Classroom Management: Managing What?!

Classroom Management: Managing What?! Ahmad Al-Issa American University of Sharjah aissa@aus.edu

Outline Definitions Concerns & Challenges Schools of thought Research – overview What to do? Tips & Practical ideas Video analysis

Is that it!

Classroom Management –Definition • Everything teachers do in order to aide teaching and learning in the classroom. • “classroom management is fundamentally about interpersonal relationships—about connecting with students, conveying a sense of caring, and building community.” (Weinstein, 2007, p. xix) • Classroom management is concerned with four main strands of classroom life: • Space • Time • Participation • Engagement (After Wright , 2005)

AL Zeini (2008) Male Teachers' Responses to Statement 1 (n=114)

Female Teachers’ Responses to Statement 1 (n=96)

CM Concerns of Middle/Junior high School Teachers Time and energy Classroom constraints Reading levels and language skills Student immaturity Thinking skills required Sequencing Support Materials management (Baker, et al, 2002)

Little Successes Make Teachers Happy • When something works: • An activity • Group work • A lesson • Active listening • Class participation • Good behavior

Challenges • Classroom management is a challenge - particularly to those new to the field. • “Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed class.” (Marzano, 2003, p. 6) • “Performing in a foreign language class is in itself potentially somehow more stressful than performing in other subject classes.” (Allwright & Bailey, 1991, p. 174) • Classroom management is seen as a measure of teaching effectiveness.

Schools of thought in Classroom Management (After Wragg, 1993) • Authoritarian (control of Knowledge and behavior) • Permissive (students given autonomy) • Behavior modification (rewards and punishments—reward good behaviors) • Interpersonal relations (healthy classroom climate—caring and sharing) • Scientific (based on systematic observation and analysis of successful teaching) • Social systems (classroom seen as representative of wider education values) • Folklore (management based on tricks of the trade and recipes)

Classroom Management – Research • “Successful classroom management can set the stage for optimal learning, as well as reduce stress on teachers.” (Gordon, p. 18) • “Teachers who devote the time and attention to establishing a strong supportive connection with each of their students in the beginning of the year find they have fewer discipline and learning challenges.” (Shub & DeWeerd , 2006, p. 4)

Research---cont. • “When students perceive their teachers to be supportive and caring, they are more likely to engage in cooperative, responsible behavior and adhere to classroom rules and norms.” (Wright, 2008, p. 115) • “As students encounter more engaging and authentic work, the time for off-task behavior decreases.” (Baker, et. al, 2002) • Good activities, when properly introduced, increase student interest and motivation, and that greatly reduces classroom control problems. (Rudolph, 2006, p. 14) *

What to do? • Welcome your students • Listen to their concerns • Get to know your students • Lead by example • Show interest • Be fair, clear, and consistent • Diversify your teaching methods • Encourage sharing of ideas • Show respect • Promote tolerance, understanding, and appreciation of difference

What to do…Cont. • Motive students to learn • Reward success • Have an ‘appropriate’ sense of humor • Be organized and ready to teach and ‘learn’ • Become aware of the power of nonverbal communication • To accent • To complement • To contradict • To regulate • To substitute

NVC Nonverbal communication reveals what we really think and feel. Teachers in particular need to learn how to read and send the right messages. Messages: 8% verbal vs. 92% nonverbal.

The Silent Language • Physical appearance • Kinesics—body movements • Proxemics –personal space • Vocalic/paralanguage • Chronemics –time • Haptics –touch • Olfactics –smell

Thank you

Classroom Management: Managing What?!