The Classroom Experiment

[Inge]

I know it is not about our age range, but I have found this a fascinating watch...

 

 

a comment on yesterdays... really hit home, when they were trying to remove grades from the children's work and give comments instead... all said how they really needed to know the grade.. even the teacher..

 

the comment made is that we have our children hooked on levels, like a drug, they are addicted to them and will we ever be able to get them off this addiction..

 

 

and the method to get children to behave seemed to work... for the majority... ( secret student)

 

does seem though the higher achievers found it hard, as they no longer dominate the classes...

 

 

 

Inge

[Gezabel]

yes I was glued to it and found both episodes fascinating!

 

Interesting to see how the high achieving students removed their 'sticks'

[Panders]

Yes I watched with much interest. I felt at the end though that the high achiever students did understand that this way of holding up white boards etc. was far more democratic and gave an equal chance to all.

 

I particularly enjoyed the comments from the fair haired boy with glasses - he had some excellent ideas, and not one of the high achievers I believe.

 

My son said they have been using this system in his school for a while, unbeknown to me!!

 

I also liked the secret student idea, implementing it for a whole school might prove difficult but if they get the administration correct for it and keep consistency it may work long term - the goal at the end of the observing time needs to be kept at a consistently good level too to keep the children focussed.

[HappyMaz]

The only bit of the programmes I have seen was the bit where the teachers were looking at their pots to see which sticks had been removed. It is hard to get the gist of the programme from your posts though - would one of you be able to tell us about the 'secret student' and how the sticks are used please? And what is the significance of holding up the whiteboards?

 

I shall have to go and watch them on tinternet though - fascinating by the sounds of it!

 

Maz

[Inge]

The only bit of the programmes I have seen was the bit where the teachers were looking at their pots to see which sticks had been removed. It is hard to get the gist of the programme from your posts though - would one of you be able to tell us about the 'secret student' and how the sticks are used please? And what is the significance of holding up the whiteboards?

 

I shall have to go and watch them on tinternet though - fascinating by the sounds of it!

 

Maz

 

it was fascinating and worth watching

 

the sticks... these were introduced so all children would have a say in class and not just the bright few who were always hands up and answering questions etc.. each stick had child's name on and one was chosen at random from the cup when there was a question to be answered... the brighter ones were the ones who removed their sticks.. think they were unhappy at no longer being the focus in a class and disliked the idea.. by the end they had come round and realised that it was important for all to have a voice and to learn from others mistakes, you don't always need to be right to have an input.

 

the whiteboards were to allow everyone in the class to give an answer.. this allowed all to have a voice.. and it was shown as a way to keep the brighter ones involved but not dominant in the class.

 

secret student was clever...involved the whole class behaviour... each day a child was chosen at random to be monitored for the day , teacher knew who they were but class did not so could be any of them, they were monitored in class and given tick or cross for behaviour, at end of day more ticks than crosses they got a point for the class... if they failed a day no one knew who had been monitored, but if they passed they were told and praised for it... it ran for 4 weeks and if they managed to get enough points they had a treat.. a day at Alton Towers, they scraped by but did do it. worked on peer pressure, constant reminders but behaviour increased dramatically a lot of the time

 

at the end they asses the whole year and that class had progressed almost twice as much as the others in the year in Maths and English, science was about the same as the rest of the year.. so the scheme which had been an experiment in one class was adopted through the school..

 

Inge

Edited September 29, 2010 by Inge

[HappyMaz]

Thanks for that Inge - definitely worth a look then!

 

Maz