BIP Progress So Far…
April 11, 2010
Well, I have been on Spring Break this week but I have continued progress with my Case Study student with his Behavior and Homework Chart up until that point. He has not done as well as I had hoped that last week, but I think that a big reason for the increase in behavior issues and incomplete homework was because it was the week before Spring Break. He still did better than he used to do on homework and behavior and I told him how much the class enjoys his Challenge Math Problem.
The students were even asking why the Challenge Problem was not put up for a couple of days and my case study student looked sad. I had a talk with him about the agreement we had and we can’t put a problem on the board unless he turns in his homework and earns a star each day for his behavior and work completion. Some students were asking if they could put problems on the board, too, and I stated that we already had a Challenge Problem for the Day, but maybe we could discuss it at a later point and incorporate more students. I think this helped encourage my case study student to do his homework because he saw how interested the students were in the Challenge Problem. However, now I have another dilemma… what do I do about the other students in my class who want to get to write a problem on the board? I don’t want this to turn into a competition and I don’t want the other students to think that my case study student gets special privileges. Any suggestions?
Wow, Sterling, that is definitely a dilemma. When I first read about this Challenge Problem, I wondered to myself how the other students would take it. I love that they are so interested in it, but 5th graders are not at the easiest age to understand why one student is getting to do the problem, and the rest of them are not… that’s a tough one to tackle.
If you do whole group math instruction, could you have one problem a day (maybe in the morning or afternoon, or even on a sheet of paper after students have extra time after completing work) but instead of a single student, students create a problem in GROUP for others to solve? That would be 5 groups a week, so one each day. As far as the case study student though, I am not sure how to still incorporate his reward in without still making the ‘groups’ of students wonder why they do not get to do a problem individually… I’ll keep thinking and I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.
Good luck the last few weeks. You are making a difference in this boy’s life!
Yes, I know! The reason why initially the students did not have an issue with it was because there was a problem written every day and they enjoy having my case study student write a problem on the board… they call him the “Human Calculator”. He comes up with problems that are really tough for them to solve and they enjoy the challenge (hence the name Challenge Problem hah). But once he started slipping up on his homework and behavior issues again, the students were wondering why they couldn’t just go ahead and write one in… definitely a good question. If you can think of any more suggestions that I might be able to implement, that would be awesome. Thanks so much for the advice so far! You’re great, Kristin!
I hate that he had to go through that but at least it will encourage him to complete his assignments on time in the future! I love that the other students look forward to the problems. That is such a great reinforcement for your students positive behavior. They are always seeking the approval of their peers, and what a great way to get that.
As for your dilemma, that is a tough one. It would be tough for you to explain the reasons behind them. I’m worried if you took the spotlight off him in order to appease the class it might affect your behavior outcome, but on the other hand, if you decide not to let the rest of the class participate then they might begin to lose excitement over it. If I think of an easier way I’ll be sure to run it by you. Until then let us know how it goes!!!