In the ELED 470 class we have been discussing the importance of using "student voice"to guide discussion, curriculum flow and unit transitions. The students voices need to be listened too not only for assessment and classroom management purposes, but also to help me as a future teacher. I need to be hearing what the students are saying, ( and not saying) and to be interpreting what they are saying to help me shape my lesson and provide the appropriate scaffolding. I need to have students lift up their voices to raise up my lesson plans, and allow time for them to be part of it. They have so much to teach me and I need to allow them to have that opportunity. One question I would like to raise, is when you have a rowdy group of students that when given opportunities to speak, it creates classroom management issues. How do you prevent holding them back from them a chance to discuss and use their voices appropriately?

I am feeling more comfortable with managing individual students and keeping them on task and focused. However, overall classroom management is something I'm working on. I am focusing on transitions and making my instructions and think-alouds more straightforward in hopes that this will tighten up the loose ends that perhaps are allowing me to lose control of the class.