dealing with unstructured classes

A situation that comes up a lot in subbing (especially at the secondary level) is subbing in relatively unstructured classes like Resource, or "Academic Support". These can be an absolute nightmare as a sub because the less structure the class has to begin with, the more headaches you will have as a sub. I was reminded of this phenomenon by a recent post of a first year teacher struggling to tame her Resource Room. Unfortunately it's fairly typical to have problems running this kind of classroom because a lot of of the accountability and structure that you can count on in other settings is not a given.

I sub a in resource a lot (I could never do it as a full-time job because of all the IEPs and testing I'd have to deal with, but three days here, and a week there as a sub is bearable). In fact, the problems that resource room teachers typically face are essentially the same problems all teachers face who do "resource", "academic support", "ESL academic support", "study hall", or any other relatively unstructured type of class.

To tame the savage beast that is resource (or any of the classes mentioned above), I would do any or all of the following, starting with the issue that bothers you the most, and working your way from there (note these ideas are geared towards classroom teachers, for subs, see the second list below this):

1. One of the biggest problems with totally open-ended classes like resource is the perception that students have that they don't "have to do anything" in this class. Institute a daily routine that involves some basic skills work for everyone (regardless of whether they have "things to do" or not). If your class is "for a grade", make these activities the focus of their grade, NOT the work they do in their other classes. If it's a pass/fail situation, let them know they will be "failing" if they fail to do the work. If you're in a situation where there's literally no accountability at all, start looking for work elsewhere because you're just being paid to babysit, and few of us go into teaching because we want to babysit. On a recent long-term assignment I was on at a middle school resource room, I had all the kids do math warm-ups, vocabulary warm-ups, and grammar or writing practice. I would also add a daily journal entry or SSR (Independent reading with a reading log) if you are on a block schedule and have more time to kill. Reserve some class time to work on assignments, but don't make that the sole focus of your class. Reinforce all of the above with some sort of participation points system for work completion/effort.

2. Classroom management: Depending on the age and the number of students, you could do a whole class behavior incentive system, or an individualized behavior tracker system for each student. Make them accountable for coming to class, being ready to work, completing work, staying on task/not causing disruptions, etc. Incentives could include break time, computer use, listening to music, playing board games, etc. I always ask the kids what they like to do and use that as an incentive. On a slightly related note, I always have my students clean up the room every period before they leave as part of the day's routine. I find that having a neat and orderly environment helps keep things calmer in the room, and the kids actually like doing it. I turn on some fast paced music and turn it into a game.

3. "I have no work to do" Yeah right! Maybe this is true for one student in a thousand. For students in resource, it's as rare as a blizzard in the Philippines. These students are almost NEVER caught up with classwork--students with learning disabilities are rarely/seldom/never done with all of their regular classwork. Awareness is key. You can solve this problem by obtaining lists of assignments from their classroom teachers, and by talking to the teachers of the students you work with before/after school. I would also implement a planner routine where filling out a planner and having everything checked off by you is part of their "class participation" grade. If for some reason you have the miracle child who has completed all of his or her work, then they should plan on using their time in your class to do some independent reading or math or whatever. On those rare days when several kids were done with everything, we played math games, hangman (with content area vocabulary words), and other learning games. Generally though, I just tell them, "Either you find something to work on, or I will find you something to do." They usually take advantage of the opportunity to get back on track.

4. Whining: Yes you will get whining. I always do, when kids find out I expect them to work in class. I just tell them, too bad, I don't care if you don't like it, the purpose of school is learning, that's what we do in here, get to work, or you can make up the all the time you're wasting right now during recess/after school detention--your choice.

5. Fun: In spite of everything I just said, I highly recommend fun. Fun that's educational, that is. Although this response sounds like I'm a total hardass, I actually have a lot of fun with my students (once we take care of business). I play a lot of math games, word games, and geography games with kids. Other games I play with the kids are cooperative drawing, chain story writing, and we do a lot of crossword puzzles and mazes. I recently discovered KenKen puzzles which is kind of like Sudoku but more math-oriented. Board games can be really good as well. Sometimes, when I work in self-contained behavior classes, if everyone's working hard, I'll take them to the gym at the end of the day and let them blow off some steam.

As a sub, the plan for an unstructured setting looks a bit more like this:

1. Institute your own instructional routine if there doesn't appear to be one in the classroom. Bring along an appropriate range of worksheets that kids can only get out of doing if they are working on other assignments. (I have a huge collection that I keep in an accordion file). No one gets to sit there and do nothing (and disrupt). If nothing else, make them read and write a summary of what they read. Treat continued work refusal as a disciplinary event if necessary.

2. Classroom management: Use the classroom teacher's existing system to the best of your ability. If there isn't one, create your own and explain it to the kids. Depending on the age and the number of students, you could do a whole class behavior incentive system, or an individualized behavior tracker system for each student. Make them accountable for coming to class on time, having materials, completing work, staying on task/not causing disruptions, etc. Incentives could include break time, computer use, listening to music, playing board games, etc. I always ask the kids what they like to do and use that as an incentive. And always have the kids clean up the room.

3. "I have no work to do": On one day jobs it's hard to verify the veracity of this. On long-term assignments, you can easily make the rounds and check in with teachers. I usually tell kids they have to "prove" to me they have no work to do, and if I'm convinced, they need to find a book to read for the rest of the period. If I'm not convinced, I tell them I will be happy to find them some work to do. Either way, nobody gets to sit there and do nothing.

4. Whining: I ignore the inevitable whining, and tell them that it's not a free day and we will be doing work in here. If they persist, I ask them if it's worth having detention or a referral. If they still persist, I follow through and make an example out of them.

5. Fun: The best way to deal with downtime in a class is to play games with the kids. This cuts way down on the discipline end of things, and keeps things positive. If you're lucky, the classroom will have some things visible and ready to go. I usually bring some of my own just in case I need them. I play a lot of math games, word games, and geography games with kids. If all else fails, we play hangman until we run out of time.