This is based on the TIP model and I'm addressing one of the branches from my problems of practice project. Essentially when I send my students off to work in small groups, they freeze up and act as if they don't know what issues we're having with our music. I'm hoping that with my proposed tech, I'll be able to give them some guidance about what to work on and some tools to use. All of the tools can be used in class and at home when they practice individually.
Any suggestions would be great. However, if anyone has anything specifically geared at keeping kids on task/focused, I'd love to hear about it!
I do not really have a technology suggestion, but I find that when my students are off task in small groups, yes, sometimes it is because they are shy, but others it is because they are still a little unsure of what to do. I have found that if I use explicit instruction for the lesson (I Do, We Do, You Do), that by the time they are practicing or working in pairs, small groups, or individually things are going a lot smoother.
Nigel, I am also a user of GoGuardian and it is simple to sync programs like Google Classroom and the interaction available is also great. I have seen students become so shy to raise their hand and ask a question aloud that some students rely on the chat function which helps students continue working and staying on task.
Looking more at your plan, have you thought about incorporating FlipGrid sporadically? My thought is you use this as a way to tell they are practicing as a small group or individually at home. If you presented a song from what they should be knowledgeable and able to play you can try and use this as a check-in for progress.
Laura, I have never used GoGuardian, I will have to check that out.
Nigel, I struggled with this for the first several years. Once my school went 1:1 with iPads, it opened up a whole new realm of Student Independence possibilities. Now, I usually dedicate 2-3 days a week to Individual Practice Days at the beginning of a concert cycle. To hold kids accountable, we give them a list of excerpts that have to be "checked off" by the end of the unit (usually 2-3 weeks). If students leave the room to go practice elsewhere, they are required to submit a video for check-off consideration by the end of the class period. Over the years, this has helped bu…
Our school uses GoGuardian, which can be great to help students stay on task when they are working on their Chromebooks. It works through Google Classroom. I can put something specific on every student's screen, x out of off task tabs, and chat with students via GoGuardian. This can be helpful to remind them to stay on task, redirect if they are losing focus, answers questions, etc.