Week+7

Who are your students?

Lecture by Tanya Fitzgerald.

Lindsay Kee I found today's lecture to be very interesting. Firstly I appreciated the lack of microphone. It is amazing how such a little thing can make such a difference to the way you listen and engagement with the speaker. I actually brought this up at home and spoke about what a difference it had made. Another thing that I brought up at home was the story about the student with poor attendance.

After asking a student what he would need to come to class everyday as an incentive, simply it changed his life. All he wanted was a school assembly in his honor and a certificate of attendance. He is now a doctor. Going from not attending school to becoming a scholar is amazing all because one teacher took the time to ask the child what he needed to help him learn. It takes 'not judging a book by its cover to a whole new level.

I think this relates to earlier lectures for me by making me think more about my actions. As a teacher im not just a human being (although I am!!) I am also a role model for all the little children in my class. I need to think of them before i say or do anything, my actions will be absorbed by them. I remember how my grade 5 teacher had a sore back and creaky knees, and how in grade 3 the boys made my teacher cry because they were rude. Things that happen in the classroom will stay with your students for life.

It will be hard but I think my first effort in the class will be to learn everyones name in the first few days then as Tanya said, have some getting to know you games.

What do you guys thinks.


 * Steve's response to Lindsay:**

I agree with you Lindsay. After the past week and a half of field work i have definately found that a more personable approach to the students is much more successful not only when trying to control a classroom, but also when pointing out who (students name) is doing the right thing. Such as sitting up nicely, paying attention etc. This kind of observational learning really has an affect on the students and as a result i have seen marked improvemnt in behaviour when the teacher will point out and praise certain students for their good behaviour.

The first few days was hard ebcuase i didnt know many of the students names, therefore i couldnt really have a duirect affect on them through pulling them up and explaining what they are doing wrong. Now that i do know there names it is much easier to control there behaviour because a simple look or acknowledgement from me recognising that they aren't behaviouring in the correct way and they rectify their behaviour immmediately. Also because im doing P.E at a primary school they are pretty keen not to sit out!! So they must behave!!!

What do you think Heidi?? Do you find it the same at after-school care? HEIDI Who are your students?__** Knowing your students/children, being familiar with their names and knowing how they interact with other students is a very powerful concept. Through having spent much time around children, especially this year with my continued work with the East Ivanhoe out of school care promgram, i have found it clearly evident that when a carer/teacher is not familiar with students, they inadvertently react to this situation. For example, children will behave in manorisms previously not portrayed, especially in the way of how they play and interact with other students, how they treat their carers/teachers even how they speak. Children seem to feel that because they dont know you and you dont know them, that they can behave more aggressively, especially if you are not familiar with their names. When i first began working at the out of school care program the students (especially the boys) would misbehave when i would be supervising their play areas, but evidently, as the months progresses and i got to know them and they got to know me, a mutual respect began to arise. Mutual respect examples ncluded children bringing me in gifts, such as cards and flowers, playing more games in which the children wanted me to be included in, even to the extent to which parents approached me complementing me on how i managed the children.
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Children are extremely receptive of those who care/teach them, they pick up when your not confident, organised, sad, silly, happy and overwhelmed and their behaviour will reflect such moods from their carers/teachers.