Each Monday I teach 26/31 students from a middle band Yr 10 Class in the morning. In the afternoon, I teach 17 of the original 26 students, plus a further 7 new students. (Finally on Wednesday morning, I teach a very small, but productive group of 11/31) Sequential teaching is proving a real challenge as the group can not be split into appropriate sub groups and the OCR Nationals assessment outcomes comprise of many small, but numerous tasks. Relationships are strained, on both parties, I am aware of that and I try to be more accommodating / tolerant than my usual teaching style, however, I am not sure that its the most efficient strategy available.
Today relationships broke down. I clearly set the class tasks and confirmed their understanding. I emphasised the expected levels of student behaviour in order that I could offer students 1-2-1 student reviews and stressed the mutual benefit of this process. Sadly, numerous disturbances led me to issue two soft warnings and then a final warning, With students failing my final warning and unable to clearly identify the students most irresponsible, I had left myself with little / no room to manoeuvre and very poor aswell as limited disciplinary options.
So the ‘ limited disciplinary options,’ a) issue another warning / or empty threat or b) issue a group detention (5 mins) hereby punishing the few students who did apply themselves as well I myself!?! The well behaved students who were angry with the disrespectful students were now angry with me and I was angry with myself. In an effort to address the balance I created room own room to manoeuvre. I posted a 5 mins count down timer and released students every 30s – if the group were settled. Did this address the situation, no. Any ideas.
Thats a rather long winded explanation for a simple post but here the conclusion. Tonight whilst watching a poor excuse for a puzzle game show ‘Only Connect,’ I learnt about a military punishments. When a regiment was to be punished, to protect its over health, soldiers would cast dice to see who would be punished. Is there a connection, a possible solution.