How do kids learn?

[beetroot]

When the majority of the kids in the class are disruptive, and refuse to work?

I was going to mention the wordsearch thing - I always take some with me even in my own school for cover lessons- usually it keeps them vaguely quiet enough for me to be able to strike up a bit of conversation with them and then get some interaction! I feel it's better that they are doing something not related to the subject than doing nothing at all. Isnt it?!?!

i find it hard to imagine these kids who want to talk about sex and getting pissed doing word searches unless I offered to pay them!!!

Where do you find these miricle things from

i use puzzlemakerdotcom - they have loads of puzzles which are really quick to make one you decide what words you want to put in. I get your point about being enough to distract them from the weekend gossip though! my next ones are going to be on the world cup and footballer names (ok, I know sod all about football and have no interest but it distracts them for a minute or two!)

gosh that is great...i will give it a go..

My stop gap if I am really stuck (with no work set) to keep them busy whilst I send a pupil to find the work/fetch the photocopying, whatever: Get them to brainstorm key words from their latest topic onto the board, then get them to create a wordsearch for the subject. The only resources you need is a whiteboard marker and a supply of squared paper. ... And if the work still hasn't materialised, they can have a go at doing each other's wordsearches!

I actually find it quite depressing how well most KS3 classes engage with something as mind-numbing as a wordsearch, or 'design a poster', or worksheets that are basically colouring in!

ditto the thoughts about year 9 students. I loathe them. Even in my sweet wonderful special school , they are the classes that are the most challenging. I have year 9 twice on a Friday at that (same class) it's always nice when they turn into nice (ish) young people over the summer and return as year 10s!

Well I was staggered. These were 18 year olds who thought they were really cool (but lived in "inaka" very rural Japan- which means they were not cool. I didn't think for one moment they'd like wordsearches- they loved them. I made up my own (this was pre internet days).

can I just say fair play to any teachers, I think you do a fab job and am appalled at some of the stories I hear on behaviour at secondry schools, dread my dd going tbh. I realise this doesn't help but hey still positive :)