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| Do you use high fives in the classroom? |
| yes |
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50% |
[ 20 ] |
| no |
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37% |
[ 15 ] |
| not yet, but I will |
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12% |
[ 5 ] |
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| Total Votes : 40 |
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murmanjake
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 5:21 am Post subject: High Fives Are AWESOME |
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Easy, simple, and quick, but so effective. Kids love them. And they are versatile.
It's all about exaggeration.
If a kid gives you a weak, lazy high five, then act disappointed and look for another kid to give you a good one.
A great stinging high five should be shaken off and accompanied by sounds of surprised pain.
A mediocre high five gets a mediocre response.
It can double as a counting activity,"give me 8 high fives." Or even, give me a "high four." You can even get them to work on addition/subtraction by putting out four fingers and asking for a high seven. They should then give you a "high three."
Pulling away at the last minute is a great way to control the annoying kids by making them look silly in front of their classmates. Or to just provide them with a fun physical challenge.
A variation of this is asking for a high five with your hand palm up on their heads, and watching the hilarity ensue as they smack themselves on the dome. Doesn't work for too long though.
You can also do the pull away right over a table or desk for kids that need a little painful reminder. Just give them the appropriate look of "I told you so" as they are cradling their hand afterwards.
Physical contact is a great way of connecting with the kids. High fives are perfect for this.
High fives show students that you are paying attention, and involved in what they are doing. It is the only reward that I use, besides those other less tangible rewards, like admiration and gratitude.
How do you use high fives? |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| no high fives in the classroom, but your enthusiasm for them is contagious. Maybe I'll give it a whirl... |
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brickabrack
Joined: 17 May 2010
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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I like the bump.
Some of the more motivated kids get high 5 variations and secret handshakes that the less motivated are a bit envious of. This
also works for motivation for the slackers. Not all the time.
I don't over use them though.
Good post. I have a few hours to read after having planned my next two weeks yesterday.  |
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Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
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Happy Clappy
Joined: 17 Oct 2010
Location: Wonderful Korea!
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Fishead soup wrote: |
| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
Know your place. |
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murmanjake
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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nahhh....
Now, I spend most of my day with kindergarteners. These kids respond well to the pony show, and I don't think I lose respect. Exaggeration can be used to communicate displeasure as well. Once you have them liking Happy teacher, they sure don't want you to be Angry teacher. I ask them, do you want me to be angry? And they get quiet and serious real quick.
Being their friend, and sometimes acting the fool, gives me better control, and generates more enthusiasm for classwork. It's about tempering the levity with the proper amount of seriousness.
I don't do high fives so much with the elementary kids anymore, and not at all with the few middle-schoolers I teach. They're not so much into that gimmicky stuff. |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Fishead soup wrote: |
| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
+1 |
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wiganer
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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Any Brits who voted 'yes' let me know of your location so I can kidnap and torture you.  |
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passport220
Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Location: Gyeongsangbuk-do province
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| brickabrack wrote: |
| I like the bump. |
I agree, high-fives are outdated, you need to bump it out.
Showing enthusiastic encouragement for students who put forth a strong effort and output with overt positive reinforcement is a completely appropriate teaching activity.
If students would view you as a clown/monkey for showing them enthusiastic encouragement for strong output, You likely did something to look like a clown/monkey for other behaviors in the first place. |
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murmanjake
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad-ish wrote: |
| Fishead soup wrote: |
| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
+1 |
What Passport said was really spot on.
I guess it's just a difference in teaching styles, and situations. I teach one class over 10 students, and the rest are 6 or less.
Be careful how you dismiss this though. I'll readily admit that not everyone can pull this super-rad teaching technique off. But I think everyone has that spark in them just waiting to be flamed into awesomely righteous high fives. |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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High fives (fake or otherwise) & and hand shakes (ghetto or otherwise) shows rapport with the students.
| Quote: |
Fishead soup wrote:
I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
-1 (Cool, my actual first use of + or -1 on a thread anywhere.) |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:08 pm Post subject: |
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| murmanjake wrote: |
| nomad-ish wrote: |
| Fishead soup wrote: |
| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
+1 |
What Passport said was really spot on.
I guess it's just a difference in teaching styles, and situations. I teach one class over 10 students, and the rest are 6 or less.
Be careful how you dismiss this though. I'll readily admit that not everyone can pull this super-rad teaching technique off. But I think everyone has that spark in them just waiting to be flamed into awesomely righteous high fives. |
i can see how this works if you teach little kids (sorry didn't read that part earlier!) and have small class sizes. generally speaking, for public school teachers, i think high fives could turn into a bit of a problem. |
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murmanjake
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad-ish wrote: |
| murmanjake wrote: |
| nomad-ish wrote: |
| Fishead soup wrote: |
| I don't do it . It makes them look at the Foreign teacher like he she is just a clown/monkey. |
+1 |
What Passport said was really spot on.
I guess it's just a difference in teaching styles, and situations. I teach one class over 10 students, and the rest are 6 or less.
Be careful how you dismiss this though. I'll readily admit that not everyone can pull this super-rad teaching technique off. But I think everyone has that spark in them just waiting to be flamed into awesomely righteous high fives. |
i can see how this works if you teach little kids (sorry didn't read that part earlier!) and have small class sizes. generally speaking, for public school teachers, i think high fives could turn into a bit of a problem. |
I agree, I've had some older students get a bit aggressive with their high fives, and have had to put a stop to them. |
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take a rest
Joined: 15 Sep 2010
Location: self-banned
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| passport220 wrote: |
| If students would view you as a clown/monkey for showing them enthusiastic encouragement for strong output, You likely did something to look like a clown/monkey for other behaviors in the first place. |
To me, high fives are like the first step on the not-so-long journey down to the students' level... and in some cases, beyond. There are other steps as well... it can be like a game:
Have you ever...
Given a high five? Take 1 step down.
Done an impression? Take 3 steps down.
Thrown a handful of candy across the room? Take 2 steps down.
Talked about or made reference to your life of debauchery in a middle school/high school class? Take 7 steps down (you're probably beneath most of your students at this point).
Encouraged/Allowed your students to talk about 'ero', or any other thing perceived by society to be inappropriate for children/young adults, even if they DO know about it outside of class? Take 9 steps down.
Sworn in English or Korean in class? Take 6 steps down.
Built an entire lesson around the idea of random funny pictures with no focus to speak of, except for maybe a vague theme? Well, they probably wouldn't notice, but you still suck.
Last edited by take a rest on Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:27 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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If you teach elementary, high fives are great with the younger kids. They have to earn them, though. Perfect score on your test? High five.
It's especially cute when they try to hurt you with it. If they're teeny, say AYA! If they're tough and bigger, pretend you didn't feel anything.
Older kids, though? I wouldn't. |
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