My Classroom Management » Positive Behavior Management

Two Classroom Management Camps

jenniferw — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:22:20 +0000

There are two basic camps when it comes to classroom management plans: Punishment and Reward.

Using Punishment Method of Classroom Management:

Student all start out on green or happy face or whatever is the “good” behavior indication.
Students receive a warning for negative behavior.
Students receiver consequences for misbehaving increasing in severity.
Students behave out of fear of consequences.
Students have a visual representation of who has broken class rules. (Name on chalkboard, yellow card, etc.)

Using Reward Method of Classroom Management:

Students start at a neutral position at the start of each day.
Students “earn” something for following rules (whether it be tokens, check marks or climbing a ladder, etc.)
Students behave in order to receive a reward.
Misbehavior results in the lack of a reward.
Students have a visual representation of how well they are doing through accumulation of “rewards”
There is a “big” reward to strive for.

Many teachers combine these methods in some way shape or form, as I have not met a single teacher who does not have consequences for some bad behavior. My challenge to you is to look at your classroom management plan and add one aspect of “reward” to your plan that is not there already.

Two Keys to Starting the School Year off Right

jenniferw — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:19:16 +0000

Key One:

Know your expectations.

You need to know what you expect of yourself and your students above all else. You cannot implement a behavior plan, manage discipline problems and keep students focused on learning if you do not know exactly what behavior you expect both from your students and yourself.

It is a good idea to write down your expectations for each part of your day. Consider printing out a schedule and writing in a list of expectations right on the schedule. Only then can you create an effective classroom management plan.

Key Two:

Teach students your expectations.

While knowing your expectations are vital towards creating a behavior management plan, students cannot possibly fulfill your expectations if they do not know them. Take time the first few days of school to explicitly teach, preferably through demonstration, your expectations for students. Be sure to have students practice these expectations and allow chances for them to ask clarifying questions.

Only after these two keys are completed, can you move on to teaching a well-managed classroom.

Two Musts for the End of the School Year

jenniferw — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:47:05 +0000

As the last days of school pass, there are two things that you need to do:

First, do not leave your patience at home. Both you and your students are eager for summer vacation, and while you students may have checked out, you can’t afford to. You want to leave your students on a good note, so take a deep breath, count to ten, and find creative ways to keep your students focused on learning – even if this means more games, more breaks and more recess time.

Second, evaluate your behavior plan. What worked? What didn’t work? What would you like to change for next year? What do you want to remain the same? Did you find any great tips that helped? Write them down! It is helpful to journal each part of this evaluation, writing any reflections down and it will become clear what needs to be done for a successful school year.

Don’t forget – do these now! Don’t wait!

A Critique of the Thomas Gordon Model

jenniferw — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:13:37 +0000

The Thomas Gordon model of classroom management is an interesting classroom management model that asks teachers to become equals with their students, throw out class rules, teach problem-solving skills and use “I-messages” when behavior problems come up.

Lets take a look at each of these four aspects of Gordon’s model:

Become Equal with Your Students

The idea here is that a good leader will not dictate to his followers but come from another angle that creates mutual respect. Teachers are to engage in active listening where they repeat back to the student what the student said, in the teachers own words, to indicate that he understood.

The benefit of this concept is that in an adult situation, leaders who do not dictate get a better response from followers. The issue is that students are not yet adults. In fact, research shows that the decision making part of their brain is not fully matured for quite some time, making it vital for the teacher to set boundaries and limitations on the students.

Throw Out Class Rules

The actual concept here is that students will together come up with what Gordon calls “agreements” in place of teacher dictated “rules”. They are to be hung where all students can see them.

This is not dissimilar to hundreds of teachers who have their students come up with the class rules at the beginning of the school year, with the exception of the name. The benefit of calling the rules “agreements” is that this might make children who are driven to push the rules, to instead, follow them. The problem with this is that in the end, agreements are nothing more than class rules.

Teach Problem Solving Skills

There is a process to solving a problem:

Identify the problem
Identify several solutions to the problem
Choose a solution mutually agreeable to all involved
Implement solution
Determine the solution’s success

I see no problems with this at all. In fact, I think more parents and teachers should use this problem solving strategy in their classrooms and homes. Children need to learn how to solve problems.

Use I-Messages

An I-message is one that explains how one person’s behavior affected you and made you feel. For example, “when you do that, it makes me feel this way”. This is the method that teachers are to handle discipline issues in the classroom.

The only benefit, if it is a benefit, that I can find with this is that it does not confront students head-on. It does help to identify ones feelings, but in the end, many students couldn’t care less how their teacher felt about their behavior. This aspect of Gordon’s model of classroom management has the potential to make a lot of teachers very permissive.

Find out more about the Thomas Gordon Model of Classroom Management:

Using the Thomas Gordon Classroom Management Method

The Gordon Model

Thomas Gordon (this is another critique)

Gordon Training International (the official website)

Spring Fever in Teachers

jenniferw — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:15:27 +0000

Many teachers complain about students having spring fever, but the issue does not stop with restless children who would rather be outside playing. Part of the complicating factor in dealing with spring fever in students is the fact that teachers are suffering from spring fever as well.

Once testing is over and the weather warms up, teachers want to be out for the summer as much as students do, and this exacerbates student behavior. Teachers suffering from spring fever often notice a shorter temper. Little things are bothersome and patience is short for unruly student behavior.

Here are a few tips to help handle spring fever in teachers:

Take a deep breath and realize that children are being children. 10 year-olds will act like 10 year-olds, and remembering this can help.
Take breaks in instruction. Go outside for extra recess, have extra game times in the classroom and do brain breaks.
Implement a spring behavior plan that rewards extra good behavior.

Those Who Can’t Do… Ask

jenniferw — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:31:47 +0000

There are two basic categories of teachers: those who have good classroom management and those who don’t. Those who have it either worked hard to get it, or it just came naturally. Those who don’t have it, well, it’s not because of a lack of trying.

In fact, in speaking to some teachers who struggle with classroom management, it is doubly frustrating for teachers to struggle day in and day out to control a class of students with another teacher never struggles at all. Usually teachers lay blame. In fact, all teachers I have spoken to lay blame:

Bad group of kids
Awkward age for kids
Bad mix of kids
Bad home life
and so on

The list goes on but in the end it’s lying blame when in fact the only person who can change the situation is the teacher. And all teachers are able to change the situation if they only put their mind to it. It takes a lot of reflection, patience, trial and error and asking for help.

If you can’t seem to figure out how to get a particular group of kids under control, ask someone who has a great class – observe, ask “what if” questions, invite criticism, ask for suggestions, and be open to change.

Stop blaming the kids, start asking for answers.

Brain Breaks Keep Students Energized and Focused

jenniferw — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:28:22 +0000

Brain breaks are just what they sound like: breaks for the brain. Giving the brain a break from thinking every so often helps the brain stay focused and attentive to the task at hand. This allows students to learn more and enjoy learning more.

Here is one of my favorite:

Want more great ideas? Check out Energizing Brain Breaks.

Give brain breaks a try in your classroom and see how the students respond! Did you try one you especially liked? Tell us about it!

Demand Attention Before Holiday Breaks

jenniferw — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:34:04 +0000

While many teachers demand attention from their students before a holiday break by cracking down on the rules or pleading with students to focus, one teacher came up with a much more creative method that had the students focused and having fun:

Using Praise for Basic Discipline

jenniferw — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:42:34 +0000

The other day I was leaving the post office and saw the smiles of people I passed as I thanked my daughter for listening and being such a good helper (she stayed by my side while in the post office). This is basic two year old discipline – I am teaching my daughter the proper way to act in public and when she does a good job, I praise her for it, confirming her actions to be appropriate.

The topic of praising students is a sticky subject and some teachers disagree with praising students for doing things they should do out of respect, and only thank students for going above and beyond the call of duty.

The problem with his concept, though, is that the job of teaching children to act appropriately in different situations, as I did my daughter at the post office, belongs to the parent. While many parents are willing to take the time to teach their children these skills, many put their children in daycare instead, and let someone else will take care of the discipline. Day care workers are not substitutes for parental teaching and many teachers find themselves with students who are not trained to act appropriately in the classroom.

In a recent post on why saying “good job” is bad, I addressed the idea that praise needs to be specific in the classroom. Indeed, praise needs to be specific, and hold the double purpose of both creating a positive classroom atmosphere and teaching the children the appropriate way to act in the classroom.

Do your students benefit from parental discipline or does that job end up falling to you as the teacher? Share your stories!

Three Classroom Management Mistakes

jenniferw — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:43:25 +0000

With so many different students and teachers and schools, it might seem hard to pinpoint the top three mistakes teachers make in managing their classrooms. There is some basic same-ness that allows for such a broad classification, though.

1. Raising your voice.

Raising your voice will only serve to escalate the problem. Even if the students quiet down or listen for a moment, it is only a temporary fix and will in fact cause more classroom management problems down the road.

2. Ignoring students.

This is different than ignoring student behavior, something that is sometimes necessary. Instead, a teacher who ignores students, or who is checked out, not caring about what happens in her classroom, is doing her students a huge disservice. If this is you, it is time to find a new job.

3. Relying on Parents.

This one is a sad truth about the culture of America today and in some situations is not true. While some parents are involved and do discipline their children, even for actions done at school, the age of a parent backing a teacher is in the past. It is time for teachers to find new ways to discipline children because threatening with a note or phone call home is becoming a useless act.