Classroom management

What is Classroom Management?

1. It’s effective discipline
2. It’s being prepared for class
3. It’s motivating your students
4. It’s providing a safe, comfortable learning environment
5. It’s building your students’ self esteem
6. It’s being creative and imaginative in daily lessons

It’s different for EVERYONE!!

1. Teaching Styles
2. Personality/Attitudes
3. Student population
4. Not all management strategies are effective for every teacher

Techniques for Better Classroom Control

1. Focus attention on entire class
2. Don’t talk over student chatter
3. Silence can be effective
4. Use softer voice so students really have to listen to what you’re saying
5. Direct your instruction so that students know what is going to happen
6. Monitor groups of students to check progress
7. Move around the room so students have to pay attention more readily
8. Give students non-verbal cues
9. Engage in low profile intervention of disruptions
10. Make sure classroom is comfortable and safe
11. Over plan your lessons to ensure you fill the period with learning activities
12. Come to class prepared
13. Show confidence in your teaching
14. Learn student names as quickly as possible

Cooperation through communication

1. Verbalize descriptions of behaviors and never value judgments about individuals
2. Verbalize feelings but remain in control
3. DO NOT USE SARCASM
4. Do not place labels (good or bad)
5. Do not get students hooked on praise
1. Praise the work and behavior – not the students themselves
6. Speak only to people when they are ready to listen

Classroom Rules For Conduct

1. Formalized statements that  provide students with general guidelines for the types of behaviors that are required and the types that are prohibited
2. A few rules are easier to remember than many rules
3. Each rule in a small set of rules is more important than each rule in a large set of rules

Necessary classroom rules of conduct

1. Maximizes on-task behaviors and minimize off-task (esp. disruptive) behaviors
2. Secures the safety and comfort of the learning environment
3. Prevents the activities of the class from disturbing other classes
4. Maintains acceptable standards of decorum among students, school personnel, and visitors to the school campus

Beginning a new year

1. Take advantage of initial uncertainty
2. Ride your “fences”
3. PLAN for a favorable beginning
1. Classroom/lab organization
2. Ongoing routines
4. Use learning activities with easy-to-follow, uncomplicated directions
5. Use a disclosure statement

Disclosure Statement

1. Used to clearly communicate expectations to students and parents
2. Refer back to the guidelines throughout the term
3. Not a legally binding document

Components of Disclosure Statement

1. Basic Course Outline
2. Grading Procedures
1. Include procedures for making up missed work, extra credit, homework expected, etc.
3. Attendance Policies (should be consistent with school policy)
4. Other class rules, policies, procedures
5. Safety considerations as necessary
6. Accommodation for disabilities statement
7. Signature of student and parent/guardian

Room/lab arrangement

1. Make sure all students can see and hear clearly (and you can see them clearly)
2. Arrangement is determined by learning activity (lecture, class discussion, small group work, etc.)
3. Allow room and easy access for proximity control
4. Think through class procedures and learning activities and arrange the room in the best possible way

Dealing with misbehavior
Functions of Behavior

1. Every behavior has a function
2. Four primary reasons for  disruptive behavior in the classroom
1. Power
2. Revenge
3. Attention
4. Want to be left alone (i.e., disinterest or feelings of inadequacy)
3. Many misbehaviors exhibited by students are responses to a behavior exhibited by the teacher
4. Do not tolerate undesirable behaviors no matter what the excuse
5. Understanding why a person exhibits a behavior is no reason to tolerate it
6. Understanding the function of a behavior will help in knowing how to deal with that behavior

Dealing with off-task behaviors

1. Remain focused and calm; organize thoughts
2. Either respond decisively or ignore it all together
3. Distinguish between off-task behaviors and off-task behavior patterns
4. Control the time and place for dealing with off-task behavior
5. Provide students with dignified ways to terminate off-task behaviors

Dealing with off-task behaviors

1. Avoid playing detective
2. Utilize alternative lesson plans
3. Utilize the help of colleagues
4. Utilize the help of guardians
5. DO NOT USE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
1. A form of contrived punishment in which physical pain or discomfort is intentionally inflicted upon an individual for the purpose of trying to get that individual to be sorry he or she displayed a particular behavior

Modifying off-task behavior patterns

1. Use the principle of “Extinction”
1. Whenever the positive rein forcers for a person’s voluntary behavior pattern are removed or cease to exist, the person will begin to discontinue that behavior
2. Specify the exact behavior pattern to extinguish
3. Identify positive reinforcers for the behavior
4. Plan to eliminate positive reinforcement
5. Establish a realistic time schedule
6. Implement the plan
7. Evaluate the effectiveness by observing behavior
8. Use the principle of “Shaping”
1. Reinforce behaviors that are similar to the behavior to be learned
2. Subsequent actions that are more like the behavior to be learned than previous actions are reinforced
3. Subsequent actions that are less like the behavior to be learned than previous actions are not positively reinforced

Attention Seeking Behavior

1. Attention-seeking students prefer being punished, admonished, or criticized to being ignored
2. Give attention to this student when he or she is on-task and cooperating
3. “Catch them being good!” – and let them know you caught them

Power Seeking Behavior

1. Power-seeking students attempt to provoke teachers into a struggle of wills
2. In most cases, the teacher should direct attention to other members of the class

Behavior:  Rambling -- wandering around and off the subject. Using far-fetched examples or analogies.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Refocus attention by restating relevant point.
2. Direct questions to group that is back on the subject
3. Ask how topic relates to current topic being discussed.
4. Use visual aids, begin to write on board, turn on overhead projector.
5. Say: "Would you summarize your main point please?" or "Are you asking...?"

Behavior:  Shyness or Silence -- lack of participation
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Change teaching strategies from group discussion to individual written exercises or a videotape
2. Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution.
3. Involve by directly asking him/her a question.
4. Make eye contact.
5. Appoint to be small group leader.

Behavior:  Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Acknowledge comments made.
2. Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, and then move on.
3. Make eye contact with another participant and move toward that person.
4. Give the person individual attention during breaks.
5. Say: "That's an interesting point. Now let's see what other other people think."

Behavior:  Sharpshooting -- trying to shoot you down or trip you up.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the question the group or the individual who asked it.
2. Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience.
3. Ignore the behavior.

Behavior:   Heckling/Arguing -- disagreeing with everything you say; making personal attacks.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Redirect question to group or supportive individuals.
2. Recognize participant's feelings and move one.
3. Acknowledge positive points.
4. Say: "I appreciate your comments, but I'd like to hear from others," or "It looks like we disagree."

Behavior:  Grandstanding -- getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts to the detriment of other learners.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Say: "You are entitled to your opinion, belief or feelings, but now it's time we moved on to the next subject," or
2. "Can you restate that as a question?" or
3. "We'd like to hear more about that if there is time after the presentation."

Behavior:  Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative behavior.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear to depersonalize it.
2. Respond to fear, not hostility.
3. Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check.
4. Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said.
5. Move closer to the hostile person, maintain eye contact.
6. Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation.

Behavior:  Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative behavior (continued)
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Say: "You seem really angry. Does anyone else feel this way?" Solicit peer pressure.
2. Do not accept the premise or underlying assumption, if it is false or prejudicial, e.g., "If by "queer" you mean homosexual..."
3. Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position.
4. Ignore behavior.
5. Talk to him or her privately during a break.
6. As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group.

Behavior:  Griping -- maybe legitimate complaining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Point out that we can't change policy here.
2. Validate his/her point.
3. Indicate you'll discuss the problem with the participant privately.
4. Indicate time pressure.

Behavior:  Side Conversations -- may be related to subject or personal. Distracts group members and you.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:

1. Don't embarrass talkers.
2. Ask their opinion on topic being discussed.
3. Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas.
4. Casually move toward those talking.
5. Make eye contact with them.
6. Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is near the talkers.

School Policies
Be familiar with school policies from the start!
Policies relating directly to students:

1. Attendance/Tardy Policy
2. Academic/Grading Policies
3. Telephone use (school phones, cell, pagers)
4. Student Dress and Grooming Policies
5. Safe School Policies
1. Weapons, fighting, intimidation, verbal abuse, etc.
6. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Policies
7. Sexual Harassment Policy

Policies you’ll need to be aware of as a teacher

1. Internet/Email use policies
2. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Policies
3. Policies regarding the reporting of abuse, neglect, suicide threats, etc.
4. Emergency procedures
1. Fire, earthquake, bomb threat, intruder, etc.
5. Field Trip policies
6. Accident reporting procedures
7. Reporting academic progress
8. Purchasing guidelines
9. Substitute teachers
1. Requests for, planning, etc.
10. Use of videos, movies, and instructional materials

If you advise a student group

1. Be familiar with:
1. Travel policies
2. Fundraising policies
3. Activity absence policies
4. Student organization finance policies