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Classroom Management Tips
Definition:
According to Wikipedia, classroom management is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students. The term also implies the prevention of disruptive behavior.
1) Create a positive tone and positive interactions with students.
- Use positive reinforcement: smile, show concern, and respect for students.
2) Use established class procedures (or create them).
- Distributing handouts
- Collecting and returning class assignments
- Distributing materials for group activities
- Leaving the room for the restroom, locker, etc.
- Ending the class (transitions)
- How to call on students/ students to gain your attention
- How to gain your students' attention
3) Use and teach attention strategies/ signals.
- Raise a hand and wait for students to be quiet
- Speak softly and allow students to become quiet so they can hear
- Turn lights off and on rapidly, then begin giving instructions immediately
- Greet students and ask for their attention before beginning instructions
- Give time for tasks to be completed
- Provide a daily schedule
4) Begin instruction/ activities immediately at the beginning of the class.
- Avoid "Down Time" or "Wasted time," which typically leads to inappropriate behavior
5) Manage by walking around-- proximity
- Walking around the classroom allows you to observe student progress, reinforce positive behavior, and manage off-task behavior.
6) Teach expectations/ Reteach expectations
- Clarifying instructions allows students to focus and begin on task behavior
7) Redirect inappropriate student behavior
- Be positive, describe the inappropriate behavior, ask for the appropriate behavior, and explain why this new behavior is more desirable. Conclude with positive feedback
8) Acknowledge and state "I understand"
- Acknowledge a student's concern or negative comment with an "I understand" statement. This helps to redirect the students' concerns and make them feel they are being heard.
Example: "I understand that you do not want to complete the assignment; however, your teacher expects you to complete the assignment by the end of the class period today so that you can use it tomorrow. I would like to help you get started."
9) Model for the students
- Be courteous, enthusiastic, patient, calm, and positive so students can copy your expected behavior.
**Note: You, as the teacher, are the rational one in the classroom and can diffuse situations (not make them worse).
10) Your personal management strategies
- It is important to have strategies that work best for your teaching style and your group of students.
Schumann, N. (2016, January 15). Classroom Management. Lecture presented at Local Substitute Teacher Orientation in Lincoln Public Schools District Office, Lincoln.
(n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classroom_management
Throughout my teaching experiences, I have come across many different school wide management systems. It is important to follow through with the program your school/district has chosen for you to use. To strengthen your approaches, I believe it is important to be well aware of other strategies and ideas behind the method to their madness. I have adopted phrases from each of these programs that I have found to work well with students on a substitute level, and classroom teacher. You must remember consistency and fairness is key to making these procedures most effective!
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports - OSEP. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2016, from https://www.pbis.org/
Behavior Intervention Support Team (BIST). (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2016, from http://bist.org/
© 2015 Boys Town Press. Father Flanagan's Boys' Home. Boys Town NE 68010. All Rights Reserved
Classroom organization is very important. I have seen teachers that seem to be very disorganized. Secretly, they have their own method of knowing where everything is. A classroom with good organization can save minutes during simple classroom procedures and transition times.
Here are some tips...
1) Color Code
- Use a different color for each subject: This helps searching for folders, books and other related things easier.
- Use different colored paper
- Different colored drawers and tots to store materials
2) Label
- Labeling things will help you figure out what things are more quickly
- Students also know where to put assignments or pick up papers when baskets etc. are labeled
3) Designated Places
- Assign places to: Turn in assignments, pick up assignments
- Assign places to put materials; markers, pencil sharpener, extra pencils, books etc.
4) Assign Classroom Helpers
- Student helpers can spend a few minutes before or after school picking up materials that got misplaced during the day
- Students can hold each other accountable, assign someone to be a "Desk Checker" they can help one another keep things organized
5) 5 Minutes
- Allow either 5 minutes a day or at least 5 minutes every Friday to have students pick up 5-10 things off the ground, or put things away
- 5 minutes of cleaning; provide students with wipes to sanitize the desks at least once a week or every other week depending on the time of year/ how much students are getting ill.
Daily, teachers are asking themselves, how am I going to help each of my students succeed? In the book, “Helping Children Succeed” by Paul Tough, explores teaching strategies and methods which are shown to be effective.
While I read this book, I could not help but put a sticky note, or highlight on each page. This is a great book to throw into your backpack, or teacher tote to pull out and read when you have some time. I would pull this book out during plan time on the days I was subbing. I know, another book, so little time. But this is a quick read. It will truly open your eyes to new possibilities and effectively help you and your students. In the end, it will save you time and stress.
There are great resources in the book, and on Tough’s website to use along with this book.
If you have ever been frustrated with teaching strategies that do not work, or they only have a short term effect, you will find out why, and what you can do about it by reading this book. It is a great resource to start with.
As teachers, this is an anxious time of the year. We want to be respectful to all parents. We want to brag about your students. But, we also want to make sure it is clear that little Johnny or little Susie really needs help academically, and or needs some assistance when it comes to their behavior. No matter how prepared we are, (staying late at school all week, maybe even the week before preparing, gathering data, talking to all of the resource teachers, coming in on the weekend or taking home work on the weekend), some of us still get nervous, or do not know how to go about explaining things.
Therefore teachers; this is where we bring out the compliment sandwich, and attempt to put on a face that we "love" all of the curriculum and support what it teaches because of x, y and z. We also begin to show the upmost empathy for each student. Even though the curriculum may be demanding students to learn multiplication, despite the fact the students don't know their addition facts, you will still find ways to squeeze in addition practice. You give little Johnny a break, because you learn about the challenges going on at home. It hits you that THEY ARE STILL YOUNG CHILDREN.
So, get extra sleep and amp up the caffeine levels. Show up for the conference, not because it is your job, but because they are necessary. You might get a few awesome comments that validate you are doing a great job, along with the suggestions of what you can improve upon. That family that you bet won't show up, may show up and surprise you.
Students are being exposed to technology in all new forms; tablets, phones, computers and gaming devices. These devices are now being used in the classroom. We have to change their mind about how technology is used, especially how it is used in the classroom.
"Technology in the Classroom is a TOOL"
Just as a textbook is a tool, so is a computer or tablet device. So here are some suggested expectations about using technology in the classroom.
Computer:
1) Red Light
- Computer lid closed
2) Yellow Light
- Computer lid half way down
3) Green Light
- Computer lid up
A space to simply make stuff! I know what you are thinking, "My day is already too busy! There is no time for students to drop everything and be creative." But isn't that what learning is all about? Being creative? Education went from one extreme to another. School went to sitting in stationary desks facing a chalkboard., to project based learning. Only, to return back to more standardized tests than parents, students, teachers, administration and school districts even know what to do with!
It is time for a balance of things that work! We know a moderation of several different teaching philosophies are effective with educating the current generation.
Currently, in the Class A school districts to Class D school districts in Nebraska do not have unit or chapter tests for social studies or science. I took the liberty of creating all of my social studies and science units based on an outline from the past school district I worked for combined with my current school's textbooks to fit the Nebraska State Standards. With this said, I may have a bit more freedom than most, given I am the only third grade teacher in my school. But, honestly, I still would have found ways to try a maker space in any job situation. That is besides the point,
With this said, I took advantage of my unit studies time. The social studies project we were going to do in groups for the unit based on Communities Have Places, was to draw a map of a city or town on a poster. Then the groups were to be responsible to write a paragraph about their city or town.
This is what we did instead. I gave the students a worksheet. Yes, a worksheet is not a maker space, but let me set this up for you. We then used Google Earth to answer questions about a town; the food, culture, climate, natural resources, population, and city musts to function such as hospitals, grocery stores, etc. I have a student from another country. We found her town on Google Earth. Then we found her HOUSE on Google Earth!!! She was so proud to show her classmates that her home was very similar to the small farming community I teach in. We were able to look up videos on YouTube of the culture, and a menu for food from the town's local restaurant!
Next, I told the students we were going to make our own 3D map based off of the ideas from our farm town, and the student's small town in the other country by using the lists of things we had just made. I told them they were to include all of the ideas from the worksheet. I gave them basic group rules such as get along, share etc. Next, I gave material expectations, including clean up expectations. I told them if they were to handle the fun activity, they could do more things like this again. If not, we were going to stop, and they would have to take a test. So, I offered these to choices. "You can follow the expectations for this project, or you can take a test." I also said I was not going to cut, glue, organize or be in charge of anything, and it was 100% up to them to complete the project together.\
Here is how I prepped. I gathered recyclables from my house, and parent's house. I made sure I had masking tape, scotch tape, liquid glue, stick glue, hot glue, and a stapler. I also allowed them to use a few cotton balls, pipe cleaners, q-tips, construction paper and mylar paper. And of course, scissors.
These are some pictures of things in progress. Students were able to form groups and work on parts together, or they had the option to pick a part and work by themselves. Either way, they still had to communicate with each other to make sure there wasn't two hospitals or what not.
I know what you are thinking, "WHAT A MESS!?" Wrong, I had the students in charge of grading themselves on how well they cleaned up; quickly, quietly, and quality. I made it part of their participation grade. They did really well, because they enjoyed doing this project and did not want to take a test or make a poster instead. When students care, you will be surprised at what they are capable of doing. I will let the words speak for themselves.
I was so happy with the end results. Yes, they broke a stapler and hot glue gun... But, honestly, they were really low quality items to begin with. I easily replaced them under $10.
To wrap the project up, we had a class discussion about each of the buildings and features in the town and why they were important to the town; their purpose and function. We reflected on the experiences, and how well they think they did. I told them we will be able to make things like this again. The amount of problem solving, team work, knowledge and creativity that was brought forth by all the students was amazing.
As a teacher, I was able to simply walk around the room, monitor and ask what each student was doing. Their face lit up while they told me their ideas. I am a teacher who likes things picked up. But, it is the students' classroom as much as it is mine. It is a respected and shared space. Now, it is a maker space.
Subjects and My Philosophies About Them
My Health Philosophy
Teaching students how to live a well balanced life, and strategies to deal with issues of life in a healthy manor is what will allow them to be successful. Skills of how to take care of yourself emotionally, and physically allows each individual to be their personal best. I consider them to be, "life skills" that include behavior management, self monitoring, physical exercise with a healthy diet, and personal care.
My Math Philosophy
Mathematics is a necessary process to understand and use. This is a valued skill for everyday life. Not only is it vital to know how to do, but also why procedures are done the way they are done. Like a student of mine said, "Math is like sports for your brain."
At the Elementary level, the brick is laid for a strong foundation to build upon may areas of math; geometry, algebra, and so on.
My Reading Philosophy
For my elementary students, they will learn the five components of reading; phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, fluency, vocabulary, knowledge, and comprehension. These are important skills to develop in order to foster the ending goal of encouraging all students to be life long learners and readers. This is achievable by gaining the ability to read.
Reading is:
Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and identify sounds
The Alphabetic Principle: Lines that represent letters
Fluency: The ability to verbally speak a language easily and accurately
Vocabulary Knowledge: ability to assign meaning to a word
Comprehension: Understanding content
My Science Philosophy
I believe the content of science should be taught with open and closed inquiry based instruction using the learning cycle which are the five E's; engage, explore, explain, evaluate, expand. All science objectives are to be planned around a main idea in order to allow students to learn the practices and concepts of science.
I have an online science notebook I created during my last semester as an undergrad student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I completed a course which explored many concepts and ideas of how science should be taught. In the website you will find the methods behind my madness. Get it? Mad Science! I know... bad joke.
My Social Studies Philosophy
The past, present and future all rely on history. Humans have collected data, information, and knowledge that has been pasted down for centuries, has been improved and is currently in the works to becoming even greater. In order for past mistakes not to be made, we must learn from the past. In order to embrace the present, we must learn how the course of history got us to where we are. It is then, and only then, we can use all of this information to better our futures for the sake of ourselves and our planet.
The study of social studies includes:
-Anthropology
-Archaeology
-Economics
-Geography
-History
-Natural Sciences
-Philosophy
-Politics
-Psychology
-Religion
-Sociology
And much more...
My Writing Philosophy
Writing is a complimentary skill to reading for the end goal of being literate. The strategies of writing must be taught side by side to reading. As reading improves, so does writing. The opposite is also true.
There are developmental stages to writing. They are as follows:
1)Holding writing utensils
2)Making scribbles and drawings
3)Letter like shapes
4)Letters
5)Letters and shapes
6)Small words and spelling
7)Small sentences
8) Small paragraphs
And so on.
My Art Philosophy
Fostering and allowing time for students to have a creative expression in any way shape or form is important for intrinsic motivation. Many students enjoy many mediums of art and writing. When these ideas, and hands on learning are implemented into the classroom, it is more likely for a student to be engaged and in charge of their own learning. Exploring new ideas that relate to a subject is just one way to bring learning to life. Taking what is learned inside the classroom and bringing the learning full circle to how it can be applied in the real world is very important to encourage in our students minds. Art, and writing is one of those ways.
I firmly believe every teacher's job is important. I enjoy collaborating with other teachers. Students can learn from how adults work with one another. We are the models and set the tone for the emotional environment for our students. This is best done when we work together as a team.
Under the tabs of this page, you can find resources, strategies and much more that I use/have used, in my classroom. You can also find helpful 'How To', ideas, I hope you find to be applicable in your own teaching. There is a lot of good information also found under my ‘Blog’ section.
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