Crawfordia

Tag: classroom management

  • PIT Stop – Why teens do dumb things in groups (correct privately)

    Header. On top of a racing theme, the words "The PIT Stop" appear. Just below, it says: "Psychology, Instruction, Technology."

    Adolescent Psychology

    We’ve all wondered why adolescents do stupid stuff – and why the stupid stuff they’re willing to do increases as more of them gather together. It’s not our imagination: It’s their psychology.

    A psychologist named Laurence Steinberg found that teens take more risks when their peers are watching. In one of his studies, teens played a driving video game while being told their friends were watching from the next room. They ran more yellow lights and crashed more often than when they played alone. Adults, in contrast, drove the same either way. Brain scans showed why: When friends were watching, the reward centers in teens’ brains lit up, making the risk feel more worth taking. 

    Instruction

    The psychology that inspires kids to take risks in front of peers is also part of the reason that public correction tends to cause them to blow up. Not only are they trying to publicly save face; they’re also more likely to take the chance of angering you while their friends are present.

    With this in mind, here are a few good ways to correct a misbehaving kid without giving them a chance to risk your wrath in front of friends. I’ve seen all of these work: A quiet word at their desk, a quick “cut that out” on a sticky note, “let’s talk in the hall,” or a “can I talk to you after class?”

    This isn’t about letting behavior slide. “See me after class” still shows everyone you’re addressing the misbehavior, but it moves the actual conversation somewhere without an audience. (Pro tip: If their friends stay after, too, tell them you want to talk to sweet little Johnny one-on-one.)

    Technology

    You know those emails that you don’t need until Friday, but you receive them on Monday? The ones with a key link, schedule, or other essential info that you must have – but you don’t need it today?

    Gmail has a way to “snooze” those so they pop up later. They stop cluttering your inbox and reappear when you actually need them.

    All you have to do is click a button and choose the date you want it to reappear. The snooze button shows up at the far right when you hover over an email, or at the top when an email is open. It looks like a clock:

  • PIT Stop – Win the Audition: Rise from Your Chair (build relationships by moving)

    Header. On top of a racing theme, the words "The PIT Stop" appear. Just below, it says: "Psychology, Instruction, Technology."

    Adolescent Psychology

    Adolescents are constantly evaluating the adults around them. Research on teacher-student relationships shows that students are silently asking a set of questions every day: Does this person care about me? Do they respect me? Are they fair? Do they know how to help me learn?

    This early in the term, students are still evaluating the answers to these questions. And they’re not subtle about it. If you look very closely, you can see the thinking gears turning behind their eyes.

    Consider: What do you think their answers would be about you thus far?

    All humans equate “I care about you” with time spent. Adolescents are no different, and they’ve learned to trust time spent – especially time spent voluntarily – as a sign that the adults in their lives care about them.

    Instruction

    There are a few simple things you can do to show students you care. One of them is dead simple – and it also serves to position you to reinforce classroom expectations. Spend as little time in your chair as possible.

    It’s pretty typical for a teacher to teach and then turn the kids loose on an assignment. And that’s understandable, because the paperwork burden on teachers has never been higher (and sometimes you need to sit down and get it done, so no judgment for those moments). But every moment the teacher spends with a student builds the student/teacher relationship. 

    It doesn’t have to be complicated. Circulate through, asking how the work is going. And how their weekend was. Stop and talk for a minute. Being there with the kids (especially when they know you don’t have to be) will show them you care.

    Technology

    Sometimes an emoji captures your feelings much better than words can. Whether it’s laughter 🤣, a shrug 🤷, or outright tears 😭, a picture really might be worth a thousand words. Even if you’re not a fan of emojis, we communicate with kids – and emojis are in their native language.

    But how do you insert emojis on a Windows machine?

    On your computer, hold the Windows button and hit period. It brings up a nice little menu you can use to insert emojis. Put them in emails, on Canvas, or wherever else your heart desires. 🥰

    One warning: Don’t use too many or you’ll look like ChatGPT. 🤣