blog : September 2014

10 Low Prep Ideas for Starting the Year Out Right

9/02/2014

snacks int he back This is a guest post by Richard Cash

Below are 10 low prep ideas for starting your school year off right. Each idea is meant to assist you in creating a learning environment that respects all learners while fostering engagement and self-regulation.

1) Arrange your classroom space based on the types of learners you will encounter. Independent learners need quite spaces to work alone. Interdependent learners need spaces where they can collaborate with others. All students need movement through the day (see idea 2), so ensure your room offers easy flow of movement in and out of group work, and in and out of the classroom.

2) Plan for the attention span of your learners (10:2/20:2). Keep instruction, specifically didactic (singular in mode of transmission—such as lecture) to a maximum of 10 minutes (20 minutes for more advance secondary students), then give learners up to 2 minutes of processing the information in a different modality (such as telling a partner what was just said) or stretching (stand, stretch and sit). No matter the age of your students; no one should be sedentary for more than 10 minutes. It is all about the activeness of learning.

3) Make your learning space visually appealing. Too much “stuff “on the walls can be distracting to your highly visual learners; where as too little visual appeal can lead to a lack of ownership of the space. You need to hit the “Goldilocks Principle” where the visuals must be “just right.” Be sure to allow for space in the room where students can post their work efforts, share information with others or post timelines/conceptual maps and so forth. Also consider the amount of natural light available – don’t cover your windows with artwork or other obstructions. Boys, in general, learn best when they have access to natural light. If you don’t have natural light coming into the room, bring in softer lighting (such as lamps) or place filters or jells in the overhead light fixtures.

4) Designate spaces in your room for extensions or interest-based learning to happen. This can be as simple as a magazine file box devoted to a monthly “Center of Interest,” which can be constructed by students or the teacher, or a computer that has file folders of websites, articles and/or activities students can do based on their interests. Ask your students what topics they would be interested in interacting with, or plan for each month to be a different interest area, such as the arts/sports/famous women/jobs few know about/future thinkers and so forth. This can be a place students visit when they proclaim, “I’m done!” or when they have time outside of the instructional phase to investigate new ideas.

5) Organize the classroom space. Prepare for all the items students will not bring with them to class. Have clarity for them as to where to find:
· a pencil/pen, paper, construction supplies (tape, markers, poster paper, etc.)
· tissue, Band-Aids
· hall/bathroom pass
· missed homework or assignments
· the homework/assignment “in box” & “out box”
The more organized your space is the less disruptions you will have throughout the lesson periods. Having organization can also be very effective when working with your students who have ADHD, ADD, ASD, EBD, and LD exceptionalities. engagement and self-regulation.

6) Create a classroom community of scholars. Use at least the first day or first class session to develop a community of scholars. Do icebreaker games to help students get to know each other and learn how each learner is different in a unique and interesting way. Value each person as an asset. All students should feel a sense of personal strength and importance in your classroom— no matter if the student is the best at magic, playing the most recent video game or at math. Every child must feel that they can contribute to the community of scholars in some way every day.

7) Set norms of classroom behaviors early and keep them posted. To assist your students in building a compassionate and empathic learning environment, create classroom “norms” rather than rules. Rules may appear to be inflexible and judgmental. Norms are expectations of behaviors, such as “All scholars are valued for what they contribute to the community” or “All scholars are encouraged to take risks without fear of repercussions.” Discuss the norms, show examples of the norms in practice (role playing is a great way to do this) and review them on a frequent basis.

8) Allow for individual space. Many students will crave their own space in the classroom. This is natural human behavior to claim territory or want to find a place they can call their own. In an elementary classroom, it could be their desk or cubby where they keep their materials. In a secondary classroom, it may be their chosen seat during the period, or a shelf or file/basket that is their “owned” space. This space should be respected by others in the room and from period to period. If in your elementary classroom you have students moving in and out using other students’ desks, make sure to inform the visiting students that the desk they are using during the period is “owned” by another student and that they must respect that student’s space by not entering the space without permission, taking materials out or in any way marking the space. In the secondary classroom, let students know that they are “renting” the seat/desk during that period and that others will also be renting that space. Treating the space with respect during the rental period will be essential in communicating respect to others.

9) Consider students’ senses in the classroom environment. Some students come to your room with heightened sensual sensitivities. These heightened sensitivities can come most often in the form of touch, smell, hearing or sights. Being aware that some students struggle with environmental sensitivities will be critical as you arrange, clean and inhabit the classroom. For the touch sensitive students provide them soft places to sit or relax. For smell sensitive students, avoid over perfuming yourself, using air fresheners, or having live flowers in the room. For hearing sensitive students ensure voices or speaker volumes are kept to a reasonable level or bells or other alerts are softened. Students who are sensitive to sight may need “cooler” lighting (avoid very bright lights) or more natural lighting (see #3).

10) Show your human side. Put up pictures in your room of you along with family members, your dog/cat/hamster/goldfish or potbelly pig. Let kids know you have a life outside of the classroom. Also, display pictures of the challenges and/or accomplishments you’ve experienced. Sharing pictures of your graduation, wedding, rock climbing, bungee jumping or playing the banjo can have a significant effect on your students’ desire to try something new or take academic risks.













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