Monday, March 14, 2016

CHAPTER 8: TWEAK THE ENVIRONMENT

I definitely saw some of this behavior in my day to day rituals, though I saw it as efficiency instead of tweaking the environment.  Getting my clothes laid out, lunch made, and my bag packed the night before is considered tweaking the environment, though I do it to be more efficient and having to think less the next morning.  I appreciate the tips and advice the book offers, but I struggle applying it to the bigger picture in the classroom and would like more classroom related ideas.  The one idea for the classroom mentioned had to do with late students and options that can be used to tweak the environment.  Some of them, we already do like talking to the students to appeal to their emotions.  That sometimes works, but it is often short lived.  Another idea was to lock the door and have them stuck in the hallway - well, often late students don't care about that, and also we were told we are not allowed to do that.  They offered the idea of "ON TIME" competition, though I have found that keeps motivated kids motivated and unmotivated kids don't buy in.  What actually worked was that the teacher bought a couch and whoever got there first could sit in the "new, cool" place to sit.  This worked for his late students.  The late kids started to come on time to get the good seat.  It bothered me, though, that the kids who were doing what they were supposed to all along were stuck in the old "not cool" seats now.  We often spend more time and energy on the few squeaky wheels than rewarding kids for doing what is right.  The other problem that I had was that the couch idea, though creative, wouldn't be allowed as it would nit pass fire safety codes.  I've read these books and feel that I can apply them more to my own life, but I would like to see more examples of how they can be adapted to school systems rather than businesses.  In theory, I see the logic for classroom application, but, in reality, I would like real applications for classroom use.

6 comments:

  1. I found that I had the same concerns regarding the example given about the two tardy students. What I am wondering is if all of this works better at an elementary level than high school level? I feel that the older a student gets, the harder it is to try to help them change behaviors/actions. Many students are happy with who they are and do not want to make changes despite possible consequences for the behaviors/actions. Maybe we should be focusing our energy and attention on the students who do the right thing and are motivated with a drive to succeed. I know this is not the group that needs to change, but who am I to say anyone needs to make a change anyway, right?

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  2. I agree that tweaking the environment is on par with promoting efficiency. For example, when setting up my kindergarten classroom, I was constantly thinking about how the arrangement could make learning routines easiest on my students. When students enter the door, the physical arrangement of cabinets funnels them along the lunch choices baskets and folder bin. It’s the first thing they see and the first thing they’re responsible for. My guided reading table is angled so students’ backs are to the room to help limit distractions. For students who have trouble sitting criss-cross on the rug to listen to our read aloud, we can get mini-rocking chairs, cushions, etc. from OT.

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  3. I agree with Maria that it would be helpful to have more examples of changing the environment in classrooms. The couch idea to get tardy students to come to class on time is not one I could support. I also I feel I am being efficient when I plan and iron clothes for the week ahead to make it easier for me to get out the door each morning. At school, before I leave my room each afternoon, I organize all the materials students need to pick up for class the next day.

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  4. I think the argument regarding efficiency being given the label of tweaking the environment is valid. I also agree with the point that many of the suggestions, especially in this chapter, seemed highly impractical given the limitations of what we are allowed to do. Maria pointed out in her comment that we should focus on students who do the right thing. I think that might be something that is supported by the book in terms of leading the elephant. When the herd moves in one direction, sometimes wayward elephants (our least motivated students) will follow. It might not get everyone, but you may get a few of the 'middle' kids who could go either way.

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  5. I definitely agree with what everyone else here is saying. The one thing about "tweaking the environment" that stuck with me was how I give directions and tasks to my students. I guess in some ways this could be considered efficiency, but here's an example:

    I was having a hard time getting my students to understand they needed to respond to every part of a question. They drove me nuts saying things like, "Ms. Herbert...I AM done," when they weren't even close. So, instead of simply asking my students to read a journal prompt and respond, I asked them to color code. I explained that I wouldn't accept a paragraph as complete until I saw every color highlighter the directions requested. It was interesting to me how quickly the kids got down to business and created some great writing. Initially, I thought my kids were being lazy. I assumed they weren't trying hard enough or just didn't care about the assignment. However, I realized that when I altered my directions and the task slightly, it resulted in well-written paragraphs instead of the normal "half-baked" ideas.

    While I think many of the ideas represented in this chapter were too far out there for us to replicate (I mean, how long until the cool couch loses is sparkle? With high schoolers...not that long), being able to shape the path toward success for my students, even slightly, has helped me!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I definitely agree with what everyone else here is saying. The one thing about "tweaking the environment" that stuck with me was how I give directions and tasks to my students. I guess in some ways this could be considered efficiency, but here's an example:

    I was having a hard time getting my students to understand they needed to respond to every part of a question. They drove me nuts saying things like, "Ms. Herbert...I AM done," when they weren't even close. So, instead of simply asking my students to read a journal prompt and respond, I asked them to color code. I explained that I wouldn't accept a paragraph as complete until I saw every color highlighter the directions requested. It was interesting to me how quickly the kids got down to business and created some great writing. Initially, I thought my kids were being lazy. I assumed they weren't trying hard enough or just didn't care about the assignment. However, I realized that when I altered my directions and the task slightly, it resulted in well-written paragraphs instead of the normal "half-baked" ideas.

    While I think many of the ideas represented in this chapter were too far out there for us to replicate (I mean, how long until the cool couch loses is sparkle? With high schoolers...not that long), being able to shape the path toward success for my students, even slightly, has helped me!!

    ReplyDelete

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