I am continually surprised and amazed to see how well students know their own needs. When I ask them, they have a clear sense of which types of homework assignments and classroom teaching methods help them learn best. Today, I was witness when a student's self-awareness extended outside content-knowledge into the realm of discipline. One student, Patrick (not his real name), has been disrupting my Geometry class. He is frequently talking when I am talking, calling to a friend across the room, and speaking outside the classroom language, which is English. In the back of my room there is a sofa that students like to sit on during class. This provided me with leverage to change these behaviors. At the beginning of the week, I spoke with Patrick about his use of the couch and some of the disruptive behaviors he was displaying. We agreed that he would not use the couch this week, but could use it next week if he showed that he was only speaking English and not talking out of turn this week. Throughout the week, I observed his behavior and provided regular comments about how his behavior was fitting into expectations. Friday came around, and his disruptive behaviors continued. However, I was anxious about telling him that he could not use the couch, anticipating a negative response. I considered allowing him to use the couch, even though he had not earned it through improved behavior. As I thought about the conversation about my verdict about his use of the couch, I had an idea of how to approach the conversation differently. I started the conversation by summarizing the behaviors that I had observed during the week: speaking Korean, talking when I was talking, and calling to his friend across the room. Patrick agreed that he had done all those things. Then, instead of telling Patrick my decision, I asked him what he thought the decision should be. He responded, "I don't really think I've earned it." With this sentence, Patrick showed that he and I had a common understanding of the events in the classroom. Discipline became a cooperative practice where both parties could contribute to improving the class. By changing my approach, I gave this student space to be just such a partner.
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About Me
I started this blog to share my transformation from math nerd to math nerd who loves to share math with young people. I teach high school in Hanoi, Vietnam. Your comments are always welcome. Archives
May 2021
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