly told that they can do whatever they want to do if they put their mind to it.
Blog B5 • How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors? From my experience in my first year of teaching, I have observed distinct differences in personalities between freshman and upperclassmen. The freshman typically need constant direction and need to be reminded to stay on task frequently. My freshmen get distracted very easily and are still trying to find their identity. They are more comfortable in group activities rather than performing individual skills. I only teach elective classes for juniors and seniors; therefore, class sizes are smaller and they are more likely to be excited about the class because they chose to be there. They need direction, but do not need the constant reminder to stay on task. The juniors and seniors act more as individuals and do not need the support of the group to make a decision.
• How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class? Although I am a Physical Education teacher, the cognitive ability of students does still affect the level of participation of the student. Typically, the student with the higher cognitive ability properly participates in the activity. It is the students with less cognitive ability that tend to not follow the rules of the activity and cause a disruption.
• Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school? Relatively speaking, we have a very safe school due to its location and size. The staff is diligent in their preparation for emergency situations and the students are well rehearsed in proper procedure for such. Since I am a PE teacher, I focus a lot on the safety of individuals in class from injury both physically and mentally. The class is structured in such a way that students know proper protocol for each activity. Praise is important for students to feel safe and secure in their actions. Aggressive behavior is not tolerated and reprimanded immediately.
I agree with your perception of eighth graders. My eighth grade class has many similarities. These students are still trying to find their identity and will usually follow the majority. The disruptions are frequent and expected; however, it is much easier to redirect the students with the higher cognitive ability. I have tried to put the disruptive student in a leadership role so that they are more likely to participate in a positive manner.
As a few others have mentioned, I would rather comment on how the needs of 6th graders differ from those of 7th graders and 8th graders since that is what I teach. I must start by saying I think there are a lot of similarities between 6th graders and freshmen, 7th graders and sophomores / juniors, and 8th graders and seniors due to their position within their specific schools (6th and freshman are the newbies, 8th and seniors are the oldest and most experienced, and 7th and juniors / sophomores are caught in the middle).
The 6th grade students need a lot of structure. They need very clear expectations and rules. They also need a lot of positive feedback, praise, and one-on-one time. They need reminded daily to write their homework down, where to look for it, that it's due at the beginning of class, to remember their books and folders. They are more timid and shy as a group since they are the youngest in the school so they need to feel safe and cared for more than the older kids. They also need to be pushed away from being coddled like they were in the past by their homeroom teachers. It's a hard mix to support them more than the other grades, yet to wean them off of what they're used to.
The 8th Graders, on the other hand, are like the seniors in high school. They are the oldest and most experienced. They know all of the teachers and other kids, the rules and expectations, who is lenient and tough, and they know the tricks of the school to get by (who lets you get away with stuff, who is strict, how you can fake assignments or cheat). They need you to be tougher, just like the others have said about seniors. They like to see what they can get away with and test you to see how far they can push you. They are ready to get out of middle school and be a high schooler. They tend to be much farther along congnitively than 6th graders (though this is obviously case by case), and they get bored more often and cause more disruptions. They care more than the others about looking "cool" since they are the coolest ones in the school being the oldest.
Increased cognitive ability is like a bell curve. Students with really low cognitive ability are frustrated easily and get lost. The material tends to go over their heads and they give up so they simply do not pay attention because they believe it's too hard for them to ever learn. They can become very disruptive in class due to this lack of interest and feeling of being not smart enough. At least with my class, they tend to participate more in class at first cause they are trying to understand it, but then they stop trying and just zone out.
Those with extremely high cognitive ability are usually very interested in learning and intrinsically motivated, but they get bored easily leading to disinterest in the topics and more disruptions in class. They tend to participate much more in class on a daily basis, but may zone out if something is really easy and not challenging.
I believe my students feel very safe in my class and school. We have a brand new school that is very nice and safe. We also have a fantastic administration and staff which the students know cares about them and their success and well-being. I have already had a couple of bullying incidents in my class and I handled them quickly and appropriately. I believe that all of my students feel safe and know that I care about them and will do anything I can to keep them safe and help them to succeed.
The developmental levels of my students causes me to give mroe work time in class allowing me more time to give students independent instruction since a majority of my students need the one-on-one help. I also use a lot of group and partner work because my students are very social and like games and competition so I try to foster an environment conducive to that and rewarding of appropriate behavior. I also will make sure that those who are really low sit by others who know what they are doing so when we partner up or have work time, those students can get help from their peers.
I have noticed that seniors are much more self directed in their class work. They usually need little prompting to remain focused on the task at hand. Freshmen on the other hand seem to need lots more structure some of them need almost constant redirection to stay on task. Freshmen usually need more help with socially appropriate behavior as well… It has been demonstrated over and over to me that most students would rather be the “bad kid” in class than the stupid kid in class. I feel that cognitive ability is vitally important for good participation in class. Many students who are discipline problems in class are acting out because they don’t want to be seen by their classmates as unintelligent. I try very hard to make my classroom a safe comforting environment. Students are much more willing to participate if the feel that their opinions matter and that their positions won’t be attacked unfairly. I try to use classroom discussion as often as possible and the only way this can happen is if students feel safe enough to respond. Our school as a whole is very safe. We have a medium 2A school in a small town. Many of our students have chosen to come to Bennington from Salina because it is so safe.
Response to PeterJ I definitely agree that freshmen are much more likely to want to work in groups, but I sometimes have trouble keeping their work on task. They seem to go off on tangents much more often than upper classmen. Do you have any techniques to keep them on task?
Specifically freshmen are very much more needy than seniors, at the same time seniors think they don't need you at all. They think they have already got it figured out and just want to be left alone, sometimes hurting themselves from missing the actual benefits a teacher can give a senior because of their "I'm halfway out the door attitude." They are so eager and quick to grow up. That is why I believe you have to reach a student as soon as you get them, hopefully when they are freshmen. They are still very easy to make obey you. If there are warning signs thta the student is having learning diffuculties or social difficulties, it is much easier to address as a freshman, than as a senior. Freshmen need directions, examples, structure, and reasurance that they are doing a task correctly. Juniors and Seniors can take directions and get to work with little or no structure and can work without needing assurance. They will ask you if they have a question or a problem. Freshmen also need to hear and see what the instructions are. Since I have the benefit of having the same students each year from freshman to senior, I can "prime" my students for the next year, sometimes making each individual class a little bit more advanced than the same previous one. I uniquely get to develop the students' abilities over the period of three or four years.
Being a language aquisition class, it is imperative that the students' cognitive ability be developed if not highly developed. Students' participation in this class (I teach French) is much more involved if they have higher cognitive ability. Interestingly though, sometimes a student gains huge improvements in their cognitive ability through my class. This actually halps them in their other classes across the board. As far as disruption, yes, if a student has a lower cognitive ability he or she almost always "acts out" to thwart the notion that he or she doesn't understand. I have a few class clowns, but overall, and being an elective, I have it pretty good with minimal disruptions.
The students feel very safe in the school and in my classroom. We are a small school in a smaller rural town. Although there are the usual "druggies" and mostly kids with an unfortunate home life, the students walk the halls free of worry of their life being threatened. There is a minimum amount of bullying and maybe more than I realize, but compared to a typical urban school, it is very minimal.
My challenge is that I may have all different levels of students and all different grade levels in a given class. I am basically developing "lower level" and "gifted" and average students at all levels in all of my classes. This is also a challenge because their levels of French ability vary as well and not necessarily where you may think. I have gifted students that demand questions and answers and do their homework that may not be that good at French and I have students that have a lower reading level or don't understand instructions, but are great at French. It makes for a very varied instruction approach on my part. I have always had good class management. I think with so many levels of students all the time, the students ALL have to learn to work with each other so they look to me for a common ground.
I have found that while what you said is true about seniors, it is also often hard to keep them on task because they want to be so independant and get to talking to their friends. They have many friends and are much more confident in the school and don't feel afraid to challenge the teacher on more things. Freshmen, at least my experience are almost "scared" acting and stay on task for fear of getting a detention or even getting called out in front of the class. They are not scared though, they just pay attention and follow the rules. They haven't yet experienced much examples of older students challenging the teachers and havn't had the chance to try it.
Please discuss with your classmates:
ReplyDelete- How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
- How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
- Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
This blog is due September 13.
I think that the needs of freshmen very pretty significantly from those of my seniors. My freshman need more encouragement and less criticism, they need me to build them up and help them find confidence, and they also really need my high expectations, because the transition from middle to high school is a tough one.
ReplyDeleteMy seniors need my toughness more, because the transition they're getting ready for is even tougher. They need more criticism for the same reason-- they have to be ready. They also often need my advice about college itself, because they don't often know what path to take.
As for cognition, I would say that a higher level of cognitive awareness effects the quality of the discussion more than the amount. It is harder to keep a lower-level learner occupied because if they don't understand, they tend to give up more easily (limited experience talking), and they tend to hide their confusion behind comedy, which can be disruptive.
I work to balance safety and community in my class. We give one another a hard time which builds community, but occasionally lines are crossed. Then we work to patch up our little community, and usually, we can. In general, kids seem to feel pretty safe here at RCHSj.
It is amazing how the needs of freshmen can be so different from those of juniors and seniors who are only two or three years ahead of the freshmen. Freshmen need validation and confidence that they will succeed. That is why I have a banner posted in my class that says "Welcome... You will all succeed." (I got that idea from Wong's book!) Freshmen also need help in learning how to manage their time and be self-driven because they no longer have their middle school teachers to monitor their every move. Freshmen need compassion and encouragement, but they must also be taught how to survive in the high school where more responsibility is placed on students.
ReplyDeleteJuniors need encouragement to stick with school and begin considering what they will do after they graduate. Seniors need even more persuasion to figure out what they will do after graduation. Juniors need to know that their teachers care that they stay in school and seniors need to know that their teachers care about what happens to them after they graduate. Juniors need test preparation for the ACT and others and seniors need help applying to colleges or jobs.
All in all, freshmen need to feel welcomed, encouraged, and confidant. Juniors and seniors need to feel cared for in the future and need help preparing for what is ahead.
The relation between participation in class and cognitive ability can be represented by a bell curve while the relation between disruption and cognitive ability can be represented by an upside down bell curve. At the low end of cognative ability, students do not understand,they fall behind, become frusturated, and eventually give up on trying to participate in class. This results in a high level of disruption. At the very high end of cognitive ability, students are far ahead of their peers and become bored by the classroom learning. They don't participate as much because it seems pointless and lame. Their boredom eventually causes a high level of disruption. The students with average cognitive ability are being taught and engaged at their own level and thus feel compelled to participate, thus reducing their classroom disruptions.
I believe that my students do feel save in my classroom and in the school. All the teachers in my school emphasize the importance of acceptance, friendship, and bullying prevention. If I or any other teacher hears students insult eachother in the classroom or in the hallway, we are quick to correct the behavior.
In response to Nathan's blog:
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog! It was interesting to read your viewpoint and I agree with it almost one hundred percent. I certainly agree that freshmen need more compassion and seniors need more toughness. But I also think it is important to be somewhat tough on the freshemn as well so they get used to taking responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof. We need to be understanding that freshmen are going through a difficult transion and perhaps give them a few extra chances, but I think teachers need to become more tough on their freshmen as the year progresses so the freshmen can learn right away that they need to self-manage.
I am teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grades so I hope it is ok to discuss the differences at those grade levels. First let me say I am teaching at a Catholic school and I am certain my students feel very safe both at the school and in their class rooms. Perhaps they get a little nervous when they go to confession!
ReplyDeleteI find that most of the sixth graders are somewhat timid in class and in the halls. This is their first time that they are switching classroms between subjects. Many seem overwhelmed by the barrage of homework they have compared to last year...and they certainly aren't used to lugging books from class to class!Always before they had a homeroom teacher who was with them most of the day...so, I think they feel a little intimidated. I am also moving slower with the 6th grade on lesson plans. Their grasp of math concepts seem slower and I find they are easily distracted.I cover almost every segment of every chapter twice in order to insure they understand the problems and examples.
Eighth grade seems vastly more mature. They also seem more intent on getting good grades and moving on into high school. I have found that they are very aware of their grades. Most of them manage their time better and are very aware of when we are going to have tests and quizzes.
The Seventh Grade class seems to be the biggest challenge. They are easily distracted and have a rough time staying focused. They are also my largest class. They seem to be more consciuos of their peers behavior. I find that I have to monitor many of them very closely to insure they had in their daily assignments.
In response to Nathan's blog
ReplyDeleteNathan, I was really impressed by your blog. Your third paragraph on cognition is very well stated. I noted your comments about how it is harder to keep a lower-level learner occupied because when they don't understand, they tend to hide their confusion behind comedy.
I have found, with my limited experience, that those students with the higher cognitive skills seem to go one of two ways. Some students take the role of serious student and focus on learning and achieving. Other students with good cognitive skills are not challenged or perhaps not interested in the assignments.These students can also take on the role of class comedian and can be disruptive.
o How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
ReplyDeleteThe text talks about the four stages of cognitive thinking. The third stage of development is referred to as concrete operations and during this state students develop a sense of logic and stability in the facts of the world. They become hands on thinking and relate problems and solutions to the truths they know and the understanding that things can change forms but still maintain some of their original characteristics. It is discussed that students leave this stage in their mid teens during the 9-10th grade level and enter into the fourth level. The text also discusses how some people do reach the final level and remain in concrete operations. The final stage of development is called formal operations and is defined by students being able to think about problems in an abstract form and be able to consider alternatives where variables might be able to change. In this phase they can start demonstrate hypothetical reasoning. Another characteristic of this stage is adolescent egocentrism. This is the lack of self confidence and feeling that everyone is “watch me.” As students develop through stage four this lack of self confidence seems to lessen and students gain self confidence.
o How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
As students develop cognitively they show and increase ability to participate in class. They develop their formal operations thinking and understand abstract ideas and hypothesis. As their cognitive ability increases, so does their ability to question or discuss concepts. Along with this maturity, their level of disruption should also decrease.
o Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school?
Our students feel very safe in their school environment. We have a safe community with very little serious crime. This safety only increases their ability to develop as students. I would consider my room to be one of the safest in the building because of our location an access to fire exits and the distance from a possible school invasion. As a staff we discuss the danger of the “it could never happen here” approach to school safety and our responsibility to be aware of our environment.
o How do the developmental levels of your students affect your instruction? Your class management?
In my classes, I deal with 10-12th grade students. Understanding the transition from the third to the fourth level of cognitive thinking is crucial in developing lessons that are meaningful and effective. I use many class discussion and activity lessons and like to see active participation from all students. Being aware of adolescent egocentrism and the reasons for it can help me relate and understand their feelings toward these activities. Identifying students that have severe anxiety can help make the classroom more comfortable.
In Response to Halbin’s Post:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your breakdown of the differences between Juniors and Seniors. Many of my students at that Junior level sometime need that encouragement to stick with school and not become apathetic toward class. During that Junior/Senior transition, I think some students need to understand how their focus should change and begin looking post high school. Sometime they become focused on getting to the end of their high school career and should be looking to prepare for the next level in their life. I am seeing that with the increased cost of school, many students are entering the work force or considering technical colleges as a cheaper alternative to college.
1. How do needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors and seniors?
ReplyDeleteFreshmen need more nurturing as well as structured self-discipline wherein a teacher needs to establish more modeling on how to be accountable in delivering their works on time while making them feel safe. They also need more emotional support system in meeting their self-esteem needs while raising their sense of being capable to do the demands and works of a high school. Unlike juniors and seniors, whose sense of accomplishments in the first two years in high school was already validated when they moved to being juniors or seniors, freshmen need to develop not only their self-confidence but also knowledge of their competencies.
Hence, they need more validation, in words/phrases and from their own successful accomplishments of class works compared to juniors or upper classmen. Since graduation seems like a long way off from where they are, a sense of discouragement can more easily lead to wanting to give up formal schooling compared to seniors who can already “see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Juniors also learned their strengths and weaknesses in academe and have learned either how to get by a passing grade or learn how to aim for an “A” despite their incompetency in some areas in the academe. On the other hand, seniors are more willing to do what it takes to make it to graduation and even start preparing for what lies beyond graduation whether it is joining the work force or going to college.
2. How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in class? The level of disruption in class?
Increased cognitive ability raises the level of participation in class because the learner employs the most sophisticated and abstract learning processes. When teachers provide challenging tasks, such as problem solving, that meet the cognitive developmental stage appropriate to the varying cognitive stages of the students, the students’ capacity to stay on task and participate actively. Most of my students' cognitive development levels are in the "concrete operational" and "formal operations phase."
The level of disruption is higher in class when teachers use strategies that either dumb down the students’ cognitive level or way beyond their cognitive development.
3. Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school?
Our students in GCHS generally feel safe in school. My classroom has also been consistently providing and safe environment, emotionally and physically. Since there have been open discussions on anti-bullying, which is an ongoing thrust, and since I continually strive to make my students feel that I do care for them beyond grades, I believe my students feel safe in my classroom. They know that it is alright to make mistakes but they also know that I expect them to be able to meet my expressed expectations.
In response to Nathan's blog:
ReplyDeleteI agree in maintaining a balance of providing a challenging task that will meet the needs of students with high cognitive level and the ones with lower level. If you teach way beyond their cognitive level, you would lose your students' interest or frustrate them with a senseof overwhelm while if you dumb down or go way too low their cognitive level, they would get so bored and lose interest. There is indeed a correlation to the level of participation to the students' cognitive level.
1.How do the needs of freshmen vary from juniors and seniors?
ReplyDeleteFreshmen are somewhere in the latter stages of the concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage. Most freshmen still need help with theoretical and abstract problems and are still in that phase where they think everyone is watching them. Junior and seniors,for the most part, have passed the period where they believe they are on center stage. They have developed a sense of their own identity and have the ability to confront theoretical and abstract situations. Although, the book does say that some people never go beyond the concrete operational stage.
2.How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
As students develop cognitively they can increase their ability to participate in class. Their ability to think and understand abstract ideas and theory also increase. Their sense of their own identity has increased significantly. As their cognitive ability increases will the students participate more in class and will they be less disruptive? For the most part, the answer is probably yes. However, peer pressure and social and moral developments are still a big part of high school life. Some students may retreat within themselves while others become aggressive and act out in class.
3.How do the developmental levels of my students affect my instruction and class management?
In my classes I have 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. There seems to be a huge gap in the development of 6th graders versus 8th graders (11 year olds versus 13 year olds)……both mentally and physically. Logistics is a challenge for 6th graders. They have always had one primary teacher and class room. They need help managing their workload and supplies. At times, I will still read aloud and interpret the material with my 6th graders to insure they have the ability and will to follow through with their lessons. I try to have lots of hands on activities and discussion periods.
7th and 8th graders are in that self identity stage. Some tend towards goal setting and are studious and driven to getting good grades. Others are in that “everyone is watching me stage” and either hide within themselves or act out. I like to keep these classes busy with assignments and class participatory activities. I am not sure I have mastered the ability to help the withdrawn students.
The biggest need that my freshmen have over the upper classmen is structure and rules. The freshmen are always testing the waters to see what they can get away with. If the rules are in place then they know what our expectations are. I feel that they also lack maturity. The increase of cognitive ability in the upper classmen allows for more challenging lessons. My upper level classes with upper classmen can handle more challenging concepts as well. I spend much of my time teaching basic concepts over and over.
ReplyDeleteAs for safety I think that the students feel safe in my classroom as well as in the school. I am at a new school this year and the rules are clear and enforced. This was not the case at the school that I was at last year. Teachers did not always enforce the rules so the students would get out of hand at times.
Developmental levels of students have a tremendous effect on my class management and instructional approach. As teachers we all need to be aware of the difference in our students. Great teachers develop lessons that challenge and enable all students to learn at their level.
I am teaching 7th and 8th grade students for the third year. However, my first year teaching I also taught Freshmen through Seniors as well. I can see the transition of junior high students into high school.
ReplyDeleteEspecially at the beginning of the school year I can tell the maturity level and cognitive level for the new seventh graders are lower than the eighth grade students. Even though our junior high is in the same building as the elementary there is still a huge transition. The sixth grade students are used to having a home room teacher that would remind them of everything.
It is pleasantly surprising though at how much these seventh grade students will grow, mature, and take on responsibility. I can see these results in the 8th grade students this year. They are focused on their work and conscious of their grades. Although, during this year I try to help build their self-esteem and wean them of my constant approval. I want to help them to feel confident in themselves and their work so they will be able to succeed even more in high school.
I do notice in my classes that cognitive level and disruptions go hand in hand. Usually I have the one or two class clowns that try to cover up their lack of understanding or learning with comedy acts. Most of my cognitive students can focus with the minor disruptions. I also have several low learners in my class that need additional attention as well as para support. However, most of these students have been together since kindergarten so they have learned to work with each other, help each other and put up with one another.
This brings me to my final comments on class community and safety. I always start out the year by stating that my classroom is a safe place. I also like to tell the students that it is a no bully zone. Even though I teach in a small school in a small community I know there can still be things that happen at home that we are not aware of. I think our students feel very safe at our school and in my class because they feel like they are a part of the decisions and the activities that we do as a whole.
Regarding halbin's post:
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you presented the cognitive abilities in relation to a bell curve with regard to being disruptive. I hadn't really thought of it that way but now I see that there are two areas where cognitive abilities can affect their attitude to either give up as in the lower achieving students or to become so bored with the information that nothing is challenging. Students in this area often cause more disruptions because they need to be challenged and have trouble staying motivated because they are ready to move on.
I notice in my junior high students that the new incoming students need more nuturing and help to make the transition and feel confident just as your freshmen do in high school. Thanks for the great insights into your teaching life.
The needs of the average freshman are drastically different to the need of an average senior. The freshman will be timid and unsure of themselves and will need more nurturing and support giving activities. The senior will need more preparation for the real world a sort of tough love. The real world will be coming fast at this senior and they need to be emotional and morally prepared.
ReplyDeleteAs a high school instructor, my opinion is at this age most of the students have a high functioning cognitive ability. The major difference is the comprehension ability and reading/language skills of the students. I have found that the students that struggle with the subject and fall behind, left unaddressed, will become a classroom disruption. My challenge is to find ways to motivate and teach this student in new ways to convey the subject.
I would say that the majority of my students feel safe in my classroom. The relatively small class sizes and various teaching practices I use allow for students to have a comfortable learning environment. Our school also practices 16 social skills from the ‘Boys Town” Model. The model teaches that for all individuals to become productive citizens they need to have 16 social skills master. If a child does have to be removed from the class the principle will go over whatever social skill got them there. After the principle and the student have discussed the proper way to complete the social skill then the student is asked to apologize to the teacher. Once the student has apologized the student is allowed back in the class. For example, one of the social skills is following instructions and the three steps are: Step One., make eye contact with whom is giving the instruction. Step Two, remain quiet. Step Three, report back once the student has completed the assignment. Although this may seem unrealistic the school has seen a decrease in behavioral problems.
- How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
ReplyDeleteI can only speak for 8th graders because that is what I teach but it's pretty close to freshman. I think it's very important to create an environment where my students feel very safe to do their best and be themselves. At this age, kids are overly concerned about what others may think of them so it's important to create an environment in which they feel like it's okay to take a chance and put themselves out their a little bit. This is something I feel doesn't need to be stressed as much in a classroom where juniors/seniors are present because they already have such an attitude, in my opinion, about who they are and other issues are probably bigger than a safe environment.
- How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
The more cognitive students are able to work those some of the disruptions in my class; which with 8th grade, is quite frequent. I feel disruptions are easier to address with your cognitive students because you can talk to them once and they usually don't need to be redirected over and over.
- Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
My students feel safer in my classroom than others in my building I feel. I share a lot of personal stories that put myself on a level closer to than them so, in turn, they feel like they can share more of themselves as well. KH Middle School is very safe for the most part and kids know that if issues come up, they will be addressed in the best interests of the safety of students.
This is just a comment to Taajnia's post. I really do find it remarkable the progress that students make in just one year of middle school. I subbed for another teacher who taught 7th and it was such a chance in the kids. Not only physically but just in the general attitudes and cognitive abilities. It's amazing how much kids progress and also reminds us of how vital we are in moving them along in this process.
ReplyDeleteLet me begin by saying that prior to my high school experience I taught junior college for 8 years. I was not in any way prepared for the neediness of the high school level student. My seniors and juniors enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology are self-motivated, respectful and mature students who are developmentally ready for the rigors of a college prep class. My general biology sophomores, on the other hand, are a mixed bunch. Some are developmentally ready for the demands of biology and some are not. Even though I am only a third year teacher, I can almost pick out the students who will succeed in my class and those who won't in the first couple weeks of class. The maturity level of some biology students is very low. I have had some students at the 4th grade level in reading, and some with such severe behavioral disorders that they literally can't sit still for 6o seconds. It is challenging to say the least. I have tried many interventions and strategies for the minority of developmentally challenged kids. The students who are extremely disruptive and incapable of working in a group situation need to be sent to the office so that the rest of the class can perform and achieve at their highest level. I alwalys strive to include the entire group, but I have come to the realization that this is not always possible! I had a student doing pirouettes around the room a couple of weeks ago. (Are you serious!) I have to attribute the difficulties to the varying levels of development, maturity, and readiness of the student. NCLB does not take into account the student at the very bottom of the develomental scale. This student cannot cope with the demands of cognition, emotion or even morality. Some of these students don't know right from wrong or even basic respect for another student or adult. This student doesn't always fit in the classroom environment. Having a doctoral degree myself, I sometimes wish the instruction for teachers included more practical advice and less theory.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Maria's post, I must agree that the younger student needs more verbal validation and encouragement. I try to utilize smart board activities as much as possible, yet the yonger students almost seem afraid to participate and need more encouragement and goading to get out of their seat and have fun with the technology. The smart board and promethean board are super fun teaching tools. You would think they would draw all students out of their seats! My juniors and seniors almost do battle to work with the smart technology, yet the younger sophomores need to be practically tipped out of their chairs! I need to really goad them and encourage them. Once they try it they realize how cool it is and how much fun it is! I always tell them, "believe me, this is much better than having to listen to me explaining things to you. You can just play with the smart board and figure it out for yourself!"
ReplyDeleteThe needs of freshman are different from those of Juniors and Seniors. Freshman need more guidance and instruction. The are still getting used to high school and they are still learning how to be responsible for managing their time and developing their study habits. Juniors and Seniors seem to be a little more difficult to mold. They are more likely to have figured out which types of classes they enjoy and might already have a plan of study in mind.
ReplyDeleteIncreased cognitive ability seems to affect the level of participation in class. Students with a higher congnitive ability or more likely to share their thoughts and opinions with the class and volunteer to answer questions. Students with a lower cognitive ability are generally more disruptive. They seem to want attention and they can't get it by answering questions because they may not be confident enough to answer them so they find other ways to become involved in the class even if its just disrupting the class and getting others off track.
I believe that students feel safe in my classroom because I run the class consistently and my students know what to expect. I feel that if students are treated fairly and in a well managed classroom they will feel safe. I also feel that students feel safe at our school we have school cops, security cameras, IDs, and lockdown drills.
In response to Halbin... After reading Halbin's blog I was reminded of the bullying training and bullying presentations that all teachers in our building have to give. This is mandatory so that all students know what to do if they are bullied or witness bullying. I hope that the district's efforts do actually make students feel safer at school.
ReplyDeleteIn response to gegen... gegen said that "Great teachers develop lessons that challenge and enable all students to learn at their level". I agree I found this to be the greatest challenge my first and second year of teaching. I had students from one extreme of cognitive ability to the other. Just this year I finally feel like I have organized my lesson plans so that students of all levels remain engaged in the class the entire hour. It was so hard to find a way to challenge the higher ability level students in my computer class without leaving my slower students behind.
ReplyDeleteI teach all grades in high school Spanish, and at times I can teach freshman, juniors and seniors all within the same class period. It can be very tricky to engage freshman and juniors with the same activities, so it is very important that I use multiple teaching strategies to ensure that all of my students are being reached. It is obvious that freshman need to feel accepted and need a very structured environment. They are coming from middle school, where they have been the top of the food chain and now have returned to the bottom. For many, they feel overwhelmed and lost. Getting freshmen to feel secure enough to answer questions in front of juniors and seniors is difficult. So, I make sure that I do multiple cooperative learning activities so that my students can get to know each other on a personal level as well as an academic level.
ReplyDeleteFreshman tend to be very needy; they need to feel accepted, they need to feel validated in their knowledge, they need to know the rules and consequences, they need visual aides and concrete examples. In contrast, juniors and seniors are able to take instruction orally and complete assignments without concrete examples. They are able to think abstractly and develop the ability to hear something and then complete it without having to be told how or what to do numerous times.
Although not all freshman are at the same place socially and cognitively, they share the need to fit in. They are entering an age where security amongst others is more important than rules and school work. I find that my students that feel like they have a place in a group of friends tend to do better or at least try to do better in school than those that are “outsiders”.
2. When students increase their cognitive ability, the level of participation in class rises greatly. Students tend not to participate when they do not have confidence in their cognitive ability. When students do not feel like they are in a safe learning environment where mistakes in answers are okay, they tend to withdraw or act out to take the focus of their cognition and on their behavior instead. With increased cognitive ability, participation increases and distraction decreases.
3. I believe that my students feel very safe in my classroom. I make it a point to make an obvious mistake or two throughout the first weeks of school, to show students that it is okay to be wrong, because we all learn from our mistakes. Usually it is the spelling of a vocabulary word or something like that, and it makes students feel good about their knowledge when they can point out that the teacher made a mistake. Our school does not have a big bullying problem, and almost all students have the opportunity to find their niche. In order for me to have successful classroom discussions with freshman through seniors, everyone must feel accepted and safe, and I believe by the end of the first nine weeks, I have created that environment. It is not something that comes quickly, students must see overtime that they are accepted and corrected in an uplifting manner to buy into the safety of a classroom.
4. My Spanish 1 classes have much more routine than my upper division Spanish classes. When teaching Spanish 3 or 4, I am able to explain a grammar concept and then orally tell students what they need to do with the information in regards to an assignment. Usually, they are able to complete their assignments beyond my expectations on their own. When dealing with Spanish 1 and 2, I have to make sure to model the results I want from students. I have to be very direct and clear in instructions in order to make things clear. In regard to class management, I am much stricter with freshman and sophomore classes than with junior and senior classes. Because I usually have my students from freshman year through senior year, by the end of their schooling they know the expectations and procedures and follow them accordingly. I have to “train” the younger students as to my expectations in the classroom in the beginning years.
I am in a very unique position in that I do not teach a core subject. Students are required to take at least one year of my class and after that it is optional, so in general I see over half of the freshman class and then a select subsection of the remaining upper classmen. The needs of the freshman vary greatly from those of juniors and seniors in the ways that many of you have stated. They need increased input, moral boosting, and general supervision. Where uppers classmen need constant encouragement, enhanced positive criticism, and the opportunity to overcome larger tasks.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the class that the level of cognitive ability does increase the over all participation in most class activities. It is important to note that there will be a hand full of students even in the senior class that is not cognitively caught up with the rest, therefore we need to anticipate disruption even at this level.
I as others agree with Halbin’s usage of the bell curve as a descriptor for the levels of cognitive ability found in each one of our classes.
In regards to this comment
-The students who are extremely disruptive and incapable of working in a group situation need to be sent to the office so that the rest of the class can perform and achieve at their highest level. I always strive to include the entire group, but I have come to the realization that this is not always possible!-
My selection of upperclassmen are in general the ones who have more trouble with general Ed classes and are often counted as the lower cognitive students simply because they do not learn the same way as the majority of the student body does. In this case I would approach with a differentiated instruction. If a select group of students does not work well in a group on a certain assignment maybe they should be tasked with the same content but in a different format.
For example instead of just listing different parts of a flower, make part of the assignment to draw or sculpt the flower then label the different parts. Then assign the sculpting or drawing to lower cognitive level students in each group. I would never send a student out of the classroom unless there was no other way. Attendance is the key to an education, I can’t teach unless you are here. (There is a tone of ides out there for Differentiated Instruction if you are interested)
In response to Annette D…
ReplyDeleteI agree that freshman need more guidance and instruction. It is easy to see that Piaget’s theory is right because the concrete-operational child still needs visual aids, and concrete props. They also need shorter, well organized readings unlike that of older students. In regards to disruptive students, towards the second semester, students that are not succeeding in my class tend to become more disruptive to draw their attention away from their lack of knowledge and more toward their behavior. It is difficult to keep all students at the same point of cognition. I have found that weekly vocabulary quizzes over 10 words helps students stay focused and at least they all know the same vocabulary. From knowing the vocabulary, all students can pull words from translations and readings to hypothesize on what the text is describing. I also agree that an SRO in the school helps deter an unsafe environment.
In the idea of Discussion I have three ideas to point out that I would love to have some input on.
ReplyDelete1
Just as many of you I am immediately prompted to say that my students feel safe in my classroom (Chest puffs out here). I think that for the most part as far as physical safety we do provide for students. How though do we provide for our students Emotional safety? Not so much in OUR classroom but in the school it’s self. Bulling from peers, Teachers, Coaches, where does the line need to be drawn. I have heard a coach say,
“ Today’s kids are pansies, they all just need to toughen up and get over it.” I don’t agree with this but maybe I am wrong.
2
I think that this disruptive lower cognitive level directly correlates with another issue that we as high school teacher’s face. The participation of parents in my opinion often reflects this behavior. The question I ask though is why do we get so upset when a parent doesn’t participate for one year when the student hasn’t had any parent participation for the last 15 years?
3
Why is it that we as teachers always say that students need to finish their senior year to get ready for the real world? I hate to say it but our students as a majority are already living in the (Real World). Over half of the juniors and seniors have dealt with living alone, working for income, rape, sexual activity, drugs, and making life long decisions. I don’t think that it gets any more real than that.
How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
ReplyDeleteI have a more unique situation because I teach a non core high school subject and in all of my classes i have at least one student from each of the 4 grade levels. The needs and behavior of upper classmen are much different then those of my freshman. I feel like I'm dealing with freshman misbehaving most of the time. They are unfocused and always distracting each other. I then have to deal with the seniors getting really annoyed with the "immature" kids. At first I was amazed at how developmentally different students are at just 3 years apart in high school. Then I started thinking that I'm not surprised that a 6th grader is a lot different then a 3rd grader. Maybe it's because some of my freshman look like some of my seniors.
Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school?
It is my goal to develop a safe classroom environment. I can see that my students are comfortable and feel safe. Our school is also very high achieving. We do have a safe environment for kids to develop and grow. Students are not worried about physical harm but they are also safe in that they can trust the teacher to keep kids inline. What I mean by this is that they are safe from bullying in the classroom. As with any school bullying is a problem though. The internet and texting is a common tool used to bully. Our school has our fair share of social bullying. I see this much more then any physical bullying. We are alway striving to make a save environment and put into place policies to protect our students.
How do the developmental levels of your students affect your instruction? Your class management?
As I mentioned earlier, I have students from every grade level. This greatly affects the way I teach and manage my class. I first need a seating chart and I have to tweak that chart after the first few weeks after learning the behavior of some of my students. I have to be careful to build an environment that doesn't pit the seniors against the freshman. If I can show that I'm serious about my subject and that they will need to listen and participate in order to succeed I can get their attention from the beginning. I talk about respecting others as well as the class. These are just a few things I do to deal with the developmental differences in my class.
In response to Annette...
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comment about the safety of your class. Consistency is one of the most important elements I believe. When students know the routine and know day in and day out what is expected of them then they are comfortable and more willing to participate. I strive for this in my classes as well. I teach a class that has students working out of their seats a lot. If I don't have specific ground rules they class could go in a direction I don't want. However, most classes have ground rules. It's being consistent in enforcing them that makes the difference.
In response to jeff.
ReplyDeleteI hope that as teachers, we giving our students the tools that they need for the real world daily. I agree that a diploma does not equal a pass for the real world. I also feel that we need to offer more classes for those students that don't plan on going to college. We could better prepare some of them by offering more apprentice type programs. Don't get me wrong I still believe that they sould all have a basic education. Beyond that we could be doing more to prepare them for the real world.
In response to Amanda Y
ReplyDeleteI also have a student or two that act out to cover thier stuggles in my art class. When they get frustrated with the project they tend to get into more trouble. Currently though I have one freshman that just lacks confidence. He has the talent if he would just work. For some reason he always needs to be the center of attention. I have moved him twice now with little effect. This week he will find himself at a table by himself. If anyone has experience with a similar type student please let me know what worked for you.
In response to Nathan and many other posts, I agree that the developmental levels vary considerably. In my sophomore classes I feel like a cheerleader who has had too much caffeine! You have to stay so "up" to deal with the many things encountered, and be that cheerleader and encouraging adult figure to constantly reassure. Did I mention that you need to constantly reassure?
ReplyDeleteThe juniors and seniors are so easy! They will keep eating up the information you throw out at them. They still need reassurance but it is not as constant. They are self-motivated and competitive with each other overall, so I don't need to be that crazy cheerleader everyday. Those students who had me for biology appreciate a more serious and less caffeinated "me"!
In regards to the posts of Don, Maria, Hablin, and myself, I want to address this issue of finding a balance between tough/encouraging with 9th grade students in particular. I have about 3 weeks more experience with that now than I did when I wrote that, so my "cognitive development" is likewise advancing with remarkable rapidity.
ReplyDeleteAs I continue to work with freshman, they are rapidly becoming more like my seniors. While this could be correlated to my high expectations of them, I think it also says something about the potential speed of their development. I now am beginning to believe that they may initially need a great deal more encouragement/understanding/chances in order to successfully transition between MS and HS, I am starting to believe that this process need not take an entire year. I have 3 classes of freshman right now, and I would say that with the exception of slightly less vocabulary and formal writing skills, they comprehend, discuss, and think in abstract terms every bit as well as my seniors do. They are past the coddling stage, and are really starting to be hungry for challenging/relevant topical material to sink their teeth into. I'm going to have to start bringing the heat in those classes like I do with my seniors, if I expect them to continue to advance at their current rate. I amend my initial post to say this: Push them just to the point of impending revolt but no further, and I think you'll be amazed at what they'll accomplish.
In response to Cody.
ReplyDeleteThis is a comment to your comment to Taajnia's post. It is true how amazing the one year can bring to the transformation of students' attitudes. Last year, in my sophomores class, I had students who were in my freshmen class the previous year and they were bouncing off the walls and were reluctant to learn. But when they became sophomores, they came maturer and more concerned in being able to do the works required of them. It is like those summer months that I did not get to see them triggered the growth of self-actualized individuals.
David Green
ReplyDelete- How do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
Having taught freshman last year and seniors this year, I saw the freshman needing a lot more discipline and structure imposed from the outside. I think this do to their need to better understand themselves as learners in a social environment. My seniors and juniors this year while still needing explicit guidance in terms of how to do quality work are much more comfortable with the task of learning not to mention with each other socially. As a result I spend much less time managing the class and more time investing in stimulating academic challenges.
- How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
I find the variance in cognitive ability to be the biggest factor in participating in class. If I set the bar too low in terms of expectations for the class the higher ability students check out or act out. If I set the expectations too high I get about 4 students who are excited and participating while the rest cower or goof out of fear that they will appear ignorant. I'm still searching for a good marriage of the two and have found cooperative learning activities to be good ways to get everyone involved.
- Do your students feel safe in your class? In your school?
Yes and yes. Overall student participation this year has been good, and as far as I can tell students feel free to discuss and explore issues in class. There is still a certain percentage of students that hang back. Students seem comfortable with each other and safe in the school. Most don't even lock their lockers.
In response to Don Ferguson:
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your perspective at the middle school level, Don. I think you do a good job of explicating the our text and incorporating that in your obsevations. Our middle school is in the same building as the high school, and I notice some similar trends.
David Green in response to chrissyb and everyone:
ReplyDeleteI have found a similar joy in the...dare I say eagerness of the juniors and seniors in my classes as compared to the freshman and sophomores I had last year.
Along these lines I'm curious to hear more about specific things you do to foster a sense of community, safety, and accountability in your classes.
In response to Amanda Y. I had a great fear that many of my students would act out to cover their stuggles. My 7th hour class only has 12 students but 6 of them either have a I.E.P or have been on academic support. However, surprisingly I have not had any problems yet. I Believe what helped my students was sharing with them that school was not easy for me but I made the choice to succeed. I also let my student know that your sucess is not directly corrected to your I.Q but rather if you chose to suceed. I myself struggled enoumously in school with dyslexia. and still do. I am honest with my students about this. I have found out that many of my student have form a respect for that. My students also know that no disability will be used as excused.
ReplyDeleteThis is a response to Jeff regarding his three ideas he would like discussion on.
ReplyDeleteJeff, all three of your observations are right on point...and I am sure I can't really say anything that will change any of those situations. But,I do accept the challenge to try to make my students feel safe anywhere in the school. Notice I said try. We can't be everywhere. But,if we see examples of bullying from other teachers, para's, aide's, or coaches we should try to take that person aside and discuss the issue. Given we are the "new teacher" on the block we should probably tread lighly and try to be as tactful as possible if we hope to be successful.
This is addressed to Jeff.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first point, I think that this is a demonstration of the ‘normalization’ of bullying. Sadly, many adults think that bullying is a rite of passage of adolescence, and that it is a normal experience. I think that these adults may have experienced a relatively less damaging dose of bullying, or possibly have been the bully. They believe that their experiences are perfectly normal and therefore harmless. In a way, this is a demonstration of the egocentric thinking that people are supposed to grow out of! I agree that this kind of behavior is bad from kids and worse from adults. Every school should be a no-bullying zone, whether form students or from teachers and coaches!
I teach classes that range from freshman to senior-level. Like many people, I have noticed that freshman tend to need more support from the teacher, especially if they are in a mixed class. They are often uncomfortable with their new ‘bottom of the heap’ status, and they don’t know the other students or the teacher. However, this is not always true. I have one class this year that is comprised of twenty plus freshman. Our middle school keeps all the students in the same classes within their grade level, so most of these kids have all been in the same classes for the last three years. They know each other very well, but they don’t know me and I don’t know them. They have a very solid group identity and well established group dynamics. They are mostly very supportive of each other, and in fact almost conspiratorial (sadly, mostly against me!).
ReplyDeleteWith this group, I’ve actually had to be tougher, in order to shake them up a bit and break them out of their comfort zones. They are easily distracted and fond of random diversions in conversation. I am mostly concentrating on teaching them organizational and categorizing skills, and working on their problem-solving. Many of them are still in the concrete operational stage, and I am trying to provide scaffolding to help them learn to deal with ideas on an abstract level.
My seniors, on the other hand, are a very stable group of students, many of whom are genuinely interested in the subject matter. They are serious and responsible, and aware of how their futures depend upon their present. The vast majority are in the formal operational stage, and very comfortable when working with abstracts. They don’t require nearly as much positive reinforcement from me, and in fact often request constructive criticism, in order to do a better job on their tasks.
I have not noticed any link between cognitive level and class participation. Many of my students who seem to be in the concrete operational stage like to engage in discussions with the class, and are not afraid of asking questions. They will often try to create links between topics and concrete examples, in order to improve their understandings. My students who seem to be in the formal operational stage may be disruptive, as they attempt to find links between dissimilar topics, sometimes quite absurd. In my experience, classroom engagement is more a matter of personality and personal tastes. Students who are comfortable speaking out, and who enjoy science, will be highly engaged. Students who are comfortable speaking out, and who are bored by the lesson for whatever reason, may be disruptive.
I think that my students feel physically safe in my school. We are very small, and have had very, very few problems with any sort of violence. Unfortunately, bullying is a problem in my district, due to the tight groups formed by students who have been in the same classes since kindergarten. I have been working to prevent bullying and rudeness in my own classroom, but it is not an area in which I am experiencing great success, thus far. I will be taking a workshop on bullying this fall, which I hope will help me in this area.
I have found and noticed in my two years so far that the freshman need encouragement, but also that you have to be firm and not give too much of an inch because they will take a mile. They are not used to the responsibility and freedom of high school. I think this is the most difficult class for me to teach because they do require constant supervision not only for disruptions, but also to watch for comprehension or signs of confusion.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, the upperclassmen know how they are expected to behave and learn at the high school level. While this is good, as a teacher I believe you need to be helping them think about college and provide them a college type environment. Show them that when they need assistance they need to ask for it.
I believe that as cognitive ability increases, so does the level of participation. There are also those students who are not high on the cognitive ability list. They will participate more often to increase understanding. I believe that the level of disruption decreases as the cognitive ability increases. There is also the exception here of the students at the top of the cognitive ability list who are ahead of their peers and are bored. I think we should always promote higher levels of thinking and questioning. This will help class discussions and aid in the understanding of material by other students. They move on from rope memory and start coming up with their own understandings and theories.
We had a new principal last year who came from a large school. So he was attuned to safety procedures. We kept all doors of the school locked from outside except the front doors by the office. My classroom was a place students felt at ease. I used a variety of humorous comments and stories in my lectures to keep them interested. They also felt free to open up and share answers and experiences. I believe and have also been informed that most of my students felt safe in my classroom.
In response to D Clevenger:
ReplyDeleteI think Clevenger has a very good point that teachers need to be aware of. In his response to Halbins post is was mentioned that students need encouragement to stick with school. I found it unbelievable this last year how many freshman were already talking about how they were going to drop out of school when they turned 16. We need to stress and encourage the importance of education and what it can do for them. I also think the point about cheaper alternatives to college. i encourage my students to consider technical colleges if they don't want to go to college. It will provide them with an education or training in a particular field that they can make a living in.
According to Piaget, everyone must reach the third stage of development, concrete operations. By the time students become freshman, they have reached the stage. It is at this point that high school students differ drastically, both from freshman to seniors, and within their own classes. While the book states there is some debate as to whether everyone reaches the fourth stage of development, I believe they probably do, however, probably at different rates. For instance, I teach Geometry, which requires a higher level of thinking. I believe to be extremely successful in this class, you must have at least entered the fourth stage of Piaget’s theory of development: formal operations. In my class, I have students from freshman to seniors. The freshman that have reached this stage are really successful, sometimes even my best students. Freshman that have not reached this stage, do not take the class, they take Algebra instead, which is much more concrete. Upperclassmen can become successful in this class, if they have reached the fourth stage. Those students who have not reached this level of development seem to struggle, regardless of their age.
ReplyDeleteAs for other types of development, according to Erikson’s 5th stage of his psychosocial theory, adolescents are ‘exploring themselves’ via the Identity vs. Confusion crisis. And while freshman and seniors may deal with this crisis alike, seniors would have more of a tendency to also deal with the 6th of Erikson’s stages: Intimacy vs. Isolation. So, there you have it, while both seniors and freshman are emotional, I have found that the 6th stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, can effect upperclassmen more often and freshman tend to deal with issues about themselves more often.
Levels of cognitive development are obviously going to effect a student’s participation in the classroom. The level of cognitive development would directly lead to the level of success of the student, especially in a class such as Geometry. Therefore, I believe you can have several types of activity based on the level of development. For instance, in the extreme cases of development, very poorly developed and extremely highly developed, you may have an amount of disruption. Poorly developed individuals will struggle and be frustrated, which could cause disruption, discipline issues, or non-compliance. On the same hand, extremely-developed individuals could be bored with the subject, and have the same issues. The average developed student for that peer group would probably lead to the best participation in class. Therefore, it would be the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that poorly developed individuals either get much attention and assistance, or be moved to a class setting that better suits them. And highly developed students would need extra work, or be moved to a more difficult subject.
I feel that my students feel very safe in my class, as well as my school. I think students in most classrooms and schools feel safe, right up until something happens. There is a level of innate trust that has been built throughout the schooling years that remains, until it is broken. So, as long as nothing bad happens, the students feel nothing bad can happen. You know, it is like we often say, “It couldn’t happen to me.”
DONNA O
ReplyDeleteI notice that you stated that you did not notice differing levels of cognitive development effecting the participation of your students. However, I also noted that you stated you felt the participation by your students was more directly effected by their personalities and personality traits. You stated people who normally would speak out or who are ' comfortable with the material' will participate and those who appear 'bored' will not. If you have time, read what I have to say in my post and respond. I would love to hear what you think of my position. I feel that the students are not choosing to not participate because they are bored, rather they are bored due to their cognitive development. And those that are participating, have the appropriate level of cognitive development. I find it hard to believe that someome with a low level of devlopment is going to choose to participate. Anyway, just some thoughts... Very nice post!
Nate
The first question that was posed, how do the needs of freshmen vary from those of juniors? Seniors? is one that I deal with on a daily basis. The way that my schedule is setup I have at least one class of intro students (mainly freshmen) and at least one class of upper-class students (mostly juniors/seniors). The freshmen, while they are smart students, need to have information presented to them in a way that allows them to think on their own while at the same time making sure that the work is given to them in chunks so that their progress can be checked. From a class management standpoint the freshmen need more rules to be put in place as many of them are still in an adjustment phase of having all the freedoms that they have and they have not yet figured out what is acceptable and what is not. In comparison, the juniors are normally at a level where classroom instruction can be setup where they are able to spend more time working on their own finding information instead of to have all of the information given to them. From a class management side, the juniors are also normally my best behaved. With the seniors, many times they are the same as the juniors, though there are situations where they are better and worse. They can be given an assignment and be allowed to work on it alone or in partners/groups and be relied on to complete all of their work. Unfortunately, other seniors take a much different approach. Some take the approach that I am done, I'm a senior, I'm outta here and I don't need to listen to you or do what you ask of me.
ReplyDeleteThe second part of the question, how does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class? I think that this may be one of the most important elements in my classroom. As the students gain more cognitive ability the better they are at classroom participation, working together in groups to solve problems and better at dealing with more complex issues. In just the course of a school year I can see freshmen that start to gain or enhance their cognitive ability and things that they would not have understood at the beginning of the year or would not have been able to talk about are now materials that they get. I also think that as their cognitive abilities grow the disruption in the room becomes less, or at least if there is disruption it is topic specific and not off base somewhere.
On the last part of the discussion question, do your students feel safe in your class? In your school? I believe very much that I create an atmosphere in my room where my students know that they are safe both physically and mentally. The students know that I do not accept horseplay in my room and that they will be respectful of the other students or I will have them removed. From a mental side, I work very hard to make my room a place where ideas can be expressed freely without fear that someone will make fun of them or ridicule them. With this has come the consequence of having some very strange conversations, but my students know that they can be open with me and they quickly realize they I will not tolerate them making comments that are degrading to other students. They understand that if they have a comment to make that is negative towards someone that they need to keep that conversation to themselves. Basically my students know that they can ask questions that are on their mind and that there will be a free and safe discussion about that question. As for the school itself, I think both from a physical and mental side, for the most part the students feel safe. Being a 6A school I was worried that safety would be the number one issue. Thankfully our school is very good with security from a physical side and is very open minded from a mental side. I would say that just about every type of person is accepted at our school. That is not to say that everyone likes everyone, but they do seem to do a good job of tolerating everyone, which I must admit was one of the biggest, and most pleasant, surprises that I got when I came to South.
This comment is in response to Donna O. regarding the bullying issues at the school.
ReplyDeleteDonna, having grown up in a small town and gone to school with almost all of the same kids from kindergarten through graduation I know first hand the type of bullying that you are talking about. I think many times people overlook this because they think the kids have known each other forever and that they are just playing around and that what they are doing doesn't mean anything. Well, I can tell you it does mean something and I think part of the problem stems from the kids knowing each other for so long. I don't think when they get older that they see the growth and maturity in the other students, they just see that same kid that they picked on back in the 2nd grade. This can make it difficult for the the bully to fully understand what they are doing and it can make it hard for the student that is being bullied to say anything.
I am glad to hear that you are working to help stop this activity in your class. I think the more you can do in your class the more these students can see what exactly is going on. Being in a small school you may also want to try to look outside your class and see how these students act in the halls, at lunch and at sports. Many times other teachers and/or coaches may not being doing anything to stop what is going on as they know the students parents very well or they have known the student most, if not all of their lives.
In response to Jeffrey W.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that when I call the students on their rudeness, their usual defense is "Oh, we're friends, I'm just kidding." Like you said, they've internalized the behavior to the point where that is their normal method of interaction with that person! Often, they don't even seem to recognize that what they said was hurtful.
At this point, I've established a "No meanies" rule in my classroom. I don't care if you've been friends for fifteen years, and that you always call each other "stinky-poopoo," in my classroom you will be polite! The students seem to think I'm a stick-in-mud, but I'm ok with that.
In response to Mark and D Clevenger:
ReplyDeleteI agree that you need to encourage the kids to stick with school, stress the importance of education for a successful life and/or career, and emphasize the fact that they can truly do anything they want if they put their mind to it and put forth a little hard work.
I had a 7th grade class of gifted students last year who all were really intelligent, good students and wanted to be successful one day in something. I spent two days doing a project where they had to state what they wanted to do as a career and why, and then proceed to look up how they could become that or start the profession. They had to find schools that offered programs, see what prerequisites they needed to begin them, how much school would cost, decide where they wanted to go based on location, cost, etc. They were all so intersted in it cause they had never thought about those things before and had no idea how expensive college was. They also had to look up average salary for the location they wanted to live and those stats blew them away.
The kids need to be pushed, given high but realistic goals, and constantly told that they can do whatever they want to do if they put their mind to it.
Blog B5
ReplyDelete• How do the needs of freshman vary from those of juniors? Seniors?
From my experience in my first year of teaching, I have observed distinct differences in personalities between freshman and upperclassmen. The freshman typically need constant direction and need to be reminded to stay on task frequently. My freshmen get distracted very easily and are still trying to find their identity. They are more comfortable in group activities rather than performing individual skills. I only teach elective classes for juniors and seniors; therefore, class sizes are smaller and they are more likely to be excited about the class because they chose to be there. They need direction, but do not need the constant reminder to stay on task. The juniors and seniors act more as individuals and do not need the support of the group to make a decision.
• How does increased cognitive ability affect the level of participation in the class? The level of disruption in the class?
Although I am a Physical Education teacher, the cognitive ability of students does still affect the level of participation of the student. Typically, the student with the higher cognitive ability properly participates in the activity. It is the students with less cognitive ability that tend to not follow the rules of the activity and cause a disruption.
• Do your students feel safe in your class? In their school?
Relatively speaking, we have a very safe school due to its location and size. The staff is diligent in their preparation for emergency situations and the students are well rehearsed in proper procedure for such. Since I am a PE teacher, I focus a lot on the safety of individuals in class from injury both physically and mentally. The class is structured in such a way that students know proper protocol for each activity. Praise is important for students to feel safe and secure in their actions. Aggressive behavior is not tolerated and reprimanded immediately.
Response to Cody Ayers
ReplyDeleteI agree with your perception of eighth graders. My eighth grade class has many similarities. These students are still trying to find their identity and will usually follow the majority. The disruptions are frequent and expected; however, it is much easier to redirect the students with the higher cognitive ability. I have tried to put the disruptive student in a leadership role so that they are more likely to participate in a positive manner.
As a few others have mentioned, I would rather comment on how the needs of 6th graders differ from those of 7th graders and 8th graders since that is what I teach. I must start by saying I think there are a lot of similarities between 6th graders and freshmen, 7th graders and sophomores / juniors, and 8th graders and seniors due to their position within their specific schools (6th and freshman are the newbies, 8th and seniors are the oldest and most experienced, and 7th and juniors / sophomores are caught in the middle).
ReplyDeleteThe 6th grade students need a lot of structure. They need very clear expectations and rules. They also need a lot of positive feedback, praise, and one-on-one time. They need reminded daily to write their homework down, where to look for it, that it's due at the beginning of class, to remember their books and folders. They are more timid and shy as a group since they are the youngest in the school so they need to feel safe and cared for more than the older kids. They also need to be pushed away from being coddled like they were in the past by their homeroom teachers. It's a hard mix to support them more than the other grades, yet to wean them off of what they're used to.
The 8th Graders, on the other hand, are like the seniors in high school. They are the oldest and most experienced. They know all of the teachers and other kids, the rules and expectations, who is lenient and tough, and they know the tricks of the school to get by (who lets you get away with stuff, who is strict, how you can fake assignments or cheat). They need you to be tougher, just like the others have said about seniors. They like to see what they can get away with and test you to see how far they can push you. They are ready to get out of middle school and be a high schooler. They tend to be much farther along congnitively than 6th graders (though this is obviously case by case), and they get bored more often and cause more disruptions. They care more than the others about looking "cool" since they are the coolest ones in the school being the oldest.
Increased cognitive ability is like a bell curve. Students with really low cognitive ability are frustrated easily and get lost. The material tends to go over their heads and they give up so they simply do not pay attention because they believe it's too hard for them to ever learn. They can become very disruptive in class due to this lack of interest and feeling of being not smart enough. At least with my class, they tend to participate more in class at first cause they are trying to understand it, but then they stop trying and just zone out.
Those with extremely high cognitive ability are usually very interested in learning and intrinsically motivated, but they get bored easily leading to disinterest in the topics and more disruptions in class. They tend to participate much more in class on a daily basis, but may zone out if something is really easy and not challenging.
I believe my students feel very safe in my class and school. We have a brand new school that is very nice and safe. We also have a fantastic administration and staff which the students know cares about them and their success and well-being. I have already had a couple of bullying incidents in my class and I handled them quickly and appropriately. I believe that all of my students feel safe and know that I care about them and will do anything I can to keep them safe and help them to succeed.
The developmental levels of my students causes me to give mroe work time in class allowing me more time to give students independent instruction since a majority of my students need the one-on-one help. I also use a lot of group and partner work because my students are very social and like games and competition so I try to foster an environment conducive to that and rewarding of appropriate behavior. I also will make sure that those who are really low sit by others who know what they are doing so when we partner up or have work time, those students can get help from their peers.
I have noticed that seniors are much more self directed in their class work. They usually need little prompting to remain focused on the task at hand. Freshmen on the other hand seem to need lots more structure some of them need almost constant redirection to stay on task. Freshmen usually need more help with socially appropriate behavior as well…
ReplyDeleteIt has been demonstrated over and over to me that most students would rather be the “bad kid” in class than the stupid kid in class. I feel that cognitive ability is vitally important for good participation in class. Many students who are discipline problems in class are acting out because they don’t want to be seen by their classmates as unintelligent.
I try very hard to make my classroom a safe comforting environment. Students are much more willing to participate if the feel that their opinions matter and that their positions won’t be attacked unfairly. I try to use classroom discussion as often as possible and the only way this can happen is if students feel safe enough to respond.
Our school as a whole is very safe. We have a medium 2A school in a small town. Many of our students have chosen to come to Bennington from Salina because it is so safe.
Response to PeterJ
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that freshmen are much more likely to want to work in groups, but I sometimes have trouble keeping their work on task. They seem to go off on tangents much more often than upper classmen. Do you have any techniques to keep them on task?
Specifically freshmen are very much more needy than seniors, at the same time seniors think they don't need you at all. They think they have already got it figured out and just want to be left alone, sometimes hurting themselves from missing the actual benefits a teacher can give a senior because of their "I'm halfway out the door attitude." They are so eager and quick to grow up. That is why I believe you have to reach a student as soon as you get them, hopefully when they are freshmen. They are still very easy to make obey you. If there are warning signs thta the student is having learning diffuculties or social difficulties, it is much easier to address as a freshman, than as a senior.
ReplyDeleteFreshmen need directions, examples, structure, and reasurance that they are doing a task correctly. Juniors and Seniors can take directions and get to work with little or no structure and can work without needing assurance. They will ask you if they have a question or a problem. Freshmen also need to hear and see what the instructions are.
Since I have the benefit of having the same students each year from freshman to senior, I can "prime" my students for the next year, sometimes making each individual class a little bit more advanced than the same previous one. I uniquely get to develop the students' abilities over the period of three or four years.
Being a language aquisition class, it is imperative that the students' cognitive ability be developed if not highly developed. Students' participation in this class (I teach French) is much more involved if they have higher cognitive ability. Interestingly though, sometimes a student gains huge improvements in their cognitive ability through my class. This actually halps them in their other classes across the board. As far as disruption, yes, if a student has a lower cognitive ability he or she almost always "acts out" to thwart the notion that he or she doesn't understand. I have a few class clowns, but overall, and being an elective, I have it pretty good with minimal disruptions.
The students feel very safe in the school and in my classroom. We are a small school in a smaller rural town. Although there are the usual "druggies" and mostly kids with an unfortunate home life, the students walk the halls free of worry of their life being threatened. There is a minimum amount of bullying and maybe more than I realize, but compared to a typical urban school, it is very minimal.
My challenge is that I may have all different levels of students and all different grade levels in a given class. I am basically developing "lower level" and "gifted" and average students at all levels in all of my classes. This is also a challenge because their levels of French ability vary as well and not necessarily where you may think. I have gifted students that demand questions and answers and do their homework that may not be that good at French and I have students that have a lower reading level or don't understand instructions, but are great at French. It makes for a very varied instruction approach on my part. I have always had good class management. I think with so many levels of students all the time, the students ALL have to learn to work with each other so they look to me for a common ground.
In response to Lucask76
ReplyDeleteI have found that while what you said is true about seniors, it is also often hard to keep them on task because they want to be so independant and get to talking to their friends. They have many friends and are much more confident in the school and don't feel afraid to challenge the teacher on more things. Freshmen, at least my experience are almost "scared" acting and stay on task for fear of getting a detention or even getting called out in front of the class. They are not scared though, they just pay attention and follow the rules. They haven't yet experienced much examples of older students challenging the teachers and havn't had the chance to try it.