Managing Behaviour: Part II

It's my last day at the City of Bath College before the Christmas holidays.
I am working hard in the computer room but I am alone in doing so. I have one student who has just returned from the Milkshake store, who has told me that there's a queue there and that's why everyone else is four minutes late and counting. The attitude to work seems not only lax in the students but the whole college nowadays... or am I just getting old?

The students have this whole week to work on and submit assignments that are overdue by a day at least, two months at most. They have this morning from 9 until 2 to type up thier work, and then Thursday and Friday they have all day for assignments. This follows four hours on Monday devoted to the same tasks. Call me old fashioned but I appreciated that when I forgot my homework, my drama tutor kept us out of lessons, sending us to the Drama Office to write an essay to be submitted after the hour's session. It made sure we came equipped and in the right frame of mind.

These students are back now complaining that they can't concentrate because of thier subsequent sugar-rushes from their drinks!

So, what should I do? I am their teacher and I have every right to tell them off for being disruptive.
What do I do? Complain inwardly that they have chocolately drinks to warm them and due to current lack of funds, I am drinking water!
However, what I can't do is stop them from completing their work by excluding them from this catch up time. They have been given this time and those who are finished and up to date did not have to come in this morning. That bit of the plan is fair but a few conversations I have been party to today have informed me that some students probably won't get everything done this week - and they don't see a problem with it.

I just don't understand how people can have this attitude! I do understand that I should be respectful of learners' barriers and that some students who are working diligently today, and some are, have certain learning difficulties. However, the ones who are chatting and generally being disruptive are those who have little qualms with the writing of essays process.

I think the reason I feel so helpless and frustrated is because I feel I should be able to do something for them, to make it clearer, to help them focus but as they tell me often, they are old enough to take care of themselves. So they should also accept the responsibilities of a deadline.

But with no consequences for not submitting work, why bother to be here at all?

Managing Behaviour - Part I

My class are not always capable of easily adapting to changes in their learning environment. This means that sometimes, an inconsequential move of their session time actually causes terrific consequences to their behaviour and focus on work. It makes them lively, unfocused and often disruptive of others. Students often respond to being asked to work quietly and are rewarded with being able to listen to their music. However, this last session (Functional Skills, 24 November 2010) was very noisy; most likely this was due to their timetable being changed for their TV Acting assessments and of course, nervousness or other emotions due to the assessments themselves.

As part of the plenary to my session, I highlighted to the class that their behaviour was much worse than the previous week and they had really shown themselves up, needing constant reminding from myself and Susie that they needed to keep the volume to a minimum. I continued by saying that fro their age range and ability, their behaviour in the session was inappropriate and disrespectful. My Mentor, ST, reiterated my message to them and I noticed a change in their attitude when they realised that it was a general thought, not just something coming from me. I thanked ST for her contribution after the session, and was pleased that she had repeated my message. She confirmed with me that all I said was said in the right tone and I used enough praise for previous sessions juxtaposed against disappointment from today. During my session, ST had come up with some strategies to try and promote a better working atmosphere for upcoming sessions.

From next week, I will reinstate a seating plan. When I prepared and used one, much thought went into the placement of those who worked had next to those who got distracted easily. Those who were close friends who talked too much, were separated and anyone who might need assistance were on the edges of rows, where I or ST could help out without being conspicuous, thus causing the student excess embarrassment. I had spent much time with the class and knew reasonably well who could be sat together. Since allowing the students to choose their own seats (last three sessions) there has been a significant lapse in suitable behaviour that complies with the ground rules.

I think it important for me to continue setting up the seats myself prior to the session, as today students were more than reluctant to put the seats into rows. I have found that in previous sessions where I have organised the chairs so there are fewer students in the back row and more in the front, closer to the whiteboard, then students are less likely to be disruptive, thinking they are far away from the teacher. Obviously, this is made easier in that teaching room, as the chairs are lecture hall style and can be moved about easily. This might be more difficult in a more formal teaching room. However, in that case, a seating plan would still work.

For my next session, I need to clearly define the ground rules e.g. raising hands to speak and listening to other students' points of view. I will follow this by stating that all my classes will have a new 'better working' (better title to follow!) system. It will include the following steps for dealing with excessive talking or poor behaviour:

1. Should I need to say someone's name once because they are talking excessively, that name will go onto the whiteboard.
2. If I need to tell them again, I will put a mark next to their name e.g. a line, cross, circle, something that they can see clearly.
3. At the third time of speaking to them, I will ask them to leave the room, and wait for me outside to come and speak to them.

I will find an appropriate time during the session to speak to them, as it is important that students who are always working hard and quietly are not robbed of their session because of someone else. When speaking to the student, I will ask them why they kept talking when explicitly instructed not to (I always put reminders of no talking, phones away etc on the board.) and whether they think that their behaviour is appropriate for the session.

I will allow them back into the session provided that they monitor their behaviour. They will be informed that if it does not change, they will be asked to leave and come back to me at the end of the session to apologise. This leaves no room for students to think that disruption of the class with noise levels, calling out, or holding private conversations etc. will be tolerated in the class. I am hopeful that should I be forced to move to stage 3 of the new 'better working' (no new title yet!) system with one student, that the class will learn quickly and adapt their behaviour.

During every class the ground rules have been recapped and enforced. The department shares a strong ethos on maintaining rules and respect as a two-way approach in conjunction with the 'Every Child Matters' and the safeguarding of their students.

As always, this is just one day and the relationship that I am developing with the students on an individual basis and (mostly) on the whole, is improving each week. The teaching side is going well and I am really being supported well on all sides. All I hope that is by next week they will have recaptured some of last week's brilliant behaviour!

Literacy Lesson One

Ok, so I'm a bit behind on my posts.
So I thought in order to get the brain moving again, I would share what I cooked up in today's Literacy session with Pat.

My mother has always honed in me the good use of English. However, it is not completely through my mother's influences that has made me the English nut you see before you.

I can honestly say that the passion I have for English instrinsically stems from the passion I had for my English teachers. I never dreamt I would ever be this obsessed with the placing of apostrophies and the adoration of words like 'intrinsic' but I am, all because of a handful of strong, Byronic, handsome, well spoken, inspiring, challenging, infuriating, erudite and sexy males who taught and honed in me the Romance of the written (and melliflously spoken) word.

So, three minutes to write and this is what I come up with. Gawd, those men have some explaining to do!

Longer (and better) entries to follow :)

Love Fliss x

The Teaching Autobiography

I know no friend whose parents are teachers who have not then taught. I also know no friend who did not swear that they would never enter the teaching profession. Those same friends say the same of me.

I never thought that I would become a teacher. Throughout my career plans during my few twenty three years, I have considered being a gynaecologist, a dentist, a checkout girl at Morrisons (nee Safeways), a journalist, a beautician, a dog walker and a kept woman. Nothing overtly educationally minded and yet looking back, I remember writing out registration lists and holding pretend classes, writing stories and telling them to friends and I have always opted for jobs where I not only provided a service but where I provided information in a kind, friendly and enthusiastic manner. I always say it took me a while to respond to my calling but now I have begun it, it is like I was always meant to do this.

Until last year, I knew no other life than that which revolved around the academic year. My mother is a teacher and our New Year begins during the first week of September. I spent my gap year between sixth form and University at a Further Education College, studying to become a medical secretary. Even last year, when I stepped away from my own studies, I still remained in a learning environment, working as an Administrator for the IT Training Team at Hereford Hospital.

I am comfortable learning and studying. I find it overwhelming that I have reached the level where I pass this learning onto others.

It is true that it took a while for me to respond to the calling of being a teacher and I think when you have parents who are teachers, and you have grown up with the horrors and hilarities, it takes even longer than someone fresh to the vocation. For me, it was what age I wanted to teach that prolonged the decision. I love little children, though I could never eat a whole one but I never liked the idea of undertaking their education. There would be too much responsibility and too much emphasis on their welfare away from school. New, nervous and rambunctious... and that is just their parents.

Secondary school was also ruled out quickly. A while ago, I was talking to a young friend of mine studying Jane Eyre and this is a section from our conversation:

FS: Bertha went into Jane’s bedroom and ripped her veil in half. Can anyone tell me why she did it?

Student: Raving looney wife – she tried to kill ‘im, and ‘er too!

FS: Can you see how Jane and Betha are related though? How their characters are in direct opposition but they have strange similarities.

Student: Yeah! They both fancy the ugly git! Stupid women!

So although I am now teaching Performing Arts and not English as originally planned, I am teaching an age range that appeals to me. Things are clicking into place. I do not pretend to know what I will be doing in a year’s time as I had no an idea that I would be doing this a year ago. All I can do is keep working hard, preparing, organising and ticking the boxes, hoping that at least my children will see sense and not become teachers themselves.

"But we don't go to school any more! What's with the seating plan?"

As many of you may have heard, I attempted to formalise my Functional Skills session into some semblance of a hard-working, diligent group on Wednesday by incorporating a seating plan into the session.

To put it mildly, it was not received well!

The groans from each and every individual should have been taped and created into one of those looney music compilations of church bells ringing, or traffic: the new-age music that has no real melody, rhyme, rhythm, purpose than to annoy the listener.

I wasn't much amused by their initial reaction and I did feel that immediate rush of fear: 'Oh God, is it too late to rush to the door and escape this self-inflicted hell?'

I hope that in a few weeks that horrible feeling of terror will diminish a bit. I keep reminding myself half way through the lesson (much use be it then!) that it is good, it is fun and they are a really nice bunch of kids. But that initial, Oh My God moment at the start is really beginning to get to me.

I have had my fair share of looking after people. Besides a few dancers and the odd bout of foreign students, I was a Senior Student in my final year at University. I can honestly say that I only felt that 'flee' feeling the moment before I stepped into each kitchen, on the first night. The rest came naturally and we agreed the rules as we went along.

I rarely suffer from nerves and so this feeling is really strange and new and it's throwing me off my game. I feel like I'm forcing them to work, for the lesson to continue and my tutor is right: it gets to a point when it sounds like I'm pleading with them!

I sat in on their TV and Film acting class and their cover tutor confessed to me at the end of the class that he had little teaching experience and hadn't yet decided if he could afford to stop his work and do his own PGCE - and there was an unbeatable amount of 'cool' in his teaching. He was laid back and really kept them with him the whole way through. Found myself wishing I had his charm in a classroom.

I read (Trevor Wright, 2005) that 'cool' teachers have little substance without the planning and prep behind them. Well, John the TV tutor had that too.

I'm planned. I'm prepped. Where's my injection of cool?

Nope, I still remain the nerd at the front of the class.

Anyway, I have my first proper Drama lesson on Monday and I am prop-full of games and fun things to do so maybe my kudos will improve with my kids? Will keep you posted ;)

Love Fliss x

PDR - Why did I give myself extra work to do?

Now, I know there are often moments in life where you have no free time; your world feels like a house of cards; the washing is too large to still be called a pile; you can't remember what day of the week it is let alone which education establishment you're meant to attend; are you the student or the teacher today?

Why, then, at these times of chaos do you sit down, begin writing up a quasi-useless 'Action Plan' as part of your teacher training and think,

'I know. I don't have any spare time to mix with my peers. In that case, I'll write a blog to record all the nice and nasty bits I'm going through. We'll share the laughter and the pain. AND I'LL MAKE SURE I'LL KEEP IT UP BY TELLING MY TUTORS IN MY PDR THAT I'M DOING IT!'

Clearly, I hadn't had enough sleep when I wrote the PDR but it is a good way to make sure that I keep up to date on all the paperwork (you could make a comfy bed out of how much paperwork we have to fill in this year: tried and tested... albeit briefly) and to let you guys know that we are in this together!

I will try and add a few posts a month on this (promises, promises) but would love to continue it if I know someone is reading it :)

Anyway, post one done... back to the teacher to do list.

Love Fliss x