Update

Well since I last wrote I have established another level to our independent activities.  I have streamlined them for our boys who struggle academically and aimed the tasks to their needs and interests.

This has been a HUGE success.  Now my man Mr HB is excitedly coming to me on a thursday saying that he has completed his must dos AND some can dos!!!  He is absolutely buzzing around the classroom with a massive smile on his face!!!  This is fantastic programme.

I have about 6-8 children on this altered programme now and it is helping their motivation, self confidence and success levels immensely.

HOWEVER...

I now have a new group of boys that are quite happily dodging from room to room evading any task presented to them and thinking they can look busy and not complete the weeks must dos.  I am on to them however!  Kelly and I had a big discussion  about what could be a solution for this irritating problem and we talked about how we would have managed this in a single celled classroom - isolation, removal of choice, allocated learning space.  So, why was I so worried about implementing these options in our flexible learning environment.  You need to have trust, responsibility and ability to work independently.  I will need to show my boys what I expect them to do and where I expect them to do this.

I have created learning zones in our rooms to help guide our boys in their learning.  The areas are desks with stools that will be now used for these boys.  They will not be able to rove or choose the activity they are working on that day.  Until, of course, they can prove they are able to manage the freedom of a FLE!!