The key to developing a classroom culture that is truly focused on learning begins with the old saying, “pick your battles.” Here are a few questions teachers may ask themselves when attempting to “Focus on Learning” and some possible answers for each.
How do I get students to focus on learning not focus on “doing stuff”?
Don’t be shy about this “learning” thing…say it every day, make them say it back to you, “Focus on Learning!” till they roll their eyes and groan! Make sure students know the purpose is to LEARN STUFF not just DO STUFF. Clearly tell kids “We’re focused on learning, I don’t care how you learn it or how you prove to me that you’ve learned it, but you ARE going to learn it!” Stop giving grades for every little assignment, especially ones that don’t reflect learning. Only things like tests, oral defense or other projects that truly reflect knowledge are included in the gradebook. All other assignments are to help students prepare (ie, LEARN) for these exams.
Won’t the students stop doing assignments if they aren’t for a grade?
Maybe at first, but most don’t “do assignments” for the grade anyway, they do it to avoid getting in trouble for bad grades. Once they realize that the purpose of daily work is to prepare them for tests or other assessments, they’ll actually work harder at it, especially if it’s an assignment they can take pride in or feel like is improving their knowledge on a subject. Make sure you “unwrap” the objective with the student’s as well, so they know what exactly they’re trying to accomplish. Don’t make them play a game without a scoreboard.
What about late work?
Never deny students an opportunity to show you how much they’ve learned! If you’re using your gradebook to punish students, you’re not only distorting what you really know about their achievement (O’Connor) but it’s probably not working anyway. Remember, the real world ABSOLOUTELY allows “do-overs”. Report on things like responsibility (or a lack thereof) separately. You can teach timeliness without including it in your content grade. In the “real world” when we procrastinate problems rarely go away, they just stock pile. This is why time management is important in the first place. Teach this by helping kids work through the stockpile, not making the stockpile of late work disappear and punishing their grade in the process.
What if student’s are unprepared for class
Supplies such as pencils, paper and textbooks aren’t a luxury in the educational process, they’re a necessity. Every student deserves something to write with, something to write on and a source of information. Don’t let “excuse behaviors” like forgotten pencils and textbooks in lockers derail your plans of focusing on learning! Remember, the areas of the brain responsible for responsibility and decision making don’t fully develop until the late teens to early twenties! (Kathie Nunley) Fighting this battle will lead to everybody losing. Don’t let pencils prevent student learning, find a way to provide them and feel good about it.
What if student behavior is disrupting learning?
First, reflect on how you gave instructions for what the student was supposed to be doing. Procedures and attention signals aren’t just for elementary teachers, teachers at all levels need to be prepared to teach basic procedures and expectations for regular activities. Newer activities should always begin with pre-teaching of “How” and “Why” and activity is taking place, as well as behavioral expectations.
Next, ask yourself “Why?” Do they not have the skills to do the work? Are they seeking attention? Or is the assignment choice simply not quality enough to engage the students? Have you considered maybe the assignment isn’t very interesting? Certainly required work in the “real world” may not always be fun but in the “real world” learning is usually initiated by the learner, not an outside force. Consider granting students a choice in their assignments. By offering students a choice in assignments from a given list you’re giving students the illusion of control and allowing them to feel empowered where before they felt trapped. This is one of the essential elements of Kathie Nunley’s Layered Curriculum which you can find more information on at www.help4teachers.com. When allowing choices to students, remember “doing nothing” is not an option. If that still doesn’t work, you’ll have to consider whatever you or your school’s next step is regarding PLC Question #3 “What do we do when student’s don’t ‘get it’ the first time?”