Class Participation

I think I have mentioned to some of you before that it's like a scene from Ferris Bueller  in here, although I really hope I'm not as boring as Ben Stein. :)  We have talked at length about participating (okay, I have talked), but there has only been slight improvement. It's a little bit my fault because as a child I hated being called on when I wasn't ready.  My hope has been that as kids get more comfortable with the class, they will come out of their shells a little.  That hasn't happened, so today we set some goals as a class. Each student created a goal that included a subject (math, ss, reading etc.), and activity (raising hand, reading aloud, table discussions etc.) and a measurable number. For instance,  a goal could be:

I will raise my hand two times next week during Social Studies. 

Monday morning I will show them how to keep track of their goal. I encouraged them to pick a small number so they are sure to meet their goal for next week. I'm hoping that by everyone trying one more thing, they might learn that it's not quite as frightening as they think it is. At the end of the week they will turn in their paper to me with their goal and notes.  

I'm hoping for great results!  This would be a great time to share with your kids about your own school experience.  I think most of the kids were surprised to hear some of the things I shared about my own experience in school. 

Have a great weekend!
~Erica
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