Yesterday we had a school PB4L meeting. We had a look at everyone's classroom rules and then we compared ourselves against a PB4L classroom checklist. It was clear that having a PB4L matrix/ class rules that have specific areas or scenarios is key. I have 9 key areas/ times of the day where we have set rules ( E.g in the morning we need to wait till 8.30, come in and put the chairs down, unplug the Chromebooks... Etc) This helps the classroom run smoothly as students know exactly what to do at any given time of the day.
I have just changed my classroom as I have 27 students and they are getting bigger so it has become hard/ impossible for them to sit and fit on the mat area. I have removed the mat area and created more room for tables. We created a PB4L poster this morning and rules for when we come into school.
Starting the day:
1. Come inside and get your Chromebook
2. Choose a seat where you are going to be the best learner and stay on task
3. Chromebook closed and waiting for the Roll and Miss Spies' Instructions.
My goal is to help other teachers in the school create PB4L matrices that have clear expectations and allow for desirable classroom behaviors. The first step is to create clear rules and then teach and reteach the desired behavior and expectations to the students. If this is done consistently there is immediate success.
Personal PB4L Goals:
Demonstrate calm, consistent, brief, immediate and respectful error corrections using professional teaching tone and demeanor.
Use a variety of strategies to increase student opportunities to respond (examples: turn and talk, guided notes, response cards).
Kia ora Becs, your classroom is a great example of the positive outcomes for learning PB4L can acheive. How are you overcoming challenges in communicating the PB4L philosophies to others or transferring that knowledge to different classroom environments?
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle,
DeleteI have tried getting teachers to self asess and choice their own PB4L goals. My next step which I have just completed is to ask students questions and get some student voice to help teachers understand what the students actually know or thinking about their classroom rules and expectations. This might result in some insightful next steps and help our school on our PB4L Journey.