CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Jo Hartmann 394-1876-ext 140 jhartmann@tie.net

Wherever groups of people live and work together, there are issues of organization that have to be solved or there is chaos.

John Locke, the English philosopher, theorized about how society evolved.

Survival of the fittest.

That is how government began, from its most primitive behavioral roots • To groups banding together to protect their rights • To rule of law

In modern society, we need to understand that identical principles do apply. When there is no organization, the survival of the fittest, of the strong dominating the weak re-emerges.

Every organized society is governed by rules and procedures…

Some are for our own safety • Some are to protect our rights • And some are for reasons we forgot a long time ago.

Research tells us that good classroom management is the one commonality among all effective instructors.

With good classroom management as with any organizational structure, there are three basic and necessary components:

Rules and procedures • Consequences • Relationships

All three components: rules and procedures, consequences and relationships, must be present in order for good classroom management to occur.

Relationships are the most important component but sometimes we forget that the other two components, rules and procedures and their logical consequences are also vital.

Love alone doth not good classroom management make!

The two main things we have to remember about rules are • FIRST: that they have to protect student and teacher safety and SECOND: they have to facilitate the best conditions for learning.

The importance of establishing classroom rules during the first day and the first week can’t be emphasized enough. • If we treat classroom rules and standard procedures lightly and don’t understand their importance at the beginning of the year …

We exhaust ourselves trying to mend fences later on during the year ! ! ! !

Classroom rules should be set cooperatively. Establish a few general rules of classroom conduct. • Rules need to be established as a result of a meaningful classroom discussion. • It’s an invitation for students to describe the class they would like to be part of and make suggestions for rules.

Students know you respect and care for them when they are consulted and involved in decision making.

We often shoot ourselves in the foot by having too many rules and failing to enforce them. • Minimum rules with maximum consistency is the golden rule

When students break the rules, they must know ahead of time that there are consequences. In society, we know that if we choose to break the law, we had better be prepared to go to court and perhaps do some jail time.

Hence the importance of knowing the consequences when one chooses to flout the rules. There should be no surprises.

The other key factor is consistency. Rules and consequences should be consistent in the classroom, across the grade level, and throughout the school.

Rules are one thing, procedures are another. Procedures are usually unwritten, but have been practiced enough so students know them. It provides security to students to know what’s expected of them.

Desk arrangements can minimize problems. • Assign the students to their desks initially. • As trust and cooperation develop students may request changes. • Good behavior agreement from students requesting other seats is needed.

Teacher, I’m Finished. Now What Do I Do? • The best-laid management plan can go astray during transition times when students who have completed class assignments butt in, asking for directions or begin playing around, disrupting others.

Quiet Choices • Post a list of activities. • Students can select a card from three suggested choices. • Magazine rack selection, book shelf choice, art bucket, puzzle place, quick draw station, computer site to visit, cut pictures and letters for the bulletin board, free time writing activity.

Summary of Current U.S. Research • Marzano: Classroom Management That Works • Orange: 25 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make • Tileston: What Every Teacher Should Know About Classroom Management and Discipline • Reyhner: Teaching American Indian Students • Checkley,: A Visit to Classrooms of Effective Teachers, ASCD • ASCD: Creating Caring Schools • PDK: The Shame of the Nation

To consider: • how relationships are developed and maintained • the importance of establishing positive relationships with all children • how to promote positive relationships between children

Underlying principles • Positive relationships with children are key to positive behavior and regular attendance • Positive relationships may just happen, but they can also be developed • Positive recognition and reinforcement develop positive behavior and build the relationship • Behavior is contextual and interactive: the way adults manage their own emotional responses has an important inﬂuence on children’s behavior

The Fifth R Relationships The 4Rs Rights Responsibilities Choices Rules Positive consequences Negative consequences Inevitability Routines

Potential barriers to establishing positive relationships • Large number of children with whom teacher needs to develop relationships • Lack of time to spend with individuals • We ourselves ﬁnd it easier to develop positive relationships with some individuals than others • Some children are actively suspicious of, and unfamiliar with, positive relationships

Exception finding • Changing the view of the problem • Identifying successful moments • Identifying times when the behavior is less severe, less frequent, less long-lasting. ‘If you keep on doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep on getting what you’re getting’

Never treat a child in a way you wouldn’t treat an adult. • Try to see things through the child’s eyes.

The importance of positive behavior in a role model can’t be emphasized enough. Kindness and humor shown in a business-like, task-oriented atmosphere is pivotal. When students feel cared about, they want to cooperate, not misbehave.

We have considered: • the importance of establishing positive relationships with all pupils • how relationships are developed and maintained • looking for exceptions in a ‘difﬁcult’ relationship • the ‘relationship bank’ • how to promote positive relationships between children in a classroom community

Factors Influencing How We View the World • Family • Gender • Race • Age • Sexual Orientation • Language • Friends

Religion • School background • Geography • Income of family/social class • Political views • Ethnicity • Tech savvy

Social organizations • Travel experience • Special needs, (physical) • Special needs, (behavioral) • Special needs, (academic) • ELL • ESL

Marzano’s research states: • If a teacher has a good relationship with students, then students more readily accept the rules and procedures and the disciplinary actions that follow their violations.

Without the foundation of a good relationship, students commonly resist rules and procedures along with the consequent disciplinary action.

Marzano states that rules and procedures and disciplinary actions that follow violations are also necessary components of effective classroom management.

Teacher characteristics • An analysis of teacher characteristics associated with effective instruction and classroom management includes: • Moderately high dominance • Moderately high cooperation • Consideration • Buoyancy • Inner control

Action steps • Assertive body language • Appropriate tone of voice • Persisting until the appropriate behavior occurs • Establishing clear learning goals • Providing flexible learning goals

Taking a Personal Interest • Talking informally with students before, during and after class about their interests • Greeting students outside of school • Singling out a few students each day in the lunchroom and talking to them • Being aware of and commenting on important events in students’ lives

Complimenting students on important achievements in and out of school • Meeting students at the door as they come into class and saying hello to each child, making sure to use his or her name first.

Making eye contact by scanning the entire room as you speak • Freely moving about all sections of the room • Deliberately moving toward and being close to each student in the room • Attributing ownership of ideas to the student who originated them “Dennis has just added to Mary’s idea by saying that…”

Allowing and encouraging ALL students to be part of classroom discussions • Providing appropriate “wait time.” • Emphasizing right parts of wrong answers • Encouraging collaboration • Restating or rephrasing the question • Giving hints or clues • Providing the answer and asking for elaboration

Types of Student Behavior • Passive: 1. fear of relationships 2. fear of failure • Aggressive: 1. hostile 2. oppositional 3. covert • Attention problems: 1. hyperactive 2. inattentive • Perfectionist • Socially inept

Conclusion • Teacher-student relationships are critical to the success of the two other aspects of classroom management – rules and procedures and disciplinary interventions • To build good relationships, communicate appropriate levels of dominance and let students know you are in control of the class and are willing and able to lead

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT