CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Relationships, Efficiency, Communication
January 2017 Blog
Edward DeRoche
National data show that one in five new teachers will leave the classroom within five years; in urban districts, that number jumps to nearly 50%.
Last semester CERC co-sponsored a monthly seminar with the Department of Learning and Teaching faculty that we called “Teacher-Teaching Connections.” The series was offered to all students in the teacher education program, those doing student teaching, cooperating teachers, and staff members.
About seventy people attended each of the three programs .
The 2-hour program included a short reception, a half-hour presentation by the CERC staff, and a one-hour presentation offered by a veteran teacher in the public schools.
Listening carefully to the students’ questions, it was clear to me that many, if not most, were concerned about the many aspects of classroom management.
So, this month’s blog is for you—training to be a teacher, doing student teaching, entering the second half of your first year as a teacher, and those of you in your early years of teaching looking for practical, helpful, relevant classroom management tips.
Classroom Management: The Intervention Two-Step
All of us have had major classroom disruptions that try our patience and push our limits….. Couple these feelings with the possibility of taking the disruption personally, and we have a recipe for disaster. It’s important that we divide our response into two parts: (1) Immediate stabilization and (2) Intervention to resolve these issues. …Minor inappropriate behavior does not require the two-step, but when it is required, let’s see how to do it:
- Understand that stabilizing is not excusing, letting the student get away with anything or ignoring. It is deferring the actual intervention to a more favorable time.
- Show the student that you’re willing to hear his or her side of the story.
- Guess the motive for the misbehavior, and acknowledge it without agreeing to the student’s choice of a solution.
- Deflect attempts to argue.
- Use humor.
Dr. Richard Curwin’s Blog, February 4, 2014
Three Things New Teachers Need To Know About Classroom Management
- Teach Time-Saving Routines and Procedure Veteran teachers spend the first two weeks of the year teaching routines and procedures, so the rest of the year runs They teach routines like any other lesson, with modeling, guided practice, and independent application.
- Balance Rules with Relationships …Some teachers struggled because they hadn’t balanced clear rules with showing they cared for students.. I helped them realize they could hold students accountable for doing work, but also reach out to them when they were having a bad day. When they gave a kid a consequence, I made sure they greeted them the next day with a smile and a “glad to have you back.”
- Plan to Maximize Student Thinking Time Double Plan: Make a lesson plan in two columns — one for what you would do and one for what the students would do. Substitute the time you spend explaining what a text means, with them reading it and debating the meaning. Don’t “turn it over” to students without making clear expectations for voice level, who they are working with, and the assignment.Behavior actually improved because they were no longer expected to sit passively, they were actively learning. Ryan McCarty, October, 2, 2014, http://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/10/02/classroom-management-3-things/
5 -Keys to Creating Independent Learners
1. Motivation – One’s motivation to attempt a task is based on a calculation of meaning, relevance, and perceived chance for success.
2. Engagement – A school culture focused on engagement will attempt to change student behavior by designing learning experiences that are better attuned to students’ need to engage in meaningful work and solve problems that are relevant to their lives. .
3. Self-Efficacy – A school culture that values self-efficacy will teach students that patience, persistence, and strategy are more important than innate intelligence.
4. Ownership – … A culture that values ownership will provide students with choices about what they will learn, give students the opportunity to determine evidence of their learning, and take the time to teach students how to accurately assess—and revise—their own work.
5. Independence – The journey from dependence to independence requires students to be the active agents in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Tony Frontier is a member of the ASCD Professional Learning Services and coauthor of Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School (ASCD, 2014).
The Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips
“I am a soon to be new teacher and really appreciated this collection of do’s and don’ts of classroom management. For me classroom management does not intimidate me as it does for most new teachers. I have been an after-school counselor for 6 years so have learned some of these techniques along the way. I believe that there is one big thing to make sure you are able to manage your class and that is creating that relationship with your students.” —– A teacher from Texas https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom- management-your-25-best-tips?
NOTE: CERC offers two ONLINE ONLY elective courses for undergraduate and graduate students:
Spring 2017: Educ 354/554 Character-based Classroom Management: Principles, Practices, and Policies (3)
Summer 2017:Educ 379/579 Social-Emotional Learning & Teaching: Home, School, Work (3) — Monday , June 5 through Friday, August 25