From day one, I made it clear to students that they would be able to reach me at any time. I put my main email address on the course outline, and stated that if there was ever a question or concern that I would get back to them incredibly quickly. Students in high schools right now are constantly connected. They text. They email. Everything, it seem, is on facebook these days. With the exception of the few hours a night that I put aside to sleep, I was available if students had issues. I have a Blackberry. I have an iPhone. I know most students "live" on their computers, and, for me personally, I have no problem answering a student's question while I'm at Miller watching a basketball game. Telling them to email me with questions puts the ball into the students' court, to some extent. I have provided the option to ask questions--- whether or not they did was entirely up to them.
You no longer have to sing in Pep Rallies to be "cool" in the eyes of students--- Try using technology to your advantage in the classroom. This was at the first pep rally of the year at Miller Comprehensive High School.--Left to right- Ms. Wells (Art), myself (Business), Ms. Romanow (Biology/Science), Ms. Wiens (Math)--
I didn't receive many emails. I think that if I had advertised my email address in my English class instead of Law that I would have had a better response. Late nights trying to decipher Shakespeare over email would have been... Interesting.
I also capitalized on the face the nearly every student has a cell phone. Students filled out a basic questionnaire on the first day of Law 30. They put their name, favourite movies/books/food, as well as basic contact information, including their cell phone number. One student wasn't comfortable giving out her cell phone number, which was fine. I made it clear on the sheet that students' numbers would only be used to send out mass sms messages regarding due dates for assignments and reminders for exams. There was a pretty good response to this. It didn't take too much time on my part, and it made students feel as though I cared just a little bit more than I had to. This is where the relationship building comes in. Letting the students know that you are present for them is huge. Whether it's being available for questions 24/7 or correcting their assignments and handing them back the next day, little gestures like this go a long way in how students respond to you inside and outside the classroom.
My Law class also used a wiki, which I will talk about in another post. I interned in Smart classroom. Though the students were intellectually acceptable, I mean that we had a Smart Board at our disposal. I taught my coop some basic ins and outs-- I had used a Smart Board briefly in ECMP 355.
2 comments:
Mike I think it was great that you used technology in so many ways during your internship experience. I agree that sometimes we need to put the ball in their court and they can take the responsibility to ask questions. I gave my number to the girls on my volleyball team in case they ever needed to let me know if they were going to miss a practice or a game. What I found is that they would try to text me just to catch up or just to text like I was their friend. Over and over I would have to tell them only to text me only about volleyball. It is nice that they want to talk and all, but I wonder if parents would wonder why their child is texting their teacher. Did you have any issues with students texting you?
I also think that it is very important to build relationships with your students. It was after my internship, when I went back for a visit, that students were asking for my cellphone number. I have been in contact and do not mind building those relationships on the right basis but I was just wondering a couple of days ago if any issues will arise from it? I think that as long as we are professional about it, we should be alright! Thanks for posting that!
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