Classroom Norms To Set The Stage

I have had the pleasure of working in classrooms from K-College in almost every subject. The diversity of style, mannerisms, comfort levels and attitude are as deep as one could imagine. As students come through our doors, it is important to explicitly state expectations and standards the teacher has in place. I plan do just that in this entry. I will layout options and assumptions I will be running with. If people comment that they have other options they wish me to include, I will make every effort to include how other options may look and feel in our activities with students.

Access to technology varies quite a bit. Here in Maine, our students are very blessed in that almost every school in our state provides some level of one-to-one computing. Access to computers and technology is so important that all motels and hotels in the state offer free Internet access and even most of our rest areas on the highway offer free Internet access. Clearly, not all readers will enjoy such opportunities. I will be assuming that there is at least one computer in the classroom with access to a printer and a projector. I will include notes for various configurations, but most of my resources are set up for the 1:1 environment, but I am hopeful that all teachers can incorporate suggestions in this blog independent of access to technology. As always, post questions about modifications in the comments of any post and I will respond with opinions and options.

Class size is another variable that varies widely. Some classrooms may have as few as 5 or 6 students while others are swamped with 30+. I am going to run on the assumption that most classrooms are in the 15-25 range. As the number of students in class increases, it is more vital that structure be adhered to in order to keep a positive flow going. Interestingly, I have found that having less than 10 students results in challenges that might be harder to overcome, especially with socially interactive exchanges.

A third variable relates to hobbies and interests. When someone mentions “games” there are some standards people may think of, such as sports, checkers, chess, tic-tac-toe ...As the author, I get to choose which games get focus by default. I will be presenting simulations, game construction tools, social interaction games and many other constructive materials teachers can extend to create positive learning opportunities. Many of my suggestions will be digitally online but there will be some offline options offered as well. For all online resources, I will be assuming that the teacher only has access to one computer in the classroom and guidelines will be provided to maximize that access. As always, if you have a request for me to include a type of game or theme or content to connect to, just leave some details in the comments and I will run with it.

One last variable is the cost of games. The Red Green fan in me thrives on the joy of finding new uses for free stuff and some duct tape. As such, most of the resources I share are all free and available on any computer that can run current browsers. Keeping browsers current is key to enjoying many free resources out there for educators. Unfortunately, not all computer technology teams in schools have an easy time ensuring that school computer browsers are updated often. There will be a game or two offline that I will suggest and offer lessons around. Those games often come out of the hot-bed of today’s gaming world, the European style games. While many in North America are absorbed in purely digital games, there is a growing offline game culture in Europe that is very refreshing to see. These games may run $50 to $100 at times which teachers may find daunting. I have had luck holding a bake sale just to get a new game.

Next post I will be introducing an online game for our exploration. My catalog of games to explore is quite vast. It would be helpful to hear comments on the first few entries so I could get a gauge of what subjects/levels people are working with to help me determine the most effective launching point. Lacking that information, I will be starting in with a simulation. Your question for this post is for you to make a choice. Would you rather start with a business simulation or a basketball simulation? Please rationalize your choice in terms of your students and why you feel one choice would be better for your batch of students.