Inspired by the brilliantly successful, powerful learning and collaboration opportunity that is the weekly #edchat, #elemchat was created to provide elementary (or primary) school educators with a venue for discussing issues and strategies that are specific to teaching in their context.
Hello everyone! My name is Jacob Kuehn. I am a student at UW-Platteville studying elementary education. I am excited to participate in this chat and see to collaborate with other educators! #elemchat
Hi everyone! My name is Jacob Kuehn and I am a current student at UW-Platteville studying elementary education! I am excited to participate in this chat and collaborate with other educators! #elemchat
Hey everyone! My name is Julia Penman and I am a current student at UW-Platteville studying elementary education. I am excited to participate in this chat with other educators! #elemchat
Hi every, my name is Colleen Mackie. I am a future Elementary teacher at UW- Platteville. I am excited to have the chance to interact and connect with other educators! #elemchat
@mackie_colleen Hi! I would say a common issue in the classroom would be meeting the diverse needs of all your students within the school day. I like to teach in small group, as I can offer more support and feedback to students, but time is a factor to consider. #elemchat
Many things! I teach in small group. I teach according to students' ability levels and learning styles. We have flexible seating in the classroom in order to meet students' needs for movement. We allow students with sensory needs to take breaks throughout the day. #elemchat
@julia_penman Sometimes transitioning can be a problem because students do not have a procedure for how to switch from one thing to the next. I use to struggle with this, but I started a system that helped to cue students #elemchat
A common issue that I have noticed in the classroom is keeping the kindergarteners I work with on task. We are having trouble with potty words and that is getting them off topic a lot @barbersclass#barbersclass#elemchat
Yes, that's a great way to help with transitions as well! You can give them a 5 minute alert before transitioning or set a timer for them and have them being cleaning up a little earlier than the other students. #elemchat
I have found transitioning to be a problem for some students, my lead teacher likes to have one teaching assistant to take the kids outside immediately after lunch to help with the transition #elemchat@barbersclass#barbersclass
Definitely! I am a special education teacher, so I go into Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classrooms throughout the day. The homeroom teachers also teach in small group during that time and we do rotations. #elemchat
@julia_penman For instance when students transition from the reading corner back to there desk they hear a little ringing sound which means they have 10 seconds to get to their seats quietly #elemchat
@mackie_colleen my lead teacher and I typically just try to explain that the language is not acceptable. If it does get out of hand the lead teacher talks to the students alone @barbersclass#barbersclass#elemchat
Transitioning can be a difficult time for many students, especially those with diverse needs. I use visual times, countdown songs, and predictable routines for transitions to help. #elemchat
@mackie_colleen I don't think that race and gender are good predictors of who acts out in class. Demographics and socioeconomics are factors affecting all children (that sometimes affect their quality of life, exposure, and upbringing)#elemchat
Those are great strategies! Clean up songs are great, especially for elementary students. I have used the clean up robot song for third graders: https://t.co/s2xcjZj6x0 They loved it! #elemchat
I give verbal warnings, or show a visual timer like this https://t.co/bJgxNeqGey… on the SmartBoard and then this song https://t.co/OydKIhrPwv is their cue to clean. Once the song is done they know they need to be in their next spot. #elemchat
#elemchat Good question! I’m still figuring that out myself every day! I think having predictability and consistency with your expectations in the classroom can allow for some flexibility with daily routine. For example, transitions may not occur at the exact time every day,
But establishing routine for what to do when there is transition will help. Students will know what to expect when they hear warnings for transition and know what to do when they hear the signal. That requires lots of practice early in the year. #elemchat
