Classroom management

My personal reflection about Classroom Management ideas before starting this topic have come from my experience as a Teacher’s Aide and my practicums.

 

• Have written on the board the date, topic and what students will be doing this lesson – this gives students a visual reminder of what they should be doing during the lesson.

• Have student’s work books (safety & folio) kept in a class box (paper ream box) so they always have them to work on during class.

• Have structured work sheets/scaffolds/templates to help stage 5 students complete their work and reinforce the expected structure of their work.

• Have extension activities on hand for students that finish early/before the rest of the class so they are not bored, distracting others or misbehaving

• Have a back-up plan when using technology

  • If something requires internet to work, carry phone so that if school internet fails, tethering to phone can be used.

  • Check to make sure equipment that is needed for the lesson is working properly

  • Have back up plans for students who forget their technology (BYOD)

• Prepare lessons 2-4 days in advance – this is short enough to have a reasonable prediction as to where students are up to and long enough to give time should something happen that prevents you from planning lessons à have 2-4 days covered with no worries.

• Giving students plastic sleeves and getting them to write their name on the sleeve really helps to keep all their stuff together if they have not got a book or plastic folder.

• Keep a main folder to take to all classes with extension worksheets, lesson plans, spare pencils, spare paper, class roles, dividers for each subject where the days lessons worth of work (board notes, hand-outs, tests etc) can be kept for quick access

• Keep a folder for each class with resources for next lesson and future lessons

• Get a folding trolley – don’t put in more than you can carry upstairs though.

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• When taking a new class, take the time to learn their names.

  • Start the class with introduction of yourself and something about you, then ask for the same of each student as you mark the role.

  • Review their names and characteristics at the end of the first lesson to help cement the information.

    • What colour their hair was

    • Where they sat (they usually sit in the same place each lesson out of habit)

    • What info did they give about themselves

  • Each lesson thereafter, focus on 2-4 students for that lesson, ask them the questions using their names and work through the role till all names are memorised.

• Develop a good cleaning routine – all students clean room after prac & put away their projects.

• Pillow case for projects rather than always taping them up.

• Collect & mark student samples once they have finished them.

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  Strategies to avoid

• Yelling at the class – don’t lose your head or cool, yelling only proves to the students that you have lost control of your emotions and the class.

• Being too soft or too hard when dealing with misbehaviour. Consequences must be logical to the offense and consistently given after one warning.

• Using last resort punishments like sending the student to the head teacher/principal, for every/small misbehaviour.

• Backing students into a corner - if there is confrontation – I need you to do this, I don’t want to – don’t stand over them waiting for them to comply as this will more likely escalate the situation. Tell them you are going to help another student and if they have not done as they were asked they have chosen the alternative consequence, ‘it’s your choice’.

• Bringing in the class while they are still rowdy.

• Making accusing/confrontational statements – focuses on negative behaviour.  

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  Best tips for classroom management

   

• Engage in general chit chat outside of class – be current with pop culture/their interests. This will help you build rapport with students and help you divide and conquer ‘ring leaders’.

• Make the class enter the room on your terms.

• Have logical consequences for bad behaviour

• The TRICK to empowering students

  1. Trust

  2. Respect

  3. Independence

  4. Collaboration

  5. Kindness

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        At the start of class

• Settle class down gradually

• Be clear and precise about the behaviour you expect from the class

• Use non confronting statements, focus on the positive behaviour and reinforce what you want all students to do by praising those who have done what you asked.

• Once quietened down, the demeanour needs to change from one on one (informal time) to authority position (work time) while addressing the class as a whole.

• Step 1

• Clear, unambiguous instructions must be given – what you expect them to do once they enter – so there is no room for them to argue they did not know what to do.

• Move students doing the right behaviour towards the front of the line and reinforce that behaviour by praising them ‘well done, you’ve done exactly what I asked which was ….., can you please come to the front of the line” This reinforces the good behaviour and lets the other students know what they should be doing. These students who have demonstrated they can be trusted may enter the room first.

  1. For difficult classes, there should be a seating plan and routine so that when the students enter, it is clear what they need to do and they are set up better to start productive work.

  2. The equipment they need should be on the desk waiting for them – pencil, paper, ruler etc. They then have no excuse for not physically being able to do the work.

  3. Have a settling starter activity that requires no further instruction from you other than what is written on the board or on the paper in front of them.

• These students who you allow in first need to be told why and what is expected of them. “You have shown to me that you can be trusted because you followed instructions and I thank you for that. When you go in, please take your designated seat and start the activity that has been written on the board/on the sheet on your desk. I need to take a few more moments outside with the rest of the class and I need you to help me by doing the right thing. If there is any messing around, I will have to bring you back outside to join everyone else. I really do thank you for your behaviour, you can go inside the classroom now.

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  Step 3

• Repeat the instructions once, for the students who were just not listening. These students can be let into the classroom under the same instructions as the previous ones.

• By now you have filtered down to the students that are going to cause problems without penalising or holding up the students who are willing to do the right thing.

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  Step 4

• Give the last group extra attention and support

• This group has had problems, I don’t know if the problems are with me or the work but I’m concerned that I’m being paid to be your teacher and to help you succeed and that’s not happening and that doesn’t sit well with me because I really want you all to do well. So what I’m going to do this lesson  is give you an opportunity to work with me on a one to one basis so we can iron out any problems, it might be that the work is a bit dull for you, I don’t know. But I want to help you succeed, So what I’ve done is given you your own desk up the front with me so I can spend a few minutes with you this lesson so I can help get these problems out. Are we agreed that we all want to do a little bit better and we want to try and at least address these problems? – getting agreement is important for self-responsibility.

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  Logical consequences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn9jcZilc7w

• Swinging on chair = no chair

• Writing on desk = come back and clean à desks will need to be checked before class

• Talking to friend = separation

• Parking students outside another classroom – organise with other teacher beforehand, make sure it is to a class of older or younger students.

• Consequences need to be stepped

  1. Warning – explain what the consequence will be so students can make an informed decision and be accountable

  2. Loss of time – certainty not severity. Start with small amount of time/consequence.

  3. Talking to friend – come to the front for 10 min, if you can do your work for 10 min then you can go back

     • Refuses to move – ok, that’s fine, I need to help … for a couple of minutes, if you have not moved by the time I finish, you have chosen to spend 5 minutes of your recess/lunch with me.

     • Is that what you want to happen? It’s your choice.

• Low level disturbance

  1. Non-verbal language

  2. Use proximity

  3. Proximity praise

  4. Split the lesson into achievable tasks

     • Pre-empt differentiation complaints from students by talking one on one with those students doing more/less work so the rest of the class is unaware.   

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  Step 2

• Creating the classroom culture that provides belonging, empowerment and fun

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWRSRtdkrag

   

  Changing attitudes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNkILSQxHU

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Scaffolding for classroom management 

   

  Printables

   

  Whiteboard ideas

• Date and instructions for students written on ready for students to copy while role is being marked. This ensures that all students are more likely to know what to do each lesson and thus more likely to stay on task. This also adds routine into the start of each lesson and thus help settle and focus them into work mode.

• Have 2-4 buzz words & definitions written on the board for students to copy out. These can be words they will be using this lesson or revision from past lessons (first 3 weeks of term).

  1. Once they have gone through all the words (3 weeks of term), write only the definitions and turn the activity into a pop quiz.

  2. Once they have gone through all the words, write down only the words and students need to give a definition for each (last weeks of term).

     • Students hand pop quiz back in after doing it, teacher marks them and those with all right answers either get a treat or go into a draw to get a treat at the end of class.

• If in the event of a whole/most of class disruption/bad behaviour, use tally system on white board to show whole class how many minutes they will be staying in for. Continued bad behaviour adds marks, good behaviour removes marks – this gives students incentive to improve their behaviour before the end of class.

• Get students up (especially those known to be disruptive) to write on the board when brainstorming ideas/class discussion/draw pictures to accompany content/writing notes – if they are unlikely to write them in their books anyway, at least this will develop their skills and they are more likely to remember the notes because of the experience.   

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  Wall charts

   

  Points systems

   

  Parent contact letters

• Connect to parents by posting on an online blog/writing in the school newsletter something about lessons at the end of the week/fortnight.  

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  Classroom management theories

   

  Process:

• Review the principles

• Review the listed positive practices

• Review the listed intervention practices

• Review the listed challenges and criticisms

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  Psychoeducational theory

  Goal centred theory

  Reasons that everyone has needs and students who misbehave are just trying to meet their needs. It requires the teacher to discuss with the class as a whole: the expected behaviour, rules, choices, consequences and effort towards work. The teacher must provide explicit instructions, expectations and boundaries and be logical and consistent with consequences.

   

  Choice theory

  A classroom management approach that aims to prevent misbehaviour by developing a classroom and preferably whole school environment that is satisfying to the student needs – enjoyable, fulfilling, safe. We are more likely to learn and behave well when we are safe, happy and productive.

   

  Cognitive behavioural theory

  CBT is mostly used for students with more challenging behaviours, particularly those experiencing low self-esteem, disruptive behaviour and underachievement,

• Involve students to be thoughtful and proactive in negotiating improved behaviours.

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  Behavioural theory

• Focuses on modifying observable behaviour.

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  Teacher e-book

   

  Predicable events

  Suggestions for Dealing with Predictable Events

  “That Is Not How Our Teacher Does It”

  • This is so common that you may want to pre-correct:

  “Today, I will try to do some things like Ms. Hernandez,

  but some things will be different. I hope you will be patient

  about this.”

  When students are trying to be helpful:

  • Thank them for their assistance.

  • Use some of their suggestions, if possible.

  • When you don’t want to use a suggestion, say something

  like: “Thanks, but I think today we will do it...”

  When students seem to be playing games:

  • Don’t confront them. Simply say: “Thanks, but today we

  are going to...”

  • If someone insists, try humor: “I think I will start making

  notes on all of these helpful reminders.”

  The Class Clown

  • Don’t compete or get into a power struggle with the

  student.

  • Use humor, but do not humiliate or alienate the student.

  • Get the student on your side (e.g., ask him/her to help

  you with a task).

  • Keep anecdotal notes if the problem continues.

  • Let the student know that you will share the notes with the

  teacher and/or an administrator if the behavior persists.

  Class Out of Control

  • Ask for attention and raise your hand in the air. If students

  do not respond: Don’t shout and don’t get upset

  • Check the time and write it on the board, then wait. Once

  class is under control, again check the time and write it on

  the board.

   

  KWL (+HOW)

   Co-operative learning

   

  Research has shown that cooperative learning techniques:

  • promote student learning and academic achievement

  • increase student retention

  • enhance student satisfaction with their learning

  experience

  • help students develop skills in oral communication

  • develop students' social skills

  • promote student self-esteem

  • help to promote positive race relations

  There are many types of cooperative learning structures. Here

  are a few examples:

  Think-Pair-Share - The teacher poses a question to the class.

  The students think about their response, and then students pair

  with a partner to talk over their ideas. Finally, students share

  their ideas with the class.

  Rallytable - Students are working in pairs, within their teams.

  Students will take turns writing on one piece of paper or

  completing a task.

  Numbered Heads Together - Students within the team number

  off from 1-4. The teacher poses a question and the students put

  their heads together to discuss the answer. The teacher

  randomly calls a number and from each team the student with

  that number writes the answer on the team response board.

  Showdown - Each student writes his answer on his individual

  response board. When everyone in the group is ready, the

  leader says "Showdown" and team members compare and

  discuss their answers.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Using the internet

   

• Web quests

• Animations of concepts

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  Classroom management

• Turn appropriate issues into class forum to create teachable moment.

  1. Racist comments – as a stranger in your class, I might take offense to these comments as I may have family members or close friends of other ethnicities.

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  Building relationships

• Socialise in staff room during recess/lunch

• Email teacher with report from the day and invite them to email you if they have any questions or anything else to say in general.

• Introduce yourself to the teacher you subbed for if possible (if you get asked back for someone else)

• While marking the roll, ask for a student’s to introduce themselves and give their interest/favourite food.

• Bag of tricks

• Deck of cards – related to subject,

  • 20 questions – each student gets to ask 1 question.

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  More classroom management strategies

   

• Magic piece of rubbish – I used this once, it worked… but the class was already in the habit of everyone picking up 3 pieces of rubbish…

• Stop, look & listen

• Recording behaviour

• Read to the class from the text/get students to volunteer reading.

• Whiteboard topics for the talkers and the bored

  • Find the definitions for: aesthetics, ergonomics, climate change, global warming, greenhouse effect, 

  • Create a power point of at least 3 Australian designers with their name, design field and make a collage of their designs/products

  • Design

    • Situation: there are hundreds of homeless in Australia

    • Design brief – design a product, system or environment that would benefit a homeless person.

    • *for older students – create your own design criteria and evaluation for the design you have come up with.

  • Using ONLY 2 sheets of paper and 10cm of sticky tape, create the tallest tower

• Blank word searchers + buzz words – students create their own word search with the buzz words and then swap with a friend and complete the friends word search

  • Make word search for kids using http://www.armoredpenguin.com/wordsearch/

• Lead a discussion –

  • planned obsolescence,

  • global warming

  • effect of fast food on our health as a society

  • the true price of textiles, not paid by us but those in sweat shops

• riddles – see deltora quest

• write down names when taking roll of students you think will be difficult

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