TeacherServer.com
Home | How It Works | Stats
Login | Register
     
  Case: Pencil Sharpener
A few students in the classroom I am observing in get up unnecessarily several time during a lesson to sharpen their pencil. The pencil is not dull nor broken and the student will still get up to sharpen their pencil during instructional time. This distracts the other students and causes the misbehaving student to miss out on learning. The teacher I am observing has tried implementing a strategy where four fully sharpened pencils are given to each student prior to the beginning of class to limit the amount of times students need to use the sharpener. However, even with this new strategy, I witnessed a few students purposely breaking their pencil just so they could get up and sharpen it. What strategies could be used to prevent students from using the pencil sharpener as an excuse to distract themselves during a lesson?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
I think it would be a good idea to completely eliminate the pencil sharpener for student use. Before class make sure every student has one or more pencils and create a place where there are more pre-sharpened pencils. If they need a new pencil they can raise their hand for permission to get up and get one. For added control, you can place the pre-sharpened pencils near the front where the teacher is.