students show up late / unprepaired
I let the students know the rules the very first day and that if your late/unprepared - that put you at a disadvantage and disrupts the rest of the class - i explain that what you do in class is like practice and when you get a real job you will do the same thing i.e. late to class late to work: show up unprepared for class you will show up unrepair for work -- also this is not high school! in today world, you do either you will not have a job!
It always seems like it is the same students that are late over and over. We do a lot of our testing at the beginning of class but some always walk in late which disrupts the entire class. Recently I had a large group that was late for clinical and they had all kinds of excuses, most commonly traffic. WIth that I had one of the students who were stuck in traffic walk in with Burger King and another say there was a bad accident on the bridge (the same bridge that I came accross that morning with no accident and arrived on time). I reminded them of the attendace policy for clinical and that they could only have one tardy and would then be sent home the next time. The one student who was coming across the bridge decided to argue with me infront of his classmates that it wasn't fair because of the traffic. I responded by letting him know that I came across the same bridge with no problems and that if he had left on time he would not of had any problems either. I know now that I should of taken him aside and had the conversation, however the students do not argue with me in regards to policies about being late.
I let students know on their first day that there might be valuable information I will share in the first 10min of class. I let them know this information will not be repeated and it will be up to them to ask their peers or risk missing out. It has been successful for me, but may not be to all.
We have also begin having small quizzes at the beginning of each class over the material they were supposed to have read before class. I like your idea of insisting that they be in their seats or they cannot take the quiz.
We also reiterate throughout the course that tardiness will be reflected in their Professionalism Score.
I have used this in my classrooms for a very long time. It is a valuable way to begin class with something motivating and fun! I used to only give quizzes at the beginning but now I actually have fun learning exercises that may earn them from a half point to sometimes 2 or 3 points on their next quiz or test score...THAT REALLY GETS THEM EXCITED ABOUT THE INFORMATION AND MAKING SURE THEY ARE PROMPT!! I am careful not to overuse this one though....they have no idea when I am going to spring it on them...that is key!!
I love this! I will be starting it next term!
I like this idea. It will keep them coming in on time & be more prepared to attend class. Also I would make the rule that the other students that were on time cannot share the quiz.
I also task everyone in the same manor. I have found that the students are getting to their seats much sooner than they had in the past. They know I am trying to put them in a mind set to be responsible and concerned about their future as a welder. I do often remind them of the need to show up early because it may mean the students job.
I also use on time quizzes. I think this is an excellent way to get students to class on time. I also will deduct points for unprofessionalism if they show up late and unprepared and that affects their grade. I am proud to say that they are all rushing to get to my class on time as I tell them on the first day of class that they must treat class as a job!
Ground rules should be discussed the first day, I normally give some type of graded activity at the beginning of class. This encourages students to arrive on time and to be prepared
Mark,
this is an excellent idea as it rewards them & like you said helps them realize that they can be prompt & on time.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I use what I call "on-time quiz"
I give it to students as the come in every day. I pick up the quiz at 10 minutes after the start of class. Quiz's are worth 20 points each, 24 days of class = 240 available points just for being in class everyday - ON TIME!
About two years ago I started doing an activity, usually a little quiz, right at the time that class begins. Those who are in their seats can take it, those who are not cannot. I have almost 100% of my students on time. Some have even stated that they learned that they CAN be on time, and this was valuable to them.
as a clinical instructor in a Respiratory program I have students who interact with patients. They can't afford to be late or ill prepared. This would directly effect patient care. They are informed of what is expected of them, and if it becomes a problem they can be terminated from the program. I do encourage them to be professional. They make impressions at clinical's that employers may look back on when looking for employees.
That is sometimes difficult to convey to my students. It seems challenging for students to understand that the classroom setting is, like you said, the practice field. Learning professional behavior in the classroom will help them towards their professions. Good point
