Guys…. Meeting!
We often get requests for help with class management.
One of the recurring problems is being able to channel the exuberant energy of some pupils.
Do you know those moments when, as you explain, you are repeatedly interrupted by the requests of your students?
Endless questions can ask about the activity you are proposing in anticipation of any attempt at explanation or they can be simple requests for attention, such as: ”Teacher, they did so to me! My pen fell! Teacher, can I go and temper the pencil? Teacher, I forgot the notebook! Can I go to the bathroom?
Today’s advice is precisely to help you manage and channel the liveliness of your pupils.
In these years of experience we have put in place a nice strategy, easy to use and very effective that we want to share with you!
If you are in one of the situations described above, in which you are overwhelmed by the continuous intervention and talk about children, draw their attention with this phrase:
Guys…. Meeting!
Lower yourself, sit at their level, for example, in the chair, positioning yourself in front of the chair, bring the class group closer together. Speak to them in a firm and regular low tone and, just like a business meeting, explain what will happen in the following hours and what are the roles and tasks of each member of the group.
Here is a lineup that you can follow to prepare and hold your meeting with hypotheses as an example.
- Agenda: in the next two hours we will talk about the water cycle
- Goal of the day: At the end of this activity you will learn how rain is formed.
Roles: I explain / you as I speak you have to think about two/three questions to ask me. You can keep them in mind or write them on a sheet.
Game rules: (choose 3 at your discretion based on the activity and issues to be managed and put in positive)
-You can only go to the bathroom after I have answered your questions
-The questions are asked at the end and for a maximum of three each
-It is necessary to listen carefully and avoid getting up from the benches.
Feedback : by task you will have to turn what I say into a drawing. So be careful!
Sharing of intent: all clear? So I won’t hear my name call until the explanation is complete? Are you ready to learn?
Even if they seem to you basic rules that children should already know and apply, we advise you to reflect on the fact that even if they know them they are not told that they can apply them constantly. The meeting strategy thus helps to focus attention on a few clear inputs circumscribed in a time established with a beginning and an end.
During the activity your task will be to remember the rules established in the meeting every time the attempt to break them appears. The firmer you are about what you have established, the more credibility you will gain.
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