Description:
The focus of reading and discussion in EDAT 6115 this week was on the effective learning environment. Our discussions in class were based on classroom management issues we have in our field experiences and in our classrooms. Our discussions included our issues and ways that we could manage those issues based on our class readings. When thinking about an effective learning environment and classroom management it is important to think about having a plan for everything. If you plan in advance for every situation, you can ensure that you will be able to run your own ship.
Analyze:
Teachers need to be able to run their own ships, in order to accomplish this, they need to be able to have an effective learning environment that incorporates effective classroom management techniques. Slavin (2018) describes classroom management as, “…strategies for providing effective learning environments include not only preventing and responding to misbehavior but also, and even more important, using class time well, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to interest and inquiry, and permitting activities that engage students’ minds and imaginations” Slavin, p. 272). It is important to note that effective classroom management is not just about behaviors, it includes effective and engaging instruction and planning. Effective classroom management involves the use of time, the creation of your learning environment, management, lessons, activities, and discipline.
One of the most effective strategies for an effective learning environment includes using your time for instruction which is also known as allocated learning time. In order to ensure our students are having the opportunity to learn teachers need to ensure they are preventing lost time, late starts and early finishes, interruptions, handling routine procedures, maintaining a rapid pace of instruction, and minimizing time spent on discipline issues (Slavin, 2018, pg. 274-275). In addition, teachers also need to utilize engaged time effectively with their students. Slavin (2018) describes engaged time, “Engaged time (or time on task) is the time individual students actually spend doing assigned work” (Slavin, p. 275). In order to ensure teachers are utilizing engaged time, they can teach engaging lessons, manage classroom transitions, maintain focus from their students during lessons, maintain focus during seatwork, and utilize overlapping skills throughout a lesson or activity (Slavin, 2018, p. 277).
Although it is important to ensure that teachers are utilizing allocated and engaged time, it is also important to consider classroom management. Slavin (2018) describes the importance of effective classroom management, “Research has consistently shown that basic common-sense planning and groundwork go a long way toward preventing discipline problems from ever developing” (Slavin, p. 278). It is all about making a plan and getting organized! Some planning includes the beginning of the year routines and procedures, classroom set up, setting class rules and procedures with your students’, and setting class norms and expectations from day one!
Setting the standards and norms from day one is vital for a classroom that is going to run smoothly. This includes making a plan for introducing students to classroom rules and procedures and including them in the process. In addition, starting the year off right involves working with the whole class initially. At the beginning of the year, it is important to make sure that all students are engaged and involved at all times. The first few weeks of school are also spent practicing rules and procedures a million times! A large part of classroom management is setting class rules and norms. It is important the teachers don’t create a lot of rules, they should make sense, and they need to be clearly explained and taught to your students in order for them to be effective. In addition, the beginning of the year, especially the first week, teachers should be planning simple and enjoyable tasks for students that slowly engage students in instructions on classroom procedures. Lastly, at the beginning of the year, it is important to respond immediately to students in order to stop and correct misbehaviors and set the standards for the classroom community.
In addition to ensuring the “stage is set” and the rules and procedures are in place, teachers need to plan for student misbehaviors. Besides creating engaging lessons and instructions, teachers need to have strategies and tools in their teacher toolbox to prevent or deal with problems when they occur. The main goal of the effective management of behavior is to utilize the simplest intervention that will work with your students (Slavin, 2018, p. 280). There are seven steps to the principle of least intervention that include prevention, nonverbal clues, praise of correct behaviors, praise for other students, verbal reminders, repeated reminders, and then consequences (Slavin, 2018, p. 281).
Classroom misbehaviors can be dealt with through prevention. Prevention includes creating engaging lessons, varying up lessons, using new and different approaches with your students, and including cooperative learning or PBLs. In addition, teachers can incorporate nonverbal clues into their lessons. For example, making eye contact with a student to stop a misbehavior or moving closer to a student to alert the student. Nonverbal cues are effective because teachers are able to continue with instruction without stopping to reprimand students! Sometimes nonverbal cues may not be enough, and a verbal reminder might be necessary to help get students back in control. A verbal reminder needs to encourage students to do the right behavior, not to slam them for the behavior that is incorrect. Sometimes the cues and verbal reminders are enough for students, but a repeated reminder might be needed for a student who just isn’t responding. Slavin (2018) describes the effectiveness of utilizing a repeated reminder, “When a student refuses to comply with a simple reminder, one strategy to attempt first is a repetition of the reminder, ignoring any irrelevant excuse or argument” (Slavin, p. 282). In addition, praising correct behaviors and praising other students can be a powerful motivator for students. Lastly, when nothing else is working, it is time to apply some consequences for students’ actions. For example, sending a student to a cool down spot, taking time off of recess (which is sometimes not allowed in school systems), or a phone call home. A consequence needs to be applied as soon as possible after the behavior occurs. Do not give students empty threats!
Classroom misbehaviors can be analyzed, and the analysis can be utilized to manage more serious behavior problems within the classroom. Most classroom misbehaviors are occurring because a student is seeking attention from a teacher or from their peers, sometimes from both parties. Another reason for misbehaviors is because the student is attempting to release themselves from an unpleasant state of emotion or they just don’t want to complete an activity. For example, students who constantly ask to get water or to use the restroom. Sometimes behavior management strategies are not enough for these students and behavior modifications need to be put into place to change the behaviors.
The first step in analyzing behavior is to observe the student who is misbehaving and target what is reinforcing their misbehaviors and determine how often the behaviors are occurring in the classroom. Next, determine what type of positive reinforces the student needs such as praise, sticker charts, a smile, or even a tangible reward. In addition to selecting a positive reinforcer, it is also important to select a punishment if needed. Students are going to continue to act up and it is important to be ready to enforce a punishment if needed. For example, reprimanding the student, sending the student to the opportunity room or principal’s office, or even detention if the behaviors are severe. An effective punisher could include time out or time away from the situation, sometimes all students need is time to reflect and reset their moods. In addition to analyzing the behavior and setting positive reinforcements, it is vital that parents are involved! For example, ensuring there is home-based reinforcement, phone calls or emails with parents (communication is key) or even a daily report card or check sheet that is signed by a parent.
Slavin (2018) describes the importance of implementing the behavior analysis strategies, “The behavior analysis strategies described in this chapter can be powerful. Properly applied, they will usually bring the behavior of even the most disruptive students to manageable levels” (Slavin, p. 290). It is important to use the strategies in the correct ways and not to control the students. It is important to remember that in the end, it is not about getting your students to be soldiers and to sit still and not talk. The goal is to run your own ship! Ensure students are productive, that you are teaching engaging lessons, that time is not lost, and that teachers are utilizing behavior analysis strategies.
Every student is going to misbehave at some time. Some misbehaviors are going to be more severe than others. Teachers need to be ready to respond to serious behavior problems and need to know how to prevent them in their classrooms. Some ways to prevent serious behaviors is through preventive programs such as PBIS, identifying causes of students’ misbehaviors and knowing your students, enforcing your rules and practices with your students, enforcing school attendance, confronting bullying in your school and classroom, practicing interventions, involving your students families, and applying consequences with your students when needed.
Reflection:
As a teacher who just finished their second year of teaching, I have learned a lot about classroom management. To me, classroom management is a skill that is learned over time. Classroom management is about having the skills in order to effectively manage your classroom by having routines and procedures, engaging instruction, and strategies to deal with student misbehaviors. This concept is something that I don’t believe is taught very well in teacher preparation programs and is something that has to be learned over time through trial and error.
Based on the information I read from my peers, my prior experiences, and through the readings, I have learned ways to handle a situation differently. For example, in my first year of teaching, I had trouble managing students when they entered my classroom because I hadn’t set the expectations, routines, or procedures necessary to have a successful classroom. Through reading the chapter from Slavin, I realized the importance of starting out the school year by establishing procedures with my students in order to have a classroom that runs smoothly. For example, I now have a procedure for when my students enter the room. The write down their homework and begin a bell ringer, similar to the kind shown in the video for this week. This simple routine gets my students engaged from the moment they walk into my classroom.
The knowledge I have gained over the past two years and the knowledge learned through the readings and discussions this week have confirmed my knowledge and beliefs about teaching and the importance of effective classroom management skills. This knowledge confirmed that teachers need to have the background knowledge about classroom management prior to stepping foot in the classroom. This knowledge confirmed that different things are going to work differently in each classroom and with each group of students. I learned that teachers have got to own their ships in order to have an effective running classroom.
Through the discussions with my classmates, my reading, and my experience in the classroom throughout the last two years many additional questions have sprouted. My main question is, how can I become a better teacher for my students and have a better running classroom through learning about classroom management. This question caused me to do some research online and I have come up with two action steps I will take to address the question. The first step is to gain more knowledge! I plan on doing this through reading a few books based on classroom management and engaging instruction. In addition, I have worked with my curriculum support teacher at my school to find a behavioral specialist in our county who is going to come to our school during pre-planning and deliver a training about classroom management for our staff. I think that these two next steps will address my concerns and enable me to become a better educator for my students.
Reference
Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
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