Clay in Class

By David D. Gilbaugh

Some projects can benefit by giving special attention to classroom management.  In the Totem Pole project here are some suggestions that have proven helpful.

Special Project Newsletter to Parents Pre-emptive letter to parents explaining the lesson and asking support by talking to their children about how special working with such materials is and how important it is when doing the projects to use the clay only as they are instructed.  Keep this letter to the parents focused on what they should be doing as opposed to what they should not.  Phrase it in a positive tone! The lesson instructions should address specific areas of concern that are not already covered in the classroom rules.  Ask parents to show their enthusiasm about the lesson by emphasizing how important it is to be safe and do their best so that they can continue to do such interesting and fun activities. 

Trial Run Do the project yourself before attempting to teach it to your students.  No amount of research can substitute for doing it yourself at least once or twice.   It helps your own confidence in the project and it will reveal problem spots and details that can make the difference in success or failure.   This is a must — so do it yourself first.

Structure Maintain high levels of structure by modeling good organization skills.   Show students how you keep your work area clean as you demonstrate and closely follow the steps that you have worked out when you did it yourself.

Prevention Prepare for possible problems with students before they occur.   Knowing your individual students’ learning modalities and accommodating them will reduce possible confusion and anxiety that lead to discipline problems.  Many discipline problems in the classroom can be averted by planning to meet the needs of your unique group of students and accommodating the special needs that the students in your class may have. 

Clean up Working with clay presents special clean up problems.   Define what clean means and demonstrate it clearly.   Teach them the steps that are necessary to clean up safely and properly and give them adequate time to do what you ask.   Getting your classroom clean before dismissing students allows you to take a visual inventory and hold students accountable.   You can always dismiss students first who do the best job of cleaning.    Give additional points for cleaning up just as you hold them accountable for doing neat written work.    Have check-lists for clean up that are visible and posted on the walls so you can see what has been done correctly.  This serves as a rubric for grading clean up and organizational skills.