Managing Student Behavior

1. Spring 2010 Managing Student Behavior Classroom Management Dr. Rodney Davis EDU 6629

2. Leading Questions • Why do principals report that this is one of the areas in which new teachers are the weakest? • Why do teachers ask for additional help in this area? • Is this session about classroom operation or student discipline?

3. Management Skills • Planning • Evaluating • Reflecting • Communicating • Prioritizing • Reporting • Directing • Delegating Sadly very little of your Teacher preparation Programs were devoted To equipping you With these skills

4. Successful Teacher Managers • Responsive and sensitive to student behavior • Creators of and conduits for the establishment of a positive atmosphere in the classroom where the students are respected and self-disciplined. • Knowledgeable facilitators of meaningful learning experiences in a safe environment.

5. No Management Experience • Few teachers come into the profession with experience in managing adults much less children. • Is this experience necessary?

6. Management vs. Leadership • Are teachers managers of the classroom or leaders of it? • Does the difference matter? • Manage things • Lead people

7. Key to Successful Management • Set clear expectations of conduct appropriate to the students’ level of development. • Practice Consistency in the application of standards

8. Is there a connection between good teaching and managing student behavior? • “Plan a meaningful, relevant lesson that reflects the school district and state standards, be pleasant, well organized and the teaching of your classes will become a source of continuous personal accomplishment and student achievement, (Skolnik, 2003) • This statement is the essence of good teaching. • Good teaching can only take place when student behavior is well-managed. • Key: No amount of planning and exquisite delivery will overcome an out of control classroom. • Typically, novice teachers minimize the importance of control in favor of a well-planned lesson.

9. Good Teaching & Management Cycle Good Teaching Well Managed Classroom

10. Foundation of a Well-Managed Classroom • Order, is the basis • Positive Learning Environments don’t just happen. • Cultivated from the beginning of the school year • Order, does not mean • Absolute silence, hands folded, sitting at attention. • Lack of enthusiasm • Teacher directed discussions • Students passive

11. Foundation of a Well-Managed Classroom • What do we mean by order? • The means by which our students know the teacher’s expectations for the class and the consequences when they do not meet the expectations. • Resulting actions of our students to directions we give as we strive to accomplish course/class objectives. • How we communicate with our students in a fair and non-preferential manner.

12. A well managed class Order Foundation of a Well-Managed Classroom • Summary: Order is how educators establish the expected conduct of the class, and how students react to the expectations, and how the expectations are communicated. • Key: What constitutes order for one teacher may be quite different from order for another teacher. • Creating a sense of order in the classroom is foundational to managing student behavior. • How do we create a sense of order?

13. Creating a Sense of Order • Developing a Sense of Order requires: • A written Code of Conduct • Maintaining Consistency/Routine • Addressing Teacher Demeanor • Creating a Classroom of respect and rapport.

14. Code of Conduct • Students want to know what is expected of them and the consequences. • What is it: • A written document that outlines teacher expectations and student expectations. • Collaboratively developed • More than a list of class rules • Core Elements of a Code of Conduct: • Fairness: All students treated equitably • Standardization: Systematic • Consistency: Application

15. Sample Entries from Codes of Conduct • High School: Students wanted the schedule of work on a weekly basis. Allowed them to plan ahead. • Teacher agreed to stay one night per week after school for consultations. (office hours) • Elementary: Students wanted helper assignments changed more frequently than once a week.

16. Sample Code of Conduct English 101, ABC High School • The Teacher will: • Provide a written weekly schedule of assignments. • Consequence: • Failure to provide the schedule, teacher forfeits the right to deduct points for late work. • The Student will: • Complete all assignments by the due date • Consequence: • Late work will have 5 points deducted from total score for each day its late.

17. What other expectations should be included? • Codes should contain other pertinent school and district policies (attendance, dress code) • They may be specific to a classroom • Codes are “living” documents and should be updated frequently. • Stressed regularly- • Once a week • Whenever a change needs to be made • As needed. • Code needs to be modeled, flexible, have student input, meet school standards, reinforced, and refined to get student buy-in

18. Maintaining Consistency/Routine • What is meant by routine? • A consistent way of behaving • What is the value of a routine? • Efficiency: Gets past housekeeping items quickly • Consistency: Students know what to expect • Communicates that the students’ time is valuable and the learning activities are important

19. Teacher Demeanor • Teacher’s attitude is critical to creating and maintaining order. • Sarcastic, overly humorous, derogatory can hinder order. • Casual-conveys that what is being done is not important • Students take their cue from teacher • Coat and rolled up sleeves illustration

20. A Classroom of Respect and Rapport • Often times teachers expect respect from the student but are unwilling to give respect in return to the student. • Respect, honor, value • How do you demonstrate the value of the student? • Rapport, building a relationship beyond the content of the class. • Showing an interest in the activities and lives of your students

21. Power of a Teacher “As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal,. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will escalate or de-escalate and a child [will be] humanized or dehumanized.” Haim Ginott, Teacher and Child

22. Classroom Management Skills • Educators must determine what does effective instruction look like in his or her classroom. • Prioritize what must be done to achieve effective instruction. • Determine where the lesson fits into the overall curriculum.