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Identify one or two ways you can, as Dr. Black says, “build a structure [in your classroom] that also has a level of flexibility.”
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I am still working to build structure in my classroom. As a young teacher teaching kids that are close to my age, it is hard to draw the line of friendship and teacher. I want the kids to enjoy my course and respect me, but also not get to comfy with me. I have a smaller course setting so I am able to be flexible and allow for other learning opportunities but it is hard when the students take advantage.
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My classroom is incredibly structured from how I set up the furniture to how the day as a whole runs. I firmly believe a consistent structure puts kids at ease. Knowing what to expect throughout the day allows the students to focus on what’s important instead of constantly wondering “what now?” At the same time, I do like the flexibility of providing a variety of assignments to prove the students understand the content. One size does not fit all in education so we need to be mindful of that truth when doing our lesson plans.
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I map out my lesson plans, but I also let the mastery demonstrated in my classroom dictate when we move on to the next concept. I try to make sure that if we need to spend more time on a concept, we do it, and don’t just push things along for the sake of “staying on the timeline.”
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Offering students a “choice board” to complete assignments helps to provide flexibility. I also consistently utilize both tests and projects as modes of formal assessment.
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My course does quarterly reading projects outside of our literature curriculum. Instead of assigning a book for each quarter (or letting students choose any that they like), I’m going to have a variety of “approved” books they they can choose from. That way, I’ll have read the texts, they are getting the information I want them to get, but they have a level of choice in the matter.