. . Just being proactive until guidelines about teaching and managing students are made available through research. . .
. . . Please feel free to share your comments below. . .
How to teach in midst of COVID-19
In the past school year, if you have struggled with student management, dealing with almost every classroom disruption of learning—student defiance, student apathy, student inertia, student ill-manners, and, contrarily, student-willingness to learn, then you might already be contemplating how you will manage your students the upcoming school year in light of COVID-19, a potentially deadly virus that plagues many people.
How will you teach required learning objectives and protect yourself and students in the most sensible, researchable, pedagogical way? This question requires critical thought because some young students (elementary-secondary) may erroneously believe that COVID-19 does not affect them because they are too young in age for the virus, and since they may not be directly influenced by the virus, they, in their words, do not reason to alter their normal behavior in a classroom environment.
Perhaps resetting your classroom rules may help.
You as teacher understand the potential dangers of COVID-19, and for this reason you understand to teach your students the critical meaning of the virus and to implore students to show prudence about the virus and to extend empathy towards the situation.
Through direct instruction of COVID-19, you as teacher can make a positive difference in students’ understanding of it. An open conversation and appropriate examples illustrated will help bring about awareness and help lend harmony to instruction.
With COVID-19 information added to your regular classroom rules, you will be able to manage your students’ behavior. Simply instruct facts about COVID-19, and students will be able to make decisions based on their character and empathy for others once they understand. With other classroom rules already delineated, you will only need to enforce the new rules.
Since newness of the virus has impeded fast implementation of classroom rules, school policies have not been availble to follow, yet policies will come forth soon to direct strategies to enforce classroom behavior of students to help teachers maintain a smooth learning environment.
Meanwhile, until such polices are set in place, below are 10 classroom suggestions to help you remind students to put forth their good behavior and to help YOU as teacher maintain student-respect and uphold order in your classroom:
CLASSROOM PRINCIPLES (Rules):
(1) Sit up straight to participate in classroom learning.
(2) Remain seated, and ask permission to leave seat.
(3) Keep hands to yourself, and sanitize them regularly.
(4) Keep voice low and conversation minimal.
(5) Wear a protective face mask if required or desired.
(6) Be respectful toward others.
(7) Be serious about learning, and do your best to be your best.
(8) Be kind.
(9) Use technology to research answers for any learning questions you may have.
(10) Ask teacher for help if necessary.
NOTE- Of course, tailor the rules to your specific needs: Only remember to make the rules meaningful and noticeable, and review RULES with your class(es) every single day:
Below are more helpful tips for creating your poster rules.
✅Enlarge rules on 3×4 paper card board.
✅Make font of rules 24.
✅Maintain rules in a business format with few designs or colors for a serious appearance.
✅Position classroom rules in front, in back, and on side walls.
✅Type rules on teacher-made-class-assignments for further reinforcement.
✅ Allow students to read rules aloud in class and/or to discuss the rules.
✅Thank students for following rules.
Cynthia Mathews, Ed.D (2020)