Mutliple Techniques

I have seen many different techniques of how teachers gain the attention of their students.  My cooperating teacher uses a variety of different methods.  The two most common are doing "shout-outs".  She says "3-2-1" and the students respond with "zip" and then are expected to be quiet and listen, and let me tell you it almost always works.  Another "shout-out" we use is, she will say "hubba hubba" and students respond with "yes ma'am", this also almost always works as well.  I have seen other teachers ring a bell when they want their students attention.  I have also seen teachers use a musical instrument or a song to gain student attention.  I like, and use, the methods of my cooperating teacher and since we are teaching 6th grade I find them very age appropriate and kind of fun.  I like the idea of using a variety of methods so you are not using the same one all the time, but at the same time not using too many that students become confused on what is expected of them.  If I teach 5th or 6th grade next year I will definitely be using the methods of my cooperating teacher.  If I teach a younger grade I like the idea of a musical instrument or little bell.

Constructive Feedback

I find all of the constructive feedback I am receiving helpful in one way or another.  One specific example is from my first observation and debriefing with my field instructor.  It was pointed out to me that during the lesson I said "ok" over 35 times within an hour and fifteen minutes.  When she asked me if I noticed I was doing that I said no.  I had no idea that I had said "ok" that many times.  Once she pointed it out to me I realised how much I like to say it.  I use it as a transition word and apparently a space filler.  This feedback was extremely helpful because it first of all made me aware that I was doing it and secondly reminded me to be very conscious and purposeful with my word choice.  In the next lesson I taught I found myself doing it again.  I thought about how distracting that might be for my students.  So I stopped what I was doing and talked to them about how it had been brought to my attention that I say "ok" a lot.  The students agreed that I say it all the time and we had a great laugh about it. I told them I was really going to work on not using that word as much and asked them for their help in pointing it out when I do so.  We agreed that if I started over using it they would all raise their hand at the same time.  While I still say it every once in a while I have greatly improved, with the help of my students, in a very short amount of time.  This feedback was extremely helpful because it made me conscious of not only my over use of a specific word but conscious of my word choice in general and making it as purposeful as possible.