With so many ideas first on Blogger, then
Pinterest, and now Instagram, it’s fun and rejuvenating to try out a different
strategy or two year after year. It
feels fresh and fun for me, which will naturally brush off on the kids. So here we go….
What
learning trends worked:
1.
Flexible
seating (sort of)
This is the first year I have had a room big enough to have a carpet
(love it!) I also had a kidney table and a bunch of stools that stacked to
clean up but that kids could drag all over the room. With a block of 120 minutes, station work and
flexible seating (even though it wasn’t fancy!) was a necessity! Kids even lined stools up against the
windowsills to work and that was a favorite spot! This summer I’ll be on the lookout for more
seating options.
2.
Keep
the Quote (check out Miss 5th on Insta) As
a middle school teacher, I have always loved quotes and sharing them with my
students. One year I posted a quote on
the chalkboard each week and it was a weekly writing assignment- “Quote of the
Week.” That was so similar to what I did
with Keep the Quote. But somehow the
“fanciness” and allure of Keep the Quote really inspired my students this
year. I feel that this has helped them
grow tremendously as writers! It was
just a little tricky to manage the winners since I have three English
classes. (FYI- the quote is illustrated
on a scroll which the quote winner can rip off and keep.)
What
learning trends were a flop:
1.
Behavior
Binder- My last post was about this. Basically, this was a fantastic idea in
theory (kids record their misbehavior and what they can do to improve in the
future), but it just didn’t mesh in my classroom.
2. The VIP table – My
students just loved getting to use special and fun supplies like colored pens,
etc. It seemed like a great idea but for two reasons, it did not work for me. First- only the same few girls were truly interested in this. Second- half the time my kidney table (the only real space I could make for this honor) was occupied by supplies or needed to be used for small group activities and it just didn't pan out that well. Either the VIP person would have to get up and move and it wasn't quite fair, or I'd tell the student to wait for another day. Basically all the hype I exuded to my students wasn't exactly a fair match for what they would actually receive. Finally- a bonus reason- the kids would inevitably get distracted.
Are there any trends you are looking forward to trying for the 2017-2018 school year? (Or any that just don't work for you?) Feel free to share!
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