Classroom Management

Hmmmn.  There's been a lot of blog-chatter recently about kids behaving badly in class (sample: Mamacita on why teachers are leaving the education field, Dennis Fermoyle on his badly-behaved students,   and The Reflective Teacher on her thirty-one unruly middle-schoolers)

From just a quick rummage through Google, it looks like tips for teachers on classroom management is a giant field, so why is it so often a challenge?

To start off:

Ken deRosa's guest blogger, palisadesk, on classroom her classroom management chops:  Post #1, Post #2, Post #3, Post #4

Palisadesk mentioned being inspired by Harry Wong -- his presentations are available on DVDs.

I like the Love and Logic in the Classroom approach (more here and here--pdfs); Leah Davies has a good introduction.

Elsewhere:

Euphrosyne's classic post:  Trampling Spirits Underfoot since 1999

Yes We Can Learn

Kitchen Table Math on Educators' Beliefs: Different Drummers on Classroom Discipline

The Teaching Heart's collection of classroom management tips.

Melissa Kelly at About.com: Classroom Discipline Tips

Rosanne Lim at Life Scripts :How to Enforce Classroom Discipline

Learning in Maine: List of Classroom Discipline Resources

1947 info-movie: Good and Bad Methods of Maintaining Discipline

Siobhan Curious: Mean Till Hallowe'en?

Mr. Gormley's Classroom Discipline Plan

Marvin Marshall's blog, Discipline for Smart People and the Discipline without Stress, Punishments or Rewards approach.

Bill Holland: Handling the Disruptive Student

A group blog for teachers: Classroom Discipline

k-3 classroom resources: share discipline plans

The Teachers' Guide: the Classroom Management page.

Stages of Discipline from the Discipline by Design site.

A commercial site, the aHa! Process:, Using Classroom Simulations to Teach Management Techniques

An approach to school-wide culture: the Responsible Thinking Process

When You're Teaching Reluctant Learners.

Commercial sites (you don't have to pay directly for NEA, but commercial...yeah)

Classroom Management Tips from NEA.

A commercial site: Youth Change

Another commercial site: Tom Daly's ADHD Solution

For teachers: What's your classroom management style?

A questionnaire from

Conferences on Alternatives in Jewish Education 32
Classroom Management: Strategies, Techniques, and oh yes, Pitfalls
Roland Roth
Director of Education and Programming
Congregation Beth Shalom, Wilminton DE
you can download a copy of the presentation here

Answer these 12 questions and learn more about your classroom management profile. The steps are simple:

    * Read each statement carefully.
    * Write your response, from the scale below, on a sheet of paper.
    * Respond to each statement based upon either actual or imagined classroom experience.
    * Then, follow the scoring instructions below. It couldn't be easier!

   1. = Strongly Disagree
   2. = Disagree
   3. = Neutral
   4. = Agree
   5. = Strongly Agree

(1) If a student is disruptive during class, I assign him/her to detention, without further discussion.

(2) I don't want to impose any rules on my students.

(3) The classroom must be quiet in order for students to learn.

(4) I am concerned about both what my students learn and how they learn.

(5) If a student turns in a late homework assignment, it is not my problem.

(6) I don't want to reprimand a student because it might hurt his/her feelings.

(7) Class preparation isn't worth the effort.

(8) I always try to explain the reasons behind my rules and decisions.

(9) I will not accept excuses from a student who is tardy.

(10) The emotional well-being of my students is more important than classroom control.

(11) My students understand that they can interrupt my lecture if they have a relevant question.

(12) If a student requests a hall pass, I always honor the request.

To score your quiz,
Add your responses to statements 1, 3, and 9. This is your score for the authoritarian style.
Authoritarian

The authoritarian teacher places firm limits and controls on the students. Students will often have assigned seats for the entire term. The desks are usually in straight rows and there are no deviations. Students must be in their seats at the beginning of class and they frequently remain there throughout the period. This teacher rarely gives hall passes or recognizes excused absences.

Often, it is quiet. Students know they should not interrupt the teacher. Since verbal exchange and discussion are discouraged, the authoritarian's students do not have the opportunity to learn and/or practice communication skills.

This teacher prefers vigorous discipline and expects swift obedience. Failure to obey the teacher usually results in detention or a trip to the principal's office. In this classroom, students need to follow directions and not ask why.

At the extreme, the authoritarian teacher gives no indication that he\she cares for the students. Mr. Doe is a good example of an authoritarian teacher. His students receive praise and encouragement infrequently, if at all. Also, he makes no effort to organize activities such as field trips. He feels that these special events only distract the students from learning. After all, Mr. Doe believes that students need only listen to his lecture to gain the necessary knowledge.

Students in this class are likely to be reluctant to initiate activity, since they may feel powerless. Tells the students what to do and when to do it. He makes all classroom decisions. Therefore, his style does little to increase achievement motivation or encourage the setting of personal goals.

Statements 4, 8 and 11 refer to the authoritative style.
Authoritative

The authoritative teacher places limits and controls on the students but simultaneously encourages independence. This teacher often explains the reasons behind the rules and decisions. If a student is disruptive, the teacher offers a polite, but firm, reprimand. This teacher sometimes metes out discipline, but only after careful consideration of the circumstances.

The authoritative teacher is also open to considerable verbal interaction, including critical debates. The students know that they can interrupt the teacher if they have a relevant question or comment. This environment offers the students the opportunity to learn and practice communication skills. She exhibits a warm and nurturing attitude toward the students and expresses genuine interest and affection. Her classroom abounds with praise and encouragement. She often writes comments on homework and offers positive remarks to students. This authoritative teacher encourages self-reliant and socially competent behavior and fosters higher achievement motivation. Often, she will guide the students through a project, rather than lead them.

Statements 6, 10, and 12 refer to the laissez-faire style.
Laissez-faire

The laissez-faire teacher places few demand or controls on the students. "Do your own thing" describes this classroom. This teacher accepts the student's impulses and actions and is less likely to monitor their behavior.

Mr. Jones uses a laissez-faire style. He strives to not hurt the student's feelings and has difficulty saying no to a student or enforcing rules. If a student disrupts the class, Mr Jones may assume that he is not giving that student enough attention. When a student interrupts a lecture, Mr. Jones accepts the interruption with the belief that the student must surely have something valuable to add. When he does offer discipline, it is likely to be inconsistent.

Mr. Jones is very involved with his students and cares for them very much. He is more concerned with the students' emotional well-being than he is with classroom control. He sometimes bases classroom decisions on his students feelings rather than on their academic concerns. He may even encourage contact outside the classroom. He has a difficult time establishing boundaries between his professional life and his personal life.

However, this overindulgent style is associated with students lack of social competence and self-control. It is difficult for students to learn socially acceptable behavior when the teacher is so permissive. With few demands placed upon them, these students frequently have lower motivation to achieve.

Regardless, students often like this teacher.

Statements 2, 5, and 7 refer to the indifferent style.
Indifferent

The indifferent teacher is not very involved in the classroom. This teacher places few demands, if any, on the students and appears generally uninterested. The indifferent teacher just doesn't want to impose on the students. As such, he/she often feels that class preparation is not worth the effort. Things like field trips and special projects are out of the question. This teacher simply won't take the necessary preparation time. Sometimes, he/she will use the same materials, year after year.

Also, classroom discipline is lacking. This teacher may lack the skills, confidence, or courage to discipline students.

The students sense and reflect the teacher's indifferent attitude. Accordingly, very little learning occurs. Everyone is just "going through the motions" and killing time. In this aloof environment, the students have very few opportunities to observe or practice communication skills. With few demands placed on them and very little discipline, students have low achievement motivation and lack self-control.

According to one student:

This teacher can't control the class and we never learn anything in there. There is hardly ever homework and people rarely bring their books. She uses the same lesson plans every year, never bothering to update them. For her, each day is the same. She lectures for the first twenty minutes of class. Sometimes she will show a film or a slideshow. When she does, it becomes a substitute for her lecture, not a supplement. If there is any time left (and there always is) she allows students to study quietly and to talk softly. As long as they don't bother her, she doesn't mind what they do. As far as she is concerned, the students are responsible for their own education.

The result is your classroom management profile. Your score for each management style can range from 3 to 15. A high score indicates a strong preference for that particular style. After you have scored your quiz, and determined your profile, read the descriptions of each management style. You may see a little bit of yourself in each one.

As you gain teaching experience, you may find that your preferred style(s) will change. Over time, your profile may become more diverse or more focused. Also, it may be suitable to rely upon a specific style when addressing a particular situation or subject. Perhaps the successful teacher is one who can evaluate a situation and then apply the appropriate style. Finally, remember that the intent of this exercise is to inform you and arouse your curiosity regarding classroom management styles.

Comments

[Liz D.]

I wanted to add some of the resources I mentioned at Ken's:

I wanted to add some more resources for classroom teachers, especially those with disabilities in the classroom:

Pete Wright (Special Education Law, Wrightslaw)

Training Lions & Tigers:
Discipline and the Child with ADHD
by Pete Wright, Esq.

Intro paragraph:

I can tell you how I raised my boys - both had ADHD and learning disabilities. I learned a lot about raising kids over the years. My experiences may be helpful to you. This article includes my own 4 Rules for Raising Children and a progress report on my boys.

Readers may also find the Wrightslaw index page on Discipline and Behavior Problems useful.

Next:

The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior

is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs to raise the awareness and implementation of positive, evidence-based practices and to build an enhanced and more accessible database to support those practices.

Many parents of inflexible children have had great success with the Collaborative Problem Solving Model.

In an era where parents, teachers, and other caregivers are bombarded by confusing and conflicting guidance on how to effectively discipline children... where the popular media exploits the struggles of difficult children and their families but provides little useful guidance... where parenting "gurus" extol the virtues of corporal punishment... where record numbers of preschool children are expelled from school... where high-stakes testing has forced adults to focus on teaching students to memorize facts rather than how to think critically, solve problems, and resolve conflict... where the emotional well-being of children is often an afterthought...

there is the CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVINGSM.

Under the direction of Drs. Ross Greene and Stuart Ablon, the Center provides clinical services, training, and consultation to assist education, mental health, and medical professionals and parents in understanding and implementing the Collaborative Problem SolvingSM (CPS) approach. The impetus for the CPS approach came from an awareness that children and adolescents with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are frequently poorly understood; that standard approaches to treatment often do not satisfactorily address their needs (and can actually worsen their difficulties); and that, as a result, many such children have very adversarial interactions with parents, teachers, siblings, and peers and are at risk for poor long-term outcomes.

The CPS model -- which was first articulated in the book, The Explosive Child -- proposes that challenging behavior should be understood and handled in the same manner as other recognized learning disabilities. In other words, difficult children and adolescents lack important cognitive skills essential to handling frustration and mastering situations requiring flexibility and adaptability. The CPS model helps adults teach these skills and teaches caregivers and children to work toward mutually satisfactory solutions to the problems causing conflict. RESEARCH has shown that CPS is a highly effective model of outpatient care and can be an effective means of reducing restraint and locked-door seclusion and reducing staff and patient injuries in restrictive/therapeutic settings. The model is currently being implemented in juvenile detention settings as well.

[Ann]

Oh, I'm blushing. Really.