Why We're Not on Task

I just finished typing up all the notes I've taken documenting student behavior since the beginning of the year.  What's interesting is during the process, I started to feel like a big tattletale who was being very redundant.  The behaviors I'm specifically thinking of are things like, "talking while I'm teaching," and "off task during writing/reading/math time".  Things like that make me feel like a whiny teacher because kids do that all the time in every classroom.  Even I was one of those kids who talked too much and passed notes during class.  But there's a vast difference between the kind of student I was and the kind of students I teach: I still got my work done and understood most of the material.  With my students, they'll talk and play around but won't get the work done and don't understand the material.  This is what underlies my frustration with their behavior.

I've been trying to force myself to lay off a bit and let the kids be kids, understanding that it's hard for them to sit still and be quiet multiple times during the day.  But I really struggle with a child who doesn't pay attention during the lesson and as soon as it's over will come to me saying, "what are we supposed to do right now?" so then I have to re-explain what I just said during the time that I'm supposed to be conferencing with students or pulling a small group.  I haven't started a single small group during reading or writing yet this year! 

Now, I don't want you to think I am this ogre of a teacher who has no heart and doesn't try to see things from my students' point of view, because I'm not.  I was told by an instructional coach to "be curious about them" because there is always a reason why they aren't paying attention or why they aren't on task.  So the other day we had a class discussion where I asked them why they talk while I'm teaching and why they aren't doing their work.  These are the responses I got:

-kids just want to do what they want to do and not what others tell them to do
-distracted easily
-spoiled and can do what they want at home
-bored and zoning out
-I don't move their color enough (meaning I don't dish out enough consequences/give too many chances)
-don't know what to do because they weren't paying attention
-going to bed too late
-think school is time to play
-I'm talking too much during the lesson
-don't know how to ignore others
-can't help themselves
-people talk about them and they get mad
-don't like learning
-lazy at home
-hyper and have ADHD
-like to play a lot instead of learning
-feel special for getting prizes & teacher likes them more (I think they meant some of the same kids get more prizes than others)
-think it's play time
-didn't have fun during the lesson so not interested in doing the work
-think they're too cool
-asking for books & pencils is distracting
-kids can't have conversations but grown ups can - not fair

I realized that there were some things I couldn't control, but some things I could.  I was especially interested in hearing more about the being bored part, so I asked them for ideas on how I could make the lessons more fun and this is what they said:

-ask questions (I do ask them lots of questions, so I'm not sure why this was suggested)
-give us a break
-give out a treat for good behavior
-calm down from recess
-more action in lesson
-play games
-say something like, "hello kids, are you ready to write?"
-act and use expression
-give stickers for being good during the lessons

This list was much shorter but there were some good ideas.  I tried using more expression and action this week, and will continue to work in that area.  I wouldn't mind giving out stickers for good behavior during the lesson, but it's hard to concentrate on that while I'm teaching at the same time, especially when I can't catch every single student who is behaving well.  I may see a few but someone always says, "but I was being good too!" so then I'm stuck.  Ideally, I would like to believe every student who told me that but the reality is that I have quite a few liars and sneaky children in my classroom (just being honest).  As for playing games, I'm a bit stuck there too.  We play games during math centers but not during reading and writing.  That's basically because the Balanced Literacy model isn't designed for playing games, so I'm not quite sure what playing games during those subjects could look like.  The only time we will have centers then is during Word Study, but we haven't started word study yet.  Are any of you skilled in Balanced Literacy and have incorporated games into the workshops?

I've also been observing things on my own and have come to the conclusion that some of my students just don't learn well in a whole group setting.  They need that small group or one-on-one attention.  I also have many kids who are not on grade level (example: 12 out of my 23 third graders read below a third grade reading level).  So the struggle then becomes, how do I meet every one's needs by myself when about half of the class is not paying attention during a whole group lesson?  Do I cut out whole group entirely and just do small group lessons for everyone?  If so, how do I manage that when students are still off task, disruptive others who are trying to work, or need my help while I'm with the small group?  I've been trying to let the off task behaviors go and continue trucking through the lesson, but I am constantly bothered by the fact that I know those students didn't get it, thus they won't fully master the material, which means they won't be fully prepared for 4th grade and they'll still be reading below grade level, and the cycle continues.  I teach in Washington DC, and any of you who follow education in the nation's capitol knows that we can't afford to keep passing kids on who aren't grasping grade level concepts.  We're in a state of urgency but I feel like I can't win here. 

Right now I'm going to brainstorm the needs of each of my kids and see if I can come up with some ideas to incorporate more learning styles in the lessons and address their learning needs.  I wish I had some help though because the clock is ticking away and Monday will be here in the blink of an eye.

Starting Where Kids Are

A few months ago, I became a member of ASCD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development).  One of the benefits is to receive a publication called Educational Leadership, which is like a magazine for educators.  I recently got my first issue and I love it!!!  I'm really enjoying all the articles I've read so far, and I just finished reading one that I'd like to reflect on for a moment.

It's called "When Student's Don't Play the Game" by Jessica Towbin, and it talks about students who are disengaged with school.  Towbin's vignette centered around her experience in an urban high school classroom with students who did not want to do the work required in her class.  This hit home for me as I've come across many kids, even at the elementary level, who exhibit a similar disinterest.  Sometimes they're bored with the material, other times the concepts are too hard so they simply give up. A few of my students have also convinced themselves wholeheartedly that they are not as intelligent as the others in their class.  All of this leads up to a lack of motivation that I have been trying to tap into and change all year.

The article highlights a pedagogical philosophy that most teachers are familiar with: "start where the kids are".  I've always looked at this statement from an instructional mindset to mean starting at the level of the student's background knowledge, skills, and abilities.  This could mean that if I have a student who is in 3rd grade but reads at an early Kindergarten level (which I do), then my time spent with him will be working on building his reading level starting at beginner's phonics, while the rest of his class is entering chapter books.  It's focusing my instruction on the child's immediate needs rather than forcing him to produce work that is way beyond his current abilities.

However, the article has also given me a new idea to think about when it comes to starting where a child is: his/her interests and views about his/her own education.  I conducted interviews at the beginning of the year to get to know my students better and learn about their interests, and I also try to buy books for them to read based on what they've told me they like.  But there are still those days when getting through a lesson seems painful because they're just not into it.  This shows me that I still need to do more to motivate and engage them.

One of the things Towbin did, which I believe to be a necessity for teaching, is to tell students why the work is relevant.  Kids need to know how schoolwork matters to them in the real world.  There are times when it's easy for me to build those connections and times when I honestly have no idea why they need to learn it other than there's a standard that says I have to teach it.  Or I may have a reason for why it's important, but the student still doesn't buy in to that explanation.  Let's face it, my real world experience is very different from theirs and I need to think even deeper about why the material matters for their lives.  This is a challenge that I am choosing to give myself for this reading unit we are about to start next week.

Another thing Towbin tried was to let one of her students do a writing assignment in a way that interested her instead of how the teacher wanted her to do it.  I thought this was very interesting and now I'm wondering how I can apply the same concept into my own practice.  My position doesn't offer the flexibility needed to do big projects with my kids (another reason why I really want to be a gen ed teacher), but there are a few students that come to mind who would probably appreciate me asking if there's another way they'd like to do something. 

As we go through the rest of this year, I'd like to make more of an effort to have a dialogue with my students about the learning we are doing, why it matters, what keeps them interested or makes them not interested in it, and how can it be more engaging for them.  This way, I can really see where the students are at that given moment.  Since their level of knowledge and experience is always changing, their starting point for a given lesson will always be changing as well, and it's my job to stay aware of that. 

I encourage you to check out the article (linked above) and have a similar conversation with your students.  Keep Towbin's words in mind as you reflect on your efforts to start where your kids are:

"When I am effective, I don't meet students where they are just once at the start of the year, or even just at the start of each new unit.  I meet them where they are every day, and rarely as an entire class.  To engage these students in learning that matters to them, I need to repeatedly ask the question, 'Where are you?' and be prepared to step back and listen."