April 18, 2012

This morning we went to Isla Bonita School to provide professional development for beginning teachers.  There were ten teachers that we presented to.  My presentation was on classroom management, in which I provided ten strategies that teachers could use in their classrooms to improve classroom management.  Throughout the presentation, teachers collaborated with each other as they worked their way through various scenarios that related to the strategies they were learning about.  I gave the school two copies of the book "Tools for Teaching" and provided them with resources such as interest inventories, observation template, and sample point sheets for documenting behaviors.  I ended my presentation by requesting the teachers to complete an exit ticket so that I would know if my professional development was beneficial to them.  Here are some of the comments that I received.

      



"I feel very excited to try all the strategies that I can in my class."

"I was surprised to learn the causes of misbehavior and I realized that I need to change along with my students."

"I learned that I need to reflect on my behavior and how I can affect my class."

"I was surprised to learn that simple steps can make a big difference in the classroom."

"I learned that it is important to collect inventory of students and we need to assess ourselves and improve in what we can to accommodate each student, and make learning an adventure."

      



This afternoon we met with the principals of the schools in Belize and held small group discussions regarding any concerns or questions the principals had.  The group that I was in met with four principals.  The topic of our discussion was classroom discipline.  Through our discussion, we learned that many of the teachers struggle with classroom management, mostly from lack of experience.  We took the opportunity to share strategies and ideas, and through this conversation, we learned that our schools are not that much different.  We are all dealing with issues such as bullying, disrespect, and lack of motivation.  This seems to be the common language amongst administrators.  It felt good to learn from each other and to share our experiences!