EDUC 392: Classroom Management & Discipline

EDUC 392: Classroom Management & Discipline University of St. Francis Spring 2012

Today’s Agenda… • Welcome! Questions/comments/concerns? • Management comparison Tues/Thurs • Course syllabus, Black board, assignments • BREAK • Class-builders/Team-builders • How do you learn classroom management? Components? • Quick review of wikis (if needed)

Management Comparison • When you arrived to class on Tuesday compared to today, how was it similar? How was it different? • Why was today’s arrival better for elementary students in terms of classroom management?

The nitty gritty… • Course syllabus • Blackboard/Wiki • Assignments

Class-builders • What are they? • Networking opportunities within classroom community • Promotes familiarity and safety • Develops a sense of belonging • Improves class climate • Five aims of Class-building: • Getting acquainted • Class identity • Mutual identity • Valuing differences • Developing synergy Class-builders are strategies developed by Dr. Spencer Kagan (1994)

Class-builders, continued • Ideally, class-builders should be utilized about once per week. Today’s class-builder activity: CORNERS! • Designed to help students know and accept themselves and others • Sequence: • Announce corners • Think time • Students group • Students paraphrase • Teams review Reflection: how would this help to promote a healthy classroom environment?

Team-builders What are they? • Small-group activities that develop student communication and collaboration skills • Can be tied easily into content • Amount of time spent on team builders in the classroom depends on the needs and characteristics of the students • Eases tensions between students (racial, achievement level, etc.) Five aims of team-building: • Getting acquainted • Team identity • Mutual support • Valuing differences • Developing synergy

Team-builders, continued • Should be utilized as often as necessary to promote equity Today’s team-builder: Interview cards • Cards in the middle of team, face down • Take turns drawing a card to read to the team; teammates answer • Use your chips! Each teammates starts with the same number of chips; everyone uses a different color • Continue pulling cards and answering questions for 10 minutes Reflection: -How equal was your participation? What do you need to do to ensure that it is equal in the future? -Chips serve as a visual reminder of the number of turns each person took

What is Classroom Management? • With your team, come up with a definition for the term, “Classroom Management.” • “Classroom management refers to all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time, and materials so that instruction in content and student learning can take place” (Wong, 1998, p. 84) REMEMBER: Effectiveteachers = manage classrooms Ineffective teachers = discipline classrooms

3 Truths of Quality Classroom Management • Truth #1: All teachers need help with classroom management, especially early in their career. They depend on finding and using good information and advice. • Truth #2: Most teachers do find ways to become successful in the classroom. • Truth #3: The very best teachers become great classroom management role models and inspire and encourage other teachers to become better. http://www.classroom-management-success.org/

Defining principles of best practice: • Principle #1: The most important factor in classroom management is you– the teacher. • Principle #2: You need a vision and a plan. (That’s why you’re here!)  • Principle #3: Successful teachers concentrate on what works well. • Principle #4: Good teachers understand the needs of their students. • Principle #5: If everybody wins, everybody’s happy. • Principle #6: Good teachers know how to involve other people. • Principle #7: Good teachers keep themselves sharp and never stop learning. http://www.classroom-management-success.org/

Learn by doing… • This course is designed to help you create and maintain an effective classroom management system in your classroom • Multiple strategies will be utilized to encompass a variety of teaching styles and grade levels • We are all adults, but sometimes we need to put ourselves in the kids’ shoes to see which strategies will be the best fit • Keep the bigger picture in mind as we embark on this journey together! Dann Dunn’s Paint Jam

For next class… • Read Wong p. 83-131 (first half of section 3) WONG TEXTBOOK

EDUC 392: Classroom Management & Discipline