We discuss blurting out issues all the time. It’s been a major topic, like SLOW, for many years here. Do we control blurting in our classrooms?
Up until now, I have thought that the posted Classroom Rules and jGR were enough to control blurting. I have a new take on it. Those two things are necessary and huge in our classroom management battle. But they are not enough. In the classes I have been observing lately in DPS, the ones that worked were the ones in which the teacher stayed in the TL. End of story.
Yesterday I observed one of the best of the best of our young DPS rock star teachers, Maria McGovern. Maria did not allow herself or her students any use of English whatsoever. She used English once in her 80 minute 7th grade class, to clarify an instruction.
There were maybe three blurts during the entire block class of 12 and 13 year olds. Each time the rest of the class reacted strongly, by looking at the offender with disapproval and a kind of minor level of horror.
The class policing of blurting was more effective than the Classroom Rules and jGR. That is the only way we can control blurting – we can’t do it, but the class can.
HOWEVER, the class can’t be expected to enforce the no English rule on blurters unless we enforce it on ourselves. We can’t use English, y’all. We can’t. We just can’t. If we want no blurting, then we can’t blurt ourselves.
[Clarification: to me this doesn’t mean never speaking English with my kids. It means speaking no English when I am I trying to stay in the TL for however long that is as per the Ten Minute Deal. This, however, is causing me to rethink the Ten Minute Deal upwards, especially if it is a block class. In other words, if I really want to control blurting, I am going to have to stay in the TL for longer than ten minutes. Maybe a half an hour minimum. Then a brain break, then back to work with no breaking into English. I’m still thinking about this.]
As a result of seeing that tour de force class yesterday, I have re-written my classroom rules. Here is the old version:
Classroom Rules
1. Listen with the intent to understand.
2. One person speaks and the others listen.
3. Suggest cute answers, avoiding English.
4. Clarify if you don’t understand.
5. Sit up…Squared shoulders….Clear eyes.
6. Do your 50%.
7. Actors – synchronize your actions with my words.
8. Nothing on desks unless told otherwise.
Here is the new version, with rule #3 above being split into two rules:
Classroom Rules
1. Listen with the intent to understand.
2. One person speaks and the others listen.
3. Suggest cute answers.
4. No English.
5. Clarify if you don’t understand.
6. Sit up…Squared shoulders….Clear eyes.
7. Do your 50%.
8. Actors – synchronize your actions with my words.
9. Nothing on desks unless told otherwise.