CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT : A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH with a smidgen of pragmatic strategies

1. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHwith a smidgen of pragmatic strategies

2. WE TEACH WHO WE ARE. • OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY IS LINKED TO HOW WE TREAT STUDENTS. • THAT, IN TURN, IS LINKED TO THE MANAGEMENT STYLE WE USE, • AND THAT TO THE ENVIRONMENT WE FOSTER.

3. THAT’S WHY A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH TOCLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IS THE FIRST STEP.

4. Lao-Tsu, 604 B.C., spoke of things that I think Piaget echoed later.Read this, then substitute “teacher” for “leader”(put ‘her’ for him as desired too):…reflect on what it says about a philosophy of education.

5. "A LEADER IS BEST WHEN PEOPLE BARELY KNOW THAT HE EXISTS; NOT SO GOOD WHEN PEOPLE OBEY HIM OR ACCLAIM HIM;…..

6. WORSE WHEN THEY DESPISE OR DON'T RESPECT HIM. FAIL TO HONOR PEOPLE YOU LEAD, THEY FAIL TO HONOR YOU….

7. BUT OF A GOOD LEADER, WHO TALKS LITTLE, WHEN HIS WORK IS DONE, HIS AIM FULFILLED, THEY WILL ALL SAY:

8. 'WE DID THIS OURSELVES"

9. in the spirit of full disclosureMY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION………BUT FIRST:WHAT’S YOURS?

10. ON YOUR OWN PAPER:WRITE 5 short “GIVENS” THAT WILL GUIDE YOUR TEACHING….E.g.:“I will never…”“I will always try to…”“There is no teaching unless learning occurs.”

11. NOW…FOR TWO MINUTES: • SHARE WITH ONE NEIGHBORING PERSON AND COMPARE… __________________ • After you’re done, HERE’S MINE….

12. ALL PEOPLE CONSTRUCT AND RETAIN MEANING BY RELATING NEW KNOWLEDGE TO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AT THE CONCEPTUAL LEVEL. • FACTS WITHOUT A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ARE LIKE TREE ORNAMENTS WITH NO TREE. • TEACHER-GENERATED METAPHORS & ANALOGIES ARE A CONDUIT TO PRIOR CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE; • STUDENT-GENERATED ONES CONFIRM THE CONNECTION.

13. PLANNING ON A UNIT BASIS IS BEST: • FIRST- DESIRED OUTCOMES, NEXT- WAYS TO MEASURE, THEN - SELECTING ACTIVITIES TO ASSIST DIVERSE LEARNERS TO REACH THEM. • ALL STUDENTS HAVE BASIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS; • WHEN MET BY TEACHER DESIGN, STUDENTS ARE MORE APT TO ENGAGE AND LEARN. • OFTEN, STUDENT MISBEHAVIOR IS TEACHER-CAUSEDAND CAN BE PREVENTED PROACTIVELY.

14. TEACHERS MUST MODEL LIFELONG LEARNING AND ENJOYMENT OF IT TOO. • THE TEACHER SHOULD BE ONE IN A COMMUNITY OF TEACHERS AND LEARNERS. NOW A KINESTHETIC (or bladder) BREAK:…. TAKE 5 MINUTE BREAK; WHEN YOU RETURN, FORM INTO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS

15. NOW, FORM GROUPSACCORDING TO THIS LIST: Lloyd Monica Locke Lauren McGreevy Sarah Montange Leah Norwood Joyce Ortis Jana Pokaka’a Kellee Preston Robert Preston-Mortinson Angela Resinhoover (Lynn) Robertson Caitlin Saunders Gregory Schuiling Heather Shea William Hull Chelsea Siegel Zachary Stockmann Christopher Valenzuela Heather Vandersnick Leia Vanzant Seth Wright Christina

16. CAVEAT:Ideas today will/should address most students, but not the chronic or organic misbehaviors.Ok, now your taskwrite these down please:-->

17. Brainstorm answers to these questions:1. What have you seen in businessas a customer that makes you feel:a) welcome and valued as a customer? b) interested enough to linger or return as a customer?

18. Question 2) How can we apply what you just described in question 1 to ‘students as customers?

19. Now: • now rotate ONE of you from each group to another group….mix up the chemistry, enlarge your comfort zones • Move if your first initial is the one nearest to letter Z.

20. Your experience as fertile ground for concrete learning.STORY TIME NOW:In groups, SHARE the following;choose a reporter person;be sure all get a chance to share:

21. 1. want to be gone from class?2. distracted from learning or being on task? (e.g.: pacing and twisting ear or erasing board right away)3. resentful? (e.g.: always late to class, lack of planning, losing student work…etc.) Now, report out one behavior per group 3 minutes: • What BEHAVIORS of some k-12 teachers you had in school DROVE YOU NUTS, specifically what teacher behaviors made you::….

22. Now,Describe BEHAVIORSof some teachers that you had in school that made youwant to be there,….specifically,what teacher behaviors, attitudes made you:feel your time was well spent?feel welcome?feel valued? Report out….

23. 10 minute break Back to seats when you return; On to specifics of management theory; Assessment piece at the end!

24. COMPONENTS of management • GOOD MANAGEMENT OF A CLASSROOM is that which precludes undesirable behaviors (misbehavior, off-task behavior, and downtime) by addressing the students’ needs of: • personal efficacy (“I’m capable”) • worth (“I’m lovable”) • safety • organization and predictability: • (student need for such a teacher behavior & atmosphere) • fairness

25. Now, reconsidering behaviors related to:1. want to be gone from class?2. distracted from learning3. resentful? ***How many of the behaviors you named above eroded one or more of the basic needs of students, namelypersonal efficacy worth safetysystem organization and predictability:fairness ???????

26. Now, BY YOURSELF FIRST FOR 2 MINUTES, list all the teacher behaviors you can think of that:instill or enhancea feeling of“loveable, …capable, ….safe.”Consider teacher behaviors and/or qualities outside the classroom as well as inside.NOW, SHARE WITH A NEIGHBOR

27. A word about student needs of efficacy, worth, safety, predictability, fairness: • We all want to feel capable (I can & I did) with a sense of achievement and to feel safe. • Rules fairly and consistently applied connote safety and care to kids. • What is the likely perception of a student in terms of these components when you interrupt her “on task” efforts to give directions, announcements or even praise? • What message is conveyed by “extra” credit work that allows students to circumvent rules or deadlines? Does this enhance or detract from some of the needs above? • What need is neglected by not being able to explain the “why” of a lesson to students?

28. Now, SOLO for 1 minute, list all the teacher behaviors you can think of that:*** convey a message of organization and reliability. (Consider behaviors and/or qualities outside !!! the classroom as well as inside.)Then, share with a different neighbor

29. A word about organization and routine • Organization promotes/allows routines. • These convey and model personal accountability and reliability on the teacher’s part. • Reliability connotes safety to children and teacher accountability prevents resentment from a double standard. • Students gain a sense of efficacy when they have routines that give them control over selves or the environment. • Organization isn’t just to make you more efficient. It is also to help you better serve your clients’ needs, e.g.: • “materials ready and familiar to teacher & transitions planned and efficient = more learning time = less time to misbehave = teacher cares about us/me.” • “Plans done for a week or a unit = can answer questions about what I missed or will have to do = we have a direction and purpose = teacher cares and my time’s valuable.” • “Routines for grades, graded work, absent work, etc. = you can keep them apprised of status and progress and papers are not lost or forgotten = teacher respects me and can help me.”

30. HOWEVER: Emerson warned that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Too much routine is as a bad as too little; variety is still allowed under organization. Can you recall a teacher who was too rooted in routine?

31. Now, mentally list all the teacher behaviors you can think of that would instill in students a sense of fairness on your part or an environment of same.Consider behaviors outside the classroom as well as inside…..then share after a minute

32. Thoughts on FAIRNESS: • Is “fair”ness = “same”ness? • What teacher behaviors related to need of “fairness” can breed resentment, thus causing misbehavior?…. Examples---->

33. class pets arbitrary gradingdeadlines that always bend on due date assignments that preclude a chance for quality or success double standards for somealways calling on the same people (hands, correct answer kids, etc.?) reading grades aloud or posting with namesetc. A little advice to consider ----->

34. Suggestions to consider: 1. When you make pedagogical decisions, teach students where they are, not where youwere.2. Congruence is important too; avoid mixed messages between your words and body language, your words and tone, etc.Can you think of other teacher incongruencies?

35. STRETCH BREAK!THINKING IS HARD WORK… THEN, on to specific strategies, including: How to respond to questions and answers in a way that addresses student needs.

36. Strategies in general for good management: What about chorus responses. (what impact on sense of “I can”?) • Call on struggling students too vs not calling on them. (“worth” and “fairness”). Tailor the question to increase the chance of success. Give as much time to these students to respond. Many teachers short these students on time? • Use procedures that distribute practice (answering questions) democratically and avoid the “T” effect, “dominant side” effect, “gender” effect“, the puzzled look” effect, the “low ability” effect. (accent on consistency; fairness) • After your question, allow a cognitive-gestation pause, then call a name. (increases the number and rate of student practice). Rule: count 5-10. • Try to respond with some emotion when student responds; that addresses the human dimension of components 1 and 2.

37. QUESTION STRATEGIES that honor the 5 components of proactive classroom management and preclude some common discipline causes.

38. Avoid using the “gotcha’” technique of classroom management using questions.!!!!!If a student isn’t paying attention, alert her that you are about to ask her a question on the subject of ...Goal is still high rate of success.Protect students who give wrong answers (safety component).Or you could call a neighbor (proximity)

39. Responses to correct student responses for ?swith correct answers • Affirm the correctness of the response (Why? in terms of the components???) • Acknowledge appropriate performance, including the effort to respond. • If you praise, use specificity for the praise, relating it to the learning goal. (E.g.: That’s correct because...; I’m pleased that you took the risk to...; That helped us all by the way you ....)

40. Responses to incorrect student responses…Don’t just move on. Accept responsibility for the confusion • (a) “Your answer shows me I didn’t ask that very well; let me try to phrase the question differently.” You can also ask another student to rephrase your question for you! OR • (b)“Could you tell me what question you think I asked? Maybe I confused you.”) • Metacognitive response: (“I want to follow your thought process. What were you thinking that lead you to that observation?”) • “Would you like more time?” • Identify for the student any part of the response that is correct.

41. Provide the question that the student’s incorrect response answers, then give the original question in an altered format. (“John, that answers who founded geometry; now, what people or part of the world do you think first used algebra?)Provide clues, partial answer, proceed from what student DOES know; “stay with” the student.

42. If the question is clear, move on with “I’ll be back to you in a few minutes for the answer.” (You can just give time OR elicit the correct response from another, then come back to first for the answer again.) • Provide a choice of answers. (“Is it ___ or ___?”). If still incorrect, give the right answer and have student repeat it. (“The I color in the rainbow is __”) • Provide a resource for the answer (book, student) and then come back for the answer.

43. SOME responses toNON-response or “I don’t know.” • Accept responsibility for the confusion and rephrase question, ask a student to do so, or ask student to tell what she thought the question was. • “Would you like more time?” • Provide a resource for the answer (book, student) and then come back for the answer. • This of course is not applicable in all cases, as there may be a cultural reason for the non response; know your students. • Give permission to not answer IF it just doesn’t work

44. Formative Check time!Back to groups of 4-5;bring your notes Number off in your group Use your notes if needed, But try not to !!

45. Each one in the group take a turn; if it’s a multipart answer, each add one part, in turn; Answer each as completely as you can as a group; 5 minutes to complete these questions thoughtfully, fully. When done, I have one more piece to this ‘management thing’

46. What does Gery consider to be the 5 basic needs of all students? • Identify a teacher behavior that can inadvertently negate a student need; do one for each need. • What is the connection between student needs, teacher behaviors, and classroom management? • If a student gives an incorrect answer, what can you do to turn that into a chance to meet her/his need/s?

47. BONUS ROUND:What does Kounin have to say about all this??

48. KOUNIN’S PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT IDEAS:Good classroom management depends on effective lesson management.

49. KEY STRATEGIES: • WITH-IT-NESS • OVERLAPPING • SMOOTHNESS • MOMENTUM • GROUP ALERTING

50. WITH-IT-NESSAware and alert, cognizant, “eye in the back of the head” sense...and letting students KNOW it