Classroom Management!

Self-Reflection and Self -Regulation

One of the biggest struggles for my class this year has been noise. My students love to talk, call out, yell to friends across the classroom, or even just talk to themselves. Some of the talking is genial and some is even on topic, yet other talking is to make fun of other students or say nasty things. It disrupts the momentum of lessons if I am trying to teach and interrupts the concentration of students who are are trying to finish their work. When students yell out to be mean to each other, a whole new array of issues arise. My students lack self-regulatory skills and the constant noise gets everyone off task. 

We have tried: noise levels, noise cards, blurt cards, color chart, and rewards for students who are on task. 

Some days are pretty good, others not so much. 

One "app" that seems like it can be useful is actually a website, not an app. Bouncyballs.org shows spherical visuals such as emojis, bubbles, or bouncy balls on the screen. There are apps for the iPad that do similar things however I like that I do not need to worry about projecting the iPad. Its already ready to be put on the SMART board. Although the website is free, it requires that I buy a microphone for my classroom. 

When the class is quiet, the balls are still. The louder the students are, the more the balls bounce. The sensitivity can be adjusted to allow for a higher tolerance for noise if the class is allowed to be talking at low volumes. The tolerance can be set lower if they aren't allowed to talk at all. 

This seems especially relevant today. My class was so loud that they did not hear the announcement that the school was supposed to be in lock down mode and another teacher had to come in the classroom to tell them to be quiet and hide. Luckily it was just a drill and not an actual emergency but it brings to mind the danger that is present when the noise level gets out of control.

The website can be set to give a auditory alert when the class is passing the allowed noise level. The biggest issue I anticipate with this website is that students might enjoy seeing the balls bounce so they would definitely need some other type of motivation. For example, if we can get through our work without a noise alert, we could go out to recess 5 minutes early. This would be in addition to other classroom routines such as noise letters (I flip a card when the class is too loud or is ignoring me. First card is a warning but each other card has a unique consequence like 5 minutes of heads down to calm down or extra homework). What I like about this website is it allows students who have a difficult time regulating their volume to have a visual representation of how loud is too loud. 

Attention Grabbing

Another really cool use of a different type of technology is this teacher's  idea of using a cheap wireless doorbell to gain student's attention. This allows students to have the freedom to talk (perhaps maintaining safe voice levels aided by Bouncy Balls) but has a fun, calm, and easy way to regain attention. I have used a bell but I always manage to lose it and it lose even more momentum when I have to hunt for it. The wireless doorbell can be clipped to my ID badge like the blog shows. I would have to keep extra batteries on hand though because I would worry that the doorbell battery would die just in the moment I needed it the most... although I suppose that even if it did, I could still bust out my bell or other stone age methods such as using words or clapping to gain their attention. 

Random Selection

Some of the noise in the class begins when students throw temper tantrums that they were not selected for a task or called on to answer a question. A free Apple app called "Popsicle Sticks: Teacher Picks" can help take care of that. At the risk of sounding disorganized, I have to admit that despite the fact that I have name sticks in my classroom and use them all of the time, I know that some of the sticks were lost... or at least temporarily separated from the stick cup. While the app does something simple that could be done without technology, it does also have other features that could be helpful. For example, it has a "random list" feature that can help fairly determine an order for turns for something (such as whose turn it is on the computer or whose turn it is to sit in a special seat). It also has the feature of creating random groups and allows you to swap students if you need to strategically separate people (like separating a bully from the kids he picks on) and allows you to rate the groups however you like (I'm thinking either based on behavior or work quality).

Another option for random selection is an app called "Decide Now!" which costs money but is a spinning wheel and highly customization. 

It is not marketed as a teacher app but it works similarly to the popsicle stick app with its random selection capabilities. It does not have the other features but it is more engaging in that when the wheel spins it makes a clicking noise like in Wheel of Fortune so there is dramatic build. Since it is so easy to customize, I could also have other wheels for recess activities so when a student says they do not know what to play, I can spin the wheel to help them decide. 

Since this app costs money, I would "Popsicle Sticks: Teacher Picks" first to see if I like the additional features and the method of random selection or if I might like the wheel better. Since I have trouble deciding on ANYTHING in life, I would definitely get good use out of the paid app. 

Waiting...Patiently Waiting....

Students like to yell our when they want help and my attention gets split between helping students work and quieting down the others. When I first saw this deli style classroom management tool I thought it was an app but it turns out its a pairing of SMART boards with low tech help. I can easily make this myself instead of buying the printable document but it seems that all you need is a PowerPoint presentation that counts up and cards with numbers. I would put the cards in pocket charts to easier keep them in order. When a student needs help they take a card. Instead of having students hold up their card like in the picture, I would either have them leave it on their desk in a visible place or put it on the color chart by their name so the cards are all in one spot. I can then make my way around the classroom helping people in the order that they needed help. This prevents loud kids from "cutting the line" by yelling and causing disruption.