Routines in a multilevel classroom. Rutinas en un aula multinivel

FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN DE PALENCIA UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLID ROUTINES IN A MULTILEVEL CLASSROOM RUTINAS EN UN AULA MULTINIVEL TRABAJO FIN DE GRADO MAESTRA EN EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA AUTOR/A: LETICIA ACOSTA MARTÍNEZ TUTOR/A: CARMEN ALARIO TRIGUEROS Palencia. Julio de 2014 Curso 2013/2014 ABSTRACT/RESUMEN Routines are an essential tool which allow the creation of working habits, as well as developing social skills. The context where the routines are analyzed is a classroom in which two different levels learn together, sharing the same space (years 5 and 6). The objective of this work is observing the process followed by the students when they find themselves in the situation that they have to share the classroom, the time and the teacher with other group. Routines play an important role developing a comfortable environment, promoting the acquisition of learning and the development of Multiple Intelligences. Las rutinas son una herramienta esencial que permite la creación de hábitos de trabajo, así como el desarrollo de habilidades sociales. El contexto en el que las rutinas se analizan es una clase en la que dos niveles diferentes aprenden juntos, compartiendo el mismo espacio (5º y 6º de Educación Primaria). El objetivo de este trabajo es observar el proceso que los alumnos siguen cuando se encuentran a sí mismos en la situación de compartir un aula, el tiempo y a la misma profesora con otro grupo. Las rutinas juegan un papel muy importante en el desarrollo de un ambiente cómodo, que promueva el aprendizaje y el desarrollo de las inteligencias múltiples. KEY WORDS / PALABRAS CLAVE Routines, multi-level classroom, social skills, rural school, learning environment, Multiple Intelligences, Primary Education, year 5, year 6. Rutinas, clase multi-nivel, habilidades sociales, escuela rural, entorno de aprendizaje, Inteligencias Múltiples, Educación Primaria, 5º, 6º. INDEX Introduction............................................................................................................. p.1 Theoretical foundation.......................................................................................... Methodological principles......................................................................... α Multiple Intelligences...................................................................... p.3 p.3 p.4 Context..................................................................................................................... The classroom............................................................................................. p.8 p.11 Learning through routines..................................................................................... What is a routine?....................................................................................... Learning through routines......................................................................... Classifying routines..................................................................................... α Classroom management................................................................. α Reading............................................................................................ α Blackboards and Interactive Whiteboard................................... α Assessment...................................................................................... α Subject routines.............................................................................. p.17 p.17 p.17 p.18 p.19 p.26 p.30 p.33 p. 36 Conclusions............................................................................................................ p.38 Bibliography........................................................................................................... p.40 Webgraphy............................................................................................................. p.41 Annexes.................................................................................................................. p.42 1 INTRODUCTION The main objective of this TFG is investigating the process followed to achieve thinking skills through multiple intelligences using routines in a new social group. Being a tutor of a multilevel group allowed me to see the necessity of getting students used to work with each other as a group, which required the development of social skills. In other words, analysing how children develop their capacity for autonomous thinking, following a process previously designed, being influenced by the work on Multiple Intelligences (especially those which require social abilities and emotional intelligence) and an everyday work perfectly marked by routines. The students who make up the group of this context do not even share their precedence, as they come from different villages. This is also a disadvantage, as it is well-known here that certain villages take rivalry “by nature”. The thing is that a common point has to be found in order to link them as a group. The environment is not bad, but they have to share something that joins them together. And here is where the role of routines takes part. I have chosen this project because I identified as necessary the analysis of the different routines agreed and assumed in the classroom. The norms that govern them are not as valuated as they should, as repetitive actions are responsible for the development of skills in our students that we even did not think of, going further from the objectives they were aimed at. The use of routines can develop skills, competences and intelligences in our students, helping them to adapt to the classroom times, and guiding them so as they know which point we are everyday at every moment. In this work, we will study the relationships between the different learning theories by the time of producing autonomous thinking influenced by Multiple Intelligences. We will also go through the importance of routines in education, mainly for those students who find certain difficulties in the learning process. They will help them develop their own learning in an easier way. In addition, we will offer the design of a plan where all the different routines used in a specific context, in order to achieve an autonomous thinking in students of a certain age. This context is the school located in the town of Astudillo, where I am currently working with students of years 5 and 6, being their tutor teacher. The legal context in which this study is developed is the LOE (Organic Educational Law 2/2006, of 3rd of May) along with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in order to form a balanced standard where we support our syllabus programming along the year (not only for those subjects taught in Spanish, but also in English). In Primary Education, we teachers must develop an intercultural environment where students learn together, supporting each other and helping others if it is necessary. What we have to 2 do is avoid multicultural environments in the classroom, but integrating every student within the group: creating an inclusive school where all of them feel part of the group-class. In addition, we must create a lifelong learning. This means getting students into the habit of continue their formation during all their lives. 1According to UNESCO, education should: 1. last the whole life of each individual; 2. lead to the systematic acquisition, renewal, upgrading and completion of knowledge, skills and attitudes made necessary by the constantly changing conditions in which people now live; 3. have as its ultimate goal promotion ofthe self-fulfilment of each individual; 4. be dependent for its successful implementation on people's increasing ability and motivation to engage in self-directed learning activities; 5. acknowledge the contribution of all available educational influences, including formal, non-formal and informal. (Cropley, 1979, p. 3). Implications of lifelong learning 1 In conclusion, through this work, we demonstrate the achievement of the creation of social skills through the use of routines and the development of multiple intelligences, directed to achieving a friendly environment within the classroom, which promotes motivation, comfort and an increase in learning (which is the main goal). It is also important to take into account the key competences in order to develop them within the classroom, along with the contents: linguistic and communication competence, mathematical competence, knowledge and interaction with the 1 Candy, P., Crebert, G., & O'leary, J. (1994). Developing lifelong learners through undergraduate education. p. 17 3 physical world competence, information and digital competence, social and citizenship competence, cultural and artistic competence, learning to learn competence and autonomy and personal initiative competence. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION An endless variety of methods and approaches have been devised in the search for the best way of teaching a foreign language. The reference to the foreign language is taken into account along this work, as it centres its attention on communication, although routines and multiple intelligences are the main characters of it. The fact that foreign language teaching focuses on communicative proficiency must be taken into account. This is developed through Communicative and Natural approaches, which give special importance to communicative language and the meaning of language. They focus on individualized teaching and the creation of a positive learning environment, moving away from the traditional and authoritarian role of the teacher. Noam Chomsky, Dell Hymes, Michael Halliday or Stephen Krashen are some authors who contribute to the growing of these ideas. METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES Through methodology in Primary Education, programming should aim for students’ development, integrating their experiences to learning, and developing learning itself. Teaching must be personalized, adapted to the characteristics of each child as an individual. It must search students’ constructive learning, ensuring new concepts and encourage them to learn by themselves. Finally, contents should always be organized with a global focus, in order to create an interdisciplinary view to introduce students into the complex reality that surrounds them (here is where the theory of multiple intelligences plays an important role). Following a theoretical guideline to perform the development of this project, different theories are linked taking Multiple Intelligences as the central point. According to Howard Gardner, "it is of key importance that we recognize and promote all the variety of human intelligences, and all the combinations of them. We are all different, mostly because we have different combinations of intelligences. If we recognize this, I think that, at least, we will have the opportunity to control, in a more adequate way, the problems we face in the world" (Gardner, 1987). Every intelligence is different from the rest, but all of them allow us to solve problems, find solutions, invent or create things. However, not every situation or problem needs the activation of the same intelligence. Moreover, certain occasions make necessary to use a combination of those intelligences. 4 There is a sum of eight: Multiple intelligences diagram 1 Spatial intelligence It is the one which solves problems or creates products through images, shapes, dots or lines. This intelligence understands better the information which uses the visual path and prefers images to processed thoughts. Spatial intelligence is useful for recognizing faces, shapes, objects, colours or details; scribbling, drawing, or building objects; understanding maps; enjoying television programmes or cinema; analyzing objects, pictures, sculptures and buildings; orientating oneself within a space; driving; designing, taking pictures or decoding graphs; etc. In my class, spatial intelligence is mainly developed through Maths. We measure the length of a circumference; we try to guess how many people are able to get inside one square metre drawn on the floor; we measure the area of the classroom; etc. Spatial intelligence is also worked through Physical Education, where they have to get control over the space where they are. Linguistic intelligence Linguistic intelligence is the one which solves problems and situations by means of words. Spatial intelligence Linguistic intelligence Musical intelligence Naturalistic intelligence Bodilykinesthetic intelligence Logicalmathematical intelligence Interpersonal intelligence Intrapersonal intelligence 5 It uses them to think, learn, and create. It is the capacity that humans have to use words in an effective way, understanding it as oral or written mean. This ability includes the ability of manipulating the structure of language and its sounds, its meanings. Linguistic intelligence is developed through routines such as telling the date; summarizing something we have recently read; working in groups; listening to the lyrics of a song in English; reading a story; writing about a certain topic… In other words, developing the three skills: reading, listening, speaking, writing and interacting. Musical intelligence Perceiving, discriminating and transforming sounds is the capacity led by the musical intelligence. The rhythm, the tone or the melody are different aspects which this intelligence is able to perceive. Music can have different effects depending on the person and the moment, and even musical intelligence can associate music to a certain intellectual activity, to make it easier. This type of intelligence is well developed through the use of a foreign language, for example, where students have to focus their attention in the rhythm and intonation of anything, so as to understand it, or produce it; and specifically at music lessons, where this kind of intelligence is the main objective of the subject. Naturalistic intelligence Naturalistic intelligence is the one that certain people concerned towards nature have. Observing animals, classifying plants by their features, or setting relationships with the environment are activities that help naturalistic intelligence grow. Looking for "the why" of everything also increases the capacity to relate with nature. The sense of nature is not only in Science. The fact that the environment and the school context is located in a country area, makes students close and more aware of the nature. Moreover, students usually take examples whenever they have the opportunity to do so. They relate the contents of any area with the context and the experiences they already know, setting links between the new concepts and their previous knowledge. 6 Bodily - kinaesthetic intelligence The body is an excellent tool to express ideas and feelings, mainly hands, in order to produce both verbal and non-verbal language. This kind of intelligence includes physical abilities, as coordination, balance, strength, flexibility or speed, as well as perception capacities or the sense of touch. It demands the cooperation between mind and body in order to carry out a perfect physical activity. In a nutshell, using the body as a channel of receiving and expressing information from thinking. Body language is a useful tool to get to know what is happening around us. It also helps students empathise with their partners. Just looking at their body language we can guess how they feel; what their motivation towards what we are doing is; or simply who their friends are or are not. Physical Education is a subject that helps students develop a self-control over their own bodies, being able to move around easily and in a coordinate way. They have to be conscious of their own human being, not only in relation with others, but also with themselves. Logical - mathematical intelligence It is the one that enables the brain solving problems (not only mathematical ones) through the analysis of numbers and data. Inductive reasoning is a key element in logical-mathematical intelligence. This involves observe and organize several situations and elements in which similar features can be observed, or even a pattern is perceived in certain items. Sensitive perception towards diagrams, logical relations or abstract functions are included in this intelligence. The main strategies it uses are categorization, classification, inference, generalization, calculation and demonstration of hypothesis. Logical mathematical intelligence allows students decide, for example, how to classify the different words in a list of vocabulary, according to a criteria they set; it also helps them to see which environments and landscapes contain which animals by the time we study ecosystems or to gather information about them in Science and English. Along with this intelligence, students classify and set relationships between certain data they collected around the whole school, so as to work with statistical studies in maths. 13 the wall. Here we place flashcards with vocabulary we usually need, posters designed by children to help them in grammar, vocabulary, verbs, etc., and other works we are carrying out. Number 3. This is a cupboard where I store all the books and resources I use in the lessons. I try to have and use a great variety of materials for students to practise and get different perspectives. I usually try to complement information and explanations with practical and tangible materials, especially in Maths, as it is the most abstract subject. On this cupboard we have many materials: felt-tips, plastic folders, stickers, a plant and the Anacleto Owl, the pet of the class. Next to this cupboard is number 20, the teacher’s desk. Here I have the resources necessary to change the calendar in number 1, clips, pens, a calculator and other necessary materials for every day lessons to be handy. Number 4. This is “year 6” blackboard. As it will be explained later in their matching routines, there are two blackboards with specific functions each one (they are assigned for each group). Number 5. These are small boxes where the rubbish is classified into plastic and paper. There is also an organic bin to put on the waste that cannot be put in any of these boxes. By the end of the week, there is a patrol formed by, at least, one student per class (it is usually the responsible of the day) who is in charge of taking the content of both boxes in plastic bags to throw it away in the recycling containers. Number 6. This is a cupboard where dictionaries (in both Spanish and English language can be found), Maths materials or games to play when the weather is rainy can be found. We also have boxes which separate the paper in three groups: scrap paper (which mainly consists on colour papers which can be used for arts and crafts), draft paper (where students can find paper that can be used just by one side, to make sketches, scribbles or calculations) and writing paper (where there are clean sheets in case students need to write something to hand to the teacher, such as stories or other exercises). 14 Dictionaries 1 Paper boxes 1 Maths materials 1 On top of this cupboard is the Maths corner, where we put useful posters that help us with the unit and concepts we are in. Number 7. This side of the class is the Science corner. In this part we put the projects we are doing, following a process of learning about a topic, investigating, dividing in groups, sharing information with others, working and presenting the works to the class, which will be evaluated by the rest of the students. Number 8. Dividing the Science corner in two, there is a piece of cork, where we place the timetable and other important information. There is also a representative of the classroom pet, as there is a small wool owl hanging on the cork. In this part, there is also a box containing magazines, such as “Okapi” or “Muy interesante”, that students can take on their reading time. Number 9. This is another part of the Science corner. It is the biggest space on the wall to put things about a subject, because it is the link of the rest of the areas of learning. It awakes students’ interests about the world around them. In addition, as they perform several projects, they enjoy looking at them and they have to share the space with the rest of their partners (in case of both groups). Under this part of the Science corner, there is a small board with two sides: one made of paper, and the other one as a blackboard. Here we set the requirements to do a good Science project, things to take into account when they perform their work in a certain topic. Instructions board 1 15 Number 10. This piece of cork makes the Spanish corner. Here we have several areas: one to promote the radio programme we have in the blog (students made posters to put on the different spaces around the village, such as the shops and other establishments), letters we send and receive, news where we appear (newspapers, mainly), inventions we created and a crazy poem we usually build in Spanish lessons (we change the old one by the new one). Number 11. This is a table bigger than the rest which is used for group working. It is more comfortable for students to have a bigger space when they are carrying a project out. Number 12. The classroom library is a place where students take books by the time there is a space of time where they have to wait for their partners to work. They can read either books from this library or magazines from the box in number 8. In addition, there is a space of time on Thursdays that we use for mental calculation or reading time, in alternative weeks, as there is an hour shared with Religion subject, and it does not leave time enough to continue with contents. On the other hand, this space of time gives students the chance of relax themselves and work at their own peace. Number 13. This is a cupboard where text books from other years can be found. In certain projects and topics, students like to have additional information to complement the one in their own textbooks. There are also cardboard folders where students store their worksheets. Each students has one, divided in areas, and they make holes when I give them the worksheets checked, separating them by their matching subject. Folders and books 1 Number 14. Due to the position of the PDI within the classroom, respect to the current seats of the students, it is quite difficult for them to see something on it for long periods of time, as it develops bad postures. In order to see something on the Interactive Whiteboard, students take seat on the floor, just in front of it. For this reason, each student has a cushion that they use for this purpose. They store them away on one chair, to have them arranged. The responsible of the day has to look after everyone to put the cushion in the correct place. 16 Cushions for PDI use and computer 1 Number 15. The computer is placed right next to the PDI. It can be used by any student, always asking for permission, and being responsible with it. The use of these technologies is part of their lives, as most of the students have a computer at home. The idea is taking technologies as close to the school environment as possible and new technologies raise their interests and motivation, making learning more interesting and attractive for them. Number 16. The Digital Interactive Whiteboard is a very useful tool to approach students to what they are studying. It is now essential to make a more practical way of learning, and it makes it even easier to carry out. Number 17. This is the second blackboard we have in the classroom. It is the one used by year 5 to perform their routines of correction and explanations in the different lessons of the subjects. Number 18. Students in year 5 are located in four-group. This is very positive for them, in order to share what they are doing, and work as a team. This boosts collaborative learning. It is also comfortable by the time the new student arrived to the class, as he was incorporated to the formation, and this was positive for his development and understanding. Number 19. The formation of the group of year 6 is different. The bigger amount of students does not let them stay in group, but in ‘L’ formation. The main advantage of this type of placing the distribution is that every student can see each other’s face, allowing eye-contact in the interventions. It favours pair work and makes it easier to work as a big group. The disadvantages are precisely that they can see each other, as it is easier for them to evade, following other’s actions. Number 20. This is the teacher’s table. It is in the precise seat at the correct distance of the students, letting a big space in the middle of the classroom to perform dynamics and practical activities. 17 LEARNING THROUGH ROUTINES What is a routine? “A routine can be thought of as any procedure, process, or pattern of action that is used repeatedly to manage and facilitate the accomplishment of specific goals or tasks” - (Visible Thinking, n.d) As uncertainty and change is unavoidably attached to children, routines play an essential role in their education. They allow children to keep on developing their challenge of learning without losing sight of where they are going to. According to Gan Discovery, the importance of routines and patterns as emotional regulators is decreasing stress, anxiety and conflict3. They help integrate learning in an organized connection. Routines are important to everybody, but they are especially for young children as it allows children to navigate the continuous challenge of learning new things from the safe and comforting boundaries that are created by routines. Gan Discovery (2002) outlines the importance of routines/patterns as emotional regulators to decrease stress, anxiety and conflict. Gil (2010) extends on this further and outlines how routines help integrate learning with an ‘organized connection’. On the other hand, routines play an important role by the time teachers have to face negative behaviour. It is sometimes difficult to carry out a transition between two tasks or activities because it is a good opportunity for this behaviour to appear. However, routines make children aware of their roles and tasks, and this is positive by the time they have to face a change. Routines develop certain skills on children, such as self-control (following a pattern or the same steps to develop a process), positive behaviour (through rewards), social skills (working together), autonomous working (having steps previously set). Learning Through Routines Routines can promote learning in two ways: 1. The routine itself develops learning, as they involve producing a specific task related to that routine; 2. Following the process of taking the routine to other general tasks. Whenever a routine is going to be established, it is essential to take into account the length it is going to take when it is performed, in addition to give students clear instructions of what it is, 3 http://www.gandiscovery.com/Child_Care_Routines.html 18 1. Classroom management •Classroom rules •Date •Recycling •Homework checking (revising and correcting) •Entering and going out of the classroom 2. Reading •Suggesting books •Mobile library •Telling (summarizing) chapters of the book •Reading tree •Reading files 3. Use of blackboards and Digital Interactive Whiteboard •Cushions •Writing homework •Date •Year 5 and 6 blackboards 4. Assessment •Self-evaluation and co-evaluation •Behaviour and checking parts •Best-partner's money •Assessing others' work 5. Subject routines •Spanish •Maths •English •Science and what it is used for. It is also important to perform the routine in the same way every time (using the same language if necessary, in order to reinforce it). Routines should be seen as a way of interacting with students in a meaningful way, and not as a compulsory activity which has to be covered. In this way, daily routines provide students the opportunity to get certain skills that allow them know the different steps they have to perform at the beginning, along or by the end of an activity. Routines set what is going to come next. Classifying routines 19 Classroom management. Classroom rules. What is the aim of this routine? Performing this routine, I try to make students aware of coexistence rules. The thing is that most of the students in this class know how to behave in the classroom, but certain students do not, and at the beginning of the year, there was an agreement where both students and teacher had to design some rules in order to go through the year. In this agreement, not only rules were decided, but also the measures taken if they are not carried out and respected. Students and teacher decided a list of rights and obligations that they should keep. They finally signed this agreement and hang it on the wall, just on the blackboard, where everyone could see it. What do students learn with this routine? Students learn to behave autonomously, and they are aware of, not only their own performance at school, but also the rest of their partners. They end up checking their partners’ path and they even apply the consequences designed to guarantee the achievement of the rules. How often do they perform this routine? It is going to work along the whole year, as it was designed at the beginning to last until the end. In addition, students will be automating it as time goes by. In addition, there will be coordination with the rest of the teachers who enter in the class (Physical Education, Religion, Music, Citizenship and Reading) so as to follow a common line in the ideal behavior). Does it need any resources? The only resource this routine needs is a paper with the rules written down clearly, in a simple way, for students to understand. (See picture): Classroom rules 1 20 Which type of intelligence does it develop? The main intelligences that this routine boosts are interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Interpersonal intelligence from the point of view of developing themselves, controlling their performance towards their own work and trying to keep a good classroom environment beginning with their own behaviour. Intrapersonal intelligence because they have to look for others well-being, allowing others learn at their own path and not disturbing others, but also collaborating with their partners whenever it is necessary. It also includes letting the teacher develop the lessons, which does not eliminate participating in them. Classroom management. Date. What is the aim of this routine? The students of this class already have acquired the changes in time, so that is not the main objective of this routine. At the beginning of the morning, the responsible of the day writes on the top of the blackboard the date in English, following what was put on the classroom calendar. We have a calendar display which helps us in this task: they change the month (if it is necessary), stick with blu-tack the day of the week and the day of the month, and they check if the season is correct. The idea is making them aware of the “official” beginning of the morning, and it is a kind of signal that indicates them that they have to begin to pay attention, as we are about to start. What do students learn with this routine? First of all, the responsible of the day has to be aware of their turn. We follow the alphabetical order of the list of students, and their task and responsibilities begin at that moment. Secondly, as I said before, partners begin to drive themselves to begin the morning, and checking their partner’s performance. My intention is chunking the arrival and the start of the morning. How often do they perform this routine? This routine is performed every day, always at the beginning of the morning. Along the year, they will appreciate the pass of the time and analyze how it changes along the school year. 21 This routine is used from the beginning to the end of the year. Does it need any resources? The resource we use to perform this routine is the calendar, made up with months, days of the week, numbers, seasons and a happy face we use to mark the special dates, such as birthdays, Peace Day, Tree day, or any other date which contains a special event. (See picture): Classroom calendar 2 Which type of intelligence does it develop? The main intelligence that this routine boosts is linguistic intelligence, as it requires matching the date with its written representation, both on the blackboard and in the calendar. Classroom management. Recycling. What is the aim of this routine? The intention of this routine is making them aware of the importance of separating and classifying the rubbish into plastic, paper and organic waste. Along the year (and also the previous ones), students have been performing this task in the classroom. The school is subscribed to a sustainable programme where everybody at school is concerned with certain points to follow: recycling and keeping a clean playground are the keys of our plan. The intention of this plan is moving this routine towards students' homes and keep the habit of recycling, making them conscious of its importance. 22 What do students learn with this routine? Students get the routine of separating rubbish and taking it to the dustbin along the break on Fridays. It is the responsible of the day the one who has the task to do it. He or she takes the bags inside the boxes and wait for the rest of the students from other classrooms. Then, the teacher in charge of carrying out and developing this programme takes them to the dustbins out of the school and they empty the bags and put them back to the classrooms. Students learn the importance and easiness of carrying out this task and how good it is for the environment to do it. How often do they perform this routine? They perform this routine every day in the classroom, but they take the rubbish to the bins at the end of the week, during the break. This routine is carried out along the year. Does it need any resources? The only resource we need are the cardboard boxes we painted in yellow (plastic) and blue (paper) to separate the waste, and a pair of plastic bags to carry the content to the bins. (See picture): Recycling boxes 1 Which type of intelligence does it develop? Naturalistic intelligence is the main one it develops. The importance of looking after the environment and see how easy is helping in the classroom makes students aware of the amount of things they can do, little by little, to take care of it. In addition, interpersonal intelligence is also developed, as students help each other to 29 mobile library (see pictures): Reading files displayed 1 Mobile library 1 Reading tree 1 Which type of intelligence does it develop? 30 Reading develops intrapersonal intelligence, as it increases the knowledge of one’s interests. With this dynamics and routines, we transform reading as an individual task in a group task where students share with others their experiences, working with interpersonal intelligence. Obviously, reading increases students’ linguistic intelligence, as it works with written skills, but we try to transform the reading into a speaking and interaction skill too. Blackboards and Interactive Whiteboard. The blackboards. What is the aim of this routine? There are two blackboards in the classroom (see the map). We have a year 5 blackboard, and a year 6 one. We make this distinction just because of the space. It is easier for students in year 5 and 6 to see and work with their respective blackboards because of the way in which they are displayed. But year 6 one takes common spaces with students in year 5. The date at the top, the homework space or the radio broadcasters of the week are examples. Year 5 blackboard is much smaller than the other one. That is why we have specific uses for all the class in the other one. In addition, as it has already been mentioned, year 6 blackboard is divided in sections which everyone has to take into account. First of all, the date is put on the top of it, for everyone to see (it is in English, and students write it down in their notebooks by the time they begin working in them). There is a section of this blackboard where we put the homework, divided in areas (subjects) and years. Students copy the information to do the activities for the next day, and at the end of the morning, I check if the notes are correct. Finally there is another section where we write down other information to take into account, for example: the word categories in Spanish; the structures of English; the information to include in the school magazine; ideas to carry out a project; etc. What do students learn with this routine? By the time they correct exercises, we can do it at the same time (years 5 and 6) without disturbing each other. They know which their place to work is. This also very useful when we explain things. They can have the explanation on the blackboard without cleaning it out while the other group can be using their own one. One thing that makes it easier not to forget their homework is leaving a space on the blackboard where I always write them down. This is very useful for students such as M, whose ADHD disorder ends up in forgetting homework too often. I divide the list of homework by subjects, and in this case, every subject is divided in years (5 and 6) so as not to get confused. This is useful for all the class, but especially for those students who have certain learning difficulties. 31 How often do they perform this routine? This routine is performed every day, as blackboards are used in every lesson. Does it need any resources? It needs both blackboards available in the classroom. Year 6 blackboard 1 Year 5 blackboard and PDI 1 Which type of intelligence does it develop? The use of both blackboards develops a sense of spatial intelligence, as students learn to allocate tasks to carry out in them, depending on those tasks and the level where they are. They get used to work in the same places, performing their tasks using the routine of the blackboards. Blackboards and Interactive Whiteboard. The Interactive Whiteboard. 32 What is the aim of this routine? The aim of the PDI along the different subjects through the lessons is getting students closer to the world where they live. The PDI is a tool that allows learning through experience. It opens the door to children’s curiosity, as they can investigate and get to know more about a topic they are interested in. The use of the PDI allows us getting closer to new technologies and, as a consequence, to the blog carried out in the class: http://elbuhoanacleto.blogspot.com.es/ With the idea of the blog, students get in touch with learning in a motivating way. They can have access to the resources we use in the lessons, practice with the contents we are learning and cooperate in its growth. Children can bring their suggestions to hang on the blog. They also see their works there, as sometimes we put their stories, pictures, photos and the radio itself. In order to hang stories on the Internet we follow a procedure, which mainly consists on reading them aloud and voting for the best story, which would get the prize of appearing in the blog. This is also a goal for them, and they feel called to make the effort and do their best. In other subjects, such as Science, the PDI allows us to watch videos, photos and power points to understand the contents better. The visual intelligence is proved to be more effective in most of the students, as they get with the idea easier. In addition, as there are some students with language difficulties, this is also a good medium to acquire concepts. What do students learn with this routine? As it has already been said, students have their own cushions to use the PDI. They get them as orderly as possible and take seat on the floor, without disturbing others. They have to take into account their partners in this fact. In addition, they also create the habit of staying in a raw, waiting their turn to use the PDI. For example, whenever we use the mental calculation webpage they have to do a queue and wait patiently for their turn. In this way, students learn to respect others, and help them in case they need it. They also have to bear in mind the rules to use both computer and the Interactive Whiteboard, what is allowed and what is not, in order to ensure a correct use of it. The objective of creating a habit of using new technologies is creating in students a sense of responsibility in the web, learning to choose the information they need, avoiding content which is harmful for them and developing a capability to be autonomous and responsible of the use of new technologies. How often do they perform this routine? We use this technology whenever we need it. We try to link all the contents given along the different subjects with experimental knowledge and learning. New technologies are tools 33 which students use every day, and school has to integrate them as much as it can, in order to get closer to the society where our students live. The idea is copying the current world and context to prepare students for their adult lives, and this is a fact that we, as teachers, can not overlook. Does it need any resources? The Interactive Whiteboard can be seen in the picture above. In order to use it, we also need a computer (laptop in the case of this classroom), and a slide projector which transmits the image to the screen. We also need the cushions to sit on the floor and internet connection to have access to the different websites needed. Which type of intelligence does it develop? The use of the PDI is very positive for students, not only to develop their learning, but also to create a sense of responsibility towards the contents of Internet. So, through routines related to this tool, students boost their interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence in this point is reflected through the respect that students have to perform towards their partners, in order to use the materials together, taking into account others’ interests. Intrapersonal intelligence is performed through the use of the responsible use of the information found in the web, integrating rules and routines of use, and being aware of what is correct by the time they use it. Assessment. Self-assessment, co-evaluation, behaviour checking and assessing others. What is the aim of this routine? Whenever a task is performed by a student or a group of them, they have to take into account some objectives to achieve, in order to assess themselves or their partners. At the beginning of each project in Science, for example, we remind the criteria students have to bear in mind while they work. We put them written down on the paper board (see classroom context) to be to hand. Whenever they have finished their task, they take a two stars and a wish sheet to fill in with two things they think they performed well, and one thing they think they could improve. In addition, they review the work with their partners and assess it too, as a co-evaluation work. Finally, by the time they perform the show-and-tell of their tasks, it is the rest of the class turn to evaluate their partners’ work, taking the criteria into account. Behaviour checking is another point related to the assessment (and self-assessment too). Inside my classroom, there is a great variety of students, although they are only 15. But related to behaviour, I started a new routine with a student (M) whose main problem is his ADHD disorder (Attention Deficit 34 Hyperactivity Disorder). He belongs to the group of year 5. After some weeks observing his behaviour a new routine was designed in order to make him more conscious of his disruptive behaviour, which is only detrimental to him. The experiment consists on providing him a card per day, in which I write down the date and the different subjects we are going to go through that day. At the end of each hour, he gets to the teacher’s desk and puts a point next to the matching subject (green, if his behaviour and work were correct; blue if they were middling; and red if they were not good). After he puts his point as a kind of selfassessment, the teachers put another point, according to how we think he performed. Of course, this is done just with him, because the objective is not making the rest aware of it, as this can be used as something to joke at. Just before going home, a small paper is stuck at the back for parents to sign and check how the day was, and I register the points he got, and the colours they were. We set a goal at the beginning of the deal: if he managed to get 20 green points, he would be able to have some time playing computer games in Alternative to Religion. And it seems to work. The other behaviour assessment is the paper money. We created this routine as a way of deciding the best partners of the week. The first day of this routine, we agreed the features a best partner needs to fulfill. Everyone contributed with a feature and we built up a list on the blackboard. This list was then put on a poster on display for them to take into account. At the end of the week (on Fridays), we made a list with the students of the class and they made a row to “vote” for three partners. Before beginning with the election of the students, I gave them some clues to take into account, apart from the criteria described, in order to have some students who were not always the best partners, but tried to do their best to improve. Then, the three students who got most number of votes were given a note they could change for what they wanted. For example, a day they forgot their homework, for me not to take into account; a while in the computer room to play what they wanted; sit by a friend in the classroom during a morning; etc. They could also suggest rewards to be considered. What do students learn with this routine? Students in these routines learn to be autonomous and check how they are performing. They learn in a cooperative way if they perform their tasks in groups, and they use Scaffolding to learn and improve their performance, taking into account what they did well and could improve for the next occasions. They also develop a sense of criticism, as they have to compare what their partners do to what was previously marked and established by the criteria we set together at the beginning of the project. Regarding behaviour routines, the objective is making students aware of how they perform within the group. The clue is boosting the positive behaviour, paying attention to it and rewarding students who do it well. We tried to punish bad behaviour, and it worked just sometimes. The thing is that through positive rewards we managed to get all the class in the effort of being the perfect partners. The student with ADHD was conscious of his behaviour and this is a great first step to get him change it for the better. 35 How often do they perform this routine? They develop this routine every time they carry a task out. At the beginning, it is only taken into account when they do projects and works, but the objective is that they transfer this routine to their every day work, but in an unconscious way, keeping with the habit of self control and self demand. Best partners’ election is done at the end of the week, following the week progress. And the cards for M. (the boy with ADHD disorder) were used by all the teachers who were in contact with him and at the end of all the subjects of the day. Does it need any resources? The resources used were the tables to assess partners; the two stars and a wish sheets; the paper money and the rules to choose the best partners; a moneybox to keep the notes; the plastic cards to register the behaviour. Paper money and moneybox 1 Behaviour assessment 1 Assessing others 1 Self-assessment Which type of intelligence does it develop? Assessment develops intrapersonal intelligence. In order to work and analyze it later on, students have to take into account how they are asked to perform, what we, as teachers, want them to perform. The 36 first thing is showing them a model of what we consider to be “correct”, and beginning with it, students build up their performance, being it in the different tasks or in behaviour itself. Here is where intrapersonal intelligence takes part. In order to get a good performance with their partners, students have to think of others, respecting and helping them to become a group, which is, in essence, what we try to manage through the use of these routines. Subject routines. What is the aim of this routine? First of all, it is remarkable to say that there is a space in the classroom for all the subjects where we show the work we are doing. The different spaces of the subjects change as the units do it, dressing up with the necessary resources to help the students with the new topics. English corner has flashcards with the basic vocabulary for routines and orders. It also has the projects we are working with. For example, in the unit where we were learning about food, we designed menus to perform role-plays and we stuck them in the English corner; by the time we were learning about the animals and guessing information about them, we put the WHwords. But there are always coloured pieces of paper where students can see what they have learnt and add what they are learning: verbs, vocabulary fields, grammar structures, expressions and idioms, etc. In Maths corner there are posters which help students to get with the different formulas to get the areas of shapes. It is easier for them to acquire something they are able to see whenever they are doing the different exercises. It has to do with visual memory (they even associate the colour in which those formulas were written down). Science corner is the biggest one. It is divided in two: one for information given to students and the other one (bigger than the first) with the works they make. It is positive to have them working on some topic than learning it by heart. They learn it through the experience, discovering and investigating at their own peace, being creative to explain others. It is the best way to get with ideas and concepts. Spanish corner is a board made of cork. As it has already been said, we put the advertisements students designed to promote the radio programme by the village; stories and works they have recently done; the crazy poems we create in the classroom, taking into account the literary devices we are learning; letters we send and receive; news in which we appear; etc. The aim is getting them familiarized with the things we are learning, and relate them to the classroom context, no matter which subject we are in. What do students learn with this routine? 37 Students learn to get the knowledge as a whole. They develop cross-curricular concepts, involving one subject with another. The students of this class are concerned with multi-disciplinary routines, as the fact of sharing the classroom with others opens the possibilities of helping and open curiosity further than the things we are studying, which is very positive for them. How often do they perform this routine? We use the different spaces every day, at every subject, and we sometimes refer to the resources of one subject even if we are not doing it in that moment. Does it need any resources? The resources needed are related to the topics we are learning about. Here are examples of the different corners of the classroom: English corner Maths corner Spanish corner 38 Science corner 1 Science corner 2 Which type of intelligence does it develop? This routine develops Spatial Intelligence essentially. Students take control of where the different subjects are located, and they know perfectly where they have to go if they want to know anything of the subject they are looking for, due to the distribution of the classroom. CONCLUSSIONS After observing and analysing the different routines carried out in this multilevel classroom the results are conclusive. Even though the students have not been sharing together the same classroom (at least, the students in year 6), they have managed to work in a comfortable environment (as comfortable as possible). The fact that these students lacked of social skills that joined them as a common group made the task of introducing social skills a bit difficult, but they quickly got to the idea of working together, understanding that they had to share the teacher with others, although I was also inside of the classroom. This fact also gave them the opportunity of developing autonomous learning strategies, such as sharing or checking activities in pairs. In addition, whenever they had some doubts or did not know how to do something, they tried to search a solution with their own partners, as long as I was working with the other group. The fact that these students had good working routines also made the task easier than what was initially expected. Step by step they got into acquiring the routines we tried to establish in the classroom. On the other hand, there are several things that can be improved. For example, resources could have been better made, and sometimes taking students' participation more into account, producing resources and letting them a more active role. Routines can be planned for more complex habits, making a good use of them to expand their aim. In other words, predicting where they are going, and letting students a more protagonist role on their development. 45 pasillo… Copiar en casa estas normas Picarse jugando, abandonar… Disculparse ante todos/as. A la tercera vez, un día sin recreo Estropear las cosas de clase, pintar las mesas, tirar papeles… Limpiarlo o arreglarlo. A la tercera vez, ordenar toda la clase antes de salir durante una semana No hacer la tarea o hacerla de mala manera Hacerla en el recreo. Nota en la agenda. Observaciones en las notas. Si es muy frecuente, INS en las notas Dejarse el material en casa Copiar estas normas en casa. Tomar nota y hacer lo que se haya realizado en clase Reírse de los que se equivocan Un día en la mesa de atrás Robar material a los compañeros/as Confesarlo y devolverlo. Comunicación a la familia y a la directora ROUTINES CLASSIFICATION TABLE Routine group classification. Routine name. What is the aim of this routine? 46 What do students learn with this routine? How often do they perform this routine? Does it need any resources? Which type of intelligence does it develop? 47 HOMEWORK AND ATTITUDE CHECKING 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 ASSESSING OURSELVES 84 85 86