Organization and Management of the Learning Environment (AQTS Indicators 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

1. Organization and Management of the Learning Environment(AQTS Indicators 2.1, 2.2, 2.3) Helping Beginning Teachers Design a Safe, Orderly, and Engaging Learning Environment (2.3) Using Research-Based Classroom Management Practices (2.1) and Create a Classroom Climate that Promotes Respect and Responsibility (2.2) Module For Indicators 2.1 And 2.3 Alabama Department of Education Resources for Mentor Teachers

2. Questions to Explore What is the relationship between effective classroom management and student achievement? What are some basic research findings about the establishment of rules and procedures to create a safe and orderly classroom? What are additional resources for learning about effective classroom management? How can the Continuum be used to guide discussions with beginning teachers? What are some data collection tools that can be used to better understand current classroom management practices?

3. Understanding this Resource Conversation Starter icon Reflectionicon Decision Point icon

4. Alabama Quality Teaching Standards Standard 2: Teaching and Learning • Organization and Management of Learning Environment • Using Instructional Strategies to Engage Learners • Assessment of Learning

5. Standard 2: Teaching and Learning • Organizationand Management of Learning Indicator 2.1 Designs a classroom organization and management system built upon sound, age-appropriate expectations and research-based strategies for promoting positive behavior Indicator 2.2 Creates a positive climate that promotes respect and responsibility Indicator 2.3Creates a safe, orderly, and stimulating learning environment that nurtures responsibility, motivation and engagement of learners

6. Spheres of Activity Classroom School Personal

7. Self-Assessment of Classroom Organization and Management Read through the five levels on the AQTS Continuum for Indicators 2.1 and 2.3. • Where do you rate yourself on the continuum? • What is the evidence for your self-assessment? • Where do you want to be on the continuum?

8. Standard 2: Teaching and Learning • Organization and Management of Learning Focus on the first three levels of Indicators 2.1 and 2.3. • Pre-Service and Beginning • Emerging • Applying • What distinguishes Applying from Pre-Service and Emerging?

9. Reflecting Think back to your first year of teaching. What challenges did you face with regard to student behavior and discipline? Record some of the challenges that you remember. Hmmm…how did those kids act? What did they do?

10. Reflecting To what extent do you see some of these same problems today—in classrooms of first year teachers? What additional problems are faced by today’s first-year teachers? What do you think might have helped you during those first years of teaching, as you faced those difficulties?

11. From Research We Know… • Of the in-school factors that affect learning, the quality of teaching is the most important by far. Marzano, Robert J. What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. 2003.

12. Three Major Roles of Effective Teachers Marzano

13. Classroom Management As you watch the first few minutes of Video 2, think about how this teacher’s effective use of engaging and diverse instructional strategies is dependent upon the establishment of procedures and rules. What are some specific examples, in this video, of behaviors that relate to Indicator 2.1?

14. “At all…grade levels, effective classroom management has been recognized as a crucial element in effective teaching. If a teacher cannot obtain students’ cooperation and involve them in instructional activities, it is unlikely that effective teaching will take place.” --Emmer, Sanford, Clements, and Martin, p. 13

15. New Teachers… • …rate classroom management as one of their primary concerns. One fourth of teachers who leave the teaching profession cite student misbehavior as a reason. Coaching Classroom Management, p. 201

16. Research on Classroom Management In 1970, the first major study of classroom management was conducted by J. Kounin, who analyzed videotapes of 1st and 2nd grade teachers. He identified 4 dimensions of effective management: • “With-it-ness” • Smoothness during presentations • Clear behavioral expectations for students • Variety and challenge in assignments

17. Research on Classroom Management • In 1976, Brophy and Evertson compared 30 effective elementary teachers to average teachers to see in what ways they differed. Skill in classroom managementsurfaced as an important variable related to the effective teachers. p. 5, reported in Marzano

18. Research on Classroom Management Milestone studies were reported in 1980-1982 by the Center for Teacher Education, Austin, TX. One of the important findings was “that early attention to classroom management at the beginning of the school year is a critical ingredient of a well-run classroom.” p. 5, reported in Marzano

19. Four Components of Classroom Management Rules and procedures Disciplinary interventions Teacher-student relationships Mental set • Marzano, R. Classroom Management that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. 2003.

20. The Good News Effective classroom techniques can be learned. Classroom management skills can be learned rather quickly.

21. Component 1: Rules and Procedures “Rules and procedures relate to stated expectations regarding behavior.” --Evertson and Emmer, p. 22 Rules are general statements guiding behavior, for example, Respect others; listen while others are speaking. Procedures usually relate to a specific type of activity and are in place to facilitate the accomplishment of something specific (e.g. procedures for handing in assignments, using the restroom, completing work after an absence, selecting a facilitator in a cooperative group activity, etc.)

22. Finding: Across all studies, “the average number of disruptions in classes where rules and procedures were effectively implemented was 28 percentile points lower than the average number of disruptions in classes where that was not the case.” --Marzano, CMTW, p. 14

23. Sample Rules • Be ready to start on time: bring your supplies and your full attention • Listen while others talk; no side-bar conversations • Respect others and their belongings • Turn off all electronics (cell phones and MP-3 players)

24. It’s not enough to create good classroom rules… Post them visibly in the classroom Teach them to all students so the class has a shared understanding Share classroom rules with parents Monitor the rules constantly; be consistent in enforcing them Help students monitor and accept responsibility for the class rules Make sure classroom rules are in line with school rules

25. Create Structures to Maximize Learning • Physical lay-out of the room • Analyze daily schedule • Signal for attention • Establish routines for beginning and ending class (or the day) • Clarify expectations for student behavior during seatwork and teacher-led activities • Assignment of, assistance for, and collection of student work Adapted from Coaching Classroom Management, pp.120-125

26. Keys to Physical Layout of Classroom Keep high-traffic areas clear Keep frequently used materials easily accessible Leave adequate space for teacher monitoring (walking around) Make certain all students are able to easily see the presentation area (e.g. whiteboard and displays) Be sure all students can be easily seen by the teacher—for continual monitoring

27. Daily ScheduleTool for Management Problems • If students seem not to be responsible or on-task, ask the beginning teacher to reflect on a typical day—or class period. • Together, reconstruct a class period and record the amount of time spent on each type of activity: • Teacher-led review • Teacher presentation of new information • Whole class question and answer • Independent work • Small group (or pair) work • Teacher-led (whole class) correction of assignments • Other learning activity (e.g. video, computer, etc.) --Adapted from Coaching Classroom Management, pp. 120-121

28. Daily ScheduleTool for Management Problems Read through the sample completed form, “Assessing Student Learning Time.” Assume you gathered these data in a conference with your beginning teacher. What questions would you pose in order to encourage reflection on the results—and their relationship to classroom management issues? --Adapted from Coaching Classroom Management, pp. 120-121

29. Praise, Question, Polish (PQP) • PQP is a tool to help structure a conversation. It was designed for use following an observation; however, it can be used to process any set of data. Two components contribute to its effectiveness: • Inclusion of affirmations • Provision of non-directive feedback through questions, which give teachers opportunities to reflect on practice Adapted from Gloria Neubert, Improving Teaching Through Coaching, PDK Fastback 277.

30. Effective Feedback …is non-directive Tell them what to do differently

31. Praise • What are some positives you can identify from the sample data? How would you phrase them? • Ask the beginning teacher, “When you look at this summary of data, what are you most pleased with?” “Which of these activities seemed to really engage all of the students?”

32. Questions • Clarifying Questions are used to • Gather additional information • Help understand something you see in the data • Express reservations in a non-directive way

33. Questions • Eliciting Questions • Help teacher hypothesize or speculate • Extend teacher thinking

34. Polish • Remember, your main job is to LISTEN. • Ask questions that will help the observed teacher reflect and make decisions for POLISHing a lesson.

35. What Do You Believe? It is a myth to believe that “effective teachers can prevent all discipline problems by keeping students interested in learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities.” --Long and Fry in Marzano, p. 4 However, there is an undeniable relationship between (1) engaging instructional strategies and content and (2) improved student behavior. Reflect on the extent to which you believe these statements.

36. Signal for Attention Effective teachers have a signal that alerts students to be quiet and pay attention to instructions. Do you use such a signal? How well does it work? What do other teachers use?

37. Beginning and Ending Class Students don’t get started working immediately Students come to class unprepared—without books, materials, pencils Interruption as tardy students enter class Students return after absence and need teacher attention for missed assignments Students “pack up” before the end of class

38. Seatwork and Teacher-Led Activities • Communicate teacher expectations: • Student attention during presentations • Student participation • Talking among students • Obtaining help • Out-of-seat behavior • Behavior when work has been completed

39. Case Study…Examples of Structures • Read the case study. • How does this teacher’s strategy provide a structure for beginning class as well as establish expectations for seatwork? • What feedback would you give this teacher? • What potential problems should a teacher be aware of when using this strategy? • What procedures would need to be taught so that student use of this process would be effective and worthwhile?

40. Student Work Post assignments in the same place every day. Establish the routine that students record these assignments into a planner or a notebook. Establish a help-seeking signal during independent or small group work time. Create a graph of work completion rates to share with students.

41. Feedback to Class: Assignment Completion

42. Component 2: Disciplinary Interventions Required to address detractions from learning time. Planning and teaching rules and procedures is important; however it is not sufficient to maintain appropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior develops over time.

43. Disturbing Finding In a review of literature on classroom management,“Cotton (1990) has estimated that about half of all classroom time is used for instruction, and disciplinary problems occupy most of the other half.” --Marzano, CMTW, p. 27

44. Other Research Findings “Disciplinary interventions resulted in a decrease in disruptive behavior among almost 80 percent of the subjects in the studies they analyzed.” (Marzano, CMTW, p. 28) There is a need for a balance between positive reinforcement and punishment.

45. Findings from Marzano’s Meta-Analysis “… disciplinary procedures have an impact on lessening student misbehavior at all grade levels.…the effect of disciplinary interventions grows consistently larger the lower the grade-level.” –Marzano, CMTW, p. 30 Lower Grade level Upper Less More Effectiveness of Discipline

46. Four Common Problems Teacher failing to monitor behavior, engagement, or success on assignments Inconsistent reactions to rule infractions Inappropriate behavior ignored Teachers attend to negative behavior rather than reinforcing appropriate behavior --Evertson and Emmer

47. Data Collection “Data takes you out of the role of judge and puts you in the position of partner.” --Sprick et al. Coaching Classroom Management. p. 113

48. Encourage Beginning Teachers to Collect Data • Data helps ground the assessment of student behavior in reality. • How might a beginning teacher collect data to prevent one or more of the four common problems from “creeping” into the classroom to create behavior problems?

49. Data Collection “Teacher failing to monitor behavior, engagement, or success on assignments”—remember this as a common problem leading to student misbehavior? If teachers agree to collect data about any of these student behaviors, they become more aware and begin to self-monitor. The process of data collection can sometimes be a solution to a classroom problem.

50. Encourage Beginning Teachers to Collect Data Keep a tally of rules: a check when each is followed; an x when not. Identify problem behaviors. Keep a tally of their occurrence.