In prepartion for our discussion on October 13 on the topic of Empathy please share your thoughts on the following points:
1) I've had a few teachers ask me recently what to do when they have students sleeping in their classes. Based on our discussions thus far and your background information on Love and Logic principles, how would you respond?
2) One of the things we will look into in Module 3 is holding students accountable without them seeing us as the source of their problem and without responding by sending them into survival mode. How have you in the past held students accountable while keeping their best interests in mind.
See you on the 13th!
1. I think Love and Logic would suggest that you wake a student up and offer him/her an opportunity to make "fix the problem" first. If he/she does then sit up and attend, perhaps that is all that needs to be done. If he/she does not fix the problem, in that he/she does not wake up, puts head back down, etc. then as the teacher, you will have to do something. Perhaps wake student up again with a quiet, "ahhh, this is sad. Now I have to do something." Whether that gets the student alert or not, there is a later consequence that will hopefully be designed to deter futher snooze sessions. Consequences are determined on an individual basis.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, sometimes, there is a very good reason for sleeping. I have students on new or different medicines, illnesses coming on, family problems that interrupted sleep, etc. When this is the case, I offer possible solutions such as standing up and taking a short walk (go get a drink, use restroom, etc), or offer a less comfy environment (harder chair, brighter lights, etc.). This is part of modelling how to fix it by yourself.
1) I haven't had this since last year but when I did I woke them up with a comment like "bummer! it looks like you missed a lot of good information! Hope you have some friends in the class that can help you out!" It seemed to work. If I see a student that looks tired, I always ask if they need to get a drink of water to get them moving. That seems to be enough.
ReplyDeleteWith one of my students, it was habitual so I spoke with mom and worked out a plan. I think the mom gave her an earlier curfew. Worked great.
2) I've gotten in the habit of asking them open ended questions. "What are you feeling?" "What can I do to help you?" "What is your plan of action? How are you going to learn the material?" I always give them the opportunity to talk and vent if they need and then ask how they are going to solve the problem.
1) Dealing with a student who sleeps in class definitely allows for empathy, as in "I know you must be tired and it's hard to sit in class when you haven't gotten enough sleep" leading up to the "Big But" that points out the behavior being a problem: "But you can't sleep in class because it's neither appropriate nor productive." Then, I would outline the choices the student has: stay awake during classtime OR make up lost learning time at lunch/after school/at advisement. Finally, I would discuss and help the student problem-solve what he or she could do differently before/after class, and/or at home to prevent a recurrence.
ReplyDelete2) I usually remind students that I (and other teachers) have their best interests in mind when I need to hold them accountable; and that being held accountable for their choices is in itself serving their best interests (sort a variation on "I care about you too much to argue with you"- it turns into "I care too much about you to let you get away unconsequenced").
I always try to remember that when a student misbehaves or act in a way that I don't find appropriate, it is not a personal attack on me or to my class. I always try to look past the action ( in this case sleeping in class) and think "what else is going on in this kids life that is causing this behavior?" I think that is why love and logic appeals to me...there has to be the empathy component, as these are kids we are trying to educate. Sleeping in class, could be a sign of of many many things....staying up too late, emotional conflicts, side effects to medication and so on....so I try to make a point to ask the student and find out more info.
ReplyDelete1. I think sleeping in class has some good natural consequences built in (miss out on instruction, work time, etc.. which leads to poor grades), so I often do not make a BIG deal out of it in class (in other words, I don't allow it to stop my instruction). BUT I will talk to the individual after class and get their input as to the problem and possible solutions. I will also get parents involved if it continues to be a problem. I also address it on my daily Life and Career Skills rubric which is 10% of their overall grade. I used to be afraid that if I let a student sleep in class (not calling them out on it ASAP) then all of my students would think oh, this is nap time and join in. But I have found that students get that it is inappropriate and that it catches up to the sleeping student and they do not join the sleeping student or complain that it is not fair that so-and-so gets to sleep in class.
ReplyDeleteOne solution that has worked for one of my students is to allow him to sit on an exercise ball during class when he is feeling sleepy. Of course there are rules about no horseplay. This has worked extremely well for this student and he really only uses it when he needs to and it has not been a problem.
2. Like Michelle, I have also gotten into the habit stating the obvious "I see there is a problem." or "This is unacceptable classroom behavior/comments." and then asking questions giving the student ownership over the problem "What is your plan on solving this problem?" "Is this something you can solve on your own or do you need help?". If I see a student not taking ownership of the problem, I may say "I see this problem is escalating or becoming more severe and I would like to see this problem solved without the help of people outside of this room (Mr. Verboomen, parents, PLS, etc...)so what needs to be done?" As students get more used to me talking this way, I am seeing the "I know" look in their face and then they start to work towards a solution. I also try to talk with student privately when addressing their behavior.
1. I would actually be quite impressed if a student was able to fall asleep during band. Like many of the previous comments, for individual instances I think stating the importance of not missing instruction should be enough. For habitual occurrences it would be important to sit down with the student and get a feel for what might be causing the problem.
ReplyDelete2. I try to make accountability discussions about the expectation and not about the student or individual situation. I simply tell the students that they are responsible for that event, time, or assignment, and explain what is expected of them. I then mention that the expectations are the way they are to make everything even and fair for all students.
1. In order to not make this "my problem" I would also not make a big deal about it as there are natural consequences to sleeping in class and would give the student the opportunity to correct the problem on there own. I think you can use one liners when the student wakes up or after class. Statements such as "You must have been really tired" and "It's a bummer you missed out on what we learned because you were so tired." may work depending on the student. I might also suggest that the student see me after class to discuss ways to help them to stay awake during class.
ReplyDelete2. I try to help my students to understand from the beginning that I work for them and it is my job to help them be successful. However, they are responsible for their actions and success. I use the analogy that they are driving the car and I am just giving the directions. By setting this up the student is automatically in charge of where they go. When they are doing things that may seem like the wrong directions I will point this out by saying things like "now does that seem right?" or "how do you think that will work out?" Sometimes students rethink and come up with a better choice. Other times they don't and then may make a mistake...then I just say something like "bummer" or shrug and see if they can fix the problem. If not I may ask guiding questions in order to give them the accountability for their choices and actions as well as any consequences. In the end I want my students to have the right to succeed as well as fail and learn from their mistakes.
1. I found that students who are sleeping in my class are not doing so because they are bored, lost, rebelling, etc... I'd have to agree with Kelly J that sleeping in class usually has those other factors behind it. I typically approach the student during an appropriate time during class when the focus is not on the whole class and mention, "I notice you are tired today, are you feeling ok?" I usually get an honest response and can move forward appropriately.
ReplyDelete2. To hold students accountable, I try to emphasize my daily classroom expectations. If those expectations are not being met, I have a discussion with that student. Through that discussion, I can usually work out a solution that holds the student accountable in an effective manner.