Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Journal:
Fall 2014
Part One: Entries 1-5
Entry #1:
Observation:
Mrs.
Wiggins
uses
this
practice
with
her
daily
journals
and
math
work.
Every
morning
after
breakfast,
students
are
expected
to
complete
one
page
in
their
math
workbook
and
answer
the
journal
prompt
on
the
board.
She
has
enforced
this
policy
since
day
1
and
she
or
I
rarely
have
to
tell
students
what
they
should
be
doing.
They
know
when
they
are
off
task.
Through
the
math
work
and
their
daily
journals,
she
is
ensuring
that
students
develop
responsibility
for
initiating
their
own
work.
Entry
#4:
Technique
#30:
Tight
Transitions:
Description:
Tight
transitions
are
a
crucial
component
of
the
school
day
because
they
help
the
teacher
conserve
her
most
precious
resource,
time.
Sloppy
transitions
from
place
to
place
within
the
classroom,
lining
up,
or
to
places
outside
the
classroom
waste
precious
instructional
time
and
can
lead
to
behavioral
problems
amongst
students.
During
the
first
week,
students
should
be
given
a
clear
and
consistent
procedure
for
transitions
that
they
can
follow
every
time
without
being
told.
The
teacher
should
ensure
that
students
learn
these
procedures
within
the
first
week
of
class
and
consistently
enforce
them.
Implementation:
This
summer
at
Memphis
Teacher
Residency
Camp
(MTR
Camp)
we
were
taught
very
specific
procedures
to
ensure
tight
transitions.
For
example,
when
transitioning
students
to
centers,
the
teacher
would
assign
each
center
group
to
their
center.
After
students
completed
the
first
center,
the
teacher
would
tell
a
student
to
begin
the
clean
up
song.
By
the
end
of
singing
the
clean
up
song
twice,
students
were
expected
to
have
their
center
cleaned
up
and
they
should
be
standing
on
the
black
line
taped
in
front
of
their
table.
Then
the
teacher
would
begin
the
center
song
as
all
of
the
student
sang
along,
Center
#1
goes
to
center
#2.
Center
#2
goes
to
center
#3.
Center
#3
goes
to
center
#4.
Center
#4
goes
to
center
#5.
Center
#5
goes
to
Center
#1!!
After
the
students
move,
they
would
stand
on
the
black
line
until
the
teacher
told
them
they
could
begin
working.
For
lining
up,
the
teacher
would
call
the
quietest
group
to
line
up
at
the
door
quietly,
facing
forward,
hands
to
self.
When
the
teacher
was
ready
to
go,
the
teacher
would
hold
up
her
hand
and
the
students
would
quiet
down.
They
knew
to
be
silent
in
the
halls
and
she
would
tell
the
line
leader
specific
areas
to
stop
at
when
necessary.
Technique
#32:
Slant:
Description:
The
SLANT
method
stands
for
sit
up,
listen,
ask
and
answer
question,
nod
your
head,
and
track
the
speaker.
It
is
a
method
that
ensures
that
students
are
paying
attention
and
are
ready
to
learn.
Implementation:
At
MTR
Camp,
we
had
a
similar
philosophy
called
SWAG.
Sit
up
straight,
watch
the
speaker,
ask
and
answer
questions,
and
give
encouragement.
When
we
told
the
kids
to
show
me
swag,
it
meant
for
them
to
sit
up,
watch
the
speaker,
be
engaged,
and
encourage
the
teacher
by
showing
engagement
with
body
language
and
other
students
by
being
respectful.
We
made
posters
as
well
with
the
SWAG
philosophy
on
them
for
each
classroom.
Entry
#5:
Technique
#34:
Seat
Signals:
Description:
It
is
important
for
the
teacher
to
have
a
system
of
signals
that
students
can
use
to
clearly
and
quickly
communicate
what
the
student
needs
to
the
teacher.
These
should
be
unobtrusive
hand
signals
and
non-verbal.
Observation:
In
my
Brookville
placement
last
semester,
my
teacher
implemented
a
system
of
hand
signals
to
determine
the
needs
of
her
students.
She
had
five
different
signals
for
need
to
go
to
the
bathroom,
need
to
sharpen
pencil,
need
a
Kleenex,
have
a
question,
and
have
another
need.
Each
one
had
a
certain
number
of
fingers
that
the
student
should
hold
up
to
indicate
what
they
wanted.
Technique
#35
Props:
Description:
Props
refers
to
a
system
involves
both
the
teacher
and
the
student
in
giving
positive
praise
to
students
efforts
and
wise
choices.
Props
should
be
enthusiastic,
universal,
quick,
specific
to
what
is
being
praised,
and
open-for
student
creativity.
First,
props
should
be
universal
meaning
that
all
students
join
in
and
enthusiastically
praise
their
friend.
Also,
they
should
be
short
yet
also
tell
the
student
being
praised
and
all
the
other
students
what
actions
are
worthy
of
a
prop.
This
encourages
the
student
to
continue
to
make
wise
decisions
and
encourages
other
students
to
make
the
same
wise
choices.
Also,
students
should
be
able
to
make
up
their
own
chant
for
their
friend
to
make
the
prop
more
meaningful
to
both
the
student
being
praised
and
the
one
leading
the
praise.
Implementation:
This
summer
in
our
classrooms,
MTR
taught
us
this
technique
of
positive
praise
called
chanting.
We
the
teachers
would
implement
quick
and
specific
chants
to
reinforce
positive
behavior.
For
example,
after
a
student
helped
another
student
without
being
asked,
the
teacher
would
say,
Way
to
be
a
leeeeader!
and
the
students
would
echo
enthusiastically
back.
Also,
at
the
end
of
the
day,
all
the
campers
and
staff
would
sit
in
the
shout
out
circle.
Staff
and
campers
would
give
shout
outs
to
anyone
in
the
circle
in
order
to
encourage
a
camp
wide
classroom
culture.
After
the
student
explained
why
they
were
shouting
out
another
student,
the
student
created
and
led
a
chant
for
the
whole
group
such
as
Way
to
be
a
good
friend!
Entry #6
Technique
#
27
Vegas:
This
technique
refers
to
the
idea
that
there
should
be
a
little
pizazz
throughout
the
day
to
promote
student
engagement
and
love
of
learning.
This
can
be
something
simple
such
as
singing
a
quick
song
or
performing
a
wiggle
dance
but
these
Vegas
activities
should
be
short,
like
a
faucet
(students
turn
way
on
and
all
the
way
off
at
the
appropriate
time),
should
be
in
unison/whole
group
participation,
and
should
contribute
to
the
days
learning
objective.
Observation:
In
one
of
my
classrooms,
my
CT
led
her
students
in
little
wiggle
breaks
throughout
the
day
that
always
contributed
to
a
concept
the
students
were
learning.
She
would
have
them
skip
count
and
do
jumping
jacks
and
other
clever
games
to
help
student
grasp
the
concept
but
have
a
little
fun
while
doing
so.
Technique
#36
100
Percent:
This
technique
refers
to
100%
of
students
following
instructions
completely
100%
of
the
time.
The
teacher
should
settle
for
nothing
less
than
this.
When
students
are
not
meeting
this
standard,
the
teacher
should
quickly
use
the
least
invasive
form
of
intervention
as
possible.
Example
strategies
for
this
include,
nonverbal
intervention,
positive
group
correction,
anonymous
individual
correction,
private
individual
correction,
or
very
fast
public
correction.
To
encourage
100%
compliance
the
teacher
should
be
firm
and
calm
in
her
demeanor,
maximize
visibility,
be
seen
looking
for
compliance
by
verbalizing
when
she
sees
it,
explain
clearly
the
expectations,
and
use
call
and
response.
Observation:
I
have
seen
my
teachers
enforce
this
100%
mentality
through
encouraging
positive
classroom
behavior.
When
the
teacher
feels
like
all
of
her
students
have
done
a
phenomenal
job
following
directions
fully
the
first
time,
she
will
let
them
put
some
marbles
in
a
jar.
Then
once
the
jar
is
full
the
class
receives
a
prize
like
a
short
ice
cream
party.
This
ensures
that
all
students
are
motivated
to
give
100%,
100%
of
the
time!
Entry
#7
Technique
#37
What
to
do:
In
the
classroom,
it
is
crucial
that
students
know
clearly
what
they
should
be
doing
and
how
they
should
be
doing
it
at
every
moment.
Teachers
should
be
sure
to
give
students
a
clear
what
to
do
at
all
times.
These
what
to
dos
should
be
specific,
concrete,
sequential,
and
observable.
Implementation:
I
have
tried
to
incorporate
this
strategy
into
my
own
teaching
through
giving
clear
and
concise
directions
that
I
can
observe
if
students
are
following
them.
Often
I
learn
that
I
need
to
say
things
in
a
more
kid-friendly
way
however
each
time
I
give
directions,
I
learn
the
importance
of
making
sure
they
are
clear
and
concise.
I
also
want
to
be
sure
to
show
students
that
I
am
not
going
to
accept
half-hearted
compliance
and
if
directions
have
been
made
clear
I
have
told
students
to
clip
down
for
not
following
directions
the
first
time.
If
students
have
been
given
a
clear
what
to
do,
then
they
should
be
expected
to
follow
instructions
fully
the
first
time.
Technique
#
44
Precise
Praise:
Precise
praise
or
positive
reinforcement
is
recommended
by
experts
to
be
given
three
times
as
often
as
criticism
and
correction.
A
champion
teacher
recognizes
the
difference
between
acknowledgement
and
praise
and
when
each
is
earned.
Unlike
correction,
praise
should
be
loud
for
the
whole
class
to
hear,
should
be
truly
earned
and
should
be
specific.
After
praising
a
student,
other
students
should
know
exactly
what
is
necessary
to
receive
that
same
praise.
Implementation:
Throughout
my
time
in
the
classroom,
I
have
seen
the
effect
of
positive
praise
on
the
work
ethic
of
my
students.
Telling
students
quickly
and
loudly
what
specifically
I
am
pleased
to
see
them
doing
immediately
makes
all
the
other
students
attentive
to
that
behavior
and
more
likely
to
imitate
it!
Also,
this
summer
in
MTR
camp,
the
staff
modeled
how
to
chant
praises
for
our
students
in
the
classroom
by
saying
Way
to
stick
with
it
Way
to
be
an
owner
and
more!
Then
we
would
have
our
campers
create
short
chants
of
praise
for
something
special
their
friend
did
for
them
or
how
they
saw
them
working
hard
in
the
classroom.
The
chant
had
to
be
specific
so
that
we
could
all
know
what
special
thing
their
friend
had
done
for
them.
Then
we
would
all
repeat
the
chant
back.
Entry
#8
Technique
#38
Strong
Voice:
In
this
technique,
the
teacher
should
exude
a
small
voice.
This
does
not
simply
have
to
do
with
vocal
volume
and
quality.
A
strong
voice
has
five
components:
economy
of
language,
do
not
talk
over,
do
not
engage,
square
up/stand
still,
and
quiet
power.
First,
the
teacher
should
strive
to
say
as
little
as
possible
to
get
her
point
across.
All
of
her
words
should
be
intentionally
selected
and
all
extraneous
detail
should
be
omitted.
Next,
the
teacher
should
never
talk
over
her
students
and
should
wait
until
the
room
is
completely
quiet
to
begin
or
begin
a
sentence
and
self-interrupt
and
wait
for
silence.
Also,
the
teachers
demands
should
not
engage
in
petty
conversation,
stand
up
tall,
and
quiet
her
voice
when
she
is
getting
frustrated/
students
are
unruly
so
they
have
to
strain
to
hear
her.
Observation:
My
teacher
Mrs.
Wiggins
is
a
master
at
quieting
her
voice
so
that
her
students
have
to
quiet
down
to
hear
her.
She
rarely
raises
her
voice
when
she
is
upset
but
when
she
lowers
her
voice
to
regain
control,
it
works
every
time.
and
thus
she
was
going
to
have
to
enforce
the
consequences
of
an
action
so
that
they
would
learn
to
abstain
from
that
action
in
the
future.
Her
non-verbal
behavior
was
always
warm
and
positive
also.
Entry
#10
Technique
#46
J-Factor:
J-Factor,
similar
to
the
Vegas
strategy,
involves
incorporating
activities
that
allow
for
students
to
take
joy
in
learning
and
to
see
the
teachers
joy
for
learning!
J-
factor
activities
can
be
in
the
form
of
fun
games,
putting
content
to
song,
dramas
or
dances
and
more.
J-
factor
can
come
from
students
being
able
to
be
apart
of
an
elite
us
where
only
their
class
gets
to
do
something
special
(nicknames,
songs,
etc).
Also,
J
factor
can
come
from
creating
suspense
and
surprise
in
the
classroom.
Observation:
In
Mrs.
Wiggins
classroom,
she
has
little
funzies
throughout
the
day
that
are
incorporated
into
content
and
behavioral
management
strategies.
For
example,
in
the
month
of
October,
she
had
a
Halloween
song
that
she
would
teach
to
her
students
each
week
and
when
she
needed
them
to
be
quiet,
she
would
begin
singing
the
song
to
them
and
all
the
students
would
join
in,
then
be
silent
after
the
song
was
over.
Also,
she
incorporates
games
into
her
math
center
time
which
make
learning
these
concepts
more
engaging
for
students.
Technique
#49
Normalize
Error:
This
strategy
is
all
about
helping
students
understand
that
errors
are
a
normal
part
of
the
learning
process.
The
student
will
make
errors
before
they
perfect
a
skill
and
this
is
perfectly
ok!
To
enforce
this
mindset,
teachers
should
not
make
too
big
of
a
deal
either
right
or
wrong
answers.
For
wrong
answers,
take
the
class
through
the
content
again
by
re-explaining
in
a
different
way.
For
right
answers,
acknowledge
them
but
do
not
linger
on
the
topic.
The
teacher
should
always
praise
effort
rather
than
right
or
wrong
answers.
Observation:
In
Mrs.
Wiggins
math
time,
she
incorporates
this
strategy
well
by
re-
explaining
the
concept
in
a
different
way
if
students
are
not
getting
the
concept,
or
she
will
sometimes
call
on
a
variety
of
students
so
that
there
are
a
mixture
of
right
and
wrong
answers.
As
the
class
decides
which
ones
are
correct,
there
is
no
acknowledgement
of
wrong
answers
but
only
a
clear
path
shown
to
thinking
about
the
correct
answer.
Entry
#12
predict
students
prior
knowledge
levels
and
their
misconceptions
about
concepts
because
this
will
help
us
plan
for
how
to
better
clarify
the
concepts
during
the
lesson.
Technique
#11
Draw
the
Map:
Description:
This
strategy
refers
to
planning
the
physical
layout
of
the
classroom.
It
very
interestingly
challenges
the
pod
grouping
of
students
because
students
are
able
to
interact
but
they
most
ignore
the
student
directly
across
from
them
during
instruction,
turn
to
the
side
to
listen
to
the
teacher,
then
swivel
back
to
write
information.
They
suggest
having
a
default
layout
but
considering
each
day
how
the
learning
environment
should
be
adapted
for
the
days
lessons.
Observation:
I
noticed
in
Mrs.
Wiggins
classroom,
she
had
students
four
to
a
round
table
in
her
class.
When
she
was
giving
instructions
while
students
were
at
their
tables,
some
students
would
have
their
backs
to
her
(based
on
the
seating
arrangement)
and
ironically
these
tended
to
be
the
children
that
showed
the
most
behavioral
difficulties.
I
wonder
how
much
of
this
could
have
been
avoided
by
moving
their
seating
to
that
they
could
better
attend
to
directions.
Entry
#14
Technique
#12
The
Hook:
Description:
This
strategy
refers
to
the
idea
that
each
lesson
should
begin
with
an
engaging
hook
to
capture
students
attention
at
the
beginning
of
the
lesson.
It
should
be
short,
engaging,
and
motivating
for
the
student
to
want
to
learn
more
about
the
lesson
content.
This
can
be
in
the
form
of
a
short
video,
a
prop,
a
challenge,
etc.
Implementation:
One
of
the
best
hooks
I
have
used
for
one
of
my
lessons
was
the
mystery
bag.
I
was
teaching
ar
and
or
vowel
patterns
and
brought
in
a
bag
full
of
items
with
these
vowel
patterns
in
their
names.
I
had
my
small
group
of
students
take
turns
pulling
items
out
of
the
bag
then
stating
their
names.
Then,
I
would
ask
the
student
to
repeat
the
names
of
all
the
items
that
had
been
pulled
out
and
tell
me
if
there
were
any
similarities
in
how
these
words
sounded.
After
a
few
items,
they
were
so
excited
to
realize
that
some
of
the
words
had
an
ar
sound
and
others
had
an
or
sound.
They
stayed
engaged
the
rest
of
the
lesson
which
taught
me
the
power
of
a
good
hook!
Technique
#14
Board=Paper:
Description:
For
this
technique
the
teacher
should
set
the
expectation
that
in
her
classroom,
if
she
writes
it
on
the
board,
so
should
students.
I
think
this
is
especially
important
when
teaching
content.
It
is
effective
for
the
teacher
to
make
her
display
and
the
students
worksheet
or
notes
the
exact
same
and
then
as
the
teacher
fills
in
blanks
so
do
the
students.
Implementation:
I
structured
my
note-taking
guide
for
my
Social
Studies
unit
this
way.
My
PowerPoint
mirrors
my
note-taking
guide
for
students.
I
have
words
underlined
that
the
students
will
fill
in
on
their
note-taking
guide,
thus
helping
them
see
what
is
most
important
in
the
lesson.
Entry
#15