Situations of Structure - for 4/11

When it comes to structure, I am in a classroom where structure is an important part of the classroom enviroment not only for the teacher and aids but also for the students. In general. students with autism tend to stick to schedules and structure. It is not uncommon for classrooms to have multiple schedules around the classroom out lining various parts of the day. 

But in my placememt last semester, the students really liked the structure of the day. I was in a first grade inclusive classroom with a total of 6 students. Each student had their own schedule in a folder with their name on, each student had an assigned seat at each table, assigned hooks in the classroom and even assigned classroom jobs such as line leader. For them, this structure was really important because it kept them on task with anything else that could come up. When they were comfortable, they were more willing to complete their, participate in class and work nicel with their peers. 

Since I’m the teacher at my field placement (adult ESL), the structured/unstructured issue is always on my mind. I am challenged to find ways to blend both elements into my lessons. Often we think about time as the backbone that shapes and determines whether or not a class is structured. While that seems unavoidable, I’m trying to think about the possibility that the unstructured is what actually forms/creates the structure…the best example that I can think of right now is the way I conducted my conversation class. You can think of the 2.5-hour class period as the structure, but the contents of that period is unstructured in that we talked about basically any topic that we wanted to bring up.

In my current class, a test prep class, I do give an estimated amount of time for certain activities, but I try to open up time for anything that students want to bring up. I understand that this is not going to be the case for k-12 schools, but sometimes I think the unstructured time can enrich the overall structure of a class.

Like jcb2013, the students in the school where I am placed will be taking the PSSA for the next two weeks. While my class of second graders will not be taking the test until next year, they are still affected by the schedule change because their teacher will be proctoring another class's exam. Over the next two weeks, the students in my class will be split into groups and spend the morning in one of the other second grade teachers' classes. On Friday, my cooperating teacher took time out of reading period to specifically discuss they way the students' schedule will look during the PSSA. She explained that they would still come to her room in the morning to drop off their belongings, but they would then go with their group to the other class to which they had been assigned. The teacher explained that, unlike in their class, during the next two weeks, they would be doing science and reading in the morning and have Special in the afternoon; she told the students that depending on whose class they were placed in, they would be reading a different story from their textbook; she even specifically told the class that those students who would not be reading the story that she would have taught, will be given the opportunity to catch up after the PSSA. My cooperating teacher concluded her explanation of the next two weeks saying that if her students behaved in the other teachers' classes, they would be able to have a party.  

I was impressed with how detailed my cooperating teacher's instructions to her students were. I think that the structure provided by explaining the revised schedule will help the students transition better to other classes because they know what to expect. Also, the promise of a reward if they follow the other teachers' rule will likely motivate the students to behave appropriately.

Since I'm not in the classroom setting per se, I don't see classroom or college access structure in the same way. However, I can say that in describing their strategies educators often spend a lot of time talking about the structure of such programs. One of the schools for example has a very structured college access curriculum in which students go through the guidance counselor to apply and then are asked to follow a certain number of steps. They have a strict timeline of meetings, deadlines and application information that needs to be submitted depending on your year. 

I wonder how much structure, or the lack of it, impacts these programs...

It is very interesting when I read page 277 in Improving your Pacing, which lists 8 activities suggested for teaching a lesson. I recognize 5 activities. i.e., Do Now, teach lesson, guide examples, independent work, review and Exit Ticket that are being used by math teacher Mrs. Bard reflects what happens at my field placement. My placement is in urban high school math classes. Below is what I observed in one of my visits.

Mrs. Bard used her laptop and projector for the Do-Now as well as her remaining lessons of the class. Each class period is 53 or 54 minutes long. The Do-Now is a 5-minute task. There was a timer on her laptop that was projected onto the screen on the wall so everyone could see it. In most cases, a timer can represent time constraint and stress to people. At first, I thought the structure of her lecture was intense. However, looking back, though it was a time constraint, it teaches students to use their time wisely. After the Do-Now, came Direct Instruction (DI). Today's objective was "SWBAT define and identify diameters and radii of circles and find their lengths by using the distance formula." When I first saw SWBAT, I had absolutely no idea what the acronym stood for. As a learner and an observer, I sat in my seat guessing here and there, but was not even close to anything. So I decided to try to look it up online later and learned that SWBAT stood for “Student Will Be Able To…” I also want to note that it is hard for me to communicate with Mrs. Bard during class and after class since she teaches her classes consecutively on Wednesday.

After DI, Mrs. Bard went over class themes that were posted in front of the classroom right above the board. She explained to her students about the performance of her students at Learning Campus versus the other ECS charter schools. Her big goal was to increase 10% Above Excellence Charter School Benchmark Average.

Students at ECS follow a structure schedule within the class. When DI is done, students work in pairs at their desk to solve geometry problems. Student on the right started with whiteboard and marker and then asked to lift boards up to show his or her answers and work. Then, the students on the left also did the same task. After this activity, students moved on to Independent Practice (IP). This is a 10 minutes activity. On the board, IP is where students are "Silent. Independent. Academic Posture."

The final part of class was the exit ticket and this was where students are "Silent. Independent. Show all work." Students here worked up to three problems on their own to exhibit what they have learned to Ms. Bard.

In my placement, the teacher devotes about a half hour every day to SSR (Sustained Silent Reading). This activity has an interesting mix of structure and freedom which seems to be a beneficial part of the day's schedule. First of all, it is always the first activity they do after lunch. It seems chaotic at first, because my teacher is relaxed about allowing the class to get to their desks and reading quietly. However, I think this mix of structure and freedom is good, especially after lunch, because it gets the class calmed down for the following lesson. My teacher has effectively used an activity (SSR) to make good use of the time it takes for a class of 4th graders to calm down after having recess and lunch, which does not end up taking away fro, a lesson he teaches. Secondly, my teacher also uses this time to let students catch up on work if they were behind or absent, or get other work done. For example, this past week he was giving students reading assesments for the parent-teacher meetings.