A Classroom...in the fall of 2013...I wanted the BEST classroom for my students so I worked all summer to obtain pennants and posters from any post-high school institution I could find. I made my room a home away from home for myself and my students...but that wasn't enough :-(
I was pleased with the way my room looked but not how it was functioning. My morning classes were fine. I taught three classes of keyboarding and my kids were working hard and engaged...learning the finer skills of touch typing!!
It was my afternoon classes that were not working. I tried everything. I am NOT a new teacher and this was not the first time I had ever taught this class (Principles of Business, Marketing & Finance using the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship curriculum). **Side note...I couldn't believe I couldn't get the kids motivated...for Pete's sake I was the Teacher of the Year for NFTE last year! Where was it all going wrong??***
I struggled to get the kids interested and keep them interested all Fall. I read, I researched, I pleaded...but still there were several that weren't getting it. We took final exams BEFORE winter break this year (a first for us)!! I knew things had to change in January with the new semester. I took some much needed break time and came back fired up for the Spring semester.
In early January our librarian approached me about attending a four day training on Digital Fluency...sounded interesting so I signed up (2 days in Jan/2 days in Feb). Off we went and on the first day I didn't learn anything earth shattering new but what I did get was a renewed sense of how my classroom should be run!! I planned, sketched a new layout and got everything ready...
The day finally came and I told the kids we were going to try an experiment and I didn't know what would happen but we would see together.
It was my afternoon classes that were not working. I tried everything. I am NOT a new teacher and this was not the first time I had ever taught this class (Principles of Business, Marketing & Finance using the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship curriculum). **Side note...I couldn't believe I couldn't get the kids motivated...for Pete's sake I was the Teacher of the Year for NFTE last year! Where was it all going wrong??***
I struggled to get the kids interested and keep them interested all Fall. I read, I researched, I pleaded...but still there were several that weren't getting it. We took final exams BEFORE winter break this year (a first for us)!! I knew things had to change in January with the new semester. I took some much needed break time and came back fired up for the Spring semester.
In early January our librarian approached me about attending a four day training on Digital Fluency...sounded interesting so I signed up (2 days in Jan/2 days in Feb). Off we went and on the first day I didn't learn anything earth shattering new but what I did get was a renewed sense of how my classroom should be run!! I planned, sketched a new layout and got everything ready...
The day finally came and I told the kids we were going to try an experiment and I didn't know what would happen but we would see together.
- I taught them Google Docs
- I broke them up in groups
- I made students in charge of the stations (Small Group, Collaboration Station, Teach Me Something)
- I made students in charge of their own learning (with some guidance)
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| Hard at work at the Teach Me Something Center |
