People who like to micromanage sometimes think that the Interpersonal Skill grade at 65% is too much, but it’s the most accurate grade we have. We are experts in assessing observable non-verbal behaviors and people who don’t teach a language aren’t. We see things they can’t see in kids’ eyes. If a kid isn’t able to shift (this is rare) the way they think a language class oughta be, we have to teach them and constantly redirect them with command of the classroom while we are teaching and honest use of the jGR (or whatever interpersonal skill rubric you are using) while we are assessing.
There are many ways to do this, all positive. We can ask for little rounds of applause for kids who listen well, just stopping class when we see the kids honoring the Classroom Rules and saying “Appaudissez, classe! Arnold is listening so well right now and I wanted to stop class just to say that, because that means that he paid attention in the first week when I stopped you guys all those times and pointed at rule #2, right? And you thought this class was weird bc you didn’t have to memorize stuff, and just give me your full attention and follow those rules over there and Arnold is doing that right now so congratulations Arnold you’re doing it right and it will show up as 65% of your grade at the next marking term so keep doing it! It’s how people learn languages! In fact, I’m going to my desk write now to write myself a note to send your parents after class an email to tell them how well you pay attention in class! It’s not easy to do this if you’ve never had a class like this before. Everybody needs to know that you think you are looking at me but I am looking at you too and you are being graded right now when I am talking in French! We’ve looked at the rubric together already so where would you put yourself on this rubric right now? We don’t memorize in this class and we don’t have big tests. And any big tests we have, we just do what we do on that Star every day. And Arnold I have noticed that you are really listening and trying to understand and that is done silently, right? And that silence and focus is the sound of your grade going up! Oh and don’t just start staring at me, because I can tell if you are trying to understand me in class, it’s a different look in your eyes and plus when you fail the quizzes (ed. note: formative grades in the first month of the year are only quick quizzes, which are essential to give, if you can, daily, along w rating them on the rubric every day to break in ALL the students in your classroom. The other formative grades like free writes, FCR, dictees, start populating the grade book later.) I’ll know that I was right about how much you were understanding. The quizzes and the interpersonal skills rubric work together, as you can see. Don’t worry! It’s my job to make myself understood and I will do that I promise (ed. note: via WBYT). And since I am grading you daily here at the beginning of the year, you better know that if I see a cell phone out, I won’t say anything but I will go over at the end of the class and write down a 0 on your daily IPS grade and those add up! So, if you see me making notes on my desk during class it’s either to remind myself to call a parent about good IPR skills or the phone problem. Yes, I do call parents during class. So, there are about four people right now who are failing the class due to phones but I don’t talk about it. We’ll talk later when the first grades come out. I know it’s weird being graded like this, on how you listen in class instead of on memorizing something for a test, but that’s how I’m supposed to do it, so we’ll see if any grades go up now. Let me show you what I mean. (Walk over to an empty desk and model the behavior physically that you want to see.) Congratulate Arnold again and get back into class. Of course you wouldn’t say all of those things, just one or two each time you stop to congratulate the kid and ask for a round of applause on their behalf. Once we realize that the best way to improve their behavior is not by “managing” their behavior at all, but by complimenting them, we will have the kind of classroom environment we want.
To review the above:
…little rounds of applause….
…stopping class when we see the kids honoring the Classroom Rules….
…spot emails to parents ….
…you think you are looking at me but I am looking at you too….
…you are being graded right now ….
…the silence when I am speaking is the sound of your grade going up….
…it’s my job to make myself understood and I will do that….
…the quizzes and the interpersonal skills rubric work together….
…phone out in class? – I won’t say anything but at it’s a 0 on your daily IPS grade….
…if you see me making notes on my desk during class it’s to remind myself to call a parent about good IPR skills or the phone problem. Yes, I do call parents during class….