I am describing a classroom at The Center School on the Upper West Side. This school works under the philosophy that how a student learns is just as important as what they learn. They believe that all grades (5-8) should be combined in the classroom. This way a community of students is created rather than the 8th graders picking on the 5th graders and the 5th graders being afraid of all the older kids. That said, classroom management is very different at The Center School as compared to any other school I have ever attended or sat in on.
The class is made up of about 45% males and 55% female. 35% 5th graders, 30% 6th graders, 20% 7th graders and 15% 8th graders. The 5th grade class is the largest class Center School has ever admitted and as the years progress, the grades get smaller. The classroom is very diverse with regards to heritage. Students are caucasian, african american, South American, Caribbean, European, Asian, American Indian as well as students who have so many different backgrounds the "don't really know", as I have been told by one of my students.
While we as student teachers have been told that there are several students with ELL's and IEPs, they are intergraded within the student body. Those falling behind in class, or unable to fully grasp the material are invited to speak freely to a teacher and spend one-on-one time to fully understand the subject matter. Each student takes a variety of classes, many unconventional, so their academics are well rounded and they are taught to relate the subject matter from one class to another, even if those classes are Latin and Math.
For such an unconventional school, the classrooms are set up like any other classroom. The large tables that seat 5 students are arranged so every student is able to see the chalkboard. While the classrooms do not have desks, the tables further express the community feeling of the school. The teacher stands up at the front of the room facing the class. They write their notes on the board when key points are discussed so the students know what material needs to be written down, but they are unable to look ahead in the reading to find out what the next activity is.
In the beginning of every class, the teacher tells the student what they will be doing for the day and then begins a warm up exercise. This is usually quickly going over the homework or simply asking questions about what was discussed the pervious class. This is good for the students for many reasons. They are able to get their mind back on class after a rowdy hall break, it reinforces what they learned in their homework, and for those who failed to do the homework, they can still keep up with the rest of the class, though it is obvious to the teacher that they did not do the work. Class continues usually with the daily lesson and then an activity to further reinforce the material.
I have noticed that with the students at Center School, they rarely have to be retold the rules of the classroom. They know that when the teacher or another student is talking, they are to listen. Occasionally a student speaks out of turn, or is distracting to the rest of the class. On those occasions the student is reminded to be quiet and the lesson continues. If the problem continues, the student is moved to another table with a group of students who are much more focused. That typically ends the issue and I have never seen a problem escalate further.
Overall the students at the Center School are very well educated, have good manners, listen to and respect their peers and teachers and are very diverse. They all get along and, because of the ungraded system, they all work well together 5th through 8th grade.
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