Classroom Management: Seven Steps to Being “PREPARED”

Classroom Management: Seven Steps to Being “PREPARED” Dr. Vanessa Tucker, Ph.D.

Classroom Management Why is this such a priority?

First Year • Most first year teachers: • Fantasize • Expect • Assume • Struggle!

Management of Human Behavior • What is it about fast food restaurants? What do fast food restaurants do to manage human behavior effectively?

Your First Steps: PREPARE • Prioritize • Reflect and Research • Envision • Plan and Implement • Assess • Reteach and Review • Evaluate and Make Changes

Respect? Organization? Grouping? Academic Arrangements? PREPARE: Prioritize • Prioritize the “must haves” • What are the top three things you value the most? • Turn to your neighbor and share. • Don’t worry-you will find more than three to focus on your first year!

For Example: (My List) Expectations Are Taught and Retaught Procedures Are Planned Out Parents’ Roles Are Planned

PREPARE: Reflect and Research Multiple Points of Influence

PREPARE: Reflect On Beliefs/Style • Instructional Arrangements • Inclusiveness • Expectations for Behavior • Parental Involvement • Community Involvement • Communication • And…Your Teaching Plan Classroom Management Includes Intentional Teaching

PREPARE: Reflect and Research • What does the literature say? • What plans and practices are in place at the building? • In your internship? • Can you find evidence to support these practices?

PREPARE: Envision • How does it: • “Look” • “Flow” • “Work” • Picture in your mind what the kids are doing, at each point of the day. • Some things to consider: • -ALL of the “WH” (and related) questions • -Structured activities at the beginning/end of the day/period

PREPARE: Envision • What about expectations for behavior? • Go back to your listed priorities • Create a short list of expectations • Decide what these will “look like” • Determine what constitutes “hidden” expectations and how you will deal with them • Create a positive behavior support system and a contingency plan • Be prepare to teach, reteach, and reteach again

PREPARE: Plan and Implement • Consider the following techniques for planning: • “Walk” the room/day • Matrix planning (by period, academic section) • For students as a whole, in small groups, and individual • For implementation: • Don’t be afraid to walk students through exactly what you want them to do. • Show, model, check, role play • Engage the assistance of parents as well as others • Practice, practice, practice!!

PREPARE: Assess • A well planned and managed class: • -Kids are more on-task • -Less behavioral problems or need for intervention • -Less time spent waiting (e.g. transitions) • Weak spots are might be: • Transitions taking too long • Unwanted behaviors occurring (e.g. calling out vs. raising hand) • Time spent on student behaviors vs. teaching

PREPARE: Assess • ASK for a second set of eyes on the action • This could be a peer or your principal • Give them specific things to watch (rather than a whole day’s worth of observations) • Be aware of observer bias • Be open-good management comes from the manager’s leadership.

PREPARE: Review • Dangerous assumptions: • “I taught them these routines the first day” • “Everyone in my class should be able to do (x, y, z)” • “It is their problem-they should know better” • Consider always that it is the manager’s responsibility to manage the behavior of those in his/her setting-the manager is YOU!

PREPARE: Evaluate and Make Changes • Change with the understanding that: • Change takes intentional teaching and practice • Behaviors naturally go by the way of what is known (expect kids to do what they know) • Change takes time • Pay careful attention to certain data points: • -Transition times • -Behavioral interventions and problems • -Confusion and “inertia”

Classroom Management: Seven Steps to Being “PREPARED”