When I first heard about the concept of negotiating with a student as to what work they wanted to cover in the classroom it seemed like an almost insane idea! What?! Negotiate with a child? This seemed to be another liberal, impractical idea. Surely as the teacher I knew what was best for the students to learn and when it had to be done.
But then was my current approach really that great?
At that point I decided..."you know what, why not give it a chance?" And that's exactly what I did. I began to negotiate. I created a chart in the form of a table displaying a few subject areas that I wanted them to complete on a daily basis. Their decision? They got to choose when they wanted to do each subject and what aspect of the subject they felt like doing. Of course this was a negotiation process so at times I needed to discuss with the individuals as to what was better suited for them at the time.
The results were genuinely amazing! My nine and ten year olds suddenly took a greater interest and even pride in their work.
Friendly competitions developed as peers tried to keep abreast of each other. "I did three activities already." "I'm on my third."
Confidence grew. "I like having control of my own work. I like not having to wait on Miss."
Collaborations flourished. "I did that activity last week, let me explain to you how to do it."
Class control became easier. "Miss Powell, if you stepped out no one will ever know. Your students seem to always know what work to do and just get on with it!" It felt good to hear those words from a fellow teacher.
Well after a few years at University and then being reassigned to a class of five year olds surely the negotiation concept would have to be shelved. But you know what?...I just couldn't shelve it. It had worked before, surely it will work again. And lo-and-behold it seemed even easier to implement. Maybe because they knew no other approach in the classroom.
Negotiate with a child? Go ahead, you just might like it. After all... 'child is people too!'
But then was my current approach really that great?
At that point I decided..."you know what, why not give it a chance?" And that's exactly what I did. I began to negotiate. I created a chart in the form of a table displaying a few subject areas that I wanted them to complete on a daily basis. Their decision? They got to choose when they wanted to do each subject and what aspect of the subject they felt like doing. Of course this was a negotiation process so at times I needed to discuss with the individuals as to what was better suited for them at the time.
The results were genuinely amazing! My nine and ten year olds suddenly took a greater interest and even pride in their work.
Friendly competitions developed as peers tried to keep abreast of each other. "I did three activities already." "I'm on my third."
Confidence grew. "I like having control of my own work. I like not having to wait on Miss."
Collaborations flourished. "I did that activity last week, let me explain to you how to do it."
Class control became easier. "Miss Powell, if you stepped out no one will ever know. Your students seem to always know what work to do and just get on with it!" It felt good to hear those words from a fellow teacher.
Well after a few years at University and then being reassigned to a class of five year olds surely the negotiation concept would have to be shelved. But you know what?...I just couldn't shelve it. It had worked before, surely it will work again. And lo-and-behold it seemed even easier to implement. Maybe because they knew no other approach in the classroom.
Negotiate with a child? Go ahead, you just might like it. After all... 'child is people too!'
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