Have I grabbed your attention with the ten dollar note?Well children, no matter what age, love anything to do with money too!
You'll be amazed when I share this little secret with you....
The other day I was on first lunch duty with the middle and upper primary classes. As the other teacher approached at the end of the duty, he commented about the general lack of litter. I laughed and said "It is not what you say but how you say it that counts!" I did not think anymore about it until the same teacher sat with me in the staffroom one lunch-time and complimented me on how neatly I had left his classroom after a rather messy art lesson. He insisted I tell him my trick!
There are no tricks. Firstly, I ask myself what is my desired outcome. Then I think of the most interesting and creative way I can engage the student in gaining this desired outcome! Picking up litter, whether in the classroom or in the playground, is not exactly what children will want to happily engage in, so this takes some lateral thinking!
My solution is to.......
- Gain the students' attention.
- Tell them are welcome to leave the room, go to lunch, or play area, but there is one condition. You have to pay to leave. (First time you will have a stunned audience!)
- No worries. It is only $50. (More stunned silence!) That is right, each piece of litter, no matter how large or small ,is worth $10. I love tips and I hold up the bin!
- You would be surprised how quickly the children run around counting in tens and mostly I have lots of extra tips. It's fun. It's fast. It's not boring!
In the classroom, I don't always say the same thing. If we have just finished a Maths lesson with the focus on prime numbers, I might ask for any prime number of pieces of litter under ten. Or I may ask for 2/3 of 9, or perhaps a random number fact and if you make an error it costs some more to leave the room. It gives me a chance to stand at the door and speak to each child as they deposit their contribution. All designed to build relationships, consolidate learning and make the day fun!
Blessings for the journey....
Live,laugh and learn!
Carmel
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ReplyDeleteSorry Carmel, didn't post comment properly - Love this idea and the ten dollar note - tried this with my sons and worked well hee hee - thanks for all these great ideas Carmel - Donna
ReplyDeleteCarmel, I love your approach ... "ask what is my desired outcome...then think of the most interesting and creative way I can engage the student in gaining this desired outcome". Student engagement is so important but not difficult if we just take some time to 'think outside the box'.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Judy. I would love to hear how other teachers achieve desired outcomes in interesting and creative ways too. I think as educators we can get stuck in one mind-set.Would your agree? Supply teaching allows you to come in contact with so many wonderful ways of doing the everyday things. New children all the time means you can try out new ideas! I love it!
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