New Student Orientation
New Student Orientation
Embedded Files
The best way to proactively manage student behavior is to build a relationship and set expectations from their first day! When a brand new student arrives and sits down at your table, you need to start with an orientation. Many students on their first day are not happy to be at Mathnasium, so this is our opportunity to show them how everything works, and that math doesn’t have to be so scary!
Here are the general steps you should follow when you get a new student on their orientation day:
First, introduce yourself and make sure they know that you are extra excited to work with them!
Have them decorate the blank binder spine to ensure that their binder feels like their own, and so that they can locate it more easily on the shelf whenever they walk in.
While they are decorating their spine, make sure that their Digital Workout Plan is ready to go.
Go over the Student Code of Conduct page. Make sure you take your time with this part. This is where we set the expectations for the student. This section includes our guidelines, orienting them to the center and their binder. Give the student a stamp after reviewing each expectation.
Then, have them print their name, sign and date this page once you’ve reviewed it with them and put it in the outside back cover of their binder (this ensures easy access in the future if you need to refer to it).
Next, go over our Reward System. Please explain each way to earn stamps (this is a good time to get them excited about the incentives).
Ask if they have any questions, then get started with a regular session! If they have to finish their initial written assessment, make sure to check in with them regularly, be engaging, and make the session as fun as possible - play a math game at the end!
A student’s first day should be extra fun! Fill up their whole first stamp card. You can review a lot of procedures at the end of the session and give stamps for answering those questions.
Make sure they know this is special because it’s their first day - we don’t want them to be disappointed when they don’t fill up a stamp card every single session!
Managing Student Behavior
Managing Student Behavior
One of the more challenging aspects of being an instructor is being able to manage student behavior. It is important to set expectations on their first day during their New Student Orientation. Keeping consistency throughout the center is also very important. If one instructor lets a student get away with something, that student will expect that they can get away with it all the time. We want to keep the center environment positive - we can have fun, but the fun stops when the math stops. Larry: On the Art of Teaching explains our view of discipline in the center, particularly the sections entitled “Elements of Discipline” and “The Power of Positive Speaking.”
Session Expectations
Session Expectations
Homework Policy
With the exception of “Homework Help Only” students, homework is not our priority. Mathnasium work always comes first because it is specifically targeted to skills we know the student needs to work on. Our goal with homework is to help the student make connections between how we do math at Mathnasium and what they are doing in school, and to build their confidence. We are not guaranteeing that the student will finish their homework at Mathnasium, or that they will get a 100 on it; however, we do want to make sure that any problems we did help the student with are correct.
One way to mark which problems you checked is to place a small indicator next to each problem you worked with the student on. A dot, a small square, a star, or your initials will all work; however, previous experiences have warned against using check marks to mark correct problems, as teachers tend not to appreciate this. Leaving a mark on checked problems prevents future misunderstandings with parents; if they bring in a homework assignment they are unhappy about, the Center Director will be able to talk to them about which problems were checked and reestablish the expectation that we don’t have time to work on every problem.
Students who stay for 90 minutes may start their homework after 45 minutes, assuming they have finished their Mathnasium work (as a rule of thumb, at least 4 pages from their PK section); students who stay for 60 minutes may start their homework after 40 minutes, with the same condition. Do not start homework earlier than this; they can always do more Mathnasium work! Remember to reserve the last 5 minutes of the session for the Last Stamp of the Day Conversation.
If a student does not put forth effort to get through their Mathnasium work, you do not have to let them work on homework. If this happens, be sure to let the parent or guardian know, either in person (preferred) or through the Center Director. Be sure to talk to the student about how they can do better next time.
Game Policy
Unless they are part of a student's Warm Ups or worksheets, games should only be played in the last 5-10 minutes of a student's session, and only if they have completed all of their Mathnasium binder work.
Games should not be played at instruction tables where other students are working, since they distract both the other students and the instructor.
If there is not an instructor available to play a game with a student, direct them to play a single-player game, or to play against another student who has also finished their work.
Games should be used as a teaching tool! Playing 99 or Bust without talking about addition strategies, particularly if the student is finger counting their way through it, is actively harming their math development.
For more information about the games themselves, see Games.
Food & Drink Policy
No food or drink is allowed at the instruction tables, for both students and instructors. Please lead by example! Students who bring snacks or drinks must consume or leave them in the waiting area. With the instructor’s permission, they may take a quick snack or drink break during their session. Instructors should leave their snacks and drinks in the instructor work area and can access them as needed.
Tips from Instructors
Tips from Instructors
In some extreme cases, it may be necessary to move a student to another table or to seek help from your Center Director. However, these should be last-resort options, since they can have negative consequences on your relationship with the student and your ability to manage their behavior effectively. Handing the discipline problem off to another instructor or the Center Director can communicate that you don’t have authority in the situation, and prevents you from figuring out how to solve the problem in a way that continues to build your respectful relationship with the student. This is not to say that you should never utilize these options; however, use them sparingly and after exhausting all of your own resources and strategies, such as those outlined below.
Here are some strategies that have worked well for other instructors in the face of common issues.
“One thing I’ve seen that worked really well was with a few young students who liked to goof around. The instructor was able to get their attention by meeting them at eye level and speaking to them in a low voice. It seemed to work like magic.”
“Something that worked well the other day with a student was to set a concrete goal. He came in and within a few minutes was asking to play six. We laid out a concrete plan for pages to get done before playing and he worked hard the rest of the session.”
“Sometimes I have students who really want to talk to each other. Sometimes, asking one of them to move to another part of the table can be helpful in helping them focus.”
“Find a reward that motivates the students. For instance, if students like asking questions, allow them to ask a certain number of questions for each page completed.”
“Sometimes when students are on their phones a lot (especially if they say they’re picking music to listen to), I’ve asked them to pick a song or playlist and place the phone closer to me.”
“I’ve found that it’s not just the words you say, it’s how you say them. Don’t show frustration or anger, and don’t use threats. Treating bad behavior as simply an illogical choice, and good behavior as a logical choice, can eventually help the student to see discipline more as an intellectual decision and not an emotional one.”
“Enforcing discipline is about forcing your will upon another person, and it’s painful for everyone involved. Teaching discipline is about having calm conversations, and it works much better!”
Sample Student Conversations
Sample Student Conversations
The following examples model language that would be appropriate to use in common discipline scenarios. Every instructor has a different personality and normal way of speaking, so modify the words to make them natural for you while keeping the same ideas and tone.
Situation: A young student is talking to their neighbor repeatedly, and often loudly.
Instructor, leaning in towards the student and in a calm, low voice: “Hey Jimmy, Suzy is trying to get her work done, like you should be, and you’re making it pretty tough for her to focus when you keep talking to her. You’re not being very considerate of everyone around you. And, frankly, it’s kind of disrespectful to me, since I’ve asked you not to do that already, don’t you think? It’s important that we work hard and finish the pages we agreed to do today. Let’s take a look at number 3…”
Situation: An older student is talking to their neighbor repeatedly, and often loudly.
Instructor, in a joking tone: “What is this, social hour? Listen, Chatty Cathy, everyone around you is here for a reason, and YOU aren’t that reason… Let’s do everyone a favor, yourself especially, and worry a bit more about the task in front of us. You know, as we get older and become more responsible, we have to learn more and more that there is a Time and a Place for everything. Toddlers don’t know the Time and Place for screaming and crying, young kids don’t know the Time and Place for goofing around, and so on. So you’ve got to look at the Time and the Place that you’re in right now, and ask yourself what this Time and Place are for…”
Situation: Any student, normally well behaved, who’s having a bad day.
Instructor, concerned: “Hey Jimmy, you don’t seem to be yourself today. Did something happen at school? Or are you upset about something? I’d love to talk with you about it if you want to.”
Talk briefly if they want to, sympathize, but generally avoid giving specific advice.
If they don’t want to talk: “That’s ok. If you want to tell me about it later then please do. In the meantime, we have to work together today, so let’s try to forget about it for now. We can still be nice to each other!”
Situation: A student who always exhibits difficult behavior.
Always be patient and stay calm. Model appropriate behavior. Reward good behavior when it is exhibited. Strategize with your Center Director and fellow instructors on best practices.
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