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Classroom management refers to the actions a teacher needs to take in order to maintain order in the classroom which enables learning to take place. As a new teacher, it is important to remember the 90-10% rule of classroom management. A teacher should spend 90% on describing rules more completely and installing procedures more systematically and 10% on actual teaching. The rationale is that students will learn better and remember the material when they know what is expected of them in terms of how they should behave in the classroom.
Classroom management refers to issues related to supervising a classroom and academic discipline. The behavior of students in a classroom can vary from person to person. Some cases may not requiring any intervention, while others may require strict action on disciplinary grounds. Instances of rudeness towards the faculty by the students are on rise, and in such a situation the onus is on the teachers to make sure that the class is well behaved. Though a difficult task, effective classroom management strategies can make the work relatively easier for the teachers.
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. It is possibly the most difficult aspect of teaching for many teachers; indeed experiencing problems in this area causes some to leave teaching altogether. In 1981 the US National Educational Association reported that 36% of teachers said they would probably not go into teaching if they had to decide again. A major reason was "negative student attitudes and discipline".
Elements of classroom management vary. It is clear that a common understanding for the term management might be useful. For this purpose, management refers to issues of supervision, refereeing, facilitating, and even academic discipline. Not all student behaviors require intervention or confrontation while some are serious enough in nature to warrant formal disciplinary action. Rest assured that while there are current studies in higher education literature that suggest a growing trend of rudeness and even overt animosity towards faculty by students, the vast majority of classroom experiences are not dramatic.
Since many professors teach for years without encountering some of the management instances we discuss here, our intent is to move beyond identification of classroom problems to suggest preventative strategies and practical solutions. For some faculty, teaching comes quite naturally and the notion of management in the classroom is irrelevant. But situations within the classroom do occasionally occur that lead us to seek out advice in order to maintain the learning environment for students not to mention our personal sanity.
Classroom management, often called classroom discipline, has been a priority for teachers for nearly 40 years, or for as long as there have been opinion surveys of educational priorities. For example, the Gallup Poll designed to assess perceptions of public education (Rose & Gallup, 2006) has consistently cited classroom management/school discipline as a major issue. Teachers concerned with classroom management typically need help with two issues: preventing discipline problems and dealing with current discipline problems.
Although there is no agreed-upon definition of classroom management, the framework offered by Evertson and Weinstein (2006) represents a current and widely accepted view. According to Evertson and Weinstein, classroom management has two distinct purposes: “It not only seeks to establish and sustain an orderly environment so students can engage in meaningful academic learning, it also aims to enhance student social and moral growth” (p. 4). The authors identify five specific tasks that show classroom management is a multi-faceted activity. It extends beyond some of the more traditional behavior management techniques frequently recommended to deal with students with disruptive behavior. Specifically, they note that teachers should do the following:
develop caring, supportive relationships with and among students;
organize and implement instruction in ways that optimize students’ access to learning;
use group management methods that encourage student engagement with academic tasks;
promote the development of student social skills and self-regulation; and
use appropriate interventions to assist students who have behavior problems.
Just as students function at different levels in reading and math, they also function at different levels, or stages, of discipline. It is possible to set up a consistent system for classroom discipline that will be appropriate for students functioning a t all stages and at the same time encourage them to work their way up to higher stages.
There are many experts telling us how to handle discipline problems in our classrooms. Yet these experts do not always agree. Thomas Gordon, creator of Teacher Effectiveness Training staunchly opposes Lee Canter’s Assertive Discipline concept. Yet, both have enjoyed a great deal of success all across America. Trying to decide who is right and who is wrong seems quite difficult. Instead, let us assume that both of them are right, that they just are not talking about the same students!
If we look at the work of Lawrence Kohlberg, we find the piece that will put this puzzle together. For many years Kohlberg studied stages of moral and ethical reasoning in youngsters from the United States, Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, and Yucatan. Even if you understand that children function at different stages of discipline, it is not easy to sell administrators, school board members and parents on the idea that you are going to have different sets of rules for different kids in your classroom. You don’t have to. If you set up a discipline policy in your classroom that progressively attempts to meet the needs of the students (Discipline by Design).
Strategies for Classroom Management
First of all the teacher has to understand that the students in the class come from different walks of life. They have different problems of their own, some deal with them while some can't. Stress and conflicts are prominent in the life of students as well. Though they come to school to learn, they have a list of activities in their mind which, according to them, are much more exciting than sitting for a forty-five minute period in the class. It's important that the teacher makes this forty-five minute class exciting, so that the students can learn, and at the same time have fun.
Classroom management refers to the actions a teacher needs to take in order to maintain order in the classroom which enables learning to take place. In teacher education programs, it is stressed the importance of the 90-10% rule of classroom management. A teacher should spend 90% on describing rules more completely and installing procedures more systematically and 10% on actual teaching. The rationale is that students will learn better and remember the material when they know what is expected of them in terms of how they should behave in the classroom.
So what makes up this 90% principle - what strategies are available to a teacher?
So what makes up this 90% principle - what strategies are available to a teacher?
Decide in advance how you want your students to behave and then make these expectations crystal clear to the students. Not having well-defined rules or procedures leads to chaos in the classroom. As a new teacher, you have the authority and you are in the charge.
Teach rules and procedures as deliberately and thoroughly as academic content. It is easier after a while to assume the students have understood the rules and procedures but too often, this leads to neglecting to teach desirable behavior.
Spend as much time on management issues as academic content. It is infinitely easier to hurry through classroom rules and procedures just to start teaching. But the payoffs are lousy.
During the first month of school and for the remainder of the school year, continue to review and reinforce these management issues. Failing to invest time required to teaching classroom rules and procedures will lead to a lack of accountability and proper learning. Kids thrive on structure and a proper framework for learning.
Inform students of punishments/penalties and what they will be used for. Failing to develop a systematic set of penalties/punishments results in chaos.
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The Really Best List of Classroom Management Resources
Instruction
Instruction
English Language Arts and Content Area Literacy
Bibliography
http://www.4faculty.org/includes/108r2.jsp
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