Transcript SEATING ARRANGEMENT - kvszietmysorephysics

DEALING OF LOW AND HIGH ACHIEVING
CHILDREN
PRINCIPLES OF CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT COPING WITH
BEHAVIOR
SEATING ARRANGEMENT
Mix high achievers with moderate and
low achievers. This tends to prevent a
low or moderate achiever from getting
bored and isolated, which can precede
inappropriate behavior. Mix talkative
students around quieter students. Make
sure the talkative pals are not seated
too close together. Also, advise students
during the seating assessment period
that you are watching their behavior to
determine more permanent seating
arrangement. Give some seating
preferences to the best-behaved
students.
PARENT PARTNERSHIP
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Make every effort to include parents in a child's
educational and behavioral plan. Early in the school year,
send a copy of your classroom rules to parents for a
signature. Establish classroom rules and have the parent
and student sign the rules and bring them back to you
for an extra-credit grade. Make sure you have correct
phone numbers, email addresses and best times to call
for each student's parent or guardian. Maintain contact
with each parent on a regular basis, giving periodic
positive feedback to best-behaved students, and more
frequent, perhaps weekly, reports for more troublesome
students. Understand that some parents will not
participate, but do keep a copy of all of your
communication efforts. Set up parent conferences as
needed.
CLASSROOM RULES
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Make sure all students understand the classroom
rules. Go over them in class, with the students
taking turns reading and explaining what the rules
mean. Establish rules such as no eating, no
chewing, no getting up or speaking without raising
their hands, no touching things on the teacher's
desk, bringing needed materials such as pencil and
paper to class, coming to class on time and being in
their seats when the bell rings. Establish a reward
system to apply positive reinforcement to students
who obey the rules, such as a ticket for a student
who is well behaved for a week. Tickets can later be
redeemed for a small reward such as a pencil or
eraser.
COMFORT ZONE
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Don't overreact to less serious classroom
indiscretions. Children will be children. Sometimes
an invasion of their personal space or comfort zone
is all that is needed to stop behavior, such as
speaking out of turn. First, make eye contact with
the individual. If the behavior continues, call on
them to answer a question. If it persists, move
closer to them to invade their personal space. Other
steps include writing their name on the board, time
out and behavior essays. Use all the tools to keep
the student in class and the lesson moving before
taking steps to remove a student from the
classroom.
REPERCUSSIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
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When all else fails, show the students that bad
behavior has consequences. That means that
good teachers sometimes have to write referrals
for students to attend in-school suspension,
after-school detention or out-of-school
suspension. This should be done in connection
with communication with a parent or guardian.
The student must understand the severity of her
actions and what she needs to do to prevent
further action. If this type of action is not used,
other students might begin to think there are no
consequences for bad behavior.
GOOD BEHAVIOUR ALSO HAVE
CONSEQUENCES
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Also, show students that good behaviour has
consequences. Ron Walker, an educational
consultant, says positive reinforcement has a
greater chance of changing permanent
behavior than negative reinforcement, for
many students. Positive behaviors help
students develop a value system that helps
them later in life. For instance, students
coming off a punishment can be put on a
reward system with such tasks as passing out
papers or markers or taking up papers.
Establish that student-adult relationship.
EFFECT OF CLUSTER GROUPS IN
SCHOOLS
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Cluster grouping is a method of classroom
organization that places gifted and high
achieving students together, then mixes the
average, low-average and special education
learners. Some schools that use cluster
grouping also place a handful of gifted
students with average and low-average
learners. This is more popular in rural
districts when the student population does
not allow for separate classes.
IDENTIFICATION
 Cluster
grouping is a method of classroom
organization that places gifted and high
achieving students together, then mixes
the average, low-average and special
education learners. Some schools that use
cluster grouping also place a handful of
gifted students with average and lowaverage learners. This is more popular in
rural districts when the student population
does not allow for separate classes.
BENEFITS
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In a cluster grouping environment, gifted
students can interact with their gifted peers,
which benefits and encourages them. The Neag
Center for Gifted Education and Talent
Development of the University of Connecticut
says that gifted students should spend the
majority of their day with other gifted peers.
Their research shows that children learn most
from students of similar abilities. Kids Sources
says that these children are more likely to try
challenging activities when they are around other
gifted and high-achieving students. Also, cluster
grouping saves a district money, as districts do
not need multiple programs for students of
different abilities.
WARNING
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Parents of other children might fight to have their
students placed in a cluster group class, whether
their children truly belongs in it or not. Requiring
parents provide outside documentation of a
student's intellectual abilities can reduce this
demand. Rotating teachers every two years can
ensure that qualified teachers are working in
other areas of the school as well. In addition,
some research suggests that average and lowaverage students will flourish better when they
are not around gifted students, as they can be
seen as the higher achievers of their own
environment.
CONSIDERATIONS
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In a cluster grouping model, it is
important that teachers have training in
dealing with gifted students and that
those paired with lower-achieving
students are also equipped to deal with
their specific needs. The benefits of
cluster grouping will likely be insignificant
if the teacher does not have the training
or appropriate curriculum for multiple
learners
HOW TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS
TO DO WELL IN THE CLASSROOM
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Instructions
Be enthusiastic yourself, because motivation and enthusiasm are contagious. When a teacher is
motivated and excited about the learning materials, students will be more interested. Exhibit
self-confidence, and express your confidence in your students' abilities to succeed. Teachers who
are confident and motivated inspire students to achieve.
Provide positive and supportive feedback to all students. Demonstrate that you care about their
success and students will be more motivated to succeed. Respond positively to questions from
students, and help them develop the skills necessary to solve problems on their own. Their
motivation and self-confidence will increase as their skills increase. Create a positive environment
where learning is enjoyable.
Assign tasks and homework that are at a level to challenge students but are not so difficult that
they become discouraged. Assignments that are too easy will also have a negative impact on
student motivation. If the work is too difficult, some students may give up. If it is too easy, they
may become bored. Use a variety of materials including visual aids to keep students actively
engaged in the learning process.
Set reasonable expectations for students in your classroom. Expectations for student
performance should be high but realistic. Students will be motivated to succeed if they believe
that they can achieve the goals you have set for them. Students are motivated to perform when
their teacher demonstrates that she expects her students to succeed. Focus on learning while
placing less emphasis on grades.
Use a variety of teaching methods that involve the students in learning. Role playing, games,
discussions, group activities and guest speakers instead of lectures keep students interested and
motivated to learn. Encourage student input in how the material is presented. Students who feel
like their opinions matter will be more actively engaged and encouraged to succeed.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN CLASS ROOM
IMPORTANCE OF HIGH EXPECTATIONS
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According to Ross Miller of the Association
of American Colleges and Universities,
raising expectations can lead to higher
achievement, and numerous studies show
that people with high expectations
perform at a higher level than those with
low expectations, even when their
abilities are equal. High expectations can
even transform a student's belief and
behavior and turn a low-performing
student into a successful learner
CURRICULUM
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Miller asserts that the Pygmalion effect -- people will
perform how you expect them to -- can also have a
negative effect. With the prevalence of standardized
tests, many schools expect students to pass the test
and therefore focus on teaching only the minimum
needed to pass, rather than challenging them to do
more. According to the North Central Regional
Educational Laboratory (NCREL), engaging students
in a challenging, fast-paced curriculum produces
positive academic and social outcomes. Activities
that encourage critical thinking and inquiry
communicate the expectation that students are
capable of higher-level thinking, complex problemsolving and decision-making.
DEVELOPING HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN
THE CLASS ROOM
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Several factors can project higher expectations to students. First,
create an environment conducive to learning in your classroom.
Increase the input you give to students, because expending more
time and effort shows that you expect more. Finally, encourage
students to give responses and increased output; students will do
the work you expect them to do if they feel you support them.
The most effective way to convey high expectations to students
is to establish personal relationships that communicate
support, simply telling students, "I know you can do it; I
believe in you." You must provide the support children need to
achieve what you expect. Look for each student's strengths
and find ways to use them to facilitate learning. Even students
with the lowest self-esteem can become motivated when they
feel that a teacher believes in them, and this can lead them to
believe in themselves and have higher expectations for their
own future.
FACTORS THAT SHAPE EXPECTATIONS
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Miller writes that measured ability often shapes teacher expectations, but this
shouldn't always be true. Teachers usually project high expectations for
students with high ability, such as gifted or honors students, and these students
usually succeed in school and go on to post-secondary education. When a
student's failure is attributed to low ability, a teacher will begin to expect less in
the future.
But many students mask their own ability because of laziness, low
self-esteem or rebellion. These students can blossom into high
achievers when they know more is expected of them. Accordingly,
students who believe they have low ability because of years of low
expectations will eventually lose their motivation to learn. A teacher
who has high expectations and teaches students that success is linked
more to effort than to ability can help these students succeed.
Sometimes, teachers alter expectations according to race, ethnicity,
life experiences and socioeconomic status, but according to Miller,
successful teachers have uniformly high expectations for every
student. According to the NCREL, schools with high expectations and
support to help students achieve these expectations have fewer
students who drop out and more who go on to college.
HOW TO IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE
IN THE CLASS ROOM
INSTRUCTIONS
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Build community with collaborative learning. Classroom and small
group projects promote cooperation and build social skills by giving
each student a task essential to the success of the project. One
student may be responsible for organizing the research, while another
may be responsible for illustrations or proofreading.
Value each student's unique abilities and contributions. Achieve this
by publicly calling attention to something one student did for another,
or privately. Displaying art or other work is another way to show a
student you value his contributions.
Recognize and praise student success publicly. At the schoolwide
level, quarterly honor roll assemblies may occur. The entire school
assembles and the principal presents an award to each student who
made honor roll that marking period. If students make the honor roll
2 out of 3 quarters during the year, they are invited to attend an
academic banquet where the faculty serves the students and their
parents dinner.
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Ban disparaging comments from the classroom. This includes negative self-talk.
Utilize technology for teaching and learning. An article about the benefits of
technology at the US Department of Education website points to research that
shows technology can improve student motivation and self esteem. It may also be
used to reinforce basic academic concepts.
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Incorporate games into lesson plans. Games are especially useful to reinforce math
facts. Multiplication or Addition War is a game based on the card game War. Deal a
standard deck of cards, then have players turn two cards face up. Each player
multiplies or adds his cards. The player with the highest sum wins the round and
collects all of the played cards.
Create a student-centered classroom where students help each other learn, solve
problems and help make class rules.
Focus on the number correct when grading papers instead of the number wrong.
Seeing -12 at the top of a paper is an emotional let-down. It fosters feelings of
failure and frustration. On the other hand, seeing 88/100 at the top of a paper
promotes a much more positive emotional response. It helps the student realize that
he can succeed, even though he got 12 questions wrong.
Teach classroom expectations explicitly
and practice good decision making.
 Model and teach active listening skills. If
two students are arguing about
something and go to the teacher, the
teacher will stay calm and listen to what
each student has to say. She will then
paraphrase what she heard back to the
student. The students can speak to each
other, with the teacher present, and then
paraphrase what they heard the other say
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HOW TO INCREASE ATTENTION
SPAN IN THE CLASSROOM
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Instructions
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Create an expectation in the classroom that there will be quiet periods of intense work. These
should be interspersed with more interactive work. Include regular breaks during which the
children are encouraged to move freely about the classroom. Wherever possible, have periods of
playtime outside in fresh air.
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Involve the parents whenever possible, as their cooperation is crucial. The child's routine at
home can play an important part in his ability to concentrate. He should have regular bedtimes
and a calming routine at night. He should have breakfast every morning, as there is much
evidence that hunger and low blood sugar impedes concentration.
Use small achievable goals. It is easier to concentrate if there is a cut-off point, and particularly if
there is a reward for achieving a small goal. This reward may just be in the form of praise. Take
other measures to achieve discipline within the child and within the classroom. Have clear
boundaries, for example, there should be a short period where all the children have to remain
silent. This may just last a few minutes, but it teaches the child self-control.
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Foster enthusiasm in the children. If the child shows an interest, for example, in a particular area
of history, use every opportunity to encourage this interest. If a child is interested in something,
it is easy for her to concentrate on this. An ability to concentrate is a transferable skill.
MOTIVATIONAL EFFECT OF THE
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
PERCEIVED AUTONOMY
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A classroom environment can effect a
student's motivation differently depending on
his perceived autonomy. If the child feels that
he has no freedom in the classroom, that the
teacher controls all, then the student will have
a marked decrease in motivation. There simply
is no point for a student to be motivated if
there is no room to express that free will.
However if the student feels that he has some
autonomy to do as he wants in the classroom,
he can feel very motivated because he knows
the teacher will be there to correct any errors
PERCEIVED COMPETENCE
 Another
major component of the
classroom's effect on a student's
motivation is her perceived competence.
Having a sense of autonomy is pointless if
the student feels that she is not capable of
doing any of the activities. This is further
compounded by having students of
different capabilities in the classroom, as
the high performers may outpace the
lower performers.
PEER PRESSURE
 High
performing students can create
unrealistic expectations for lower
performing students. Conversely, lower
performing students can impose peer
pressure on high performing students to
refrain from outshining them. Thus,
motivation depends both on the student's
competence and the acceptance of the
cohort of outlier students.
ROLE OF THE TEACHER
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The teacher has a complex role in the
classroom when it comes to motivation. The
teacher needs to allow the students autonomy
while at the same time guiding them towards
a certain goal. The teacher must also help
those students who lack academic
competence keep up with the others. Lastly,
the teacher has to control the social pressure
that students can use on each other to
prevent other students to take part in
project/activities.
STRATEGIES FOR LOW ACHIEVERS
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Definition
The term "low achiever" sometimes refers to those
children with IQ levels lower than average but not
low enough to categorize them as learning
disabled or mentally disabled. Potentially, this
category can include up to half of the children in a
given school system or classroom. However, this
does not cover all low-achieving students. Some
children who fall into the low-achievement
category actually have above-average, even high,
intelligence levels as determined by standardized
tests; however, they become bored with the
regularized presentation of learning materials
because they have exceeded those milestones
TEACHER AWARENESS
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Teacher awareness forms an important
element of best practices in learning
strategies for low-achieving students. Through
this awareness, the teacher can go on to
consider implementation of varying learning
techniques that support the low-achieving
child’s progress. Barriers to a low-achieving
child’s progress include such routine or highpressure learning environments as teaching
geared to the passing of high-stakes tests,
and peer pressure associated with the
accomplishments of higher-achieving
classmates.
GROUP LEARNING
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The sense of camaraderie and cooperative
learning can bolster both morale and
motivation in the low-achieving child. Group
learning strategies can involve a mix of levels
of achievers and innate IQ levels, or can
involve comparable peers learning together.
Whichever model a teacher applies to a
specific project, however, the teacher ensure
that the low-achieving child or children in the
group manage the project so that it operates
as a cooperative, versus a competitive,
learning activity.
TUTORING
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Another learning strategy that can enhance
the learning accomplishments of the lowachieving child involves individual attention. A
teacher can sometimes provide some of this
individual attention. However, working with an
individual tutor, or a variety of tutors in
different subject areas, can give the lowachieving child not only additional individual
attention but exposure to a different educator
perspective. This, in turn, may enhance
progress across all subject areas.
HOW TO TEACH A CHILD WITH LOW IQ
Children with low IQs must be
given extra help to grow.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Understanding the student's level of
impairment can be very helpful for
understanding how much extra help he
requires. While an IQ of 100 is considered
average, anywhere between 85 to 100 is
actually in the normal zone. An IQ that
falls between 70 and 85 is considered low,
while IQs below 70 can signify mental
retardation. An IQ of 85 may require a
little extra time and patience while an IQ
of 70 may involve more assistance with
even basic tasks.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Assess the student's strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention
to what the student may do well while noting what areas the
student seems to struggle with the most. IQ does not measure
every type of intelligence, so pay attention to whether a
student has some artistic ability or shows more ease with
spatial awareness, mathematics, verbal skills or other areas.
Encourage and praise these abilities while spending extra time
in areas that are most difficult. Notice what type of learner the
student is (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) and adapt your
teaching approach to this style.
Cultivate an attitude of patience, understanding and
acceptance. Students with low IQs may not give any indication
that they are paying attention to your efforts and may be
easily distracted. Giving a student the same instruction a
number of times may be necessary for him to internalize the
concept. If you find yourself becoming frustrated, take a deep
breath and try a different approach.
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Adjust your vocabulary so that your explanations and
instructions can be clearly understood by the student. On
assignments and tests, avoid any challenging vocabulary that
may prevent the questions or instructions from being
understood by the student. If the student cannot even
understand what is required of him, it makes it very difficult for
him to attempt the task.
Answer any questions that may come up for the student right
away instead of making him wait for an "appropriate time." The
learning of these students works best when it is spontaneous,
and you should therefore adjust to their spontaneous needs as
they arise.
Use visual aids, employ storytelling time and any other
methods that can make the material you are teaching more
engaging. These students may have shorter attention spans
than other students, so it is important to discover ways that
can keep them interested.
HOW TO TEACH GIFTED CHILDREN
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Keep them together. It is important that gifted students be able to move at their
own (quick) pace as much as possible, so grouping students by ability for some
subjects or having special gifted-student learning time is important.
Be open-ended. Ask thought-provoking questions, not yes or no ones. Assign
projects instead of piles of worksheets.
Encourage questions. Gifted students not only know the answers, they have more
questions on the topic. Instead of being afraid that you don't know the answers, use
the questions as springboards for learning how to do Internet or library research.
Remember their ages. Just because the child in front of you can talk about quantum
physics intelligently doesn't mean she won't get cranky when she's hungry. Brains
don't equal maturity.
Incorporate their passions. Most gifted children develop deep interests in certain
subjects. Use those interests as frameworks for teaching math, reading, science,
social studies and writing skills.
Make sure they try new things. Most gifted students are not gifted in every area.
Helping them step out of their comfort zones---whether it's encouraging
mathematicians to write stories or sedentary readers to try sports---will make the
students more well-rounded and empathic.
TIPS ON MENTORING CHILDREN
Mentors hold a special position in the lives of children. Such adults
provide personal guidance and wisdom to assist children. Mentors may
bring assistance in the realm of education, business, relationships and
family, or help in a more all-encompassing manner that covers many
areas of a child's life. Peers can also serve as mentors, offering
assistance from someone close to the child's age. Peers may better
understand social and academic expectations and can help guide the
efforts and behaviors of children through the example they set. There
are several keys to effective mentoring.
LISTEN
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Listen to the child. Children are required to
behave and perform in the classroom and at
home. Despite the love and caring given by
parents and teachers, children do not always
have a chance to unburden themselves or
share uninterrupted with the adults in their
lives. By quietly and actively listening to the
child's feelings, concerns, hopes and dreams,
you offer the child an important outlet for
relieving stress and give her the feeling of
being valued.
EXPLORE
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Explore the child's interests. Getting to know the
child goes hand in hand with listening. Find out
what the child would like to become, what he
enjoys doing and where his experiences lie
through informal conversation. Children
sometimes communicate more freely when the
focus is not directly upon them, so plan your
conversation around a scenic walk, a board game,
a meal or an activity that offers a bit of
distraction. You can then veer away from the
topic if a child becomes stuck, shy or irritated,
and come back to your questions and ideas when
the child has had a chance to absorb what was
said or to gather her thoughts.
SET THE BAR HIGH
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Keep your expectations high. As a mentor, you
may be the only positive influence in a child's life.
Mentors have the opportunity to show a child that
more is possible for his life and to encourage a
child to aim for the stars. By not only telling the
child that greater goals exist and are available to
her, but offering practical methods for achieving
those goals, a mentor can help a child believe
that such achievements are possible. Mentors fill
a special role; not a parent, relative or teacher,
mentors spend time with a child by choice, and
this choice imbues the relationship with great
importance for the child involved.
KEEP THE PRESSURE LOW
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Keep the pressure on the child low. Whether you plan
to work with high-achieving or at-risk children, the
stresses on both groups is great. Advanced students
often face demanding course work, multiple
extracurricular activities and personal or family
pressures to perform. At-risk children may have family
issues and may even be living away from home. They
frequently face involvement in court proceedings and
may have a poor educational and behavioral record.
Such children may also labor under psychiatric
diagnoses that make everyday activities difficult. As a
mentor, you want to help a child through issues in a
manner that does not add to her difficulties, so
attempt to adapt your approach to fit the child's needs
and individuality.
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IN
THE CLASSROOM
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Get to know your students. Each of your students
has separate personalities, which is why it is
important for you to know them as individuals. A
unique way to know more about your students is
to have them keep a personal journal that is
meant for only you to read, unless otherwise
instructed. Also, have several minutes set aside
once a week at the beginning of class to allow
your students to read a journal entry aloud if they
are willing to volunteer. The journals will give you
a good sense of each of your student's
personalities, and if journal entries are read aloud
it will also give other students in the classroom a
chance to better understand one another.
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Acknowledge your students. Similar to the
way professionals enjoy receiving
recognition and praise for demonstrating
hard work efforts, it is the same with your
students. When your class scores an
average high on a test, acknowledge your
students as a whole. If a few students
received low markings, include them in
the acknowledgment as well. It will
encourage them to do better on the next
test or assignment.
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Create group activities. Students love
to have fun in the classroom regardless
of age. Having group activities in the
classroom every other week, give or
take, is very beneficial to students. Not
only do they give you a chance to
connect with your students, they also
help build student-to-student
relationships.
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A great group activity to help each student learn more about his
personality is the "True Colors Personality Test." The test consists of
four colors: red, blue, green and orange. Each color describes the four
most common personality types. After each student discovers his
personality type, group together students who have the same
personality type and allow them to discuss why they are most like the
chosen personality type. Most corporations use this assessment so
employers can get to know one another and have a better
understanding of their personalities.
Involve the students' parents. If the students are not of adult age,
their parents should be involved in their education. Reminding the
parents of upcoming events, tests and assignments that are due is an
effective way for your students to succeed. Also, if there is a concern
or any "good news," it is important to pass this information on to the
parents in order for them to issue praise or properly resolve the
concern. This strategy will help you build relationships with the
students' parents as well as the students
THE PROCESS OF REMEDIAL TEACHING
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
IN THE CLASSROOM
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Show appropriate manners, and expect to
receive the same. When students and
teachers feel that they are respected and
not treated unfairly, the relationships in
the classroom will grow at a positive rate.
Simple courtesy such as saying "thank
you," "please" and "you're welcome" will
show each of your students that you
respect and appreciate them, and it will
encourage them to treat you with the
same courtesy.
GIFTED AND TALENTED PUPILS