My new updated classroom rules, updated from December. They have changed a lot since the non-targeted issue that began in Jan. of 2016. As per points made last fall by Krista Kovalchick on iFLT, I removed the one about suggesting cute answers. Now, as per Tina’s suggestion of today, I agree that I have to eliminate Rule #3 as well – the one about sitting up, squared shoulders and clear eyes. Why? For one thing, it turns kids who may be suffering – and who among them is not? – into liars. But also all it did was put what we couldn’t do because we were so boring with our circling and massed reps that we put that request on the kids. Our classes need to be sufficiently interesting that they naturally want to pay attention and we cannot force same. As Tina puts it: “If our talk in class is compelling enough, then that rule about sit up and square shoulders is not needed. With that rule, we are asking the KIDS to take on our burden. And we are asking them to do that because we have too much on our plates. Too much on our minds. Our minds were weighted down with target language. With the pressure to get more clicks on the baseball counter. We have now jettisoned things from our hot air balloons – targets and with them all their accessories (massed reps, circling, word lists, etc.), and that can take us on the fast road, the high road, to compelling.”
New Classroom Rules – updated Feb. 2017
1. Listen with the intent to understand.
2. One person speaks and the others listen.
3. Support the flow of language.
4. If the teacher is not clear, tell him/her.
5. Do your 50%.
6. Actors – synchronize your actions with my words.
7. Nothing on desks unless told otherwise.
[#3 credit: Alisa Shapiro]
[#5 credit: John Piazza]