Change is in the air

How is it Week 3 already! I have to say, that this team teaching business sure makes the weeks fly by even faster. I am still getting used to only teaching three days and realising that I don't have to cram five days worth of work into three. Emily and I are finding our groove and are set to meet over the weekend to iron out and sort some things that are now easier to do since things are a little more settled.

The children have been responding well to positive praise and firm, set boundaries and it was great seeing the change in them today. They are more focused, learning to move quietly and quickly between learning tasks, putting their hands up to answer questions and are generally more engaged in their learning. The consistency that Emily and I bring in regards to behaviour management is clearly working and paying off.

My last post was about their listening, or lack of. Today I constantly prompted the children to be looking at me while I was speaking and made them accountable by getting them to repeat instructions etc. This appears to be working and I am pleased to note that I didn't hear...."so, what do we do?" when they got back to their desks :)

We are having daily oral language sessions that focus on 'what makes a good listener.' We have come up with a class chart, so this will be a good visual aid to reinforce these skills. 

I am enjoying having numerous working spaces around the classroom, however the room is cramped (when they are all sitting down and working at their desks) so we might have to move around some of the desks (or get rid of them) to free up some space. Perhaps every child does not need their own desk and tray? Something to think about for next time...