Observation and my classes afterward

Today I was observed, and I still need to work on getting the students to work quieter, and be quiet when I am introducing something.

This afternoon when I had my first grade class I made sure from the start of class that they knew I would stop if they were not listening, and that it was very important to listen, because we were doing origami, and it can be complicated sometimes.

For about 95% of the class period they were wonderful. Right near the end when class was almost over it got a bit louder, but I think that mainly had to do with the fact that we were short on time, and we had a lot to cover before class was over. I waited until they were all completely silent before explaining the next step.

I'm still not sure how to teach them how to moderate their voices when they are working. I like them to talk, but perhaps we may have to cut down on that more until they really know what is acceptable and what is not.

I feel like though I can start to address this more this year, since it is so close to the end of the year that it might be better to address it more thoroughly next year when school starts.