Kim Baker
EdPsy 399OL Fall 2001
Tom Anderson, Instructor
Lesson 16
Current Classroom Management Plan
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Teacher education programs do not prepare teachers for the most important factor in becoming an effective teacher - classroom management. Consequently, the management success rate of first year teachers is hit or miss. Factors such as mentoring programs, administrative support and training, personal interest in reading and learning about classroom management, and pure luck are all variables which influence teacher's class management the first few years. Fortunately, there is quite a bit of helpful literature out there to help teachers succeed. My classroom management plan has been shaped by reading books on classroom management as well as reflecting on my own experience.
The goal of any classroom management plan is to create a structured environment so that students are independent, responsible citizens. With that in mind, I've centered my classroom management plan around 3 basic goals needed to reach the above goal.
1) Prevent and minimize disruptions in order to maximize student time on task.
2) Create an environment of mutual respect, which includes a warm classroom community, and a challenging learning environment.
3) Devise strategies which will enable student dignity to remain in tact when discipline issues do arise. These strategies will also include student's opinions in decision making as much as possible .
I have taught intermediate students for 6 years. For the past 5 years I have worked with 4th grade, regular education students in suburban school districts. Most classes have consisted of between 22-26 students of varied abilities. Every year, there are approximately 2-4 students with behavior disorders, impulsive behaviors and/or learning disabilities. Consequently, my classroom management plan has been centered around helping all these types of students learn within this context. Should I move to an inner city school or rural school, I expect my plan would need to be revised as needed.
The physical arrangement of the classroom consists of student desks, organized in teams of 4. There is a small kidney shaped table in the front of the classroom, used for small group work. The teacher's desk is in the back of the room. Next to it lies a rug surrounded by bookshelves. Posters are on the wall nearby indicating the steps in class meetings and examples of compliments. One classroom computer sits behind the teacher desk, with the monitor facing the teacher's desk.
The following are 4 rules in the classroom which the students came up with the first day of school:
1) Make sure you respect others
2) Don't talk during certain times
3) Keep hands to self
4) Listen actively
All procedures and rules were modeled and practiced the first three days of school. With little exception, the first few days of school were spent solely on procedures and routines, following the Wong's suggestion in The First Days of School. The following procedures are typical procedures for students on a day to day basis.
Arrival
When students arrive, they hang up their coats, unload their backpacks and begin their morning work. They may talk quietly in their teams until we stand for the pledge. This allows for their need for socializing and belonging to be met. The bell rings, morning announcements occur and we stand for the pledge. Following the pledge, students must finish their morning work quietly. They also read the menu on the chalkboard and determine what they would like for lunch. I take the lunch count/attendance and the office helper (a student) takes it to the office. The pet pal (a student) feeds the fish. Students sharpen pencils, find books to read during reading workshop, and organize their things for the day. Many times students hand in permission slips, signed notes or homework. Homework is handed in in labeled bins on a counter along one wall in the room. I'll often say, "I really like the way most kids remembered to turn in their homework". This prompts students who forgot to hand it in to turn it in. It also allows students who didn't complete their homework to tell me before I have to track them down for it. When homework isn't completed, students take an extra sheet (all extra sheets are kept in a basket behind my desk) and they work on it when their morning work is done. If there is no time, they finish it at lunch recess. The class designed the homework policy and consequences the third day of school and signed it. It is hanging underneath the flag in the classroom.
Instruction time
Students actively listen during instruction. I model active listening the first day of school. Students practice actively listening often. This is because without paying attention to tasks at hand, no learning can take place. Often the class works on whiteboards to show their understanding. Students must raise their hands before speaking and are expected to listen as actively to each other as they listen to me. Instruction time consists of teacher directions/instructions, activity/practice time, independent work time, and choosing something academic to work on when they are done. I vary the time students are quietly sitting in their seats, discussing things in their teams, and getting out of their seats and moving around. The first week of school the class brainstormed a list of academic-related activities they could work on when they are finished with their work. These include: read, math games, the early bird (a folder with multiple copies of fun but academic sheets), practice math flashcards, practice word wall or spelling words on whiteboard, study for a quiz, or complete a thinking challenge from a binder of logic and math challenge problems. This binder is kept in a tub with the early bird, math games, and other educational games.
Minor Conflicts
Assuming the class has already discussed appropriate and inappropriate times for talking and leaving our seats, the following dialogue might occur should a student get up during instruction time. After the lesson concludes, during the independent work time, I would walk to the student's desk and squat down near his/her level.
"What do you think I'm going to say?" This allows the student to identify and accept responsibility for the behavior. Since the goal is not obedience, but responsibility, it's important to remain calm and allow the student to come up with ideas himself, as suggested in Teaching with Love and Logic. Most times, the student will acknowledge the poor choice. At which time, I would respond.
"When would have been a better time to get up?" Again, I allow the student to come to his own conclusion.
To backtrack, if the student doesn't acknowledge the mistake, I would take a moment to prompt him.
"When is a good time to leave your seat? During the lesson or right after?" Giving the student choices (never one choice I like and one I don't) allows him to take responsibility without anger and blame. If the student fails to respond, I would tell him that perhaps he didn't know and since my goal is to help him succeed, I'll tell him so that he knows for next time.
"You can leave your seat during your independent practice time or when you're done with your work. It's up to you. When, though, is not a good time to leave your seat?" I would allow the student to restate that during the teacher-directed lesson is a poor time to move around the room. I would also ask the student to tell me why it's not a good time, allowing him to determine that he might miss important material or distract others.
Occasionally, a student might repeat the offense, at which time I would pull the student aside quietly first thing in the morning to discuss this with him. I would take the approach of, I am here to help you and I don't want you to get yourself into trouble, how can I help you succeed? Since the class designed the rules and consequences, the student knows that if he disrupts the learning of others he will have a consequence. Also, if this behavior is continuing, most likely the student believes he has a good reason for getting up. Maybe he has allergies and needs a tissue, or maybe his pencils break and he needs to sharpen them. Either way, I would take the stance of let's figure this out together.
"Do you want some extra pencils or tissues in your desk, would that help?"
Occasionally students who get up frequently do so because they simply have a hard time sitting still. To compensate for this, I would suggest a plan to the student which has helped other students succeed in the past. The plan works this way. The student stays in his seat for 10 minutes of the lesson (starting small works well to insure student investment and success) and then he may get up as long as it's quick and quiet. The student then must take responsibility for catching up on whatever notes or facts he missed. Many students who are "fidgety" are actually capable of doing many things at once; they are quite able to get up and continue listening. So long as this doesn't become a distraction for other's leaning, or negatively impact that student's learning, the plan continues. Eventually the student works up to a typical lesson span: 20-30 minutes. Again, since the goal of any management system is to create responsible citizens, the student is exhibiting responsibility for his own learning by practicing monitoring his time on task.
Moderate Conflicts
Since most difficulties in managing a classroom consist of minor and moderate conflicts, it's important to use these conflicts as opportunities for the student to learn. For example, should a student cheat on a test, the following dialogue might occur.
(quietly out in the hall)
"What do you think I think when I see you looking at your teammates papers during the test?"
Most times, students will say something like, "It looks like I'm cheating,". If so, I would remind the student that I appreciate his honesty. Whether or not the student confesses to cheating, it's important to take a non-accusing tone.
"What do you think will happen in our class if students cheat?" Again, allowing the student to determine consequences helps him take responsibility without blaming the teacher. If the student continues to cheat, I would again ask him what happens when students cheat and then the consequence would be carried out. I would allow the student to pick between these three consequences: (move to a sit by himself, get note sent home, do the work over, etc. ). At this point, I would have to assume that there is a reason why the student is cheating. Most likely I would again take the how can I help approach with a calm tone of voice.
"I've noticed you're still having some trouble keeping your eyes on your own work. How can I help you with this?" I may suggest working extra with the student during morning work, lunch recess or after school. I might ask the student if I sent extra practice home if that would help. I would let the student determine what to do, as students accept more responsibility when they determine consequences for themselves. I would also remind the student in a calm, firm voice, "Whatever we can do together to help you, let's try. Because I really don't want you to earn yourself an F for cheating. I know you can do better than that". This subtle, non-aggressive approach enables the student to keep his dignity and learn from his mistake.
Major Conflicts
If a student becomes violent, my goal would immediately shift from maintaining a controlled academic environment to the crisis of keeping all students, including the offending student, safe from harm. My voice would be calm and my goal would be to find the quickest way to end the violent state. Asking the student what he needs; to talk to the social worker, to talk to me, to be alone (in the nurses office, safe) would be a few options. I would attempt to view the student as a victim in a crisis, as opposed to a misbehaving child.
Students manage most of their own conflicts. This is because the goal of education is to help students find a way to help themselves when teachers are not around. Conflicts are also part of life and fourth graders are already well aware of this. The sooner they learn healthy ways of managing conflicts, the less trouble they will cause themselves later in life. There are several steps I take to help students deal with conflicts.
Step 1: Determining when to seek help
We don't want either extreme: a society full of tattle-tails, nor a society full of victims who never stand up for themselves. To prevent the latter, which could be considered intense personal conflicts, I try to model for students when to seek help from adults. Physical hurting, threatening, or prolonged teasing all warrant adult intervention. Never do I want my caring students to believe that they aren't safe at school. Things like arguing with a friend or when someone kicks your ball down the playground are typical conflicts that students have learned to solve themselves.
Step 2: Classroom Meetings
The class meetings approach I use is the Positive Discipline in the Classroom model.
Class meetings begin with forming a circle and sharing compliments. Students may give a compliment to another student, say something they want to be complimented on, or pass. I model compliments by complimenting each student with a specific compliment. Students practice and set goals for the next meeting. Then the class writes down problems on the agenda that they are having. We start by brainstorming solutions. The student writes the possibilities and then considers the consequence of each and whether or not he thinks it will work, and then chooses one to try. If the solution doesn't work after he's tried it out for a week, he has the option of putting it back on the agenda for the class's help again.
Step 3: Peer Mediation
The fifth grade students in our school are trained as peer mediators. For students to participate in mediation, they simply fill out a form and a peer mediator contacts them during their lunch period. Peer mediation is similar to the problem-solving portion of class meetings, with the exception that there is not a teacher present. Rather, the peer mediators run the mediation, which allows both students to voice their opinions and come to an agreement. Peer mediation works well with problems that have not been solved by the class meeting method.
The following methods of discipline, which were studied in this course, are incorporated into my classroom management plan. I've included specific aspects of each that I find to be true and useful.
Assertive Discipline - Students want clear limits in the classroom. Kids need consequences for their behavior. Teachers should be consistent and not engage in power struggles with students.
William Glasser - There should be reasonable consequences for choices. Rules are formulated jointly and class meetings are used to help problem-solve. Meeting student's basic needs helps minimize discipline problems.
Frederic Jones - Eliminating massive time wasting helps increase student time on task. I have thought a lot about the transition periods within my classroom such as ending math and beginning social studies, and how to reduce wasted time. Don't do for kids what they can do for themselves; this helps them learn to be capable, responsible students. To reduce misbehaviors, work the crowd by reducing the physical space between the teacher and the misbehaving student.
Curwin & Mendler - The goal of discipline is responsibility, not obedience. This is a long term solution to misbehaviors. Students use mistakes as opportunities to learn.
Evaluating Effectiveness of Classroom Management Plan
To determine if the classroom management plan is working, it's important to consider 3 things. These options are considered through self-reflection, peer discussions, and administration evaluations.
1) Does the need for modeling, discussing, and remediating decrease as the year goes on? If the plan is working, all of the above will go down as the year goes on as any effective management plan results in students investing in the community and learning to solve their own conflicts.
2) When the need arises to be flexible, are students competent and comfortable enough to solve their own problems? This is evident through daily disruptions such as announcements and fire drills, and class behavior when I am absent.
3) Are all students engaged most of the instructional day? This means is minimal time wasting to the point that even the students themselves value time on task.
My building principal is willingly available for consultation if my plan isn't working. Also, parents are informed of my class management plan during open house, through newsletters, and perhaps posting my plan on my personal web page.
Punishment, Incentives, Positive Reinforcement
Punishment is taking away a positive stimulus or giving an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of misbehaviors. The only type of punishment I use in my classroom is taking away a positive stimulus. The most frequently removed stimulus is recess. The students designed a homework policy that states, "...incomplete or sloppy work results in a lower grade and (the student) completing it at recess,". Although this is a logical consequence, it is also considered punishment.
Incentives are used to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. This is a type of positive reinforcement. The entire class has a chips for recess incentive. In addition to using verbal praise, the class can earn small colored chips for outstanding behavior. The chips are stored in a labeled container marked off every 100 ml. Students choose every 100 mark whether or not they want an extra 15 minute recess, or for the teacher to make some of her homemade cookies for snack.
References:
Charles, C.M. (1999). Building Classroom Discipline. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Fay, Jim and David Funk (1995). Teaching With Love and Logic. Golden, CO: The Love and Logic Press.
Nelsen, Jane et al (1993). Positive Discipline in the Classroom. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing.
Wong, Harry K. and Rosemary (1998). The First Days of School. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Personal:
(1997-1999) Conclusions made about importance of modeling procedures and routines.
(1998-2000) Conclusions made about meeting the varied needs of learners in the classroom through modeling necessary skills.
(1997-2001) Observations made about the correlation between positive classroom atmosphere and minimizing disruptions throughout the year.
(2000-2001) Observations made and conclusions made about the positive impact of sharing control of the classroom with students.