Task # 3

Task # 3
Circle time is a good way to create a nice atmosphere to play, to learn and to share ideas. Students are all together facing each other and can see what they are all doing.
The ideas shown in the video are great as students get to have contact with each other and relate with each other since sometimes they don't do it at home for different reasons.
As far as the challenges… well… I’ve found that some of my students are never as quiet as the ones in the video; they keep moving all the time, they are always talking in L1, they are always touching each other, among other things that it is very demanding for me. I have to shout and ask for silence all the time. Even if the activity is free (break time, for example), they keep doing the same things.
I know and understand that kids are “multitasking” but I wonder… don’t they get tired of being that way all the time?

Comments

  1. Raquel CastroApril 9, 2016 at 5:11 PM

    Hola María. I really enjoyed your opinion because my ss are like that all the time. I have to bring something that calls their attention, for example I tell them that I have a surprise but it will work only in a silent classroom, or I a put some scary music and I tell them that something interesting is going to happen next, then they get curious and at least they try to be quite.

    Your can pass a ball around to give them the chance to speak, but if someone gets out of the circle wont have the opportunity to hold the ball.

    Those are some of the strategies I use and work. Regards :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carolina Brenes BurgosApril 9, 2016 at 9:16 PM

    Maria your post makes me feel normal,and reading Raquel made me feel like I am not alone. I tried circle time for the first time today and it definitely was not as I expected. I felt so frustrated!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maria BossaApril 12, 2016 at 12:41 PM

    Thanks for your feedback Raquel Castro and Carolina Brenes Burgos :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Juan UribeApril 14, 2016 at 1:14 PM

    Dear Maria, Raquel, and Carolina, 

    I share your suffering of many times not knowing what and how to do it. This is because we are focused on doing the right thing instead of just doing something such as offering prizes or threatening with punishment to get them quiet. This suffering is what keeps us alive and propels us to get better. We allow the experiences to affect us. 

    There is no magic solution to it and I believe that talking about why we have this moment and working with students on ways to make it happen is a good path. 

    Getting ready-made solutions would not allow us to reflect and try out our discoveries. 

    I suggest you try journaling after both very good classes and ones that didn't go well as a way to gaining insight on what has happened. I have learned a lot as I organized my thoughts and perceptions in a dissociated way. Give it a try and let me know how it went!

    ReplyDelete

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