My Classroom Management
Classroom Management Strategies for the average teacher
Two Musts for the End of the School Year
Jun 1st
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
May 19th
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
Thomas Gordon (this is another critique)
Gordon Training International (the official website)
Bad Classroom Management Example
May 14th
Let us take a look at one example of how a teacher handled a classroom issue and take a look at what was done poorly and what could be improved upon for next time:
Mrs. D* teaches fifth grade. Her students were having a bad day and were not listening or staying in their chairs. Her method of handling the situation was to pull out the Barney song (I love you, you love me…) and play it for the class. The class was instructed that they must sit still and quiet through one whole playing of the song in order for the students to move onto another activity. Twenty minutes later the class period ended and they moved to specials with the song still playing.
The first problem with this scenario is that the song and task are both demeaning to the age of the student. A fifth grader does not like Barney and does not like that song. Having students sit through this song over and over again, having to sit still and quiet, was in essence the teacher telling them that she had no respect for them.
A student put in a position of belittling will revolt, whereas a student put in a position of being held to a high standard, will likely rise to the occasion. Next time, the teacher could have the students write a letter of apology to the teacher, or write a letter home to their parents explaining their behavior and signed by the teacher.
*Name changed
Spring Fever in Teachers
May 3rd
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
Apr 20th
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
Apr 13th
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
Apr 10th
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:
Spring Fever Strategies
Apr 1st
As the weather warms up, students and teachers both will begin to experience spring fever. This oven results in overactive students who would rather act up than sit in class and pay attention. Finding new methods of disciplining and motivating students during this time can be helpful.
Take Advantage of Nice Weather as a Motivator
When motivating students to behave in class as the weather warms up, often the most effective strategy is to go outside. Some ideas include:
- Come up with activities that can be completed outside (active games and scavenger hunts are great options).
- Reward good behavior with extra recess
- Offer an extra class period outside given a set of requirements met.
Focus on Beneficial Life Skills
While the mandated curriculum is important to follow, once the standardized state testing is completed, it is a good idea to shift the focus of lessons to why students need the information. Making the information geared towards life skills will help students stay motivated and will often change the tone of classroom instruction in such a way that discipline problems from spring fever can be minimized.
Remember during these final weeks of school that patience is important. Training students to become life-long learners is as important as any individual lesson so remember to take advantage of every teachable moment in the classroom.
Reflection is the Best Remedy
Mar 25th
Many teachers are able to identify the fact that there is a problem in their classroom. Some are even able to specify what the problem is:
“John is my biggest classroom management problem”
“There are a couple of boys that just don’t get along”
“My students have respect issues”
These teachers often are also able to list various strategies they have tried in order to solve the problem.
“I’ve tried everything – taking away recess, threats, calling parents, notes home, sending them to the Principal’s office, ignoring the behavior, yelling, rewards, punishments, new seating arrangements, nothing helps!”
It may in fact seem to be the impossible class – often it is a group of students who have been impossible each grade level, developing a pattern of issues.
Solving a problem like this may not be simple but it is possible with some reflection. It is important for the teacher to take a good long look at what circumstances surround the issues involved in the classroom and attempt to think back to a trigger. It may be problems at home, it may be the style of teaching or it may be the lack of a social skill.
With some intense reflection on what works and what doesn’t work in each situation, the teacher may be able to start to address the heart of the matter and begin to see small changes in the behaviors. Addressing the behavior may not solve the problem, so through this reflection the teacher will hopefully begin to see beyond the outward behavior to the root cause.
Using Praise for Basic Discipline
Mar 8th
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!
