How do you prepare the students for the lab? How many kids in
a group? How many students do you have altogether in one
class? How do you grade the labs?

Now, this is what I would do if I had your class for the day.
This needs to be a short lab, because they are learning how to
function in lab groups.

They come in and do the warm-up which is on the promethean
(whiteboard if you don't have a prom board).

Have students set up and write the lab format in their
journals, and read over the lab so that they know exactly what
is expected in the lab. (If you have some students with serious
modifications at this time you can hand them the lab sheet to
use then they can later staple it into the journal. However,
they must work at writing as much as possible into the lab
journal while everyone else is doing it.

When everyone is finished, assign groups. Let them get
together while still seated at regular desks to decide who will
be the leader, materials person, monitor. Everyone must record
the data as I will choose which journal to grade which will be
a grade for the entire group. (This way they have to make sure
everyone is participating.)

Then I would explain how the lab would function and what I
would be looking for while they do the lab. It will be a graded
lab 50% working on "how to function in lab groups" and 50% on
the lab itself. (Or you could take two grades.)

If a group is off-task, they will receive an "O" off-task card.
This deducts points for the group. If talking or paying
attention to someone in another group -- the "O" card. If your
group is too loud -- the "V" card. Arguing in group or
negative comments the "C" card. If a group gets "x" amount of
cards they will return to their seats and have a seat
assignment to complete individually (have this reading and
something that takes a lot of writing.)

Then we would model what I expect. Probably have to do a
couple times until they get a good understanding of what you
expect -- be demanding but within reason.

- transition (walking quietly without talking to another
student on their way to lab and on the return from lab.)
- cooperation (while in groups, working together, all
members participating, everyone doing something. I would also
be listening for what they say....no negative words.)
- on-task behavior (no talking to people in other groups, no
one leaves the station except if the materials person needs to
get materials for the lab. Clowning around is unexceptable and
you will be removed immediately.)
- volume control -- thus a monitors job to keep the volume
down and under control. (When we modeled my expectations, we
did this too. Talking so that only the group can hear you and
no else in the room can hear what you are saying. Why give
another group the answers!)

Transition make take several tries until they get it correct.
I give a signal so that they know when to go to group, etc --
I teach middle school. (For high school, you may just want to
wait until they are all looking at you and then say go to your
station.) If a single person talks on the way to the station,
say...oops everyone -- we need to return to our seat and try
again. This may take several tries. (Remember: they are
learning to do it your way.)

When doing the lab if a person is off-task, mark it on your
clipboard, drop an index card with "O" for offtask at their lab
station. Continue to walk around and observe marking and
handing out cards as needed.

Remember you are teaching them your expectations of how to
function in lab groups. If they can not hear you it is a
safety issue. If they are clowning around it is a safety
issue. Make sure they understand this. If we function in
groups properly we can still have fun. The better we function,
the more labs we will do. It is a win-win situation.

On 10/22/09, JM wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am a first-year high-school science teacher teaching 9th
> grade Physics First. This is my second career after
> working as an engineer in industry. I just started
> teaching September.
>
> Anyway, I love teaching, and I love my kids. Of course,
> classroom management in general has been my biggest
> challenge this year, but I'm getting the hang of it - with
> the exception of labs.
>
> One of my classes (I have three, 85-minute block classes)
> is just a bad combination of loud, boisterous kids. I can
> keep a lid on them when we are doing seatwork and
> lecture/class discussions. But when I run a lab, they just
> get REALLY loud. MOST of the talk is on-task, but the
> volume level makes it difficult for me to know for sure.
> I've tried switching lab groups around, but this is just
> one of those classes where, no matter how I group them,
> it's a bad combination!
>
> I've tried incentives ("The quietest group will get 3 merit
> points EACH!"), but overall I am not satisfied with that
> approach, because there ARE quiet kids, and they
> would "win" every time, which kind of leads the other kids
> to give up on trying to be the quietest. And my goal is to
> motivate the problem-kids, not reward those already working
> well!
>
> I've also toyed with the idea of just giving them ALL
> detentions for the day, but that seems unfair to the
> handful that ARE good....
>
> When I discussed the issue with my Principal (a former
> teacher), the way I put the problem is,"When they work
> individually, they're OK. But when I let them work
> together they get LOUD" His response to me was to say
> that, for now, I should make classroom management the
> priority, and that I shouldn't let them work together until
> they "earn" that privilege (even if it isn't "best
> practice" it's OK with him for now).
>
> Problem: You CAN'T do Physics without labs/activities, and
> I CAN'T do labs as individual work!
>
> Any suggestions from you veterans out there?
>
> - JM
>

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