Classroom Management

Slide 1: 

Pg:1 of 23 Creating and articulating your discipline philosophy helps guide your thinking in respect to management in general and discipline in particular. It helps you outline a framework within which you the student teacher will work most effectively in managing all aspects of your class. It will guide whether the atmosphere in your classroom will be restrictive or authoritative or by contrast encourage autonomy and freedom of expression. As a teacher you will find as you mature in your classroom experiences, your philosophy will change to reflect your growth and the lessons learned. 1

Slide 2: 

Pg:2 of 23 Classroom management has proven to be one of the most challenging undertaking for most teachers, but especially the student teacher. Most find themselves in classrooms where rules and procedures have already been established by the co-operating teacher. Many of these student teachers may not agree with either because it does not fit his/her teaching style, or management style. 2

Slide 3: 

Pg:3 of 23 The size of your classroom and the number of students in the class are usually out of the student-teachers control. It is important that you work with what you have been given in the most efficient manner. Organizing your classroom so that you maximize all your resources is of utmost importance. Your educational and discipline philosophies will guide you as you create a resourceful environment that is useful to both structured and spontaneous learning. 3

Slide 4: 

Pg:4 of 23 The student teacher’s main concern at the beginning of his/her practice is to make his/her transition into the new setting as seamless as possible with as few disruptions to the student’s life as possible. During the observation week, make notes of what is done, and how you would like to alter what is done to maximize both your productivity and student potential, keeping in mind that your goal is student-centered learning and an inviting classroom environment. 4

Slide 5: 

Pg:5 of 23 These changes should be discussed with your cooperating teacher, inviting her input, and ensuring her of your total commitment to meeting the needs of her students. It is important for the student teacher to have a plan to discuss with the cooperating teacher. The adjustments agreed upon can begin the first day you stand before your class. Since school is expected to be a safe environment for all students, these changes must be outlined and communicated guidelines for student behaviour. 5

Slide 6: 

Pg:6 of 23 They should give students a sense of security and continuity even as they see your role as teacher increasing and that of the cooperative teacher diminishing. If students perceive that you have no guidelines for their behaviour they will believe you to have no management plan, and chaos will follow with precious time being lost. 6

Slide 7: 

Pg:7 of 23 If there are no expectations for student behaviours, there are no expectations for teacher responses. Without a clear plan for responding to student behaviour, student teachers find themselves forced to resort to inconsistent, on-the-spot, knee-jerk responses that are not always logical or fair. Creating and articulating your discipline philosophy helps guide your thinking in respect to management in general and discipline in particular. 7

Slide 8: 

Pg:8 of 23 It helps you outline a framework within which you the student teacher will work most effectively in managing all aspects of your class. It will guide whether the atmosphere in your classroom will be restrictive or authoritative or by contrast encourage autonomy and freedom of expression. As a teacher you will find as you mature in your classroom experiences, your philosophy will change to reflect your growth and the lessons learned. 8

Slide 9: 

Pg:9 of 23 Classroom management has proven to be one of the most challenging undertaking for most teachers, but especially the student teacher. Most find themselves in classrooms where rules and procedures have already been established by the co-operating teacher. Many of these student teachers may not agree with either because it does not fit his/her teaching style, or management style. The size of your classroom and the number of students in the class are usually out of the student-teachers control. It is important that you work with what you have been given in the most efficient manner. 9

Slide 10: 

Pg:10 of 23 Organizing your classroom so that you maximize all your resources is of utmost importance. Your educational and discipline philosophies will guide you as you create a resourceful environment that is useful to both structured and spontaneous learning. 10

Slide 11: 

Pg:11 of 23 The student teachers’ main concern at the beginning of his/her practice is to make his/her transition into the new setting as seamless as possible with as few disruptions to the student’s life as possible. During the observation week, make notes of what is done, and how you would like to alter what is done to maximize both your productivity and student potential, keeping in mind that your goal is student-centered learning and an inviting classroom environment. 11

Slide 12: 

Pg:12 of 23 These changes should be discussed with your cooperating teacher, inviting her input, and ensuring her of your total commitment to meeting the needs of her students. It is important for the student teacher to have a plan to discuss with the cooperating teacher. The adjustments agreed upon can begin the first day you stand before your class. 12

Slide 13: 

Pg:13 of 23 The classroom is where students have not only academic experiences, but experiences that prepare them for the real world, and they should learn at an early age, that some behaviours are neither appropriate nor acceptable. “There is perhaps nothing more harmful we can do to children that allow them to disrupt or misbehave without showing them we care enough to let them know their behaviour is not acceptable. Students need to learn that inappropriate behaviour carries with it very real consequences.

Slide 14: 

Pg:14 of 23 It is true in the real world, and they must learn this in the classroom” (Carter 1992). The student teacher must know that to implement a successful behaviour management plan, it should be integrated with the academic experiences of the students, so they come to appreciate not only the rules, procedures and routines, but the changes that they will eventually see in themselves and their peers.

Slide 15: 

Pg:15 of 23 An effective discipline plan has rules that outline to your students how they are expected to behave, and what happens when these rules are broken. The student teacher will use his/her knowledge of child development in creating these rules. These should be limited to those the students would readily remember possibly 4 or 5, and must be age appropriate. Time should be spent discussing these rules with the students so they see why they are a necessary part of the classroom and how they will help them to succeed.

Slide 16: 

Pg:16 of 23 “The most successful classes are those in which the teacher has a clear idea of what is expected from the students, and the students have a clear idea of what the teacher expects of them “ (Wong 1998). Besides discussing expected behaviours, time should be spent discussing the consequences that will accompany these rules, positive consequences (rewards) and negative consequences (penalties).

Slide 17: 

Pg:17 of 23 These must be consistently and fairly applied if they are to make effective differences. If inconsistency and unfairness is perceived by students both the student teacher and his/her students will suffer for it. Student misbehaviour problems, and the teacher’s constant attempts at handling them will consume valuable teaching and learning time. Your students may have been in several classes and with other teachers in the same school, but you’re new to them, and they want to know how you want things done in your classroom.

Slide 18: 

Pg:18 of 23 Remember, that some procedures are already in place by the cooperating teacher, so with her help, these can be adjusted and others added to facilitate smooth and easy transitions in the classroom. “A procedure is simply a method or process for how things are to be done in the classroom” (Wong 1998). These are to be learned, so it is necessary for the student teacher to not only explain these procedures, but time must be taken to demonstrate these procedures, and students must practice them. With consistent supervision and continued practice these will become routine activities whereby transitions and other everyday functions of the classroom will be easily organized and carried out.

The following is a list of procedures that Harry Wong suggests in his book “The First Day of School”: : 

Pg:19 of 23 The following is a list of procedures that Harry Wong suggests in his book “The First Day of School”: Entering the classroom Getting to work immediately When you are tardy End-of-period class dismissal Listening to and responding to questions Handing out playground materials Participating in class discussions When you need pencil or paper Keeping your desk orderly Checking out classroom materials Indicating whether you understand Coming to attention

Slide 20: 

Pg:20 of 23 When you are absent Working cooperatively Changing groups Keeping your notebook Going to the office When you need help or conferencing Knowing the schedule for the day or class Passing in papers Exchanging papers Returning student work Getting materials without disturbing others Moving about the room Going to the library or career center

Slide 21: 

Pg:21 of 23 Headings on papers When you finish early Returning to a task after an interruption Asking a question When a school wide announcement is made Walking in the hall during class time Responding to a fire drill Responding to severe weather alert When visitors are in the classroom If the teacher is out of the classroom If you are suddenly ill Saying “thank you” 21

Slide 22: 

Pg:22 of 23 Good classroom management requires the student teacher to invest quality time in preparing specific rules to govern how his/her students behaviour, and procedures that let students know how things are to be done in the classroom. Though different, they are equally important to the well-managed classroom. With these in place early, and practiced, the student teacher spends more time successfully managing aspects of her class, and less time disciplining student misbehaviour. 22

REFERENCES : 

Pg:23 of 23 REFERENCES Canter, L. & Canter, M. (1992) Assertive discipline: Positive behavior management for today’s classroom. Santa Monica, CA: Lee Canter and Associates. Cohen, L. & Mansion, L. (1990) A guide to teaching practice (3rd Edition). Chatham, Kent: Mackays of Chatham PLC. Tomlinson, C (1999) Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of children. Alexandria, Va: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wong, H. & Wong R. T. (1998) How to be an effective teacher: First days of school Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications Inc. Riley, Wendy (2009) Illustrated in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 23