A friend of mine has her largest fourth grade ever – 34 students! That’s a lot of nine-year olds! By the end of the first week she was feeling pulled in multiple directions. Too many students wanting help, with only one teacher to ask. Someone once said, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and this seems very apt for this situation. So we put our heads together and came up with a few ideas.
First, the students developed a Classroom Yellow Pages board to advertise what skills they had to offer their peers. Now, if a student needs help, they will have some guidance about which classmate to turn to, rather than just asking a friend.
First, the students developed a Classroom Yellow Pages board to advertise what skills they had to offer their peers. Now, if a student needs help, they will have some guidance about which classmate to turn to, rather than just asking a friend.
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Second, we developed a Resource Checklist that students can keep on their desk. This checklist will remind students of the various resources in the room, other than the teacher. Students had guided practice with this, then were told that they will need to check off at least two items before approaching their teacher with a problem.
In a reflective discussion, my friend and I recognized that these strategies might work well, even for a small class. Teaching students to be resourceful and interdependent is always a good thing!
In a reflective discussion, my friend and I recognized that these strategies might work well, even for a small class. Teaching students to be resourceful and interdependent is always a good thing!
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