[nobe-l] Behavior monitoring tips?

[Fikru Gebrekidan]

I don't know how this works in middle school. In my university 
classes, if I felt a student is misbehaving I'll try to figure out 
which part of the class the disruption is coming from and I'll say 
something like "are we okay there? Jenny, Bobbie, and Abdul?" My 
mentioning of several names is intentional. First, the more names 
mentioned the more likely the culprit is included in the list. Plus 
if you mention just one name there is the likelihood that you may 
pick up on an innocent bystander who had nothing to do with the 
problem. Second, many students don't like being singled out even when 
they're the problem, so by including them in a list of names you 
diffuse the tension.

FG




  At 01:52 AM 02/09/2011, Zainub Cementwala wrote:
>Hello, this is my first post to this list, and I really need some advice.
>
>I'm going to be working as an in-class academic coach and near-peer 
>mentor--generally providing support to a teacher--in a middle school 
>classroom with mixed students (6th through 8th grades). One of my 
>responsibilities is going to be helping my teacher manage classroom behavior.
>
>
>Those of you who are or have been in classroom settings, how do or 
>did you identify if a student is misbehaving (not paying attention, 
>not taking notes, talking when he/she shouldn't be)? One of my 
>biggest concerns is that I won't be able to catch my students when 
>they're being disruptive simply because I can't see that they're 
>doing something wrong, making me unhelpful to the teacher I will be supporting.
>
>Also, I'm worried that my blindness will be a cause for distraction 
>(why I walk with a cane, using assistive technology like a portable 
>CCTV or laptop, what my assistive technology is, other such things) 
>DURING class. Any ideas on how to keep their attention off of my 
>blindness and on the lesson at hand or the activity I'm leading for them?
>
>I will be in the classroom starting on Tuesday, and some advice on 
>what I can tell the teachers I will be working with would be really helpful.
>
>Thank you!
>
>Sincerely,
>--Zainub Cementwala
>
>
>~/~/~/~/~
>Zainub Cementwala
>Bachelor of Arts, English
>University of California, Berkeley
>Class of 2011
>Email: zementwala at yahoo.com
>
>"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an 
>immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken 
>threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching 
>every air-borne particle in its tissue."
>--Henry James
>_______________________________________________
>nobe-l mailing list
>nobe-l at nfbnet.org
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nobe-l_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nobe-l:
>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nobe-l_nfbnet.org/fikrug%40stu.ca