You need to recognize and use their pressure points.
"If you do your assignment on time, I'll wear pants tomorrow."
Rant VII: Now With 25% Less Drama
- Thread starter North_Ranger
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"If you do your assignment on time, I'll wear pants tomorrow."
I think NR's problem is that high school students behave differently than elementary ones. You can't expect to use the same teaching strategies on sophomores and sixth graders.
Of course not. In elementary school you'd say, "If you all do your homework, then I won't wear pants" because they'd see it as a punishment for the teacher, whereas the highschool students would see it as a punishment on them.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Don't. Push. It.
Added at: 22:51
And if you think I do you are off your rocker. Of course I use different methods in teaching different grades, that's just basic common sense. What I ranted about was the apparent inability to follow instructions which were repeated several times in both writing and in discussion.
And before you start it, self-criticism is part of my work. I've taken a look what I did, I've thought what I could have done differently, I've considered how to amend my strategies in the future. But at some point, you have to trust that the students will do the work they are supposed to do. After all, we are talking about people who are on the cusp of adulthood here.
I still abide by the philosophy that there is no such thing as a bad student.
Just because you repeat something 100 times doesn't mean the person will still understand it.
And don't get so personal. I was in no way implying that you're a bad teacher. I'm simply stating that 2/3 of your class screwing up an assignment might mean you should look into your methods more in depth. Are you sure your assessments of student understanding are giving you appropriate feedback? Throw some after class quizzes at them that target following directions, see what you get. Maybe some of you students have reading issues.
Just because you repeat something 100 times doesn't mean the person will still understand it.
And don't get so personal. I was in no way implying that you're a bad teacher. I'm simply stating that 2/3 of your class screwing up an assignment might mean you should look into your methods more in depth. Are you sure your assessments of student understanding are giving you appropriate feedback? Throw some after class quizzes at them that target following directions, see what you get. Maybe some of you students have reading issues.
J
Jiarn
North_Ranger
Staff member
On the bad student issue: if you are talking about motivation and the desire to learn, yes, that is where our opinions align. I've always considered my task to be not so much as to teach English, but teach the desire to learn English, to motivate my students to learn and read on their own, for their own enjoyment.
But the question here isn't about motivation, is about giving them an assignment and explaining how it is done. I asked them if they understood the directions, I tried to harbour an atmosphere where they could always raise their hand and ask if they did not understand. Now, if the student still doesn't understand the directions after being told them repeatedly and encouraged to ask if unsure, what else can one do? Telepathy not being an option, of course.
Also, nice touch with the Miyagi quote. Really classy to just imply I don't know how to do my job.
But the question here isn't about motivation, is about giving them an assignment and explaining how it is done. I asked them if they understood the directions, I tried to harbour an atmosphere where they could always raise their hand and ask if they did not understand. Now, if the student still doesn't understand the directions after being told them repeatedly and encouraged to ask if unsure, what else can one do? Telepathy not being an option, of course.
Also, nice touch with the Miyagi quote. Really classy to just imply I don't know how to do my job.
Here you go:
Tomlinson, C., How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (Paperback) (Second Edition)
Hiler and Paul, The Miniature Guide on Active and Cooperative Learning, ISBN: 0-944583- 13-X
Paul and Elder, Critical and Creative Thinking - 1st Edition, ISBN: 0-944583-26-1
and to a lesser extent this might help too
McEwan Landau, Barbara (2004). The Art of Classroom Management (2nd Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-099077-9 (paperback)
North_Ranger
Staff member
Okay, nice picks of relevant literature.
I'm still waiting for you to clarify why you think that damn Karate Kid quote was appropriate.
I'm still waiting for you to clarify why you think that damn Karate Kid quote was appropriate.
Because there are no bad students, only teachers that don't know how to make them understand. It's a very good quote, and I use it on myself quite often when I feel frustrated at my own students.
A lot of the time there are underlying problems behind poor student behavior. A couple of diagnostic assessments might help to uncover some of them. Now, I'll be the first to admit, that some kids aren't as bright as other, but 2/3 of your class f-in up an assignment should be a warning light going off that maybe you're doing something that's not getting the message through to them.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Fair enough. Though I do wish you had clarified that earlier. By itself it has a bit of an "FU" aftertaste to it...
Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come across like that.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Apology accepted. I've just been putting out brush fires all day (i.e. contacting the people who didn't finish the assignment and telling them what they should do), so I'm a bit cranky about the whole thing.
I have a few friends who teach high school and they often tell me that the best way to keep teenagers in line is to make sure that you keep contact with the students' parents via a weekly or monthly email update, website, or even phone call. You'd be amazed how often teenagers get their asses in gear once their parents know exactly what assignments are due and when.
C
Chibibar
Ah. the old "I'm gonna tell yo mama!" still works huh?
Well, this way they can't lie to their parents about "the teacher never told us until yesterday"...
C
Chibibar
Heh. I still can't believe they use that excuse. I got my bachelor and never once my teachers "give the assignment yesterday"
And that was before the Internet!
M
makare
My sister had court today. She got ten years. They dropped it down to 2 years probation. She got this great deal that if she stays clean for two years they will erase the felony from her record. I have a hard time believing she will be able to do it even with the required rehab/halfway house.
Ten fucking years. I just.... I give up.
Ten fucking years. I just.... I give up.
Wow, that's huge.
I hope she can wake up in time to take advantage of her last chance. I had a heroin addict friend that finally got his act together after that same ultimatum. So it can be done.
In another 20 years, it will get to be an achievement again...
Then in another 20 years, sleeping through the night with out getting up to pee will be an achievement.
Then in another 20 years, sleeping through the night with out getting up to pee will be an achievement.
North_Ranger
Staff member
"Faster than a speeding slug! More powerful than a meat grinder! Able to jump tall perimeters in one leap. It's... SUPERZOMBIE!!"
I am now going to be more careful opening used jars of spaghetti sauce. It turns out that the old spaghettis sauce left on the jar under the cap dries out and forms sharp, hard splinters of sauce, which cleanly sliced into my index finger as I twisted the cap.
It wasn't terribly deep, just enough to start bleeding, but not form fast drops. Quite a long cut, though. I had never considers that dried food could form a sharp edge...
It wasn't terribly deep, just enough to start bleeding, but not form fast drops. Quite a long cut, though. I had never considers that dried food could form a sharp edge...
The Borders store at my local mall is closing!! T^T Borders is also home to Seattle's Best Coffee where I get beans every Friday (Bean Friday = bag of beans + free latte!). Now I have to get my coffee at one of the 3 (that's right, 3!) Starbucks in the mall. /cry
Sad to say, but I'm not sure that they're gonna survive the reorganization. They are so far behind the curve on so many things that it's sad. Have a couple of friends that lost their jobs because of the first wave of closings and there is no longer a brick-n-mortar bookstore in our town. Just hoping my friends get to get their severance pay.
Super bummed about the fact that I will have to pay more for coffee soon too... Borders always has those 30-40% coupons and I liked getting discount coffee.
W
Wasabi Poptart
Motherfucker with the Harley living behind me...I am going to break your kneecaps if you wake up my child one more time with your idiotic engine revving and driving around our block 50 times. I would threaten to remove your balls instead, but I think your wife probably has them in a jar of formaldehyde on the nightstand which is why you can only drive around the block instead of actually going on the road or out on the highway with your pretty Dynaglide. Riding in a big circle does not make you cool or a biker. Keep waking up my kid and you're going to need a Jazzy scooter instead.
We have one of those 3 houses down. Going for 2am rides every Friday and Saturday night.
The company I work for just announced some lay offs. I wasn't one of them, which is good I guess. We are a small company though, so you know everyone, and it's tough to see your friends lose their jobs. Hopefully there won't be any more, but I'm thinking I must be cursed. The last company I worked at went through a few rounds of lay offs too. After I quit and went to my current job they started hiring people back again. Now this...
So I'm reading the politicsforum.org and there's a story about a man who claimed to be possessed that ate a baby. Live. In front of people. There was a link to a picture. I thought about not clicking.
I clicked.
HOLY.
FUCKING.
SHIT.
What is seen can not be unseen. Dead lord...I wish I hadn't seen that.
I clicked.
HOLY.
FUCKING.
SHIT.
What is seen can not be unseen. Dead lord...I wish I hadn't seen that.
I am becoming frustrated to the point of tears with my weight loss issues.
For the past while I've had a mostly vegetarian diet, eating meat only once a week. I have been going to the gym 5 days a week and doing cardio and weightlifting.
I have gained 5 pounds.
I know what you're thinking. 'You're building muscle! Muscle weighs more then fat!" Except that doesn't seem t be the case. I used to be able to fit in size 20 jeans but now size 22 are becoming to tight for me. My large shirts look unflattering. I look terrible, like I have just eaten a whale.
I went to my doctor and told her how hard I've been trying. She had the same look on her face that friends and family have when I tell them the troubles I'm having. "She's lying. She's not trying hard enough." I fewlt angry upon seeing that look. She asked how much cardio I do. I told that I can barely do 20 minutes with out getting physically ill. She otld me thtat if I was REALLY doing cardio five days a week for the past month or so that there should be a vast improvement in how much I do.
I really can't do more then that though. It's like I just get worst every time I try. At the end my lungs feel like their ready to explode.
She told me to just do 10 minutes at a time, with weights in between. I didn't have the heart to tell her that was what I was doing at first...with no differnce.
I think I'm doomed to be this large forever...and its enough to make me feel worthless.
For the past while I've had a mostly vegetarian diet, eating meat only once a week. I have been going to the gym 5 days a week and doing cardio and weightlifting.
I have gained 5 pounds.
I know what you're thinking. 'You're building muscle! Muscle weighs more then fat!" Except that doesn't seem t be the case. I used to be able to fit in size 20 jeans but now size 22 are becoming to tight for me. My large shirts look unflattering. I look terrible, like I have just eaten a whale.
I went to my doctor and told her how hard I've been trying. She had the same look on her face that friends and family have when I tell them the troubles I'm having. "She's lying. She's not trying hard enough." I fewlt angry upon seeing that look. She asked how much cardio I do. I told that I can barely do 20 minutes with out getting physically ill. She otld me thtat if I was REALLY doing cardio five days a week for the past month or so that there should be a vast improvement in how much I do.
I really can't do more then that though. It's like I just get worst every time I try. At the end my lungs feel like their ready to explode.
She told me to just do 10 minutes at a time, with weights in between. I didn't have the heart to tell her that was what I was doing at first...with no differnce.
I think I'm doomed to be this large forever...and its enough to make me feel worthless.
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