Classroom Management

Classroom Management

Classroom management and management of student conduct are skills that teachers acquire and hone over time. These skills almost never "jell" until after a minimum of few years of teaching experience. To be sure, effective teaching requires considerable skill in managing the myriad of tasks and situations that occur in the classroom each day. Skills such as effective classroom management are central to teaching and require "common sense," consistency, an often undervalued teacher behaviour, a sense of fairness, and courage. These skills also require that teachers understand in more than one way the psychological and developmental levels of their students. The skills associated with effective classroom management are only acquired with practice, feedback, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Sadly, this is often easier said than done. Certainly, a part of this problem is that there is no practical way for education students to "practice" their nascent skills outside of actually going into a classroom setting. The learning curve is steep, indeed.

An Effective Classroom Management Context

(these four things are fundamental)

1. Know what you want and what you don't want.

2. Show and tell your students what you want.

3. When you get what you want, acknowledge (not praise) it.

4. When you get something else, act quickly and appropriately.

CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT
While good classroom arrangement is not a guarantee of good behavior, poor planning in this area can create conditions that lead to problems.
	The teacher must be able to observe all students at all times and to monitor work and behavior. The teacher should also be able to see the door from his or her desk.
	Frequently used areas of the room and traffic lanes should be unobstructed and easily accessible.
	Students should be able to see the teacher and presentation area without undue turning or movement.
	Commonly used classroom materials, e.g., books, attendance pads, absence permits, and student reference materials should be readily available.
	Some degree of decoration will help add to the attractiveness of the room. SETTING EXPECTATIONS FOR BEHAVIOR *Teachers should identify expectations for student behavior and communicate those expectations to students periodically. * Rules and procedures are the most common explicit expectations. A small number of general rules that emphasize appropriate behavior may be helpful. Rules should be posted in the classroom. Compliance with the rules should be monitored constantly. * Do not develop classroom rules you are unwilling to enforce. * School-Wide Regulations...particularly safety procedures...should be explained carefully. * Because desirable student behavior may vary depending on the activity, explicit expectations for the following procedures are helpful in creating a smoothly functioning classroom: - Beginning and ending the period, including attendance procedures and what students may or may not do during these times. - Use of materials and equipment such as the pencil sharpener, storage areas, supplies, and special equipment. - Teacher-Led Instruction - Seatwork - How students are to answer questions - for example, no student answer will be recognized unless he raises his hand and is called upon to answer by the teacher. - Independent group work such as laboratory activities or smaller group projects. Remember, good discipline is much more likely to occur if the classroom setting and activities are structured or arranged to enhance cooperative behavior. MANAGING STUDENT ACADEMIC WORK * Students must be held accountable for their work. * The focus is on academic tasks and learning as the central purpose of student effort, rather than on good behavior for its own sake. MANAGING INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR * Address instruction and assignments to challenge academic achievement while continuing to assure individual student success. * Most inappropriate behavior in classrooms that is not seriously disruptive and can be managed by relatively simple procedures that prevent escalation. * Effective classroom managers practice skills that minimize misbehavior. * Monitor students carefully and frequently so that misbehavior is detected early before it involves many students or becomes a serious disruption. * Act to stop inappropriate behavior so as not to interrupt the instructional activity or to call excessive attention to the student by practicing the following unobstructive strategies: - Moving close to the offending student or students, making eye contact and giving a nonverbal signal to stop the offensive behavior. - Calling a student's name or giving a short verbal instruction to stop behavior. - Redirecting the student to appropriate behavior by stating what the student should be doing; citing the applicable procedure or rule. - More serious, disruptive behaviors such as fighting, continuous interruption of lessons, possession of drugs and stealing require direct action according to school board rule. PROMOTING APPROPRIATE USE OF CONSEQUENCES * In classrooms, the most prevalent positive consequences are intrinsic student satisfaction resulting from success, accomplishment, good grades, social approval and recognition. * Students must be aware of the connection between tasks and grades. * Frequent use of punishment is associated with poor classroom management and generally should be avoided. * When used, negative consequences or punishment should be related logically to the misbehavior. * Milder punishments are often as effective as more intense forms and do not arouse as much negative emotion. * Misbehavior is less likely to recur if a student makes a commitment to avoid the action and to engage in more desirable alternative behaviors. * Consistency in the application of consequences is the key factor in classroom management