Dear friends,
In order to fully enjoy a nice steaming hot cup of coffee with a good conscience, you use coasters - right? Well, here is an idea for a classroom management solving coaster that will change your life! Really. Tried and tested -)
What you want is : 24 students who come to class on time, bring their books & materials, listen attentively to you, stay on task, work dilligently and complete their assignments to the best of their abilities and with a minimum of noise and disturbance. Yes?
What you get is : two of the students are late, three have forgotten some material or other, four engage in a whispering coversation about their personal lives rather than listen to you, five complete the assignment with a minimum of effort just to get it over with and six have to be continuously reminded to stay on task while the remaining four are unable to complete their work due to the noise level and disturbances in the classroom.
So, what do you do? Well, you could spend a lot of time scolding the kids, notifying the administration and/or the parents, thinking up punishments of different kinds, making sure the student looses school points or gets a low grade, and complain to your colleagues that the admin/councellors/parents never do anything. In my experience none of that will work, at least not for long. In the end the admin and/or the parents wil start to think that you are the problem, not the kids.
I am not saying that the coffee coasters will fix everything - but they will help. What you do is this: Create (I use power point) a colorful slide with the text: "This coaster can be used to get out of trouble in Mr/Mrs ....'s English Class" (You can be more or less spesific about what sorts of trouble one can get oneself out of by using the coaster). Then print many small copies of the coaster, cut them out with a pair of scissors, sign/stamp them on the back and bring them to class. Start giving them out as rewards for the kind of behavior you want (see above) in class. Careful though - don't give out too many! You want them to be considered super-precious.
Now, every time you "catch" a student misbehaving give him/her a choice: the "normal" consequence (whatever that may be in your school/class) or giving back a coaster (which you will then dramatically tear up in front of everybody). What this will do for you is; only students who are REAL discipline problems, will ever be "sent to the admin/dealt with" because the rest will start behaving better just so they don't have to give back the coaster. They are usually so happy and proud to have "won" one that they will do almost anything not to loose it... If once in a while they have to use one, that's ok. We all slip up sometimes don't we? It's nice to be able to "forgive" transgressions like this. After all, the student must have done something right or he wouldn't have that coaster in his posession now would he?
An added bonus is that the chance to "win" a coaster will motivate your students to work like little bees in the classroom - a coaster is just soooooo much better than a piece of candy or a gold star... Believe me!
Cheers!
xoxox
CoffeAddict
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Comments
Hi!
Nice idea. Obviously you were diligent in establishing the system. What age are your students?
In the beginning of the year, to get them used to 100% English in class, even in pair work, I use monopoly type money, a lottery, and then a reward for my seventh graders. After 2 months we don't need it anymore. They've learned self discipline.
My friend in university in Dubai uses a stuffed critter that gets passed around. The last person it is at when the bell rings has to give an oral presentation in different styles, to the class the next lesson.
From observing my peer, I've found that the method a teacher uses isn't the important part; it is being consistant in establishing it from the first day of school.This takes a lot of energy, as I'm sure you know.
I have a close friend whose tried my method and said it didn't work. If it works for one person, I think it should work for another.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I often do not face any serious misbehaviours in my classes except for some unmotivated students doodling or daydreaming, probably because of teaching young learners. They're so obedient. In the beginning of the term we set the class rules together, and I let my students sign the classroom poster, and whenever one of them breaks the rule, others warn him/her not to do this. I think I'm lucky to have such students. I love my students.
Imaginative idea! "don't give out too many" is a really important point. I used to give stickers and get them back when I taught in primary school. They almost cry when they have to give them back:)) mean teacher:)
Hayriye: Where do you teach?!? Will they give me a job too? It sounds super easy, - if indeed that's all you do? My kids are 8th graders in a private Turkish school. They are a real challenge.
- The stickers and monopoly money could work too! I know a school where all the English teachers give out "dollars" and at the end of each semester organize a bazaar where items are on sale. Fun too!
:-) CoffeeAddict
Thanks for sharing. I think it is important to refresh your tactics for the classroom every now and then.
Thank you Coffee Addict for sharing your experience.
I see one difficulty in using the system you are suggesting. In order to start claiming the coasters back because of bad behaviour, you need to have given each student at least one first. I use a similar system with my 6-8 year olds. I write their names on the board at the beginning of the class and every time they speak English I write a green tick next to their name. Every time they use L1, I erase a tick. It works fine with most of them. However, there is one student who rarely gets green ticks and even when he got one, he asked me to erase it. He obviously enjoys being the worst in class in terms of behaviour. I suspect he may be abused at home and subsequently hates following any rules.
How would you handle such a student, or, in your case, one who doesn't have a single coaster yet and still misbehaves? I don't want to involve his parents or school athority, because I did once and his father threatened to beat him up at home. Moreover, I really don't think the child needs more threats as he is not evil.