Chapter 8: Improving Your Pacing - Additional Techniques for Creating a Positive Rhythm in the Classroom. (Change the Pace, Brighten Lines, All Hands, Every Minute Matters, Look Forward, Work the Clock)
I love the concept of Change the Pace. I would LOVE to change the pace in MS LA. I feel that my time is so limited in class connect that everything has to be done. I do try to segment my class connect time -5 minutes to get everyone in 10 minutes of "announcements" 15 minutes of direct instruction, 10 minutes of guided practice and review 5 minutes for the exit ticket. It all feels so rushed - but that is the reality of the situation. I also wonder if we had more depth and less breadth if that would make class connects feel less rushed.
I understand the rush for sure. I try to make sure that I do a few practice problems they might see on the lesson assessment before they go. They usually realize I must be almost done when we get to those. Guess I am predictable :)
Again, I think it's great that you have at least segmented your classes and keep track of how much time you spend on each activity to make sure you get to everything you need to get to. I totally understand how you feel about everything being so rushed. I'm just wondering - have you tried to leave more for the students to do on their own and cover less in your sessions at all? I have tried this; it does help a lot. I feel I actually have time to use some of the other strategies (e.g. No Opt Out, Stretch Out). It FEELS better to me, and although I haven't looked at the data really closely, I don't think students are doing any worse on their work. What do you think? Are there things you could leave out so you could go for depth over breadth?
I know this is something we all struggle with, so anyone else feel free to respond, as well.
I let my kids know how much time they have in the BBC before moving them in there, then send announcements on remaining time. I then pull them back for the exit ticket.
Cinde - My students are left alone for about 60% of the curriculum. I try to only cover what I know they will need help with. That cuts down on the need for individual tutor times. I would love to just cut out some of the curriculum - especially in comp. I would much rather do 4 really good comp assignments with rough drafts and editing time than rush through 8 assignments. For lit I would love to get rid of the new critical assessments as they are only repeated assignments from comp. I don't have a problem with the GUM or vocab - I like both of those classes - it is definitely something that students need and don't get prior to coming to WYVA. The other thing that I would like to do is put Lang B and LA-C on the LMS platform - that gets rid of the need for work samples. I think that the LMS is a much better platform for how we grade - it is much less confusing. None of the 10% for this and 25% for that. What do you think?
I definitely think the LMS is a better platform! It's one of the reasons I opted to teach only high school classes. I also like your idea for changing your comp assignments a bit. In high school, students are required to submit an outline, a rough draft, and then the final draft. I feel the feedback I give on the outlines and rough drafts is essential to helping students improve their writing. I think eliminating some of your comp assignments, and like you said, asking for rough drafts and giving feedback on those would be a positive change for student learning. You could even have the rough draft points take the place of the eliminated comp assignment points so you don't miss any milestones.
When I first started teaching at Wyva I realized that pacing in CC was all about transition slides and getting a better realistic understanding of how long activities took before moving on. I also had to get a lot more comfortable with the tools inside BBC so that I could get my kids to start engaging more. To be honest- that meant training them from the very beginning of the year to use them- teaching them how to use the whiteboard tools, mic, etc and then setting those as class norms just like you would in the reg B and M classroom. When you take the time to do that- believe me- it actually saves time- because kids become more engaged and when you do the transitional activities they look for them- they are trained- just like they are now trained for exit tickets in all their classrooms- they are trained in my classroom and look for things like " Music Motto of the day" slide- or "Brain Break" slide- or "What would you say" which is usually a silly slide where i find a picture of a person who dress there dog in a ridiculous outfit and then let them comment. Why do I do that- well because it's funny and the kids have fun- but it also pulls them back in to me- let's their brain have a rest, and it resets them for the next activity and learning that will take place on the next slide :-)
Jenn, I think you are so right about getting a realistic understanding of how long activities will take. I find setting the timer to solve a problem and using polling tools to help get responses, but then I also have students say that I didn't give them enough time. Sometimes I believe it is possible, but other times I think they must not have started right away or didn't work at it. One minute to reduce a fraction is a long time :) I hope after getting this year under my belt that it will be easier to determine.
I like that you repeat some fun lesson transition elements that students can count on being included; I think this definitely helps pacing (and I think it counts as "Brighten Lines."
Another thing I've learned from you is to put a lot of information on one screen. I think this helps with pacing because you aren't flipping through tons of screens to get to the next activity. Students can also be looking at all the info related to a concept as you work on one section of the slide. In the past I tended to use TONS of screens, and I think it decreases focus and increases my stress when presenting a lesson.
Jenni, I also set the timer and ask for green checks when done with an activity or problem. But as in any classroom some are done before others. When you can not see what the students are doing during this time its hard to tell if the ones not done are really working on the problem and need more time and explanation or if they have taken a break. I try to have a few minutes at the end of class when students are done to have the students the did not understand the practice problems to stay and we go over them or another problem like it.
I use countdowns a lot in my classes. Not only setting the timer, but doing a 10-second countdown to reinforce participating in class and giving them a heads up of how much time they have left to get their answer on the board. I found at first, they would wait until I posted answers and then answered. So this helps with forcing them to answer so I can check for understanding and know who needs more practice and who does not.
I think it is so important to think about how every minute matters. It takes about 5 minutes for students to log in to class which is somewhat a tech thing and somewhat a memory thing, but regardless classes rarely are ready to begin until 5 minutes after. It is important however to make those 5 minutes count. Have a planned hook or activity to get students engaged and thinking about the lesson before the "instruction" time actually begins. The hardest part that I have found is this time gets used for housekeepers like signing in and then students just sit there with nothing to do for several minutes which feels like such a waste of time for me and the students. While the housekeepers are important an educational focus after signing in makes it even better!
Just an interesting note - in high school we don't have students sign in. Is it totally necessary in K6? Could you have names on the board and just ask them to put an X if they are present? I know it always takes so long to have all students write on the board.
Starting at WYVA it was hard to understand how long tasks took. In the B&M you could see the students and how far a long they were so you could base your pacing on that. I had to learn to use breakout rooms where students were working. checking in with them and prompting. I use the timer a lot too to keep things moving along
This is sooooo true! I always thought "virtual" would be so much faster, but in many ways it is not. For this reason I do think it is essential that we are always considering how we can quicken the pace.I also am going to try to send more things to my students ahead of time when applicable.
Pacing is important in many ways. In the elementary school my job as a facilitator to families can be directly related to their pacing. I encourage progress, lessons, interaction and engagement...all of this is pacing. In our student sessions pacing is very important because it has everything to do with student engagement. I value learning coaches that are on the ball as they have a positive impact on the pace of their children. I enjoy reading the other entries and learning from others. :)
I love the brain breaks for times when the lesson starts to lag a little. I really like using the 5 minute breakout rooms for when I need to emphasize a skill within a lesson and it's easy to make it fun like using alliteration. You can set the timer, send students to a breakout room and bring them quickly back, to move on with the lesson. This keeps the students engaged while allowing them a quick break and change of pace! I really want to become more proficient using the BBC plan session! I know this will help me to improve my craft!
A few times I have taken brain breaks and asked students to do jumping jacks and I do them over the mic and counting down. I have thought about using my video so they could get a laugh but have not done that yet.
My classes are broken up by activities. I start with an introductory video to set the tone of the class. The video always relates to the lesson core. The next activity is an intervention that relates to the curriculum content - i.e. reading or math. On Mondays I give the students 5-10 minutes to complete a Study Island Pathway. We then move into the lesson of the day. The last 3-5 minutes are reserved for interactive game related to the lesson topic. The majority of my students have attention difficulties and need to change activities every 3-5 minutes.
I like to use the timer to keep my first graders focused and on task. They seem to enjoy "beating the buzzer" when it comes to choosing an answer using the polling tools. I will often set the timer for 30 seconds and tell them that they have 30 seconds to make their final selection. If I forget to set the timer I will verbally give them the final countdown and 99% of the time they tend to all respond . :) I do the same thing in breakout rooms , if we have an assignment in a breakout room, I often set the timer and tell them before hand how much time they have to complete the assignment. If they do not finish within the time allowed, I allow them to stay after and/ or they can choose to work with me in a breakout room.
Jenni - I don't know what it is, but we all struggle with getting middle school and high school students to respond and participate. There has to be some sort of psychosocial development issue involved.
I agree on pacing! For my classes I have to keep it fast and it keep mixing and changing it up to keep student's interest and participation. If it starts to slow or drag I start losing many. There are some days I feel like I have run a marathon after a session, but those days are usually the best sessions, too. :)
I also use the timer and announcements a lot to keep students focused, on track and moving forward. We are limited in the time we do have and in some ways that is a huge obstacle. I think just being organized, knowing where you are headed in a lesson and what you want students to accomplish helps so much!
I feel that pacing is so important, and I use the timer all of the time. If I put them in a breakout room, I set the timer, if I have them do a quick activity, I set the timer. I also will use the chat and remind them by sending them a message that they have so many minutes left before coming back to the main room. Not only does pacing keep them on task, but also me sometimes.
I love the concept of Change the Pace. I would LOVE to change the pace in MS LA. I feel that my time is so limited in class connect that everything has to be done. I do try to segment my class connect time -5 minutes to get everyone in 10 minutes of "announcements" 15 minutes of direct instruction, 10 minutes of guided practice and review 5 minutes for the exit ticket. It all feels so rushed - but that is the reality of the situation. I also wonder if we had more depth and less breadth if that would make class connects feel less rushed.
ReplyDeleteI understand the rush for sure. I try to make sure that I do a few practice problems they might see on the lesson assessment before they go. They usually realize I must be almost done when we get to those. Guess I am predictable :)
DeleteI think is OK to be predictable some times.
DeleteHi Rachel :-)
ReplyDeleteAgain, I think it's great that you have at least segmented your classes and keep track of how much time you spend on each activity to make sure you get to everything you need to get to. I totally understand how you feel about everything being so rushed. I'm just wondering - have you tried to leave more for the students to do on their own and cover less in your sessions at all? I have tried this; it does help a lot. I feel I actually have time to use some of the other strategies (e.g. No Opt Out, Stretch Out). It FEELS better to me, and although I haven't looked at the data really closely, I don't think students are doing any worse on their work. What do you think? Are there things you could leave out so you could go for depth over breadth?
I know this is something we all struggle with, so anyone else feel free to respond, as well.
I let my kids know how much time they have in the BBC before moving them in there, then send announcements on remaining time. I then pull them back for the exit ticket.
DeleteCinde - My students are left alone for about 60% of the curriculum. I try to only cover what I know they will need help with. That cuts down on the need for individual tutor times. I would love to just cut out some of the curriculum - especially in comp. I would much rather do 4 really good comp assignments with rough drafts and editing time than rush through 8 assignments. For lit I would love to get rid of the new critical assessments as they are only repeated assignments from comp. I don't have a problem with the GUM or vocab - I like both of those classes - it is definitely something that students need and don't get prior to coming to WYVA. The other thing that I would like to do is put Lang B and LA-C on the LMS platform - that gets rid of the need for work samples. I think that the LMS is a much better platform for how we grade - it is much less confusing. None of the 10% for this and 25% for that. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the LMS is a better platform! It's one of the reasons I opted to teach only high school classes. I also like your idea for changing your comp assignments a bit. In high school, students are required to submit an outline, a rough draft, and then the final draft. I feel the feedback I give on the outlines and rough drafts is essential to helping students improve their writing. I think eliminating some of your comp assignments, and like you said, asking for rough drafts and giving feedback on those would be a positive change for student learning. You could even have the rough draft points take the place of the eliminated comp assignment points so you don't miss any milestones.
DeleteWhen I first started teaching at Wyva I realized that pacing in CC was all about transition slides and getting a better realistic understanding of how long activities took before moving on. I also had to get a lot more comfortable with the tools inside BBC so that I could get my kids to start engaging more. To be honest- that meant training them from the very beginning of the year to use them- teaching them how to use the whiteboard tools, mic, etc and then setting those as class norms just like you would in the reg B and M classroom. When you take the time to do that- believe me- it actually saves time- because kids become more engaged and when you do the transitional activities they look for them- they are trained- just like they are now trained for exit tickets in all their classrooms- they are trained in my classroom and look for things like " Music Motto of the day" slide- or "Brain Break" slide- or "What would you say" which is usually a silly slide where i find a picture of a person who dress there dog in a ridiculous outfit and then let them comment. Why do I do that- well because it's funny and the kids have fun- but it also pulls them back in to me- let's their brain have a rest, and it resets them for the next activity and learning that will take place on the next slide :-)
ReplyDeleteJenn, I think you are so right about getting a realistic understanding of how long activities will take. I find setting the timer to solve a problem and using polling tools to help get responses, but then I also have students say that I didn't give them enough time. Sometimes I believe it is possible, but other times I think they must not have started right away or didn't work at it. One minute to reduce a fraction is a long time :) I hope after getting this year under my belt that it will be easier to determine.
DeleteI like that you repeat some fun lesson transition elements that students can count on being included; I think this definitely helps pacing (and I think it counts as "Brighten Lines."
DeleteAnother thing I've learned from you is to put a lot of information on one screen. I think this helps with pacing because you aren't flipping through tons of screens to get to the next activity. Students can also be looking at all the info related to a concept as you work on one section of the slide. In the past I tended to use TONS of screens, and I think it decreases focus and increases my stress when presenting a lesson.
Jenni, I also set the timer and ask for green checks when done with an activity or problem. But as in any classroom some are done before others. When you can not see what the students are doing during this time its hard to tell if the ones not done are really working on the problem and need more time and explanation or if they have taken a break. I try to have a few minutes at the end of class when students are done to have the students the did not understand the practice problems to stay and we go over them or another problem like it.
DeleteI use countdowns a lot in my classes. Not only setting the timer, but doing a 10-second countdown to reinforce participating in class and giving them a heads up of how much time they have left to get their answer on the board. I found at first, they would wait until I posted answers and then answered. So this helps with forcing them to answer so I can check for understanding and know who needs more practice and who does not.
ReplyDeleteVery true Laura! If they don't feel they have to answer before, they will wait to make sure they have the "correct" answer after it is said!
DeleteI think it is so important to think about how every minute matters. It takes about 5 minutes for students to log in to class which is somewhat a tech thing and somewhat a memory thing, but regardless classes rarely are ready to begin until 5 minutes after. It is important however to make those 5 minutes count. Have a planned hook or activity to get students engaged and thinking about the lesson before the "instruction" time actually begins. The hardest part that I have found is this time gets used for housekeepers like signing in and then students just sit there with nothing to do for several minutes which feels like such a waste of time for me and the students. While the housekeepers are important an educational focus after signing in makes it even better!
ReplyDeleteJust an interesting note - in high school we don't have students sign in. Is it totally necessary in K6? Could you have names on the board and just ask them to put an X if they are present? I know it always takes so long to have all students write on the board.
DeleteStarting at WYVA it was hard to understand how long tasks took. In the B&M you could see the students and how far a long they were so you could base your pacing on that. I had to learn to use breakout rooms where students were working. checking in with them and prompting. I use the timer a lot too to keep things moving along
ReplyDeleteThis is sooooo true! I always thought "virtual" would be so much faster, but in many ways it is not. For this reason I do think it is essential that we are always considering how we can quicken the pace.I also am going to try to send more things to my students ahead of time when applicable.
DeletePacing is important in many ways. In the elementary school my job as a facilitator to families can be directly related to their pacing. I encourage progress, lessons, interaction and engagement...all of this is pacing. In our student sessions pacing is very important because it has everything to do with student engagement. I value learning coaches that are on the ball as they have a positive impact on the pace of their children. I enjoy reading the other entries and learning from others. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the brain breaks for times when the lesson starts to lag a little. I really like using the 5 minute breakout rooms for when I need to emphasize a skill within a lesson and it's easy to make it fun like using alliteration. You can set the timer, send students to a breakout room and bring them quickly back, to move on with the lesson. This keeps the students engaged while allowing them a quick break and change of pace! I really want to become more proficient using the BBC plan session! I know this will help me to improve my craft!
ReplyDeleteI really like the brain break idea, too. Sometimes it is just the thing needed to actually increase the pace for the rest of the lesson.
DeleteA few times I have taken brain breaks and asked students to do jumping jacks and I do them over the mic and counting down. I have thought about using my video so they could get a laugh but have not done that yet.
DeleteMy classes are broken up by activities. I start with an introductory video to set the tone of the class. The video always relates to the lesson core. The next activity is an intervention that relates to the curriculum content - i.e. reading or math. On Mondays I give the students 5-10 minutes to complete a Study Island Pathway. We then move into the lesson of the day. The last 3-5 minutes are reserved for interactive game related to the lesson topic. The majority of my students have attention difficulties and need to change activities every 3-5 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI like to use the timer to keep my first graders focused and on task. They seem to enjoy "beating the buzzer" when it comes to choosing an answer using the polling tools. I will often set the timer for 30 seconds and tell them that they have 30 seconds to make their final selection. If I forget to set the timer I will verbally give them the final countdown and 99% of the time they tend to all respond . :) I do the same thing in breakout rooms , if we have an assignment in a breakout room, I often set the timer and tell them before hand how much time they have to complete the assignment. If they do not finish within the time allowed, I allow them to stay after and/ or they can choose to work with me in a breakout room.
ReplyDeleteGreat use of timers! I try timers and I still don't get responses :)
DeleteJenni - I don't know what it is, but we all struggle with getting middle school and high school students to respond and participate. There has to be some sort of psychosocial development issue involved.
DeleteI agree on pacing! For my classes I have to keep it fast and it keep mixing and changing it up to keep student's interest and participation. If it starts to slow or drag I start losing many. There are some days I feel like I have run a marathon after a session, but those days are usually the best sessions, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI also use the timer and announcements a lot to keep students focused, on track and moving forward. We are limited in the time we do have and in some ways that is a huge obstacle. I think just being organized, knowing where you are headed in a lesson and what you want students to accomplish helps so much!
ReplyDeleteI feel that pacing is so important, and I use the timer all of the time. If I put them in a breakout room, I set the timer, if I have them do a quick activity, I set the timer. I also will use the chat and remind them by sending them a message that they have so many minutes left before coming back to the main room. Not only does pacing keep them on task, but also me sometimes.
ReplyDelete