Before I officially started at City High I spent a few weeks shadowing the teacher who I would replace, as well as observing other classes. I remember observing the class of 2014 as sophomores in their 3rd trimester during IQT time. I emailed one of my former coworkers in Chicago saying “You will not believe what is happening here. There are 60 silent sophomores in one room, working. None of them are sleeping. Some of them are reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” It was clear there was a high expectation of behavior at City High.
However, during those short weeks, I saw a large discrepancy between how the students behaved in Spanish class versus the rest of their classes. One of the biggest struggles I faced my first year at City High was dealing with the students who tested me as a new teacher to the school. It seemed like what I had in mind for the students of the class of 2015 was significantly different than what they had experienced the year before, and I knew the push back would be exhausting. It was.
Raising behavior expectations
One thing I had going for me when I came to City High is that I had recently read Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion (TLAC). So when I observed classrooms at City High I recognized when teachers were using specific techniques like Tight Transition and Cold Call.
Having a detailed daily lesson plan is one way I proactively approach classroom management. Setting and maintaining clear routines is another way I maintain a positive learning environment. We implemented our entry routine based on technique 28 in TLAC. In Spanish 9 students come in, write the daily objective in their planner (this also reinforces them coming to class prepared and organized with their daily planner), then raise their hand to get the warm up. In Spanish 10 they enter the classroom and silently, individually, complete lessons on Duolingo. (They get 10 minutes everyday at the start of class to work on Duolingo, with a 2 minute warning and a 1 minute warning).
From the warm up both classes then transition to Daily Oral Practice, which is a 5-8 minute time frame where the instructor leads students in a review of vocabulary they have previously learned. Some is through individual cold call questions and answers in Spanish, some through 100% participation in counting/ saying body parts, or describing an outfit. This is meant to be a fun, energizing way to review material. Classes compete against each other to see who can complete the Daily Oral Practice the fastest each week and can win prizes. (Daily Oral Practice incorporates many techniques from TLAC including technique 1 No Opt Out, technique 3 Stretch It, technique 22 Cold Call, technique 36 100 Percent, technique 39 Do It Again, technique 43 Positive Framing, and technique 46 The J Factor.)
Other routines that we establish and enforce in the Spanish 9 & 10 classrooms are procedures for expected events. We have an attention signal to quickly get students attention (hand up, palm facing instructor, eyes on instructor, mouths closed). We teach and use seat signals to sharpen a pencil, get tissue, or go to the restroom. (This is technique 34 in TLAC). These are monitored and managed by the support teacher. We practice them early and often in the beginning of the trimester, then review them as needed. These tools allow the lead teacher to maximize uninterrupted, quality instruction time while also meeting the needs of 30 students in the room.
Another way I address student behaviors is by clearly articulating behavior expectations for all students. I do this in two ways. In Spanish 9 everyday students are given their warm up and on the back are 10 independent learning behaviors I expect to see throughout class every day. This provides a common language to use with all students to redirect behavior.
During the last 5 minutes of class students will complete the independent learning checklist based on their behaviors throughout the class and place it on top of their folder before they are dismissed from the class. (Another clear routine that is established and reinforced everyday.)
Checklists are then collected and reviewed. If a student checked off a behavior I did not see, I highlight the behavior and return the checklist the next day. This will let the student know they did not receive credit for that behavior, and to focus on that behavior during class. The daily independent learning checklist is 20% of a student’s overall grade for Spanish 9.
The independent learning checklist is another way students assess themselves. While I monitor their self-assessment, this is a tool that ultimately puts the responsibility on the student to demonstrate each behavior. This allows me to avoid seeming like I am attacking students on a personal level. The conversation about the checklist and the independent learning grade revolves around observable behaviors, (for example “I saw during the Daily Oral Practice you had your head down, and when I redirected you, you did not follow directions the first time and I had to say it again 2 minutes later.”) This empowers the students to exercise self-awareness and control around key behaviors that will lead to success in their life.
I also clearly articulate behavior expectations for all students through a lesson planning tool called CHAMPs. (I learned about CHAMPs through a seminar I attended in Chicago based on the book Discipline in the Secondary Classroom. This is similar to Technique 37 in TLAC What to Do.) Before I let students work independently, I review what they are doing and how it should look. Many times I write it on the board or project it as a reminder to students. By CHAMPing expectations, I remove the ambiguity of behavior expectations for students, and they clearly understand how they should be working.
Through established and enforced routines, procedures, and expectations we have raised the bar on behavior in the Spanish 9 and 10 classrooms in a way that empowers students to be responsible for their learning and conduct.