Arrivals:
- 7 at 9am
- 2 at 9:03am
It may be premature to suggest that I am very pleased with this result today. Not only were seven out of ten students on time, there were apologies from the ones who were slightly late. One is absent today. The interesting observation today was the absence of the one student I find it hard to get through to. I made some quick notes as soon as I spotted this correlation. the dynamic in the class was completely different this morning. There was a calmer atmosphere, more focus, less talking over one another. Surely the absence of one student (who evidently wields some power) makes that much difference? It would be the focus for an interesting psychological study in teens.
I led a revision session this morning in preparation for an online assessment the group had later that afternoon. Having a purpose (the assessment) and being able to creatively revise helped focus and concentration today. I promised them, they could have some mood books time after the revision took place. This worked. Such a creative group.
This is the last diarised element of the investigation. Some noticeable occurrences/questions have come to light:
- The group requires high levels of attention – could this be missing from home lives? Six of the ten I know well and this may be accurate
- One member of the group holds power to disrupt the others. When she is absent they are a completely different group
- Behaviour may be ruled by mental health issues
Action plan moving forward:
- Continue with the approach. Use of late slips does not work as well. It may be better to have a brief discussion. I will persevere to see if any long term outcome becomes apparent
- Deliberate botheredness (or the art of actually caring), as suspected has worked wonderfully well in terms of responsiveness and communication with the less known students
- Listen to the Pivotal education podcasts for more tips and strategies.
Dix, P. (2017). ‘When the Adults Change, Everything Changes’. Carmarthen: Independent Thinking Press.
Kill Them With Consistency 