Student-Centered Classroom Management Tips and Tools

1. Pre K TIPS and TOOLS for Student-Centered Classroom Management Being a highly effective teacher is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice! It is not something to wait for, it is a something to be achieved. Adapted from: William Jennings Bryan Welcome Presented by: Lee Wright

2. Training Materials • Your PowerPoint Handout Packet (3-slides per page) • Your Additional Handout Packet • You will need a pen or pencil

3. Group Norms Ask Questions Help Your Neighbor Celebrate Ideas Tame Your Technology Take Care of Your Needs Honor the Time Schedule What Is Learned Here Leaves Here!

4. Our Group Signals Signal for - Let’s come together as a whole group and listen in! Signal for “Me Too!” You can use this when someone says the same thing you were thinking of. Signal for – “I Am On Task”. Use this when I ask you “How are you doing?” while completing an activity.

5. Learning Objectives Research on the importance of Classroom Management Tips and tools for establishing research-informed classroom: RULES B. ROUTINES C. PROCEDURES D. STUDENT DISPLAYS E. REAL-WORLD JOBS

6. Defining Classroom Management Classroom management refers to a wide range of specialized skills that teachers use to keep students: • organized, • orderly, • focused, • attentive, • on task, and • academically productive during class.

7. In 2006 a survey of 2300 Pre-K through 12th grade teachers conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA), indicated that teachers identified help with Classroom Management as one of their top needs.

8. Traditional Classroom Management Practices Have Largely Centered On: • The teacher setting all or most classroom rules and routines • The teacher overseeing and enforcing most or all of the classroom rules and routines • The teacher using extrinsic rewards (stickers) and punishers (office referrals and home calls) to control students’ behavior

9. Assumptions Underlying Traditional Classroom Management. The Teacher… …Deserves to be trustedand respected because they are in charge. …Should trust students who do as they are told, but not those who break the rules. …Must control all students’ behavior because many students are incapable of appropriately assuming their responsibilities. …Should expect that rewards and punishments will motivate students to do as they are told.

10. A Contemporary Approach To Classroom Management: A Student-centered Approach

11. All of the strategies we will explore today center on a student-centered approach to managing the classroom • Student-centered classroom management rests of the premise that theteacher… ...AND the students share the decision making and control of the classroom expectations …embraces personal and group wants, needs and interests …teaches children how to manage their own behavior and take care of their own needs …encourages active participation towards the fulfillment of mutual learning goals

12. Prerequisites for a Student-centered Approach to Classroom Management. The Teacher… …trusts the learners’ ability to learn to solve their own problems …genuinely accepts ALL students’ feelings …actively interacts with the students – shows warmth, compassion, feelings, and actively listens to students …is a learner, who like all learners, is fallible at times and shares appropriate information on how they overcome their own personal learning struggles …promotes privacy and confidentiality – models respect in their every action

13. Marzano in his book titled, Classroom Management That Works (2003) states that… “Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom (p. 1).”

14. Marzano (2003) states that…. ….ineffective classroom management can waste large amounts of [instructional] time and cause students’ attention and interests to wane (p. 13). Research has shown us that teachers' actions in their classrooms havetwice the impact on student achievement as do: School policies (i.e., Zero Tolerance), assessment (i.e, STAAR), staff collegiality, and community involvement (Marzano, 2003).

15. Research Says… Classroom management appears to show the strongest link to children’s self-control, and engagement in the classroom. (Bronson, 2000)

16. Let’s NOW explore tips and tools for making our classroom management of reading instruction and every other subject more student-centered.

17. A.TIPS for Classroom Rules • At the start of the year, design rules WITH YOUR STUDENTS that communicate the most important expectations for the classroom • Ideally, limit your classroom rules to four or less • Create your rules, one at a time, with students’ input by gathering them all together for a Classroom Rules Meeting of the Minds. To prompt student discussion ask them Open-ended reflection questions as to the kinds of behaviors they would like to see take place in the classroom during the year. (See the Additional Handout packet)

18. Guide students into thinking and talking about classroom rules for each of the below topic areas. How should we… • …treat one another and each others’ property? • …treat our classroom supplies and materials? • …act when completing assignments? 4. What should we do when we have differences of opinions? 5. What should we do to make sure that we play and work safely? • State rules positively, not negatively

19. Your classroom rules should be consistent and applicable across most classroom settings. • Plan to post your rules in a prominent place within the classroom at students’ eye level. • Send a copy of your classroom rules home as soon as you set them. Ask parents to talk and listen to their children talk about the classroom rules and to sign the rules and return them to you, the next day. • As soon as the rules have been created, have students sign their names on the classroom rules poster that will be displayed the classroom so that the classroom rules become a living social contract.

20. Activity CLASSROOM RULES Don’t Run! Don’t Be Mean! Don’t Mess Up The Books! Don ‘t Leave your things all over! Don’t Yell! Work with a partner to change these rules into Positive Rules!

21. A. TOOLS for Enforcing and Reinforcing Classroom Rules • “Warning” and “See Me” Sticky Notes • The Classroom – “Tell All Tabloid” Warning! See Me! Mr. Wright’s Tell All Tabloid

22. A. TOOLS for Enforcing and Reinforcing Classroom Rules • Turn Taking Tools 3a. Musical Voice Level Monitor Volume Turn Down Over Time

23. A. TOOLS for Enforcing and Reinforcing CLASSROOM RULES 3b. Voice Level Measurement Tools

24. TIPS for Refueling Station:An alternative to Time Out! Some uses of Traditional TIME OUT are equivalent to… Student-centered Management focuses on providing children with time to reflect and learn how to control their own behavior

25. The Refueling Station:An Alternative to Time Out! Use a quiet area of your classroom to send students to, or for students to choose to go, when they need time to reflect or to regain their composure. Rule: The first person to us this area each year should be you - the teacher! This is an important step to normalize this practice instead of making time away from the whole group as only being a means of “punishment”.

26. TIPS for the Refueling Station • At the start of school, explain the purpose of this area to children (If needed, differentiate it from traditional Time Out) • Establish one specific and constant place for this area in the classroom • Use this area for small disturbances, before a situation gets worse • Keep students time in this area brief and clarify who decides when it’s over

27. TIPS for the Refueling Station • Use a calm voice, relaxed body posture and few words when telling a child to go to this area • Use this area democratically • When you send a child to this area for an infraction to a rule, always make time to speak to the child after they are out of this area about the specific behaviors that they engaged in that caused you to send them there. Make sure to explore alternative pro-social behaviors that they can chose from in the future that be more in line with the classroom rules

28. TOOLS for the Refueling Station • A bucket of kinesthetic stress balls • Pictures that you asked children to bring to class, at the beginning of the school year, that include them and their family members smiling and that you have housed into a classroom family photoalbum

29. TOOLS for the Refueling Station • Paper, pencils, pencil crayons and markers so that students can draw and/or write what their feeling • A comfortable chair to sit in and a table top to write on. Another possible name for the Refueling Station = Take a Break Spot or The Reflection Corner

30. B. TIPSfor Classroom Routines • Both Rules and Routines refer to stated expectations regarding classroom behavior. However, a Rulestates GENERAL expectations that should be demonstrated at all times and for all aspects of learning. Routines, on the other hand, are a set of behavioral expectations for conducing SPECIFIC classroom activities. • Routines maximize overall classroom efficiency by allowing you to spend more time on instruction and less time on administrative tasks, transitions, and other classroom functions.

31. Ideally, you should meet with the entire class and engage them in a discussion of each newly introduced routine. During these mini-meetings (10 minutes or less) you should allow them to listen to and talk about the importance of the new Routine and how the routine can help them and their classmates. • All, or most, of the routines you teach your students should be designed to provide all students with opportunities to become increasingly independent for taking care of their own classroom needs and expectations.

32. B. TIPSfor Routines Before the start of the year teachers should reflect upon and write out all of the routines that they expect their students to learn and demonstrate in the classroom. As with classroom Rules, all Routines should be initially designed to remain constant throughout the year. However, teachers should continually inspect their routines for efficacy and, when needed, add, delete and/or refine their classroom routines by holding a class meeting that clearly informs all students of the updates to a routine.

34. B.TOOLSforRoutines Classroom Passes: • Restroom Pass (WC) • Library Pass • General Pass

35. B.TOOLS for Routines • Ask 3 Before Me 5. Manipulative Hotel Hotel

36. B. TOOLS for Routines Question Station • Question Station 7. Greeting Carpet Hug High-5 Hand Shake “Big Smile”

37. B.TOOLS for Routines • Democratic Questioning Cups 9. Non-Volunteer Pass IN OUT Jim P A S S PASS

38. B. TOOLS for Routines From my Mind! 10. Think-Aloud Signal 11. Mood Meter Happy Sad Angry Casey Private DO NOT TOUCH Frus-trated O.K

39. B.TOOLS forRoutines 12. Sharp/Dull Cans (from D. Zike’s, Classroom Organization book, [2005, p. 11]) 13. Table Top (Milk Jug) Trash Cans (from D. Zike’s, Classroom Organization book, [2005, p. 37]) SHARP DULL Trash Can

40. B. TOOLS for Routines 14. Task Meters

41. B. TOOLS forRoutines You are all taking too long! Hurry up and get your books out! 15. Transitions

42. TRANSITION TIPS Sound Cues - Regularly use a sound to transition. Motion Cues- Show Me Five Songs - Regularly sing a song to transition: “Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Clean Up!” Rhymes - Regularly prompt with a rhyme to transition: Teacher says- “One, Two, Three Eyes On Me!” Students respond- “One Two Eyes On You!” Older students (ages 6 and above) Teacher says- “Hocus Pocus!” Students respond- “Everyone focus!”

43. C. TIPS for Procedures As we just learned, Routines are a set of behavioral expectations for conducing SPECIFIC classroom activities. For Routines to be effective teachers must define clearly and age appropriately the exact behaviors that they wish their students to perform for conducting the Routine. Each of the behaviors that makes up a Routine is called a - Procedure.

44. Example of Procedures for the Routine of Brushing Your Teeth: • Quietly, with both hands, hold and carefully open the tube of toothpaste; • Next, with one hand holding the tube of toothpaste and the other holding the toothbrush, place a small amount of toothpaste onto the head (bristles) of the toothbrush; • Next, put down the toothpaste and brush your teeth by moving the toothbrush up and down on your teeth with the toothpaste filled bristles facing your teeth. • When you finish put the cap back onto the toothpaste and wash your tooth brush so that you remove any remaining toothpaste.

45. Research indicates that most teachers are quite skilled at identifying the Routines needed to run their classrooms. However, research also suggests that we are not always as skilled or mindful at reflecting and communicating to our students the exact sequence of behaviors needed to fulfill the routines we wish to implement. The success or failure of a Routine is directly dependent on the teacher’s ability to thoughtfully identify and communicate the procedures of each of their Routines.

46. D. TIPS for Displays Focus on Function First, then Form! Teachers’ decisions for what, when and how to display classroom work should foremost be prioritized based on function and then form. In other words… Function is more important than Form!

47. Bulletins Most of the contents of Inside and Outside Classroom Bulletins Should… • include authentic student-made work • serve a teaching purpose, NOT just be pretty • show multiple students’ work • be made entirely or in part with the students’ input

48. D. TIPS for Displays • Classroom that are filled with students’ authentic work sends a visual message that in this classroom students’ work is highly valued. • Ensure that every child in your class has at least one piece of work displayed on your wall. • Be democrat about whose works gets displayed • Refresh student displays according by date, and type. • Update student work that is more than four to six weeks old • Capitalize of your wall real estate

49. D. TOOLS for Displays • Classroom Bulletins made by using materials from students’ homes

50. D. TOOLS for Displays 2. Fabric that has been treated with a fire retardant (First, check with your campus supervisor as to whether this is permissible on your campus) • A Tack Box safe for placing thumb tacks up high on bulletin boards Tack Safe! Do not touch!