Calm Classroom

Saturday, 22 November 2008 13:26

I promised an update on using 1-2-3 Magic in the classroom. I started in week 1, and we are now going into week 7, and I have to say..........it's magic! I was determined to use it properly and consistently, which meant giving up a lot of breaks in the beginning (giving the "time-out" during breaks seemed the best consequence). Then came the "testing" period, around week 3, which is expected: was I really going to keep doing this? Yes, I was, so by week 4 all was calm and zen-like. I rarely miss a break now, and having your initials put on the board under "1", "2" or, now rarely, "3" (instant consequences) seems to be quite uncool. So we've had a lot of fun doing self-directed research on the Solar System, presenting the results using Movie Maker and Powerpoint, drama or speeches; experimenting with printing techniques using paper cup rims and potatoes; and playing softball using a tennis ball and tennis racquet as a bat. Try it - the wide surface of the racquet means everyone can give it a big hit, while the bounciness of the tennis ball makes fielding easier. Lots of batters get caught out, also, so it's never boring - even for the Umpire!

Just in...

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