This year, I will be student teaching in both Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 classrooms mostly comprised of ninth and tenth grade students. The first few days of class were spent discussing classroom procedures, expectations, and general policies, with a large emphasis on classroom culture and community. While I expected all of these topics to be covered within the first few days of class, I was not sure what to expect in terms of how in depth these classroom policies would be covered for each subject and grade level. In the Algebra 2 class, consisting of mainly tenth grade students, there was an explicit review of the syllabus in order to explain the procedures, expectations, grading policies, etc. However, with the ninth grade students in Algebra 1, there was no formal discussion of the syllabus as a whole; the information would be presented to them on a “need to know” basis, and they were encouraged to review the syllabus brochure on their own. It surprised me that the students who were newest to the school were given the least structured explanation of the classroom policies, while the older students had a more regimented review. Initially, I thought that it would have occurred in the opposite way with the more experienced and older students being expected to review on their own while the newer students would have a more focused explanation. After discussing with my mentor, I understood exactly why she had chosen to review policies in the way that she did. As first year students, the ninth graders were probably being bombarded with new information in every class on their first few days of school; thus, introducing policies based on what the students need to know at that given time allows them to process and remember the policies better. This idea really resonated with me because as a first year high school and even college student, I wish more of my teachers had this mentality in order to prevent overwhelming students with a wealth of information all at once. This “need to know” introduction to classroom procedures, expectations, and policies will definitely be incorporated into my future practice. One aspect of the classroom that was discussed in detail in all classes during the day was the expectations for the students. These expectations, at a high level, related directly to the three major school wide expectations: respect yourself, respect your peers, and respect the school as a learning place. Many of the more specific classroom policies fell within these parameters, which I feel is very helpful for the students to see how each individual classroom and the specific procedures within each one make up the school’s learning community as a whole. By following these three major expectations, the students should then be able to excel in each classroom as well as within the school. Within these categories, attendance and attitude expectations were discussed in more detail indicating their importance to the teacher and learning environment. In terms of attendance, students learned that they are expected to be in class each day and be on time; by not being prompt, students will be missing out on important information as well as disrespecting each other and the teacher. As I observed this conversation with the students, I noticed that my mentor did not have these expectations posted anywhere in the classroom, but they could be found in the syllabus handouts. I felt that this tactic can be very successful with students in that they are being entrusted to remember these expectations and abide by them instead of having a poster hung on the wall that they may or may not pay attention to. Another critical aspect in the expectations for the classroom was the discussion of daily routines and procedures students should follow. Upon entering class, students were expected to enter with a positive attitude, greet each other and the teachers, and make their way to their seats to begin the daily warm-up problem. My mentor placed a lot of focus on the students’ attitudes and mindsets while they are in math class during the first few days of school. Students completed an activity that categorized the type of mindset each student has, between either a fixed mindset or growth mindset. The goal of this activity was to show the students that while not all aspects of math class throughout the year will be easy for everyone, having a growth mindset, where continuous effort and positive attitude will result in progress throughout the year, will be beneficial for the learning community. My mentor emphasized that if at any point the students feel that their mindset is fixed, i.e. they cannot do or succeed in a particular activity, she encouraged them to step out of the classroom to take a breath and refocus into the correct mentality. By cultivating an environment that encourages positivity and effort-based success, I look forward to seeing how students approach the classroom and their work this year.
1 Comment
Sarah Poncz
9/15/2015 03:55:44 pm
Providing the documents to download is fine.
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Author20 something year old. Pittsburgh native. Pennsylvania explorer. Graduate student. Aspiring teacher. Archives
March 2016
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