Work and Study Habits: An Overview for Our Class
September 5, 2008
Hello again Parents,
At Curriculum Night, I shared with those in attendance the curriculum and our class's routines and expectations. This also included my teaching experience and philosophy.
My personal philosphy is that all students can learn. I have found that they learn best when they are able to identify their own effective and ineffective habits. Their habits dictate how much of their own unique talents and abilities will come to the surface.
Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has said, "People are to be led, things are to be managed." Ms. Hazlett and I intend to lead the fifth grade students in our care. We expect them to take on management of their materials and deadlines. In this way, we are empowering them.
Since the last blog, I am writing to clarify what each child's personal morning expectations are.
The morning routine affords each child the opportunity for clarity, consideration, and reflection each morning. Students with cluttered minds cannot "think outside the box" effectively. Innovation occurs only when a sense of certainty is present. We are teaching each child to evaluate what is working and what should change in their lives in order for success to take place.
Our Morning Routine
At 7:20, students start to arrive in our room. From 7:20 until 7:30, they may visit or chat as they unpack. Once it is 7:30, silent time begins. From 7:30 until 7:55, students should complete their morning work as listed on the "Welcome Students" poster on the dryboard.
The "Welcome Students" poster states the following:
1. Unpack, put your homework in the appropriate organizer, and move your attendance card.
2. Sharpen 3 pencils and move your lunch clip.
3. Copy tonight's homework into your agenda: (Each set of parentheses would have the day's information/assignments listed)
HW (Day of the week) Month, day, year
1. (Usually English/Language Arts)
2. (Usually Math)
4. (Usually Daily Language Review, Mountain Language, or L.A.
5. (Usually Math Review or critical thinking practice)
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is "Walk-Fit" in the gym. Students who have accomplished steps 1 and 2 on their "Welcome Students" list should open their agendas and place them on their desks. When they do this, they are setting themselves up to get back to business at 7:45 when they return from "Walk-Fit". This means they would pick up from step 3, writing their homework in their agenda for the afternoon.
On Tuesday and Thursday, "Walk-Fit" does not take place, so from 7:30 until 7:55, they should get the five steps accomplished. Keep in mind that morning work is review work. Morning work which has tasks that at first seem unfamiliar usually have skill review at their core. This will become more apparent to the student when they have read the instructions themselves (which is easy to do, since they are in silent morning mode).
Between 7:20 and 7:55, they are on their honor to make a restroom break, visit the school store, fill water bottles, (which should have been filled at home, actually...still, people occasionally forget!) and call home for forgotten items. I do not manage this behavior, and I do not intend to do so. Students have to self-advocate. If they use their time wisely, they can accomplish needs and still have time to relax and think in the morning.
We have been following these routines in my class for the past three weeks. At the end of the second week of school, we had completed modeling and reviewing the procedures and routines of the class for the school year. Because there are always new events and opportunities throughout the year, (Student Council, Safety Patrol, Wee Deliver) we will identify protocol for those as they become necessary.
Work and Study Habits of Mind
If your child begins to make excuses to you as to why they did not meet the standard on an assignment, ask them to restate for you what the standard or expectation was. If you are not sure, use critical thinking to model problem solving for them.
They have a responsibility to themselves (and to you) to explain what is meant by the standard or expectation. If they cannot explain it, you may then restate it for them and ask them to echo (repeat) you. Then they may begin identifying what is known. Using deductive reasoning, have your child make some determinations about what to do next.
Sometimes, students are overwhelmed because they are "possibility minded" rather than "probability minded". When it comes to assigned tasks, thinking in terms of possibilities is useful in creativity, but it can stall a productive mind if it is not kept in check.
Weekly Papers/Work Envelopes
If you have been used to checking the folders without your child, please shift the focus to having them bring their folder and agenda to you. They should explain what is placed where it is and why. Our system is probably different in some ways from the systems of previous grades, but the expectation of working the system remains the same.
Correspondence with me
Students have been instructed not to place late work or notes on my desk top, laptop, or chair. They are doing well with this.
If they have a note from home about transportation, it goes to the office if there is a change for that day. If they have issues with the bus, they need to go to the office and ask to talk to Dr. Stasiak or Ms. Huffman.
For other questions, conference requests, or correspondence from students or parents, I have two mailboxes which are accessible by students. One is located outside my door with the room number near it. The other mailbox is an acrylic tray on the right-hand side of my desk.
When I receive mail from my staff mailbox, I put it there also and file things as I get them. Other than the notes about transportation changes, (which I detailed earlier) this is the other place for student notes to go.
As I stated in the previous blog, post-its with personal concerns may be stuck on the right-hand desk drawer (this continues to work well). I have limited time to meet with students, and I can take care of multiple issues more effectively by reading and responding to these concerns than if I had 23 or more individual conferences.
Much of the time, the concerns I receive are given back to students to solve if they can. They are learning to be self-advocates, and this process involves thinking carefully about cause and effect (a fifth grade standard).
Our learning environment
All our students are given direct instruction and adequate time to begin and ultimately complete assignments. Deadlines are usually kept in place, though I reserve the right to move back deadlines in order to enable better performances or products from students.
When this happens, a child who exceeded the standards early on (and may have already completed their work) will be able to focus on developing skills which are important to them. This may include journaling, reading, creating art, practicing skills through games, or other self-directed activities. These students won't be given "busy work" or "extra work".
Regarding homework, students should usually devote no more than fifteen minutes per item assigned. Along with nightly reading, this means approximately one hour of homework each day. Keep in mind that this hour doesn't have to happen all at once (reading can be done prior to bed, for example).
My homeroom also usually gets "Optional Weekend Homework". My experience has taught me that the achievement gap becomes narrows when a learning option is available to a young mind. The policy is that you and your child decide whether to take the option of completing the work. If you choose not to complete it, students should still turn in any paper they got for the homework, signed, numbered and dated. There is no penalty for opting out of the "Optional Weekend Homework".
Perfectionism and "analysis paralysis" can stifle a student's learning. Instead, students need to exercise careful consideration as to the value or weight of an activity or assignment.
This is why we have reviewed Stephen Covey's Time Matrix in our classes. The Time Matrix organizes activities into four quadrants: Important/Urgent, Important/Not urgent, Urgent/Not important, and Not urgent/not important. By reflecting on her use of time, a student can learn how to accomplish required tasks and devote attention to the activities which she finds most important. She can also determine which activities use up her time and may ultimately be ineffective time wasters.
In the front pouch of your child's agenda you should find the card with her Important (quadrant II) life areas and her Not urgent/Not important (quadrant IV) areas. In reflecting on what is meaningful to her, she should begin to consider prioritizing more wisely. This is a process however, not an overnight application. Patience is required to change one's habits.
Relaxation in art, music, athletics, or other play needs to happen daily. These things make your child "who she is". If she is "held hostage" by homework and unfinished work brought home, then he needs some help identifying where the problems are occuring which keep her from balancing her responsibilities. She should first think about it and reflect on what action she can take to respond to the problem (requesting a seating change, a teacher-student conference, or further clarification are options, but, as I stated earlier, these should be addressed appropriately).
In closing: I believe in our students' abilities
Each student in Ms. Hazlett and Mr. McGill's classes came to us with a great depth of knowledge, ability, and unique talents. These are the important tools of their lives. By meeting or exceeding the standards held for them by Cobb County Georgia
Thank you for your time and support in these matters.
Sincerely,
Alex McGill
