What are some "tricks" you use to "fool" your students into listening to you. This is a spin off on my earlier post about the other K teacher who took my class for recess and told them to line up quietly, whisper and tip toe in the hallway so as not to interrupt the secretary. I was so dumbfounded b/c they did it and did it well I need some more tricks like that!!!!
In all honesty the tricks work a few times. But what really works is the constant practice of how to operate in the hallway. In the beginning we can spend an extra 20 min a day wandering around the building. I use those "tricks" to lay the foundation. Then we work on the why part, the older kids are learning, practicing for a big test. Marshmellow feet work. And bubbles in the mouth. BUT the most effective part is having a stop place along the route to get everyone together and settled and begin the trip again.
Well that makes me smile b/c I do this Finally ... something I'm doing right! I just keep hoping and praying this will all turn around in the next 3 weeks or so
Something else that I use A LOT when I'm lining my kids up is to sing a song or recite a poem/nursery rhyme. The more hand motions, the better. That way, they have something to do. When we finish the song/poem/nursery rhyme, I go straight into my hallway song, open the door, and go. Something I do in the hallway is "sing" a song silently. 5 Little Monkeys is one of our favorites. Just do the motions and mouth the words without making a sound. You have to kind of make it exaggerated. This is one of those tricks, though, that doesn't work if you use it all the time. Once or twice a week is about all it's good for.
When I taught an especially difficult 1st grade class I would have a "Mystery Walker". I'd tell my class that I had secretly chosen a student to be paying extra attention to, and if they did a great job I would tell everyone when we got to our destination and they would win the game. If the person didn't do well, I just didn't mention it. I agree with MrsC that the effectiveness of tricks seems to fade with familiarity. But kudos to you kinder teachers for being so creative!!!
I think it's the way you explain what you want them to do and sometimes you need to tell them/show them you are getting upset. My husband teaches high school and he laughs everytime I tell him stories about my day and what I say to get them to do what I want. I.e. Using stern voice - "I'm closing my eyes now (not completely) and when I open them everyone better be on their bottom sitting criss cross applesauce and I'm opening them in 3-2-1... This seriously works! (Say with your nose and forehead all scrunched) "Oh no! Look at my face! My forehead is all wrinkly! I'm going to have wrinkles and look old because I'm scrunching up my face! I'm doing that because I don't like how you are (whatever they are doing)..."My kids would say, oh no, don't cause Mrs. Me to look old! lol I even got "wrinkle cream" for Christmas one year! lol Sometimes I say "tootsie roll, lollipop, we've been talking now let's stop." (Dr. Jean) My kids would say and do the motions with me. With hall behavior just practice! I keep having my kids sit back down until they do it quietly. I explain that the big children are learning and can't concentrate with noise. But I must confess...I'm guilty of lying to my kids every now and then. This happens once or twice every year... Usually after second week or third week of school I tell my children if they do not line up quietly and go down the hallway quietly we won't go to the computer lab. Instead, we'll practice walking down the hall. Of course on a day we aren't even suppose to go to the lab or not at our time, I act like we're going to the lab. It's a given at this point that they line up loudly...we practice and practice. If someone talks, everyone sits down and we try again. Then, whenever we finally get to the lab, another class is there (Duh, it's not really our time. But the kids don't know that!) I say, "Oh no! We missed our lab time because we had to keep practicing lining up! Man! We missed our fun computer time!" Sometimes the teacher in the lab plays along too! The kids are sad thinking they really missed it. Of course later in the day or the next day when it's lab time, they line up so fast and quiet! I hear them say, "Quiet soandso, we don't want to miss lab again!" REMEMBER, do not miss your real time! What teacher wants to miss lab time?! lol
Great advice!! You definitely don't want to miss your lab time, that's the highlight of MY week!! I've also done it where we leave really early to go to lab and practice lining up and walking quietly. Then I make a big deal about how much time we are losing getting to play on the computers (were not really missing any).
Every once in a while I pull out the super super neat stickers (the bigger or smellier the better). I tell them that "These are my most favorite stickers and I only have a few. I'm going to be super picky about who I'm going to give them to. I'll be giving them to students who are walking with quiet feet and mouths and who have their hands to themselves." When you pass them out don't make a sound -- stick it on and give a big smile maybe do a silent victory cheer for the student. Save a few stickers and let the students know that if they didn't get one this time, maybe they'll get one on the way back to class or maybe someone will be able to earn 2 stickers. Getting two stickers is a pretty big deal. If they start misbehaving after I give them a sticker I take it away and give it to someone close by who's doing a good job.
I mostly try to catch them doing the right thing and comment about how well so and so is walking. I also sing their names in a sing songy voice. It is amazing how they will pay attention to hear their name.
I often act very silly. I love to have fun with them. For example, if they line up quietly and are ready for the hall, I do a "happy dance." I also use lots and lots of music, and I incorporate non-verbal cues (music, chimes, clicker, horn, whistles...).
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with lying to the children to get them to do what you want them to do-especially if you are setting them up to do it. What do you do if you purposely go at the wrong time and they line up and walk exactly the way they're supposed to? Surely, the entire class isn't guilty of being loud in the line. To make those children feel like they've missed out on something special because of something they can't control (especially when they really didn't miss anything) seems unfair to me. I have allowed my class to be late or even miss a special because we've had issues, but very rarely. And when it has happened, those who were doing a great job have been recognized and rewarded for doing the right thing. Usually if we are trying to get somewhere and a few children choose not to follow the procedures, I will take the class to where ever it is we're going and keep the kids who had problems with me. Those kids are the ones who have to practice while the others get to go to the special place. I might have to give up my lab or planning time, but it's worth it to me to keep my procedures in place.
Hmmm...little tricks...Sometimes I do girls line vs. boys line (or line A vs. line B) and the quietest line gets a stamp or a sticker when we get back to the classroom- sometimes this is so motivating that it is quiet the whole time and both lines get something. On days that I have had recess duty (or if I have it the next day), I have my kids that "don't know how" to walk in line walk in a straight line behind me at recess until they learn how to do it quietly, then I let them go play...usually I only have to do that once and it straightens them up! I agree with PP who said to close your eyes and ask them all to sit quietly...if they are all giggly and not in the right place on the carpet I say "I think I'm dreaming because I know Mrs. G's class would never act like that. So I'm going to cover my eyes and count to ten, and when I open them I'll be awake and see my wonderful class again..."---It works every time!! I know lots of teachers who use little songs and rhymes to get them to do different things (there was a post last year at this time with a TON of them...)...I think it is something we all adapt to through the years Good luck!!
Thanks for sharing your opinion. I never let my children miss specials or any other class. Specials are just as important. I wouldn't set children out for reading or math why set them out for music, art, or pe. Positive peer pressure to line up quietly works well for me. I don't like singling a child out as being a problem. Every parent volunteer walking down the hall can see my entire class practice...but if I have one or two children practicing I don't want that child/ren to be the "bad" child/ren that nobody wants in their class next year. You know moms talk and I would hate for them to say, "Little Johnny in kinder missed pe because he had to walk the hall....etc." Public displays of punishment aren't my thing. And the children technically aren't missing anything. I do lots of praise and I'm not punishing them...I'm just showing them how important it is to line up quietly and go to lab or elsewhere. By having the class line up quietly I'm setting up my procedure for walking in the hall for the year. I also do Leprechaun tricks in March...again, I'm lying...there are no Leprechauns! Around Christmas when I see someone misbehave I say, "I hope Santa didn't see that!" We all know, no Santa...Again, sometimes lying isn't a bad thing...JMO!
I do the disco finger...you know dance like Saturday Night Fever and sing, "That's the Way I like it!" My kids LOVE this!!! I do it once then they join in! This works great for when that child that can hardly finish their work finishes! The entire class dances for this child!
LOVE THE TRICKS LADIES ... LOVE THEM!!! MandaNicole - I don't think what you are doing is "lying" ... you are working with them to help them be successfull in the classroom. Telling them that music starts 10 minutes before it really does (or whatever) so you can practice lining up .... isn't a hurtful lie, you're not doing it to them to cause hurt ... you are doing it to set them up for success! tiffharmon - Thanks for reminding me not to punish the ENTIRE class. I have some students who are ALWAYS doing the right thing and I need to remember that they shouldn't always get punished with the rest of the class. GOOD CONVERSATIONS LADIES! THANKS! :thumb:
To settle down on the carpet area I say or whisper, "Hocus Pocus" and the class responds with, "Everybody focus". It helps to explain what focus means. Sometimes we do a "magic trick"- I count backwards, "3,2,1, (whisper zero)". Usually by the time I whisper "zero", everyone is ready. In the hallway we try to surprise the special teacher by going so quietly that s/he doesn't hear us. My assistant often has the class sneak up on me when bringing them back from a special. The students all tiptoe in and take their places on the carpet silently while I pretend not to know they are there. Then I look up and am amazed to see them all sitting, ready to begin!! They are so proud of themselves.:thumb:
That reminded me of what I do sometimes. We pretend that if we are silent then we are invisible. So we try to sneak around the school building in a line with no one seeing us. I really like playful ways of engaging the children. They are, after all, children!
Exactly!:thumb: And for some reason I'm having trouble being creative coming up with these things ... so keep em coming ladies.
I might say "let see how many steps it takes to get to music." They all have to count silently as I whisper count. They love this! Other ideas: Creep like a cat tip toe to our destination Star student: I watch for the mystery star walker and award a sticker if they walked correctly. Bubbles, sometimes we will do a contest to see how many minutes of quiet bubbles they can do. If they can go the whole way with no noise, then I award a couple extra minutes of recess.
If we are standing in the hall, we play the telephone game. I whisper a work or phrase to the first or last student, and it has to travel absolutely quietly to the end (or beginning) of the line. Kids seem to like that. I also do "mice" feet. They love to pretend to be tiny mice that no one can hear coming. I am a big fan of overcorrection as well. If we go out in the hall and just one person is not standing correctly or walking correctly, we turn around and go back and try again. I have also been known to "practice" walking in the hall for the length of time it takes to complete a center (10 minutes or so). Seriously! It sounds horrible, but after having to do that once or twice, they get the picture very clearly. We also review the rules every day and practice, practice, practice everything!
