I had yet another enjoyable day at school today. I did, however, take note of some behaviors exhibited by the freshman students. As the teacher was going over the rules and expectations, several of the students in the back row became disengaged from the discussion by placing their heads on their desks, or pulling hoods over their heads. I went to the back of the room to let the students "feel" my presence and when that didn't work, I tried tapping their shoulders and quitely asking them to take their hoods off and to look at the teacher when she was speaking. In the end, this strategy was not effective.
After class, I discussed these behaviors with my cooperating teacher and she informed me that she noted the behavior, but since it was not "disruptive" that this is one of those times when we, as teachers, need to pick and choose our "battles." She went on to let me know that once we are able to establish relationships with our students we will be in a better position to address the students undesirable behaviors. In addition, for several of the students, the disengaging behaviors could be an attention seeking behavior.
In short, what I learned today was that before we can correct a students undesirable behavior, we must first establish a positive relationship with the student and then determine what needs the student needs to have filled in order for an engaging learning experience to take place.
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