C4T #2

Henrietta Miller writes about the "No hands up" approach to asking students questions. This approach is just to simply not call on children by them raising their hands as most teachers often do. Instead, put their names on cards or popsicle sticks, or even use apps for it. She explains that whenever teachers rely on students to raise their hands, they basically give students permission to not participate if they don't want to. Most students won't even raise their hand unless they are sure that it is the right answer. Some students just like to talk, but their are the others that are shy and don't like to talk at all. I wholeheartedly agree with Henrietta, we do not need to allow students to shut off, and stray from learning. If we randomly call on students, we will be able to make sure they are listening and are engaged.

Henrietta Miller's next blog post is a question.. "Who owns your classroom?" Henrietta explains that her students normally do not care to keep the classroom neat. She is wondering whether it is because they have no ownership of the room. She tells how another teacher at her school lets her students hang their own things on the walls, and lets them sit wherever they please. Does this give the students more ownership of the classroom they are in? She asks for others' thoughts on the topic. In all honesty, I would think that students would react more to their own things on the walls, rather than perfect displays that they don't pay attention to. One thing I really loved in elementary school, was having an "A" wall. If you made an A on a test, it got put on the wall. Students felt special when they got an A, and it gave them incentives. If teachers let students have a little more ownership, maybe they would care more about the classroom and learning.