Classroom Communication Expectations

This section covers the norms for student interaction. How students will interact with adults and their peers. How students will interact in small group, whole class, and individual sections.

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Whole - Group Communication

Be respectful of your peers and be an active listener

Don't be afraid to add your thoughts and ideas in the group

Be polite and take turns sharing ideas

Refrain from extreme facial reactions or sounds

It's okay to disagree with other students, but do so respectfully, honoring their thoughts and opinions

Ask clarifying questions and guiding questions to continue conversation

Small Group Communication

Be respectful of your peers by actively listening while they share ideas

Face your peers while you are talking

Make sure any work that you are collaborating on is accessible to all students (if you don't know how to make something accessible then ask for help)

Take turns speaking

Ask clarifying questions to assist in your own personal learning and in others learning

Ask furthering/guiding questions to keep the conversation

Individual Work

Work to not distract others
Stay quiet while working
If Ms. Shanafelt has shared that you can listen to music while working then you are allowed listen with headphones
Try to refrain for moving around the classroom a lot. This can be very distracting for a lot of students.
If you have questions, raise your hand. Don't approach Ms. Shanafelt's desk unless asked to.

Emergency Communication

If an emergency arises, remain calm and listen for instructions from Ms. Shanafelt or another teacher
Try to stay quiet, so that others are able to hear directions
If you personally are experiencing an emergency (ex. you are going to get sick, you are bleeding, or you are going to pass out) please verbalize this. You do not have to wait in line or raise your hand, exclaim that you are in trouble and need assistance.

Rationale

Feedback: One way that I will communicate with students is through feedback. On each assingment I receive I will grant feedback for the students. I will administer written feedback as well as verbal feedback during the class day. Feedback helps students understand where they are at and what they need to improve on. Positive feedback helps students find confidence in themselves and their education. By implementing positive feedback, I will demonstrate to others the standard that I expect within the classroom. This will lead students to talk similarly with their classmates.

Whole-Group Communication: At times in class, whole group discussion will be used. This is beneficial when introducing a new topic, during a number talk, or wrapping up a class session. I want to ensure that all students share respect by listening and contributing in the discussion. All students will be encouraged to share in a whole group discussion. Another very impornant part about whole-group communication in a math class is honoring all answers. There are no bad ideas or wrong answers. I will always give students the opportunity to explain their thinking and their thought process to help detmein the answers. When students can view others answering and getting the questions wrong, but it being okay that they got the questions wrong, those students will feel more confident sharing.

Small-Group Communication: This type of communication will occur often because of how the classroom is set up. Students will be encouraged to work in groups for most assignments. With this, there will be standards that students have to uphold. This small group communication process also gives students an opportunity to take charge of their group. Students can be given roles during the lesson which will help them facilitate small-group discussions properly.

Individual Work: For any individual work, I wanted to ensure that students understood that they shoudl not be talking with their neighbors at all. This is a personal assignment. I also wanted to make it know that it is okay to ask questions, however, as a teacher, I do not want students swarming my desk. This creates too much commotion with students getting out of their seats and this could also upset some students if they were hoping to ask their question privately. Instead, students will raise their hand and I can either go to that student or call them up in order to conference about their ideas.

Emergency Communication: Students need to be able to remain calm and listen in this moment. It's important that students understand when it is right to verbally explain their issue without waiting to be called on and when it's best to listen.