In case you haven't figured it out yet to post on the chapters that do not have comment after them click on the time and then post a comment...don't know what thats all about...
Hi everyone, I have just returned from a lovely, relaxing weekend up in northern Wisconsin. I took my book and did my work there. We have a little 60 year old cabin on a beautiful lake, no TV, no computer and the only heat is a small wood stove. It is absolutely wonderful. I finished the book and am ready to report to you my thoughts. Number #4 chapter 8: The behavioral system at my school is a write up system. If a student breaks a rule such as hitting someone they are written up. After the third write up they are at a step one, they miss 4 recesses and meet with an aid who writes a behavior plan with them. When they get to step 5 it is an after school detention and the parents have to come in to talk to the principle. The next step is an in school suspension. There is nothing done to find out the child’s most-developed intelligence or to develop the least-developed intelligences. It makes a lot of sense to approach discipline in this manner. We always say, “When are they going to learn not to behave like that?” What we should be asking is how can we teach them so that they can develop the intelligence that is causing them to act out. We are getting a different principle this year. He is a young man who I think will be very open to a new behavior plan. The aid who has been meeting with the children is working on her teaching degree. I know she is looking for something different.
Hi and like Linda; I'm back, just been working at school a few days enrolling new students and trying to figure out transcripts from other states and countries.
The teachers and Dean of Students handle discipline. Thankfully, I don't have a thing to do with it. I will stop in the time out rooms to meet students or work with the staff to facilitate students rejoining the class. While we do have a comprehensive harassment program; my role is limited to meeting with the students and contacting parents regarding the issues and documenting the first step.Any further harassment is quickly referred to the Dean of Students or the PL Officer and students are informed of that next step. We are also a licensed outpatient clinic and use a family therapist twice a week to see students with severe emotional or behavioral problems. While I do meet with all the students violating the Co-curriculum code or coming up using on our 6 weekly urine screens we do at our school with all our students; it is more to offer help/consultation than anything else.
I do a number of groups but they are coordinated by interests/ability. My at-risk group tends to focus on building strengths outside the academic realm. We look at other abilities/interests: nature, music, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. Our school is built on high expectations and the believe that ALL can achieve! We have many programs to focus on the positive: Promisemakers; students pledging not to use alcohol or drugs, Seniorquest; students commiting to help our elderly in the community, a large KEY club with over 200 member; and several other community service organization. We try and provide positive groups to our students to address their intelligences. This year we even started a trap shooting club for those students that may hunt or enjoy that sport.
School discipline is tough to relate to MI. In Evansville I would say that teachers are 90% responsible for dealing with discipline issuses. The only time it may go further to the principal is if the teacher is unsuccessful in their attempts. My personal way of dealing with students is to have them spend their lunch time with me. We talk over the problem and try to come to a solution. At times students have written letters recapping their actions and what they could have done differently. If behavior does not improve then the student may spend after school time with me. This usually runs about an hour. Parents would be notified by the student. Again we try to work out how to avoid spending extra time. For the future I could still use these methods but try to implement more MI with them. Like for instance, concept mapping or brain storming better ways of dealing with conflict. Or maybe lining up individual or group counseling with the guidance counselor. Contracts have been something that I have used in the past. These seem to help control the situation. I also have used cue cards in the past to let the student know they are beginning to cross the line. Another trick I have used in the past is allowing a pipe cleaner to be fiddled with during class. This helps control the student who can't control his or her hands.
I guess I need to be more creative and have some of these ideas ready for this fall. It sounds like I will be needing to use many different discipline strategies for the upcoming class. "Be prepared" is a good motto for the classroom teacher.
Wow!! the talk of the lounge at lunch time!! Yes, we have discipline problems and it seems to be the same kids all the time. It seems like we are always discussing the consequences or punishments they receive. Our school use to have a step program but through changes in administration and Dean of Students it seems to have vanished and not used. Students received different consequences for the same infraction. There was no consistency and I know the administration and Dean of Students were frustrated, too. For this next year we will have a new step program which will be introduced at the start of school inservice.
We have an ALAC room at school for students who need a "time-out" of class, have in-school suspension or just behavior problems. They do a work it sheet and parents are called. I could say is both intrapersonal and "very" interpersonal MI. Do you get my drift??????? Some teachers think that the alac room should be run like a prison. Whatever the case, it needs to be thought about,again. I know revisions are taking place for the new semester. It seems like our school lacks space, time and supervision to help students with behavior problems. This chapter emphasized that behavior problems could decrease if MI would be instituted. Yet, money may be an issue to setting up programs, more counselors, etc.
I've been thinking about my classroom. When the students enter the classroom, I am either talking to them, cleaning up from the previous class or setting up for their class. But when I am ready I stand quietly in front of the class. They seem to know it is an indication that class is starting. I do have various stuffed animals in the room and I have noticed students use them when they are nervous or upset. I do play music when groups are in lab or working on projects. Those students who do not want to listen usually go into the next room which is open for me to observe what is happening. I do relate to both the Intrapersonal and Musical Communication MI. Yes, I post classroom rules mainly about respect and responsibility. This is linguistic communication. I have done Interpersonal Communication where students identify the rules of the class. This really works great and they do come up with the same rule I would have. Overall, I have very few classroom problems, except for my famous class last semester with numerous behavior problems. I believe if was not use to such a group so I did not start the semester with ways to prevent their undesirable behaviors. I needed more ideas like MI strategies to help me out.
I form groups of students all the time. I "really" liked the ideas given in Chapter 8. I want to try using the cow, pig and sheep technique and others. They sound fun and ones that the students might like. I have found in some classes students want to only be with their friends so they manipulate the activity to get their way. Any suggestions???? With 24 in a class it is hard to keep an eye on everyone.
Tom B.: I want to use the pipe cleaner idea!!!! I had one student who was always ripping paper into pieces--didn't know what he would rip up next! The pipe cleaner would have been wonderful.
Behavioral strategies at our high school is actually set up pretty well, but not always administered very well. In our high school we have set up three different alternative ways of learning for kids who are struggling in our school in order to help them get through the day. Extreme behavior problems are placed in a half-day school off campus for more indiviual learning and then brought back to school in the afternoon for PE and Tech Ed. classes. Kids who aren't as big a behavior problem but struggle in their classes are placed in our SAND program and given every opportunity to succed. While others are placed into programs at the local tech school. During passing periods music is piped in through the sound system to help ease some of the students. We also have set up several programs in our guidance department for kids who are struggling with drugs and alcohol, sexual issues, psychological issues, abuse issues, etc... Unfortunately we have an assistant principal who will stray from the program set up and constantly berate and even sometimes verbally abuse kids who don't need that.
7 comments:
In case you haven't figured it out yet to post on the chapters that do not have comment after them click on the time and then post a comment...don't know what thats all about...
Hi everyone, I have just returned from a lovely, relaxing weekend up in northern Wisconsin. I took my book and did my work there. We have a little 60 year old cabin on a beautiful lake, no TV, no computer and the only heat is a small wood stove. It is absolutely wonderful. I finished the book and am ready to report to you my thoughts.
Number #4 chapter 8: The behavioral system at my school is a write up system. If a student breaks a rule such as hitting someone they are written up. After the third write up they are at a step one, they miss 4 recesses and meet with an aid who writes a behavior plan with them. When they get to step 5 it is an after school detention and the parents have to come in to talk to the principle. The next step is an in school suspension. There is nothing done to find out the child’s most-developed intelligence or to develop the least-developed intelligences. It makes a lot of sense to approach discipline in this manner. We always say, “When are they going to learn not to behave like that?” What we should be asking is how can we teach them so that they can develop the intelligence that is causing them to act out. We are getting a different principle this year. He is a young man who I think will be very open to a new behavior plan. The aid who has been meeting with the children is working on her teaching degree. I know she is looking for something different.
Hi and like Linda; I'm back, just been working at school a few days enrolling new students and trying to figure out transcripts from other states and countries.
The teachers and Dean of Students handle discipline. Thankfully, I don't have a thing to do with it. I will stop in the time out rooms to meet students or work with the staff to facilitate students rejoining the class. While we do have a comprehensive harassment program; my role is limited to meeting with the students and contacting parents regarding the issues and documenting the first
step.Any further harassment is quickly referred to the Dean of Students or the PL Officer and students are informed of that next step. We are also a licensed outpatient clinic and use a family therapist twice a week to see students with severe emotional or behavioral problems. While I do meet with all the students violating the Co-curriculum code or coming up using on our 6
weekly urine screens we do at our school with all our students; it is more to offer help/consultation than anything else.
I do a number of groups but they are coordinated by
interests/ability. My at-risk group tends to focus on building strengths outside the academic realm. We look at other abilities/interests: nature, music, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. Our
school is built on high expectations and the believe that ALL can achieve! We have many programs to focus on the positive: Promisemakers; students pledging not to use alcohol or drugs, Seniorquest; students commiting to help our elderly in the community, a large KEY club with over 200 member; and several other community service organization. We try and provide positive groups to our students to address their intelligences. This year we even started a trap shooting club for those students that may hunt or enjoy that sport.
School discipline is tough to relate to MI. In Evansville I would say that teachers are 90% responsible for dealing with discipline issuses. The only time it may go further to the principal is if the teacher is unsuccessful in their attempts. My personal way of dealing with students is to have them spend their lunch time with me. We talk over the problem and try to come to a solution. At times students have written letters recapping their actions and what they could have done differently. If behavior does not improve then the student may spend after school time with me. This usually runs about an hour. Parents would be notified by the student. Again we try to work out how to avoid spending extra time. For the future I could still use these methods but try to implement more MI with them. Like for instance, concept mapping or brain storming better ways of dealing with conflict. Or maybe lining up individual or group counseling with the guidance counselor. Contracts have been something that I have used in the past. These seem to help control the situation. I also have used cue cards in the past to let the student know they are beginning to cross the line. Another trick I have used in the past is allowing a pipe cleaner to be fiddled with during class. This helps control the student who can't control his or her hands.
I guess I need to be more creative and have some of these ideas ready for this fall. It sounds like I will be needing to use many different discipline strategies for the upcoming class. "Be prepared" is a good motto for the classroom teacher.
Wow!! the talk of the lounge at lunch time!! Yes, we have discipline problems and it seems to be the same kids all the time. It seems like we are always discussing the consequences or punishments they receive. Our school use to have a step program but through changes in administration and Dean of Students it seems to have vanished and not used. Students received different consequences for the same infraction. There was no consistency and I know the administration and Dean of Students were frustrated, too. For this next year we will have a new step program which will be introduced at the start of school inservice.
We have an ALAC room at school for students who need a "time-out" of class, have in-school suspension or just behavior problems. They do a work it sheet and parents are called. I could say is both intrapersonal and "very" interpersonal MI. Do you get my drift??????? Some teachers think that the alac room should be run like a prison. Whatever the case, it needs to be thought about,again. I know revisions are taking place for the new semester. It seems like our school lacks space, time and supervision to help students with behavior problems. This chapter emphasized that behavior problems could decrease if MI would be instituted. Yet, money may be an issue to setting up programs, more counselors, etc.
I've been thinking about my classroom. When the students enter the classroom, I am either talking to them, cleaning up from the previous class or setting up for their class. But when I am ready I stand quietly in front of the class. They seem to know it is an indication that class is starting. I do have various stuffed animals in the room and I have noticed students use them when they are nervous or upset. I do play music when groups are in lab or working on projects. Those students who do not want to listen usually go into the next room which is open for me to observe what is happening. I do relate to both the Intrapersonal and Musical Communication MI. Yes, I post classroom rules mainly about respect and responsibility. This is linguistic communication. I have done Interpersonal Communication where students identify the rules of the class. This really works great and they do come up with the same rule I would have. Overall, I have very few classroom problems, except for my famous class last semester with numerous behavior problems. I believe if was not use to such a group so I did not start the semester with ways to prevent their undesirable behaviors. I needed more ideas like MI strategies to help me out.
I form groups of students all the time. I "really" liked the ideas given in Chapter 8. I want to try using the cow, pig and sheep technique and others. They sound fun and ones that the students might like. I have found in some classes students want to only be with their friends so they manipulate the activity to get their way. Any suggestions????
With 24 in a class it is hard to keep an eye on everyone.
Tom B.: I want to use the pipe cleaner idea!!!! I had one student who was always ripping paper into pieces--didn't know what he would rip up next! The pipe cleaner would have been wonderful.
Sue
Behavioral strategies at our high school is actually set up pretty well, but not always administered very well. In our high school we have set up three different alternative ways of learning for kids who are struggling in our school in order to help them get through the day. Extreme behavior problems are placed in a half-day school off campus for more indiviual learning and then brought back to school in the afternoon for PE and Tech Ed. classes. Kids who aren't as big a behavior problem but struggle in their classes are placed in our SAND program and given every opportunity to succed. While others are placed into programs at the local tech school. During passing periods music is piped in through the sound system to help ease some of the students. We also have set up several programs in our guidance department for kids who are struggling with drugs and alcohol, sexual issues, psychological issues, abuse issues, etc... Unfortunately we have an assistant principal who will stray from the program set up and constantly berate and even sometimes verbally abuse kids who don't need that.
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