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My Spring 2018 Sabbatical Project was to study techniques and ideas of
classroom management. The result was a set of documents and resources that I am placing here in blog format to easily share with my colleagues and any other interested party. Comments and questions are welcome, and I will respond as time allows. Feel free to share these posts. Sincerely, Tracy Johnston PDF version of this document for download: Text: 02 Classroom Management Citations: 02a Citations for
Classroom Management Links to citations listed at the bottom of the post. What is Classroom Management? I wanted to deeply understand the idea of classroom management. It helped to start with the basic idea of a classroom as a place where teachers and students gather for the purpose of learning. Ideally, everyone involved is there with good attitudes and behaviors, and a willingness to learn. The teacher presents the lesson,
the students absorb the material, and everything goes well. However, this ideal is not always achieved. Classroom management, then, consists of techniques and attitudes “through which a teacher controls their classroom environment so that student learning prevails because student misbehavior is effectively minimized and redirected.” (cpi management strategies) Just as important, it addresses “the prevention of disruptive behavior preemptively, as well as effectively
responding to it after it happens” (Wikipedia Classroom Management) Classroom management is action-oriented and also goal-oriented. Those actions and goals will be examined in detail later, but we can consider the “big picture” goals now: In other words, classroom management’s primary goal is to create the ideal classroom through teacher efforts and student training. One advantage I infer is that when students experience a well-managed classroom, they are more likely to cooperate in creating another, thus helping their future teachers and classmates. Why Classroom Management? My education did not include training for classroom management. My student experience showed me that poor
behavior could exist, but I saw very little of it during my undergraduate studies and almost none during my graduate studies. It was easy for me to believe that teaching at a community college meant I would have very little poor behavior and what did occur could be quickly dealt with. This belief was incorrect. My lack of skill here meant that some situations got out-of-hand, while others were not resolved in a manner that made me proud of my actions. I felt like I was
the only teacher with this problem and dreaded those semesters where problems occurred. To my surprise, I found colleagues who felt the same way and who wished they knew how to handle demanding situations. Even more surprising was discovering K through 12 teachers, people who had gone through teacher certification programs, who had not had classroom management training, or much of it. It is a difficult aspect of teaching for many teachers. …
Teachers do not focus on learning classroom management, because higher education programs do not put an emphasis on the teacher attaining classroom management; indeed, the focus is on creating a conducive learning atmosphere for the student. (Wikipedia Classroom Management) But poor student behavior can impact that learning atmosphere for others: So, in order to teach effectively, we need classroom management skills: “Teachers who apply strong and consistent management and utilize organizational skills have classrooms that experience fewer discipline problems.”
(UniversalClass Understanding CM) And, “if continuous minor problems are not addressed properly, they will eventually turn into bigger, harder-to-control issues” (UniversalClass Understanding CM) Those are not the only reasons: “research has shown that confidence in classroom management is important for a teacher’s sense of well-being and emotional health. Gaining skills in this area can decrease stress levels, burnout and resignations. This is significant considering the UK, USA and
Australia lose 30-50% of their teachers in the first 5 years.” (liz’s early learning) I would summarize this to say that good classroom management helps to attain the ideal learning experience while addressing the health of both the teacher and the students. “With a classroom environment like that in place, a teacher would have time to teach”. (cpi management strategies) Classroom Management Basics We can see that, as teachers, we
want to influence and control student behavior. We want to be pre-emptive as much as possible — I see this as defining a positive classroom environment – and we want to respond well to poor behavior – I see this as stopping it quickly. But sometimes a student’s response will escalate the situation, so what are we to do about that? Consider this: many in the field of teaching are not exactly clear on what constitutes classroom management and discipline and how
these two concepts work together to create a stable, structured classroom that inspires learning and reduces conflict (UniversalClass Understanding CM) Let me emphasize one part of the previous quote: “classroom management and discipline and how these two concepts work together”. This tells me that even the best classroom manager will face situations where deflecting and redirecting poor behavior will fail. Discipline enters the picture here, so we will need to
address how to apply it correctly. These ideas form the structure for the rest of this document. Citations Format: reference name in text cpi management strategies liz’s early learning UniversalClass
Understanding CM Wikipedia Classroom Management: PDF
version of this document for download: Text: 03 Self-Assessment Citations: 03a Citations for Self-Assessment 03d Self Assessment Questionnaire 1 03e Self Assessment Questionnaire 2 Links to citations listed at the bottom of the
post. Why should we self-assess our classroom management style? Classroom management basically involves organizing the activities of 25-35 young people. What a daunting task! Few teachers feel that they have mastered management and often when they do, an extremely challenging class comes along that disrupts their newfound self-efficacy. Making improvements in one’s skill level typically involves some assessment of starting skill level, establishing goals,
and then determining specific steps, use of certain strategies, or other actions that one will take to achieve the goal(s). (indiana SACM) It is important to determine your personal classroom management style and then to assess your skill level. Following is a simple questionnaire to help you get started. I feel it is better to answer the questions before reading about the different styles, so your answers are unbiased. Instructions: What is
your classroom management profile? 1. = Strongly Disagree (information from cbv.ns) The wording of the questions has been modified slightly to suit the community college classroom. (1) If a student is disruptive during class, I remove him/her from the classroom, without further discussion. (2) I don’t want to impose any rules on my students. (3) The classroom must be quiet in order for students to learn. (4) I am concerned about both what my students learn and how they
learn. (5) If a student turns in a late homework assignment, it is not my problem. (6) I don’t want to reprimand a student because it might hurt his/her feelings. (7) Class preparation isn’t worth the effort. (8) I always try to explain the reasons behind my rules and decisions. (9) I will not accept excuses from a student who is tardy. (10) The emotional well-being of my students is more important than classroom control. (11) My students understand that
they can interrupt my lecture if they have a relevant question. (12) If a student requests to leave the room, I always honor the request. (information from cbv.ns, with minor modifications) Continue reading after you have provided a score for each question. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To score your quiz, add your responses to statements 1, 3, and 9. This is your score for the authoritarian style. The result is your classroom management profile. Your score for each management style can range from 3 to15. A high score indicates a strong preference for that particular style.
After you have scored your quiz, and determined your profile, read the descriptions of each management style. You may see a little bit of yourself in each one. As you gain teaching experience, you may find that your preferred style(s) will change. Over time, your profile may become more diverse or more focused. Also, it may be suitable to rely upon a specific style when addressing a particular situation or subject. Perhaps the successful teacher is one who can evaluate a situation and then
apply the appropriate style. Finally, remember that the intent of this exercise is to inform you and arouse your curiosity regarding classroom management styles. The classroom management styles are adaptations of the parenting styles discussed in Adolescence, by John T. Santrock. (information from cbv.ns) This questionnaire assumes four basic classroom management styles: authoritarian, authoritative, laissez-faire, and indifferent. We will explore their
definitions, how they interact, and how they might affect a teaching performance. It is important to remember that identifying your current style does not lock you into that style forever. You can make choices, make changes, and, as pointed out above, “evaluate a situation and then apply the appropriate style.” I suspect this is an excellent skill to have considering the variations in classroom “personalities” I have experienced. Authoritarian Style The
authoritarian, “coercive”, or autocratic style of management is defined as: characterized by numerous behavioral regulations, is often seen as punitive and restrictive, and students have neither a say in their management, nor are they seen to need explanations; the teacher’s character is sometimes perceived as being cold, even punishing. (phi.ilstu) when a leader dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be achieved, and directs
and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates. Such a leader has full control of the team, leaving low autonomy within the group. (Wikipedia authoritarian) “If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be ‘Do what I tell you.’” (fast company) Some typical characteristics are: • The leader tells and enforces (educational business) There are benefits to authoritarian management. Most appropriately, if tasks have to be completed with great urgency and are time critical, setting clear tasks
and expectations whilst making the decisions seems a logical step, as often there is no time for discussion. In such conditions, one needs structure, discipline and to get the job done. … also if a team member’s skill for the task is very low or novice. In which case, giving clear direction and making the right decisions allows the person to focus on learning or applying their skills. (educational business) But there are downsides, too. People
that normally opt for this style regularly, can be seen as bossy, cold, and a dictator. … Long term use of its use can also build to resentment and a feeling of festering, whereby those team members are never given a chance to grow, proceeding to the feeling of being undervalued and distrusted. Research has indicated that due to the nature of an authoritarian leader, and that he/she makes decisions and controls the group, creative problem solving is often thwarted as a result. (educational
business) Consider using this management style in these situations: • When a task is urgent and needs to be completed quickly, with little time for thought and planning (educational
business) Although the term “authoritarian” might carry a negative connotation, we can see from the descriptions and benefits that it is not necessarily a “wrong” approach to managing your classroom. Often, in my math classroom, I need to show my students a process and I need them to follow it precisely as shown. In this case, a “do what I tell you” attitude is exactly what is required. Students who are comfortable with this authoritarian style will recognize the value of
following directions, whereas some students see my directions as “this is just the teacher’s opinion of what should be done” and often fail to complete the process. Authoritative Style Authoritative, “coaching,” or “selling” style, is characterized by behavioral principles, high expectations of appropriate behavior, clear is slightly less autocratic, it still requires a good degree of direction from the leader, whereby “If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be ‘Come with me.’” (fast company) There are advantages to authoritative management. The high level of student involvement that comes with authoritative management often fosters a high This teacher has a positive, kind and supportive
relationship with her students, but they know when Such a combination aims at preventing problems, and also has the dual purpose of managing
behaviour is most clearly associated with appropriate student behavior (local.lsu) And there are disadvantages, too. It is least effective when teammates are defiant and unwilling to change or learn, or if the leader lacks proficiency. (fast company) Many of the websites I visited while learning about the authoritative style were emphatic
that this is the best management style of them all. Some were so sure that they described the other styles with negative or derogatory words. My interpretation is that it is a very good style for many classrooms because it gives the necessary structure for or control over student behavior while offering positive support for student learning. But I also see that not every teacher will have or want “warm student-teacher relationships” and my own experience is that some student groups won’t accept
the effort they must put in if they accept a coaching or selling teaching style. Laissez-faire Style This is also known as the “indulgent” or “delegative” style. “The laissez-faire teacher places few demand [sic] or controls on the students. ‘Do your own thing’ describes this classroom. This teacher accepts the student’s impulses and actions and is less likely to monitor their behavior.” (cbv.ns) Loosely translated, laissez-faire
means “let it be” or “leave it alone.” Typical characteristics for laissez-faire managers are: • They want students to like them and they want to be helpful, so they are warm and supportive but not very good at setting limits. The
benefits of this style are: • can be effective in situations where group members are highly skilled, motivated, and capable of working on their own. (verywell.com) The
disadvantages are: • this overindulgent style is associated with students [sic] lack of social competence and self-control. It is difficult for students to learn socially acceptable behavior when the teacher is so permissive. (cbv.ns) My initial reaction to this style was “Oh, no, I would not do this, ever.” However, I have had groups of students who were highly motivated to learn, and I realized that I had applied these techniques to them. It was fun to see them “take the wheel” with a project and apply their knowledge and experiences to completing it. What was interesting was seeing the natural leaders step up to guide the group and to provide their own corrections when
someone got off task. This recollection reminded me that a good classroom manager finds the appropriate style for the group at hand. I have had other student groups where this technique would not have worked because the students were not as motivated or self-directed. Indifferent Style Typical characteristics of an indifferent or “permissive” teacher are: • is not very involved in the classroom Advantages: • the students … enjoy a lot of freedom (local.lsu) Disadvantages: • classroom discipline is lacking. This teacher may lack the skills, confidence, or courage to discipline students. It was difficult to find anyone who listed an advantage to using this teaching style, and the site that did made me think that advantage was rather dubious. It appeared that everyone agreed it is
not a desirable choice. I hope I never use this style, but I can see how a teacher could come to choose it. When you are tired, when you have had your fill of student misbehavior, when life pulls you in so many directions you just don’t have the energy or time to pay attention to updating your curriculum; all of these can push you to indifference. Teaching versus Parenting Styles We saw at the end of the questionnaire text box that the labels for the four
teaching styles have their origins with the four parenting styles. This article suggests a reason for it. Whenever professors get together, you can bet that at least one of them will complain about students. The most common lament is that today’s students lack motivation, hold disrespectful attitudes, are irresponsible about completing assignments on time (or at all), are too dependent on their instructors, cheat on tests or plagiarize papers and feel entitled to good grades
and special treatment simply because they come to class. These professors contrast today’s troublesome students with the honest, motivated, responsible, independent and humble students that they were back in the day. There is debate about whether unmotivated, dependent, irresponsible, dishonest and hyper-entitled students are more numerous now than in the past …, but there is no doubt that having such students in class can create problems for their professors. Whether they actually do create
those problems depends to a great extent on the professor, which may explain why some classes seem to have so many more problematic students in them than others do. Traditional wisdom suggests that the most potentially problematic students in higher education come from homes where parents either failed to properly socialize them or, more likely, coddled them, overprotected them and covered for them to such an extent that many entered kindergarten with an artificially inflated level of
self-esteem, an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, overdeveloped sense of entitlement, minimal respect for authority and a readiness to blame others for their own shortcomings. The author uses different terminology for two of the styles: “permissive-indulgent” for laissez-faire, “permissive-neglectful” for indifferent. He goes on to describe the behaviors children might develop from the four parenting styles. Permissive-indulgent, permissive-neglectful and authoritarian parenting have all been associated with a variety of problematic personal, social and
emotional characteristics that can play out in academic settings in the form of anxiety and low achievement, but also in irresponsibility, impulsivity, dependency, lack of persistence, unreasonable expectations and demands and dishonesty. Authoritative parenting tends to be associated with the most adaptive social, emotional and moral development and with the fullest expression of children’s intellectual capabilities. (apa.org parenting) This made me consider my personal
parenting style and compare it with my personal teaching style. I see overlaps between them and my attitudes towards a child’s and a student’s behavior. He points out a specific parenting style as a possible culprit for poor student behavior: parenting research is consistent with the notion that permissive-indulgent parenting may play a particularly significant role in laying the groundwork for many of the student behaviors and attitudes teachers in postsecondary
education dislike so much. (apa.org parenting) He then describes the various teaching styles. Those descriptions are very similar to the ones I listed above, however he does add to the description of permissive-indulgent: • Permissive-indulgent teachers are deeply involved in teaching, and like helicopter parents, perhaps too much so. Though they are devoted to teaching, they fear doing anything that might create stress for students, stifle their personal
growth, or hurt their self-esteem. • Often, their lectures and other class activities follow the convoy principle in that they are pitched and paced at a level that is appropriate for the slowest students. • These teachers see students as children who need help and support to come to class, do their reading and get good grades, so they supplement their lectures with study sheets, PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, practice tests, rewards for coming to class and completing assigned
reading and many other student support aids designed to make it difficult or impossible for anyone to fail. • Some permissive-indulgent teachers allow students to influence the content of the course and may even offer a menu of testing options ranging from standard multiple-choice or essay exams to various kinds of papers, classroom presentations, posters and the like. Their goal is to allow students to choose the testing option that best suits their needs and preferences, including their
perceived learning styles. They do so despite the fact that there is little or no scientific evidence that learning styles operate in a significant way, except as learning preferences. • Although permissive-indulgent teachers establish course requirements and deadlines, they tend to be flexible in enforcing them and sometimes make special arrangements with, and allowances for, individual students on a case-by-case basis. • They are eager to help students succeed, even if it means
lowering standards for success, including by offering certain individuals extra credit opportunities. They spend countless hours working with students who ask for help. • Of particular significance is their belief that students’ efforts to succeed are at least as deserving of reward as the outcome of those efforts, as embodied in test scores and other performance assessments. One observer invoked the addiction literature in describing these teachers as “co-dependent enablers” of their
students’ lack of motivation, irresponsibility and other academic problems. (apa.org parenting) In fact, he offers a list of possible motivations for a teacher to choose this style: • A permissive-indulgent style can protect a teacher’s self-esteem, too, because many such teachers believe that when students don’t do well it is mostly the teacher’s fault. • A permissive-indulgent style also provides a way to avoid unpleasant conflicts over rules
and grades, because the rules can so easily be bent, especially for the most demanding or apparently deserving students. • permissive-indulgent teachers may expect that their style — especially if accompanied by a generous grading system — can enhance student evaluations and thus their chances for tenure, promotion and pay raises. (apa.org parenting) I find this enlightening, because I see a push to teach this way growing in the secondary education world and I see
students arriving in my classroom with the expectation that I will do all these things for them. The idea that I should do everything for my students to keep them from failing has always struck me as wrong. There are advantages to knowing you can fail and there is much to be learned if you have to put in the time and effort to make your own study aids. I truly do not want to be a “co-dependent enabler.” In fact, I am drawn to his description of an authoritative teacher: • Authoritative teachers, like authoritative parents, employ a blend of high involvement and firm but fair discipline. • They care about their teaching and their students, but they reward outcome, not effort. • These teachers see students as responsible adults, so although they are always willing to help, they are careful not to create dependency or to let themselves be exploited or manipulated. • They reward academic success with praise as well as high grades,
they encourage students to try harder when they need to, and they grant requests for special consideration only if disability or other circumstances clearly justify doing so under school policies. • They think carefully about their rules and standards, announce them in advance, explain why they are necessary and enforce them consistently. (apa.org parenting) The author summarizes these observations here: Assuming that differing teaching styles,
like different parenting styles, have differing impacts, the permissive-indulgent style in particular may be serving to reinforce undesirable student attitudes and behaviors. In other words, permissive-indulgent professors should not be surprised if they always seem to have more than their fair share of problematic students. Parenting research, a small number of empirical studies on teaching styles in higher education … and the wisdom accumulated over the years by experienced teachers … suggest
that an authoritative style is the one most likely to promote student learning, critical thinking and personal development and least likely to nurture student misbehavior. (apa.org parenting) While reading this, I asked myself, “Why don’t all teachers use the authoritative style?” The author replies, Some have simply not been exposed to authoritative teaching during their own educations, so they can’t emulate it. And even if they have seen this style in
action, not everyone wants to be authoritative; other teaching styles might be better matched to their personalities or are more attractive because they require less effort. (apa.org parenting) Teaching is a Performance Art You can choose your teaching style and change it as needed. You should choose the one that is appropriate for the situation at hand. And you need to keep in mind how your behavior is influencing your students. It has
been said before and in all probability that the single most significant factor in a student’s learning is the teacher. This claim is attested by Ginott who declared that the decisive element in the classroom is the teacher. This is so since the teacher’s personal approach is primarily the factor that creates the climate and his or her daily mood makes the weather. A teacher therefore, possesses a tremendous power to make a student’s life miserable or joyous. Furthermore, a teacher can be a tool
of torture or an instrument of inspiration; can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal or can even humanize or dehumanize a learner, concluded Ginott. (local.lsu) This as a huge responsibility but not an insurmountable one. I see teaching as a performance art. The teacher is the lead actor, and can influence the moods of the audience, AKA the students. The process of maintaining a calm and productive classroom environment starts with the teacher. The action and
attitudes of a teacher toward a student who is misbehaving can make the situation better or worse. Have you ever noticed that on a day that you are not feeling well, the students are more poorly behaved? Students look to the teacher for consistency and safety in the classroom. Some kids will become anxious and withdraw if it appears that a teacher cannot handle behavior problems. Other students, however, will retaliate if they feel a teacher is overreacting to a situation in a hostile and
unnecessary way. (bridges4kids) In choosing the most appropriate classroom management style, a teacher must see to it that such style must aid him/her in getting the tasks of teaching, marking, and assessment done excellently. Fiddler and Atton pointed out that teachers must perform satisfactorily in order to become effective in carrying out their tasks especially in teaching. This implies that a teacher should not be only concerned with his or her style in classroom management. Moreover,
he/she must also be fully conscious of his/her performance in the classroom. (local.lsu) In summary, the classroom management process is purposive, that is, the teacher uses various managerial styles or approaches to achieve a well-defined, clearly identified purpose – the establishment and maintenance of those classroom conditions the teacher feels will facilitate effective and efficient instruction with students. (local.lsu) Self-Assessment,
Part Two What follows are a series of questions you can utilize as a checklist for behaviors you want to have in your classroom. Some are more appropriate for one management style than another, so I recommend you skip the ones that don’t apply to you. I see using this list as a valuable tool to get me in the right mindset before the semester starts and also to get me back to the right mindset if I have dealt with problem students or a challenge in my personal life. It, quite
possibly, can help me avoid becoming an “indifferent teacher.” 1. Maximize structure and predictability in the classroom a) I establish and explicitly teach student procedures. 2. Establish, teach, and positively state classroom expectations. a) My rules are stated as “do’s” instead of
“nos” or “don’ts.” 3. Managing behavior through effective instructional delivery a) I conduct smooth and efficient transitions between activities. 4. Actively engage students in observable ways a) I maximize multiple and varied opportunities for each student to respond during my instruction. 5. Evaluate Instruction a) At the end of
the activity, I know how many students have met the objective 7. Use a continuum of strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior a) I provide specific and immediate contingent acknowledgement for academic and social behaviors (e.g., following expectations). 8. Use a continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior a) I provide specific, contingent, and brief error corrections (stating expected behavior) for academic and social errors. 9. Developing caring and supportive relationships a) I learn and use student names by the end of week 2. 10. Teach about responsibility and provide opportunities for students to contribute to the good functioning of the classroom a) I use general classroom procedures and student jobs to enhance student responsibility. All information from (indiana SACM). Item 6 was omitted as not applicable for a college classroom. I recommend that you assess yourself on a scale of “need to do”, “need to improve” and “goal achieved” for all items you want to apply to your classroom. This can help you track your progress as well as identify your areas for improvement. Cited web sites for “Self-Assessment” apa.org parenting bridges4kids cbv.ns educational business educational business, situational fast company icsei.net indiana SACM local.lsu phi.ilstu scribd.com verywell.com Wikipedia authoritarian PDF version for download: 04 Specific Teacher Skills 04a Citations for Specific Teacher Skills Teaching, in a nutshell! The teacher … is expected to elicit work from students. Students in all subjects and activities must engage in directed activities which are believed to produce learning. Their behavior, in short, should be purposeful, normatively
controlled, and steady; concerns with discipline and control, in fact, largely revolve around the need to get work done by immature, changeful, and divergent persons who are confined in a small space. (lib.dr.iastate) Specifically, how do we do this? There are skills a teacher can have to achieve better classroom management and reduce student distractions. They fall under some general categories from (edglossary). Behavior • the ability
to monitor student behavior provides an awareness of what happens at all times in the classroom which prevents potential problems escalating into serious distractions (lib.dr.iastate) Environment • the impression that the teacher creates as a “helping person” (lib.dr.iastate) Expectations • set high expectations for student behavior and for academics (thoughtco) Activities • to challenge students with a variety of activities that generate interest and enthusiasm
(lib.dr.iastate) Improving Student Behaviors We’ll start with techniques designed to improve the way your students, as a group, behave in your classroom. One technique is called the “How Not” strategy. The “how not” strategy is so powerful because it clarifies for students exactly what unacceptable behavior looks like, and they’ll immediately recognize it. In fact, when you use this strategy, you’ll find your students laughing and
nodding their heads knowingly. Some of its power comes from its entertaining qualities. When you use the “how not” strategy, your students will be fully engaged. They may even clamor for you to teach it again. … Seeing things from a different perspective changes the way students view their world. Allow your students to see what their poor behavior looks like and how it affects others, and it will hit home like no other classroom management strategy. While I am not certain I would use this technique for every behavior I want my students to have, it
certainly might work well for certain issues, like “how to behave when you arrive late to class.” Another is called “A Simple Way to Improve Listening”. Stand in one place. Find a spot in your room where your students can see you without turning in their seats. Pause there a moment and ask for their attention. You’ll not only give your directions from here, but you’ll stay in this spot until they’re finished following them. Give your directions once. After
receiving their quiet attention, give the directions you want them to follow one time—which is the key the strategy. Speak in a normal voice, erring on the side of too softly than too loudly. Let them flounder. The first time you use this strategy your students may struggle. How much they struggle will be an indicator of how bad things have gotten and how readily they disregard the sound of your voice. Go ahead and let them be confused and unsure of what to do. Remain
motionless. Resist the urge to jump in and repeat yourself, cajole, or talk them through what you want them to do. Just stand in place and observe. Reveal nothing in terms of what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. Let your leaders take over. Slowly, leaders will emerge to either model for the others what to do or speak up and do the cajoling and repeating for you. This is good. Allow them to take on this responsibility. Wait. Don’t move or say anything until
they’re finished following your directions and quiet. Pause for 30 seconds or so to let the lesson sink in. Give the next direction. When you’re satisfied that all of the science folders are out on their desks, or whatever direction was given, give your next direction. The second time should be noticeably better—faster, sharper, and needing fewer leaders. Continue giving directions once. If the second direction went better than the first, then you’re on the right track.
Go ahead and give another. Eventually, and as long as you’re giving directions only one time, you’ll be able to increase the complexity. Make it practice in the beginning. You may want your first foray into this directions-only-once strategy to be practice. Start slow. Ask your students to do one simple thing—like clear their desks. In time, your students will be able to follow multiple step directions with ease. If the first time is a disaster . . . If the first time you
try this strategy your students are unable to get it completed (arguing, confusion, disharmony), that’s okay. All hope isn’t lost. Simply ask for and wait for their attention, then start over from the beginning. They’ll get it. … Why It Works Students become poor listeners when they know they don’t have to listen. You see, when they know you’ll repeat yourself and hold their hand through every direction and every lesson, they have no reason to listen. When they haven’t been forced—or even allowed—to think for themselves, when they’re unburdened by any responsibility to pay attention, they tune out. They daydream. They let life happen to them. It’s human nature. But when you give directions only one time, and your students know that that’s all they’re getting, then they learn quite naturally, automatically even, to tune in to the sound of your voice. They learn to listen for what you want. And each time you use this
strategy, which isn’t so much a strategy as the way things ought to be, more and more students will come on board. More and more students will become less dependent on you and more dependent on themselves. Habits will change. Maturity and independence will grow. And listening will become a matter of routine. (smart classroom simple) This harks back to the classroom management styles, where you don’t want to be a co-dependent enabler. It also sets
students up well for the next class they take and even for their jobs and careers. I think the first direction to give is to get them to pay attention to you in the first place. That looks like a good starting point, especially for the first day of class. Here is a suggested technique: The ability to ask for and receive your students’ attention is crucial. It’s crucial because it saves precious learning time. It improves listening and performance. It allows
you to give instruction anytime you need to and know that it will be heard and understood. It’s good practice to explain why what you’re asking of your students is important and worth practicing—in all areas of classroom management. This is a critical step in motivating them to not only go along with your expectations, but to agree with them on the basis that they make the classroom better and more enjoyable. This underscores the
importance of selling not just your lessons, but anything and everything you want your students to be able to do well. Step 2: Choose a signal. Many teachers prefer train whistles, bells, and other manufactured sounds to signal for attention. And although these can work fine (as long as you remain in the classroom), your voice is a better option—because it will help develop the habit of listening attentively whenever you speak. It’s an act of respect that will affect how they view you as the leader of the classroom. I recommend a simple: “Can I have your attention please?” Step 3: Expect an immediate response. The biggest mistake teachers make is allowing students more time than they need to respond. This is key. When you frame your expectations in any terms other than immediate, your students will push their response time back further and
further. The result is that you’ll be waiting for their attention for increasingly longer periods of time until, at some point, they just won’t bother. By expecting your students to be looking and listening to you before you even get to the end of your sentence, you’ll never have to wait and rarely have to reteach. Step 4: Model it. Your students need to see exactly what giving you their attention looks like. To that end, sit at a student’s desk and
pretend you’re working independently or as part of a group. You may also want to model other common scenarios like, for example, if they’re up and getting a tissue or playing a learning game or rotating through centers. Have a student play the part of the teacher while you engage in the activity. Upon their signal, stop what you’re doing, turn your body to face them, and listen without moving. You’re setting your expectations and thus should model precisely what you want.
Adding how not to do it is also a good idea. Step 5: Make practice fun. Practicing routines and expectations with a spirit of fun will always result in greater buy-in. If you give your students something silly to say while they’re pretending to work in groups, or engaged in other scenarios, learning will be faster, deeper, and longer lasting. Any nonsensical phrase will do. In the past, I’ve used “hey, hey, whaddya say,” “murmur, murmur,” and “blah, blah,
blah,” as well as a few others. The goofier, the better. Allow them to talk for 30 seconds or so, and then ask for their attention. Practice until they’re able to be still, silent, and looking at you in less than two seconds. Everything Easier It’s best to put the routine into play as soon as possible. (smart classroom attention) The next technique addresses students talking on the side. Side-talking can be especially
frustrating because, although it’s done out of earshot, it’s remarkably disruptive. When your students turn their attention away from you and to a neighbor, they miss important instruction and learning time … It can also delay them from getting their independent work done and distract them from deeper understanding. Furthermore, side-talking begets more side-talking, as students catch the contagion and pass it along to others. Ignoring the problem just isn’t an option. You
can certainly enforce a consequence, but an oft-repeated and valid complaint from teachers is that it can be difficult to determine who exactly is doing the side-talking and who is merely listening or asking the other to stop. 1. Define it. Before you can begin fixing the problem of side-talking, you must define it for your students. They need to know specifically what your definition of side-talking is and what it looks like. There may be times when you
allow it—or a form of it. If so, your students need to know when those times are and what appropriate side-talking looks like. Modeling all forms—right and wrong, appropriate and not—is key to their understanding. 2. Provide them a tool. Once your students are clear about what side-talking is, and when it is and isn’t okay, the next step is to empower them with a tool they can use to curb inappropriate side-talking on their own and without saying a word. The
tool you’ll show them is a simple hand gesture they’ll display to whoever attempts to side-talk with them during a lesson, while immersed in independent work, or whenever you deem unacceptable. 3. Teach them how to use it. As long as it isn’t culturally offensive, any sign or motion of the hand will do. Crossing the first two fingers and shaking lightly is a good way to go. It’s a gesture conspicuous enough for you to see from across the room and all students can
perform it easily. To show how it works, sit at a student’s desk or in a table group while your class is circled around. Pretend to be focused on your work or a lesson when a classmate leans in to interrupt. Quickly and pleasantly show your signal and then turn back to whatever you were doing. 4. Practice politeness. It’s important to emphasize that the gesture is nothing more than a polite reminder to a friend. It’s like saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk
right now.” It isn’t aggressive or angry and it should never accompany any talking or admonition. Pair students up or put them in groups and have them practice, reminding them to use pleasant facial expressions and body language. Show them precisely and thoroughly how it’s done this first time, and they won’t do it any other way. Be sure and also practice the appropriate response when on the receiving end of the gesture. Namely, a quick nod of the head and then back to fulfilling
their responsibilities. And because it comes from within, it is a powerful deterrent. (smart classroom curb) One thing you, as instructor, will have to do before implementing this technique is decide when it is and is
not appropriate to have side-talking. Think about your experiences both as student and teacher. Then make a list and label them as acceptable and not. Next up is the idea of using pauses in your talking to help students learn and focus. One of the most common errors teachers make when presenting lessons, providing directions, or otherwise addressing students is to string sentences together with very little gap between them. In other words, the teacher will move from
one thought, idea, or bit of information to the next without delay—often filling the gaps with ands, ums, likes, and meaningless words. It’s how most of us speak in our day-to-day life. But the negative effect it can have on students, and on your ability to keep their attention, is substantial. You see, bridging phrases together without allowing your students time to absorb them makes you uninteresting and difficult to follow. It causes students to turn their attention away
from you and toward the daydreams, distractions, and misbehavior opportunities around them. A simple way to correct this problem, and at the same time become a more effective teacher, is to include frequent, and at times even lengthy, pauses in your speech. Here’s why these little gems of silence are so powerful: They’re predictive. Anticipating answers and outcomes improves learning, and when you pause, your students will instinctively predict what you’re going to say
next. You can use this instinct to your advantage by pausing before revealing important ideas, words, theories, or points of emphasis. They build suspense. When used strategically, a pause creates suspense and curiosity in the listener, causing them to sit up straighter and lean in closer. It can make the most mundane information seem interesting and worth listening to—making easier a critical skill many teachers struggle with. They add depth and drama. Pausing can be as
important as content when presenting lessons. With the right timing and pace—and a bit of attitude—it can infuse your words and the visualizations you create with depth and drama, flair and emotion. It can help bring your curriculum to life, giving it the punch and energy it needs to matter to your students. They discourage misbehavior. Speaking without intentional pausing sounds like droning to students, who are quick to lose interest, grow bored, and misbehave. An occasional two or
three second pause breaks up the familiar tone of your voice, keeps students on their toes, and helps them stay checked in and on task. They allow you to adjust. A pause gives you a moment to quickly assess your students’ understanding. It allows you to make eye contact, stay in touch, and make adjustments to your teaching along the way. It trains you to be sensitive to their needs and attuned to their nonverbal reactions to your lessons. They help your students retain
information. An occasional pause, if for only a second or two, breaks ideas, theories, and directives into chunks, allowing them to sink in before your students are rushed along to the next thing. This improves memory and understanding and gives your students a framework from which to build upon more learning. It’s The Simple Things There are no hard and fast rules about when, how often, or how long you should pause. You learn and become better and nimbler at using them through
experience. At first, pausing just a couple of seconds may seem like a long time. It may feel strange and uncomfortable—even for your students. But in time, you’ll love the impact it has on your teaching. You’ll find yourself speaking with more confidence—using your body and facial expressions more, becoming more dynamic and more willing to take chances with storytelling, playacting, and the like. Your words will have more power. Your lessons will prove more effective.
Your students will be more attentive and more interested in you—and less interested in misbehaving. Like much of classroom management, it is the simple things—the tried and true—when applied consistently, day after day, and perfected over time . . . That adds up to great teaching. (smart classroom pause) I have noticed that pausing after I say something important often gives students a chance to ask a question – and that question addresses the very next point
I plan on making. Not only does this help me assess student learning, but it gives me the opportunity to point out to the student what a great question it is. Another important aspect of improving student behavior is setting limits. The advice here is insightful and specific, and helps set the right attitude for creating and stating those limits. • Setting a limit is not the same as issuing an ultimatum. Limits offer choices with consequences—If you attend group and follow the other steps in your plan, you’ll be able to attend all of the special activities this weekend. If you don’t attend group, then you’ll have to stay behind. It’s your decision. Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result
in predictable consequences. By giving such choices and consequences, staff members provide a structure for good decision making. Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits. (cpi setting limits) The same site offers a five-step approach to limit setting. They offer it as “a productive way to deal with out-of-control individuals,” but I see it as a way to deal with any individual who needs to understand societal rules and norms. Saying “Stop that!” may not be enough. The person may not know if you are objecting to how loudly he is talking or objecting to the language that
he is using. Be specific. Again, don’t assume that the person knows why her behavior is not acceptable. Is she disturbing others? Being disrespectful? Not doing a task she’s been assigned? Instead of issuing an ultimatum (“Do this or else”), tell the person what his choices are, and what the consequences of
those choices will be. Ultimatums often lead to power struggles because no one wants to be forced to do something. By providing choices with consequences, you are admitting that you cannot force his decision. But you can determine what the consequences for his choices will be. Generally, it’s best to allow the person a few moments to make her decision. Remember that if she’s upset, she may not be thinking clearly. It may take longer
for her to think through what you’ve said to her. Limit setting is meaningless if you don’t consistently enforce the consequences you’ve set. For that reason, it’s important to set consequences that are reasonable, enforceable, within your authority, and within the policies and procedures of your facility or school. Limits are powerful tools for teaching appropriate behavior. Their purpose is not
to show who’s boss, but to give the individuals in your charge guidance, respect, and a feeling of security. (cpi setting limits) Improving You, The Teacher These techniques are designed to help you manage your class and make your teaching life easier in the long run. The first is considering the way you speak to your students. It’s common for teachers to bemoan the state of listening in their classroom. … Rarely will they look inward and analyze their own practice. They assume that students either listen well or they don’t, and that they have little to do about it. But the truth is, you have a profound effect on listening. Consistency, temperament, likability, clarity, presentation skills, and even tidiness are all important factors. There are also strategies that can improve listening almost instantaneously, which you can find in our archive. But one of the most important factors is how you speak when giving directions. What follows are three simple changes that can make a big difference. Most teachers talk too much. Their voice is a looping soundtrack to every day—reminding, warning, micromanaging, and guiding students through every this and that. If you cut the amount of talking you do by a third, and focus only on what your students need to know, then what you say will have greater impact. Your words will reach their intended destination, and your students will begin tuning you in rather than tuning you out. It’s common to increase your volume to get students to listen better. But a loud voice is unpleasant and too easy to hear. It causes them to look away and busy themselves with other things. When you lower your voice, however, and speak just loud enough for students in the back of the room to hear, they instinctively lean in. They stop moving and rustling. They read your lips, facial expressions, and body language. By requiring a small
amount of effort, your students will listen more intently. When you repeat the same directions over and over, you train your students not to listen to you the first time. You encourage apathy and lighten their load of responsibility. Saying it once creates urgency. It motivates action and causes students to stay locked in to the sound of your voice. It also invests them in their learning. They begin to understand that
education isn’t something that is done to them. Rather, it’s something they go out and get for themselves. Stay The Course If you’re struggling with listening, the above strategies will do wonders. At first, however, they may cause things to get worse. Because your students have grown accustomed to you taking on the burden
for their listening, they may very well ignore you. They may become even slower to action. This is normal. It tells you how far learned helplessness has taken root in your classroom. But once they feel the shift in responsibility from you to them, they’ll begin to change. They’ll begin looking at you, tracking your movements, and anticipating what you want them to do next. They’ll begin nodding their heads and eagerly completing your directions. They’ll become
empowered to do for themselves because responsibility feels good. It’s important. It fills with pride. It makes good listeners. (smart classroom speaking) A related technique is how you conduct yourself in your classroom: stage presence. There is a common misconception that you must have a big presence to be an effective leader. You must psych yourself up, throw your shoulders back, and move boldly among your students. Your voice
must boom. Your walk must swagger. Your eyes must squint and narrow in on your charges. And while classroom presence is important, it isn’t born of overconfidence, forcefulness, or aggression. It’s born of gentleness. Here’s why: Gentleness is respected. 21st-century students respond best to a calm,
even-handed approach to classroom management. They appreciate honesty and kindness. They respect it, and thus, are quick to listen and please their teacher. The older the students are, the more this is true. Gentleness lowers stress. Without saying a word, a gentle presence removes classroom stress, tension, and anxiety. It soothes and alleviates excitability and distraction—which are two major causes of misbehavior. It equals a happier, more productive classroom. Gentleness curtails pushback. Enforcing consequences calmly and consistently diminishes the possibility that your students will argue, complain, or lie to you about their misbehavior. Instead, they’ll quietly take responsibility. Gentleness builds rapport. When you carry yourself with a gentle demeanor, you become more likable to your students. In fact, it’s an easy and predictable way to build powerful leverage, influence, and rapport. Which makes everything easier. Gentleness feels good. Beginning each morning with a poised, easygoing manner will make you a lot happier. Inconveniences won’t get on your nerves. Difficult students won’t get under your
skin. You’ll be refreshed at the end of every day. Gentleness Isn’t Weakness Weakness is when you lose emotional control. It’s when you lecture, berate, and admonish students instead of following your classroom management plan. It’s when you take misbehavior personally. Gentleness, on the other
hand, is strong. It’s capable and confident. It says that you’re in control and that your students can relax and focus on their responsibilities. This doesn’t mean your lessons won’t be dynamic and passionate. It doesn’t mean you won’t be enthusiastic or you won’t demand excellence from your students. Gentleness isn’t sleepiness. Nor is it afraid and cowering in a corner. It’s a calm, reassuring approach to managing your classroom that communicates to every student that you’re
a leader worth following. Martin Luther King Jr. was gentle. So were Rosa Parks and Abraham Lincoln. And so are the happiest and most effective teachers on earth. (smart classroom gentleness) Have you ever given your students “the look”? Here is an argument against that strategy. Note that this is different from making eye contact with your students, which can be a beneficial move. It’s a popular strategy. You notice two
students talking and giggling during a lesson, for example. So you move into their field of vision and give them “the look.” You deliver the old evil eye. You communicate with your piercing stare and tight lips that you dislike what they’re doing. That they better cut it out, or else. Which may indeed stop them from continuing to disrupt your lesson. The problem, however, is that the strategy causes more misbehavior in the future. Here’s why: It’s
antagonistic. Whenever you glare at students, or otherwise try to intimidate them into behaving, you create a you-against-them relationship. You make it personal. You give the impression that not only are you angry, but you dislike them personally. After all, when someone gives a dirty look, that’s the natural
conclusion—especially with children. It causes private hurt and resentment and ultimately results in you having far less influence over their behavior choices. It’s confusing. When you give a “look,” you have no way of knowing whether your students understand what it means. They may not even be sure you’re looking at them or what behavior you’re referring to. Short of saying, “Hey Emily, I gave you that look earlier because you weren’t on task,” chances
are they’ll be confused. Effective classroom management requires you to communicate clearly with your students, to tell them directly how they transgressed the rules and what will happen as a result. It’s inconsistent. When you promise to follow your classroom management plan, but then go back on your word and glare instead,
you send the message that you can’t be trusted. Furthermore, the use of intimidation, no matter how mild it seems in the moment, isn’t accountability. It doesn’t result in students taking responsibility or vowing to do better in the future. It just makes them angry and emboldened to misbehave behind your back. A leader worth following is someone who does what they say they’re going to do. No Friction Giving a “look” is another in a long line of strategies
that can curb misbehavior in the moment, but that make classroom management more difficult down the line. Sadly, this strategy is recommended by more than a few educational “experts.” It’s passed around as a viable solution because, by golly, it gets Robert back on track. But now Robert can’t stand his teacher and has little motivation to push himself academically. To create a peaceful learning environment that frees you to be the inspiring and influential teacher you were meant to be, you must be able to hold your students accountable without causing friction. You must follow your classroom management plan as its written and give them an opportunity to take responsibility all on their own—without your dirty looks, lectures, or two cents. In this way, you maintain your likability and influence. You safeguard your relationships. You create a world that makes sense, a world your students love being part of. A world where you can teach without disruption. (smart classroom the look) What about student accountability? I have no problem expecting my students to be responsible for their choices but then I worry about how this could make me a “mean teacher” and have groups of students running to the dean about it.
Many teachers I’ve spoken to for this project have said it is important to “pick your battles.” Here is an argument against it.
What I like about this argument is that it enforces the idea that there should never be a battle in the first place. Correct the behavior and go on teaching. Be gentle, be fair, talk calmly, and avoid escalation. One website gives a very good idea for helping a teacher keep calm and enforce the rules:
What Not to Do All the techniques discussed so far may or may not be applicable to you and your classroom. However, you might still have management issues. Below is a discussion of how classroom management should work and also a checklist of things you shouldn’t do, just in case you haven’t noticed yourself doing them.
Cited web sites for “Specific Teacher Skills” Format: reference name in text cpi setting limits edglossary lib.dr.iastate smart classroom accountability smart classroom attention smart classroom battles smart classroom curb smart
classroom gentleness smart classroom improve smart classroom keep cool smart classroom not to do smart classroom pause smart classroom simple smart classroom speaking smart classroom the
look thoughtco Wikipedia Classroom
Management: PDF version for download: 05 Common Mistakes 05a Bad ideas 1 05b Bad ideas 2 05c Citations for Common Mistakes ___________________ I am presenting this information as given on the websites.
______________________________________________________________________________ The following pages are presented as they were published. I thought they were good advice from experienced teachers. Ten Worst Teaching Mistakes by Felder and Brent (ncsu lockers 1 and ncsu lockers 2) 05a Bad ideas 1 05b Bad ideas 2 Cited web sites for “Common Mistakes” Format: reference name in text Barbetta, Common mistakes:
https://pll.asu.edu/p/sites/default/files/lrm/attachments/Classroom_Mistakes_week2.pdf ncsu lockers 1 ncsu lockers 2 Wikipedia Classroom Management: PDF version for download: 06 How to Handle Hecklers 06a Citations for How to Handle Hecklers How to Handle Hecklers We have all had “that student,” the one who wants to take over lecture, to challenge every point you make, to shift the topic to one he wants to address instead, or to put on a show for his classmates. We need to be able to regain control of the situation and redirect his behavior appropriately. And we need to do this in a professional and instructive manner. It was recommended to me to find out what professional stand-up comedians do for this, but I found their techniques use ridicule, insults, sarcasm, and even putting the heckler “on the spot” by inviting them on stage. I feel these methods would be detrimental to the classroom, especially since we see our “audience” more than once. I found the best advice came from professional speakers. There are two types of heckling:
There are also four types of hecklers:
When someone interrupts, the first question you have to ask yourself is, “Is this person a heckler or not?” This is important, as we see here:
Once you are sure you are dealing with a heckler, you have options on how to deal with him.
There are some other good techniques, too:
It is always important to avoid asking the heckler questions when you can’t really control the answers. You don’t want to give the heckler opportunities to add to his heckling. Cited web sites for “How to Handle Hecklers” Format: reference name in text accidentalcommunicator linkedin hecklers public words riklanresources speakingaboutpresenting speakerhub heckler thought leadership PDF version for download: 07 Hostile Students 07a Citations for Hostile Students Hostile Students This is a good analysis of the possible background of hostile students, and helpful advice, too. Keep in mind that this is aimed at the K-12 classroom, and that in community college, we have the right to remove the student from the class:
There are other resources that give advice on handling students who are escalating the situation. This one is short and direct on how the teacher can act.
It is possible that a student might bring a weapon into the situation, and we need to know how to react to that, too.
All good advice. The hard part is remembering it if the problem ever occurs. Cited web sites for “Hostile Students” Format: reference name in text cehs cpi verbal intervention cpi weapon PDF version for download: 08 Effective Communication Strategies 08a Citations for Effective Communication Strategies Effective Communication Strategies It is worthwhile to include a focus just on good and effective communication strategies. Not only is it important while you are teaching, it can be a game-changer if you are dealing with a stressed student.
We need a definition of the “Integrated Experience:”
And also, a definition of “paraverbal:”
Here is more on paraverbals.
This idea of your words and body language being misunderstood or culturally misinterpreted is important. Also, you could be misinterpreting the other person’s words or body language: this works both ways. The safer strategy is to use several communication modes, to increase your chance of being heard and understood as you intend.
The counterpoint to having someone listen to your communications is for you to listen to them. You also need to be able to assess the truth or falsity of their statements by looking at their paraverbals.
Some of our verbal communications are on the phone, where paraverbals are not visible. Another aspect to consider is keeping your audience in mind: do they know the vocabulary you will be using?
When your communications are in writing, there are important points to keep in mind.
Teaching is communication, through reading, writing, and speaking. We can consider how we are communicating through all these methods, while keeping in mind cultural interpretations. I don’t see this as meaning we have to be worried about misinterpretations; just to be aware they can happen and respond well if a student voices questions or concerns. Classroom management requires us to be able to assess a student’s words and body language. This helps us determine a good response that will not escalate or even de-escalate the situation. Effective communication strategies make us that much better at it. Cited web sites for “Effective Communication Strategies” Format: reference name in text cpi customer service cpi training concepts ucdpreceptors ucdpreceptors 2 ucdpreceptors 3 ucdpreceptors 4 ucdpreceptors
5 ucdpreceptors 6 PDF version for download: 09 Role Play Scenarios 09a Citations for Role Play Scenarios Role Play Scenarios Sometimes it is helpful to think about how you would react to a situation before you actually encounter it. You can also discuss the situations with colleagues to broaden your point of view and options. Following are a variety of scenarios we might encounter in a community college classroom. When considering them, you might want to write down what you have done in the past. Was it an effective response? What would you do differently, now that you know more about classroom management?
Cited web sites for “Role Play Scenarios” Format: reference name in text Bob DOE Virginia Prentiss TJ usf.edu PDF version for download: 10 Classroom Management Guidelines 10a Citations for Classroom Management Guidelines Classroom Management Guidelines It often helps to have the ideas, concepts, and tips put into a short, summarized list. Below are various lists I found that support the previous sections.
NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO REQUESTS AND RULES What can you do when you are confronted with students who are negative about rational requests and/or rules?
LACK OF RESPECT What do you do with students who show a lack of respect for adults, peers, their belongings, and the property of others?
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS What steps can be followed to resolve a child’s constant misbehavior?
ARGUMENTATIVE STUDENT How can the teacher deal with a child who becomes argumentative upon confrontation?
Cited web sites for “Classroom Management Guidelines” Format: reference name in text apa.org CM cpi management strategies DOE Virginia teachervision.com usf.edu PDF version for download: 11 Perry’s Stages of Cognitive Development 11a Citations for Perry’s Stages of Cognitive Development Perry’s Stages of Cognitive Development I could write about this in my own words, but I found several websites that explained it so well that I decided to present them in their entirety. What follows are their words, not mine, including any in-text citations. __________________________________________________________
Cited web sites for “Perry’s Stages of Cognitive Development” Format: reference name in text cse buffalo cse buffalo teaching mason gmu ncsu unity PDF version for download: 12 Teacher Fears 12a Citations for Teacher Fears Teacher Fears It is normal and rational to have fears, concerns, or questions about your teaching. Your inexperience, your experiences, and your professionalism all contribute to this: Having high standards for yourself and your work can cause you to worry. What follows are comments made by and advice from teachers, given to teachers. The first lists fears about their own preparedness.
Next, a veteran teacher describes the feelings they had about going to class and how they dealt with them. However, as the years passed and I became more and more tired and unhappy, I realized that I was becoming afraid of walking into the classroom.
This section discusses many common teaching fears and gives constructive advice on how to view them. While we at the community college don’t often deal with parents, they do occasionally show up and we need to know how to talk to them.
Here are some solid ideas for facing your fears and getting yourself ready to handle your classroom.
This next part is similar but takes a different look at our fears, and also offers some thought questions with a matching exercise.
And finally, more advice on dealing with your fears of anything, not just teaching, as well as tips for self-care.
There is a lot of good advice here! It is very easy to neglect ourselves in order to be the “best teacher we can be.” However, if we are not feeling well and healthy, we can’t expect to do our best in the classroom day after day. Our careers are long-term, so our self-care and positive attitudes need to reflect that. Cited web sites for “Teacher Fears” Format: reference name in text coolcatteacher depts.washington itdi.pro itdi.pro fear factor siobhancurious study.com 5 fears PDF version for download: 13 Overcoming Stage Fright 13a Citations for Overcoming Stage Fright Overcoming Stage Fright New teachers as well as seasoned veterans can get nervous or worried before getting up in front of a class. It could be the beginning of a new semester, and you are excited about starting up after break. It could be that you’ve had some rough times and you are worried this day might also be rough. Whatever the reason, it helps to have some techniques to help you relax.
Cited web sites for “Overcoming Stage Fright” Format: reference name in text edutopia stage fright PDF version for download: 14 Frustration Assumptions 14a Citations for Frustration Assumptions Frustration Assumptions It is easy to fall into the trap of expecting everything in your teaching day to go a certain way. Between your planning, your experience, and your knowledge of your students, you should have it down, right? But this can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction with your abilities. Here are some insights to help you accept that problems will happen.
Cited web sites for “Frustration Assumptions” Format: reference name in text edutopia frustration assumptions PDF version for download: 15 Secondary Trauma Stress 15a Citations for Secondary Trauma Stress ProQOL_5_English_Self-Score_3-2012 Secondary Trauma Stress Our classrooms are not the idyllic examples we might have envisioned when we considered becoming teachers: Happy students eagerly working on the amazing activities we provide for them or listening attentively to our fascinating presentations. We get students who have experienced abuse, homelessness, poverty, gang violence, addiction, and more. They might share some of that with us, and that helps us understand why they are having problems concentrating, getting their work done, coming to class, or behaving well. Hearing the trauma can leave us with an emotional weight, called secondary trauma stress. The symptoms include: “anger, cynicism, anxiousness, avoidance, chronic exhaustion, disconnection, fear, guilt, hopelessness, hypervigilance, inability to listen, loss of creativity, poor boundaries, poor self-care, and sleeplessness.” (edutopia secondary traumatic stress) One way you can assess yourself and your feelings is by taking the Professional Quality of Life survey. It measures “Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatique.” There is a copy of the survey at the end of this section, or you can visit their website and download the PDF. (proqol pdf) Here are some techniques to use as part of your self-care, especially if you are experiencing secondary trauma stress:
Cited web sites for “Secondary Trauma Stress” Format: reference name in text edutopia secondary traumatic stress proqol pdf PDF version for download: 17 Classroom Purpose 17a Classroom Purpose PPT Classroom Purpose After understanding that students do not always enter my classroom knowing they are there to learn, I wanted to find a way to help them acquire that mindset. I created a short PowerPoint presentation to show them at the beginning of the semester. While I don’t expect it to be successful for every student, I hope it will get enough students to recognize our shared goal and to help reduce problem behaviors. 17a Classroom Purpose PPT in PDF format PDF version for download: 18 Classroom Management Questionnaire and Results 18a CM Questionnaire 18b Exemplary Response to Questionnaire 18c CM Questionnaire Results 1 18c CM Questionnaire Results 2 Classroom Management Questionnaire For this project I attended three classes relating to classroom management. I noticed that most of the students were K through 12 teachers, so I took advantage of that and asked them to fill out a classroom management questionnaire of my own design. I also sent out a general request online, through social media, for teachers who were interested in filling out my questionnaire. I felt it would be advantageous to tap into their experiences and training, and to see how much training they had. The responses were enlightening. I was surprised at how little training some had, given that professionals strongly agree that good classroom management was key to being a good teacher. I concluded that mainly new teachers were expected to absorb the tenets from their mentor teachers or to just figure it out on their own, along the way. Most felt they were good classroom managers. Some were experiencing challenging classes and so felt they were only somewhat good or not good at all. I appreciated their advice and ideas on how they managed their classrooms. I did not agree with all of it, but I did keep in mind they were teaching students younger than what I receive in my community college classroom. In this section are:
PDF versions for download: 1 Book Review – Games Students Play 2 Book Review – Games People Play 3 Book Review – Between Parent and Child 4 Book Review – I’m OK–You’re OK 5 Book Review – Getting Past No My project required me to write five book reviews, of books that were relevant to classroom management. I looked for ones that were not the typical classroom management books because I felt I had already seen much of current material through online sources. My choices were: Games Students Play by Ken Ernst Games People Play by Eric Berne Between Parent and Child by Thomas A. Harris, M.D. I’m OK — You’re OK by Thomas A. Harris, M.D. Getting Past No by William Ury You can read the PDF versions (above) or read the reviews in full below. ____________________ Games Students Play by Ken Ernst, published 1975 by Celestial Arts, ISBN 0-912310-16-2 This book uses the concept of Transactional Analysis from Games People Play and applies it to the classroom. Games Students Play (GSP) is an application of transactional analysis techniques specifically for the classroom. Transactional analysis is defined by Wikipedia as
The book starts out with a description of what the “games” are and how the “players” operate in them. In particular, how the students are the players and how they use the games to disrupt the teacher and the classroom goals.
It also points out how someone who is savvy to these games can begin to identify them and shut them down.
The book presents a fictional teacher, Mr. Johnson, whose students are playing various games in his classroom. We access his thought processes and strategies to see how he begins to deal with these games.
The ego states are listed without much definition. See Games People Play for more details.
The book gives an example of one type of Child state and how to recognize it from its physical manifestations.
It then continues to give a description of the other two states.
The Parent state has parts or functions, along with cautions on how they can be overused.
Similarly, the Child state has two parts.
Finally, we get a glimpse of the motivation behind the game playing.
After this introduction, the book lists game types, varieties, and categories. The first category is the “Trouble-Maker Games.” Its first variety is “Disruptor Games” and the first game listed is “Uproar.” Uproar In this scenario, the fictional student, Muriel, initiates the game with a loud, whining response to Mr. Johnson’s mispronunciation of her name. Mr. Johnson has to analyze Muriel’s approach and determine an effective response. The book gives us a description of how “Uproar” is played.
Mr. Johnson has several possible responses.
The book gives descriptions of the different “teacher types”. As you can see from the list, all are reactions a person might have in this situation and the book gives reasons why the first six are not effective. The seventh item, using transactional analysis, is explored in detail.
Mr. Johnson also needs to form a very specific goal for his response.
The book then lists the steps Mr. Johnson can take to shut down Muriel’s game of “Uproar.”
The point of the last step is to give Muriel positive attention, to give her the opportunity to stop the “Uproar” game because she can get the attention she craves in a meaningful way. The next game is a variation of “Uproar” but differs in a significant way. “Chip on the Shoulder” In this scenario, Dean is a student who only initiates his game when he has his “chip knocked off his shoulder.” Dean has a sensitive spot, his “chip”, and creates a ruckus to deflect attention away from himself when that chip is knocked off, whereas Muriel actively looked for opportunities to play “Uproar.” The given antithesis is “to find out what the student is trying to avoid and then offer him a mutually acceptable alternative.” (GSP, pg 30) Stupid Here Denny would do things that others would find “stupid”, like bringing the wrong book to class or holding the wrong end of the baseball bat. He did this so often that after a while, people would call him “stupid” while others would make excuses for him. Mr. Johnson observed Denny and noticed a pattern in his behavior. Basically, Denny would initiate a “stupid” move in front of an audience, be made fun of, then would smile slyly. Apparently, Denny used this game to get attention, much like Muriel did. From this observation, Mr. Johnson confronted Denny in a friendly way, letting Denny know he was aware of the game playing. Although it did not cure Denny of the behavior entirely, it did stop the game in Mr. Johnson’s classroom. Clown This student would imitate Mr. Johnson to make the class laugh. The book points out that this isn’t necessarily a game, however Mr. Johnson needs to make sure he doesn’t react negatively as long as the behavior is not disrupting class. Schlemiel This student causes problems by “messing up” other people’s possessions. For example, knocking papers off a desk or stepping on someone’s purse on the floor. Most reactions fall in two categories, “persecutor” or “rescuer.” The persecutor gets angry and the rescuer forgives. In either case, the “Schlemiel” gets the attention he or she seeks and is tempted to behave this way again. The antithesis offered is to “be told plainly and in an emotionless Adult voice” (GSP, pg 36) not to handle or touch things, and if the student complains that is unfair, to agree. Make Me This student doesn’t do the required work and, in some way, demands that the teacher force them to do it. This is a challenge to the teacher’s authority. The antithesis is for the teacher to “set up clear choices and consequences. If Laura does the work, fine. If she doesn’t, that is her problem.” (GSP, pg 37) The book also recommends reducing “I” statements from the teacher, like “What I want you to do is this” since that now makes the work to be done for the teacher, instead of for the student herself. The book summarizes these six disruptor games by emphasizing that the teacher does not provide the “payoff” the player is looking for. The responses should be in the calm Adult voice and the teacher should look to give positive attention to replace the negative attention the student may be seeking. The next variety of disruptor games is the delinquent variety. These are “Let’s Find”, where the students get into trouble; “Cops and Robbers”, where the students break rules and try to fool the teachers; and “Want Out”, where the student works to get kicked out of school but then sneaks back in.
The book lists a variety of physical cues to help the reader identify the various ego states on pages 49 through 51. It emphasizes that these cues must be taken in their cultural context and that the manifestations may be only a few seconds in duration, so often the teacher has a subliminal feeling for the situation. It also cautions,
The second category of games is called “Put-Down Games”, with the goal of psychological one-upmanship. The variety is “Discount.” Sweetheart
Blemish Basically fault-finding, no matter how small, by the player who wants the “perfect” teacher. Generally, not a disruption in the classroom. Sometimes shows up with administration. The second variety is “Complainer.” Why Does It Always Happen to Me? The student feels sorry for himself and complains about how everything wrong always happens to him. The way to reduce this game is to have a list of assignments or duties that the student is aware of and removes the teacher from the responsibility of it. Indigence The student claims interest in getting the work done as long as the teacher is reminding him of it, but when left to actually do the work, fails to accomplish it and has a lot of excuses. The goal is to put in minimum effort and get the Parent ego of the teacher to be in charge. The antithesis is to put the responsibility onto the student with clearly defined goals and deadlines. Why Don’t You – Yes, But The student has many excuses why the work can’t be done. The teacher offers suggestions, but the student always has a reason why it won’t work. One way to shut this down is for the teacher to say, “That is quite a problem. What do you intend to do about it?” (GSP, pg 67) Late Paper The student claims the work is done but forgotten at home and says he will bring it in later. However, it never makes it in. The book suggests that the deadline be made earlier than really wanted or made flexible. Wooden Leg The student uses a real or imagined disability as an excuse to avoid doing work. The suggested solution is to offer an alternative assignment, which diffuses the complaint in the classroom. The third category is “Tempter Games.” These are games of subtlety and its variety is “Kissy.” Disciple The student is willing to work for one teacher but not another. Often the student sees the preferred teacher as a parent figure, and he wants to please him or her. The solution offered is for the second teacher, and suggests that teacher try to make a connection with the student, too. Lil Ol’ Me The student attempts to manipulate the teacher by agreeing with everything he says and proclaiming her life has been changed by the teacher’s words. The teacher avoids this manipulation by recognizing the game. The next tempter variety is called “Trap-Baiter.” Let’s You and Him Fight The student tries to get two people (presumably the teacher and another student) to argue by making provocative statements. The trap-baiter then watches the battle ensue. The antithesis is to put the question back to the baiter. Miss Muffet The student tells his parent or non-teacher authority a twisted version of what the teacher said or did in the classroom. This gives the parent an opportunity to react strongly and become enraged at what was said or done around their darling child. The antithesis is to explain using the Adult ego state and, under no circumstances, try to defend against the accusations. Let ‘em Have It The student bothers the instructor repeatedly until the instructor tells him to make an appointment or to quit bothering her. Then the student tells a parent or non-teacher authority that the teacher doesn’t like him or is picking on him. The solution is to tell the student early on in the game to stop being a bother. High and Proud The student flaunts foul language, rude or offensive images, or poor behavior, intending to provoke a reaction. The solution is to ignore it unless it breaks a school rule, then respond with a calm Adult voice to define the rule. Do Me Something The student’s attitude is “Try to teach me” with the obvious goal of showing the teacher he won’t be taught. The antithesis is to avoid “I” statements. The other listed games deal directly with students who tempt the teacher or classmates with sexual behavior. The best deflection is to avoid any sort of response that could be interpreted as an interested response. The final category is “Teacher Games”, game that teachers or administrators might play with other teachers. Many are variations on the student games listed above. My Response to Games Students Play I found the game descriptions to be helpful as I could bring up an example from my own teaching experience for many of them. I realized that I had identified them as a sort of game-playing, although I wasn’t aware of it in the same detail as pointed out in the book. “Uproar” is one that I have seen many times, with variations, and the behavioral cues the book listed was astonishingly enlightening. I hope to be more adept at shutting it down the next time it occurs. Some of the games listed I felt were not ones that would occur in a community college classroom. The fact that we only have our students for short times a few days a week cuts down on the solution of spending time getting to know them better outside the classroom or talking to other teachers about the student’s previous behavior. Those are the games that I either summarized very quickly or just mentioned in passing. Some of the solutions are also not ones I would use as a professor. For example, allowing flexible deadlines or alternative assignments because a student plays some sort of delaying game. I feel this does the student a disservice in making him believe deadlines are negotiable or worthless. And although the book claims that removing a student from the classroom is not a solution and just passes the problem on to someone else, I feel it is a valid solution for a student who refuses to stop disrupting my class. My thoughts focused strongly on the idea that my job is to teach, and I should not allow any student to disrupt that. I appreciated how the book emphasized the need to shut down the game playing quickly, before it escalates. I also have a better understanding of my own ego state reactions to the situations, so I might be able to shift from a reactive Parent state to a more thoughtful Adult state. What I hope to apply to my classroom is a heightened awareness of the game-playing, an appropriate set of shutting down strategies, and better control of my own emotional reaction in the classroom. ____________________________ Games People Play by Eric Berne, M.D.; Random House Publishing, 2004; ISBN 978-0-345-41003-0 I read this book after reading Games Students Play, when I realized I needed a deeper understanding of the concepts, terminology, and ideas. That is the focus of this review. This book has a lot of text devoted to helping a counselor or therapist manage clients, which is not relevant to my purpose. _________ This book was originally written in 1962 and it became extremely popular. Its terms became part of the pop culture in the 1960s and 70s. Today people recognize that “transactional analysis is a serious cognitive-behavioral approach to treatment and that it also has very effective ways of dealing with internal models of self and others as well as other psychodynamic issues.” (GPP, pg vi) I was interested in the book’s detailed description of the three ego states: Child, Parent, Adult.
The above text is from the introduction written in 2004. What follows is a description from Berne’s original writing.
He goes on to describe the purpose or value of these ego states to an individual.
The book then describes Transactional Analysis. It starts with defining terms.
The book points out that complementary transactions tend to be the ones where the ego states match up, for example the stimulus is from an Adult to an Adult, and the response is from an Adult to an Adult; or the stimulus is from a Child to a Parent and elicits a response from a Parent to a Child. It then says that communication is “broken off when a crossed transaction occurs.” (GPP, pg 30). For example, the stimulus is from an Adult to an Adult, but the response is from a Child to a Parent. It gives a specific instance of this:
There is a distinction between the types of complementary transactions.
The idea of the salesman’s angular transactions is that the transaction may be Adult-Adult at the social level but Adult-Child at the psychological level. The salesman directs the overt statement to the Adult of the person to whom he wishes to sell something, but the underlying implication is to the Child in order to manipulate the person to buy. There is also a duplex ulterior transaction that involves four ego states, often seen in flirtation, where the comments are Adult-Adult, but the psychological implications are Child-Child. There are distinctions between procedures, rituals, pastimes, and games. They all serve to help us structure time. In particular,
While there are games that are consciously planned, “What we are concerned about here, however, are the unconscious games played by innocent people engaged in duplex transactions of which they are not fully aware, and which form the most important aspect of social life all over the world.” (GPP, pg 49). There is a structure or scheme to analyzing games. The steps are:
The book also addresses the function of games in more detail.
One important point: most games are identified and described by therapists, as seen in people who play destructive games. There are also constructive games. For example, “to go around asking for advice about how best to help people. This is an example of a jolly and constructive game worth encouraging.” (GPP, pg 80)
The thesaurus of games I found worth reading, both to see what games my students might play and to understand what games I might play or have encountered in my life, but I am not going to try to list them in this review. The book then discusses the significance of games.
My Response to Games People Play It met my need in that it gave me a better understanding of the terminology, concepts, and ideas presented in the Games Students Play book. I feel that, as an amateur, I can now reflect on my teaching experiences and start identifying the games my students have played and be aware of any that arise in the future. I also feel that I can examine my own reactions from the ego state perspective and attempt to respond appropriately to the student games while also reducing the chance that I might be playing a game with the students. I was grateful for the knowledge that there are good games, as I was beginning to think that game playing as a social interaction could only be destructive. Seeing the various types of game significance helped with my attitude toward games, too. Chapter 15 gives an example of an Adult-Adult conversation that contained certain words or phrases which I thought would have sparked an argument or petulant Child reaction. The book includes a discussion as to why they didn’t cause problems, pointing out the Adult analytical aspect of the conversation. I appreciated this because it is helpful to know the difference between the Adult response and the Child response. ____________________ Between Parent and Child by Dr. Haim G. Ginott, Avon Books, ISBN 0-380-00821-1 I first read this book around 1989 and it greatly influenced my child-rearing practices. In fact, it influenced the way I speak to everyone, especially during conflicts. After reading Games Students Play and Games People Play, I thought it was worthwhile rereading this book to see how its ideas connected with theirs. This review only covers the parts I thought are relevant to the community college classroom. If you pay attention to how people talk to each other, both spontaneously and scripted (as in television or movie shows), you can see we have a culturally-implanted habit of using insults. Phrases like “you shouldn’t have done that, you idiot” or “that was a stupid thing to do” or “obviously you can’t do this” are common. Between Parent and Child points this out and reveals the internal emotional reactions people have to them. It also offers alternatives which allow us to communicate with others in a more productive, less reactive way. While its focus is on communications between parents and their children, in the summary I will interpret it for communication between teachers and their students. ________________ The book presents a conversation between three women and the group leader. The leader describes a scenario: it is a busy morning and, in getting everyone ready for school and work, the toast is burned. Then the leader gives different reactions the husband could have: (1) “My God! When will you ever learn to make toast!”, (2) “Let me show you, honey, how to make toast.”, or (3) “Gee, honey, it is a rough morning for you – the baby, the phone, and now the toast.” (BPC, pgs 28-29) Each woman responds to the husband’s comments and it is clear that the third reaction was the one that was appreciated and did not cause resentment. The first two comments caused the women to feel anger at their husbands while the third communicated compassion and support during a difficult moment. The women realized that they tended to use comments like (1) and (2) when communicating with their children. It was then they realized why their children reacted so negatively to them. They also recognized that their own parents talked to them the same way when they were children, and how much they hated it. In fact, some commented how much they hated themselves when they heard themselves talking like that to their children. What they realized in themselves and in their children is:
In order to change this destructive cycle, the book gives strategies for a person’s attitude and wording when responding to challenging situations:
The book points out that
So what techniques can be employed to improve our communication? The first is a focus on praise.
What is important is that the praise describes the accomplishment. Examples I have used in the classroom are: “That was an insightful question,” “It was kind of you to give your classmate a paperclip,” and “I like the way you explained that to him.” The second focus is on criticism.
Examples I have used are: (1) When a student told me he left his work at home on the day it was due, “I don’t accept late work. I hope it doesn’t happen again.” (2) When a student arrived late after being told she could not be late any more, “You understood last time that you cannot be late again. You need to leave now but you can try to be on time again for the next class.” Next, the book discusses the impact of abusive adjectives.
At this point in the book, one might get the impression that a parent should, at all times, be the model of patience, calmness, and understanding. Not so. The next focus is on handling our own anger.
Examples of the procedures are, “When you continue talking with your neighbor, I feel annoyed.” Or, “When you are late again, I get so mad I want to lock the door.” These sorts of statements feel somewhat awkward in the classroom. My preference is to describe the situation: “Talking to your neighbor is disruptive and needs to stop.” The book spends time discussing self-defeating patterns of behavior. This includes “threats, bribes, promises, sarcasm, sermons on lying and stealing, and rude teaching of politeness.” (BPC, pg 63) Threats are invitations to misbehavior; often the person receiving the threat will misbehave to prove his autonomy. Instead, one should uphold the standards of acceptable behavior and enforce the consequences of the actions without any damage to the person’s ego. A similar situation happens with bribes. “Our very words convey to him that we doubt his ability to change for the better.” (BPC, pg 65) Some people respond to bribes by “bargaining and blackmail, and to ever increasing demands for prizes and fringe benefits in exchange for ‘good’ behavior. … Rewards are most helpful and more enjoyable when they are unannounced in advance, when they come as a surprise, when they represent recognition and appreciation.” (BPC, pg 66) As for promises, they “should neither be made to, nor demanded of, children. … Relations with our children should be built on trust. When a parent must make promises to emphasize that he means what he says, then he is as much as admitting that his ‘unpromised’ word is not trustworthy.” (BPC, pg 66) Sarcasm blocks communication “by stirring children to preoccupation with revenge fantasies.” (BPC, pg 68) Lying is a behavior that can be understood by knowing the reasons behind it. The first is about why children lie in the first place: It could be because they are not allowed to tell the truth. The parental reaction to the truth is so negative that the child lies to avoid it. “If we want to teach honesty, then we must be prepared to listen to bitter truths as well as to pleasant truths.” (BPC, pg 69) It could be that the child lies
Finally, there is provoked lying.
It important to know how to deal with lying.
An example from my experience is when I saw a student using a cellphone in class and I called her name. She dropped the phone into her lap to hide it. I stated, “Cellphone use during class is not allowed.” She responded by telling me she wasn’t using her phone. I said, “The cellphone in your lap needs to be put out of reach.” At this point she looked chagrined and put the phone into her backpack. The book’s next section explores responsibility: “Are there any definite attitudes and practices that are likely to create a desired sense of responsibility in our children?” (BPC, pg 81) To answer, we first recognize that responsibility “requires daily practice in exercising judgment and in making choices about matters appropriate to one’s age and comprehension.” (BPC, pg 87)
One example I can offer is when a student is disruptive in class. I will at first give a warning, asking him to stop disrupting. If he persists, I might say, “You have a choice. You can stop being disruptive and stay in the class, or you can take your things and leave.” If he decides to stay and stops his disruption, I consider the problem over. But if he stays and continues to disrupt, I say, “You are choosing to leave. Take your things and leave now.” The book concludes this section with this advice:
Examples: “If that is what you want.” “It is entirely your choice.” “Whatever you decide is fine with me.” In the section on discipline, we have these two words defined:
Discipline in itself has guidelines.
Next are the techniques for setting limits.
Examples are “Cellphones are to be put away when class starts.” Or “Quizzes are turned in as soon as the time is up.” Stated like this, the rule becomes a “classroom rule” instead of my rule, which is much easier for students to follow. The rest of the book deals with specific child behavior problems that I do not think are applicable to the community college classroom. My Response to Between Parent and Child As mentioned before, this book had a profound impact on the way I speak to people, especially in conflict situations. While I do not always act in the best possible way, overall, I tend to use these techniques automatically. It was natural for me to use them in the classroom and with my students. Many of the statements made about dealing with children apply readily to dealing with students of all ages and grade levels. Try rereading them while changing the word “child” to “student” to see how it works. It is not a perfect solution that always works, but it has reduced problems in my classroom. It has also helped me deal with my own emotional reactions to student misbehavior. I can react and then contemplate the students’ reasons behind their actions, which calms me down and offers me the chance to respond or not. Sometimes I use the techniques to redirect student-to-student interactions. In comparing the techniques in this book to those in the “Games” books, I see that the “poor” communication appears to be directly from the Parent ego state and the “good” communication is from the Adult, in that the Adult would give a more rational and reality-based response to the child’s behavior. Many of the techniques are from an Adult in an effort to engage the child’s Adult ego state. The battles that occur are from Parent to Child or Child to Child. When the Child response happens, the Adult then phrases the rules impersonally, again to engage the respondent’s Adult. This book, and its companion book, Liberated Parents, Liberated Children, give many examples of typical parent-child interactions that go wrong and strategies to steer them in the right direction. They both have a rational approach with concrete procedures and ideas. ________________________ I’m OK–You’re OK by Thomas A. Harris, M.D., Harper, ISBN 978-0-06-072427-6 This book is a companion to the transactional analysis book Games People Play. It is written by a psychiatrist who used the concepts in group and individual therapy sessions for many years. The author of GPP wrote this about him:
My goal in reviewing it is to connect the information it gives with the other books I have read (Games Students Play, Games People Play, Between Parent and Child) – to fill out more details about the three ego states, to understand how to look at game playing, and to make stronger connections to the strategies in BPC. I will skip the parts I think don’t apply to this goal. ————————– In GPP we were introduced to the concepts of three ego states: Parent, Adult, and Child. Everyone has these states inside them and it was pointed out that there are physical manifestations that give us clues as to which ego state is in control of a person at the time. I wanted to know more about the definitions of the states and those physical clues.
The Parent is defined by the experiences the child (roughly from birth to age five) has with his parents or parent substitutes. “The mother and father become internalized in the Parent, as recordings of what the child observed them say and do.” (IOYO, pg 21) “It is a permanent recording. A person cannot erase it. It is available for replay throughout life.” (IOYO, pg 23) These “recordings” cover facial expressions, words, attitudes, “how-to” statements, restrictions, and more. It is a “comprehensive, vast store of data. … These rules are the origins of compulsions and quirks and eccentricities that appear in later behavior.” (IOYO, pg 26) The Child is defined by the simultaneous recording of “internal events, the responses of the little person to what he sees and hears.” (IOYO, pg 27) Most of these recordings are about feelings, since at a young age, the child does not have the words to put to the experiences. An interesting aspect of the Child recordings is that the “predominant by-product of the frustrating, civilizing process is negative feelings.” (IOYO, pg 28) The book points out that every child feels this, and it is not dependent on how his parents treated him. These two “recordings” can come into play in anyone, at any age, to influence his behavior and reactions to events in his life. But we are not haplessly influenced by them because of the third ego state, the Adult. When a child can start controlling his body, manipulating objects, experimenting with his surroundings, the Adult ego state begins to form.
The Adult ego state serves as a computer, a data processor and probability estimator, and it updates the information from the Parent and Child recordings. It also keeps emotional expressions appropriate for the social situation. It can be impaired, which could allow the Parent or Child state to take over. The book spends considerable time discussing the ways the balance of Parent-Adult-Child could be changed and the possible personality or behavioral traits that can occur. The Adult gives us the opportunity and freedom to change our behavior. It can, emotionlessly, evaluate the reactions of the Parent and Child and decide if those reactions are truly appropriate or if they need updating. It uses evidence and reality to make those evaluations and allows us to make decisions without necessarily having all the facts. If the Adult is impaired, then the Parent or Child dominates, and this is when game playing occurs. “This is one of the essential characteristics of games. They always turn out painfully, but it is a pain that the player has learned to handle.” (IOYO, pg 63) We can use physical and verbal clues to help us determine which ego state is in charge.
In the other books, the authors emphasize that we don’t need to be in the Adult ego state all the time. It can be helpful, wise, and beneficial to “let out” the Parent or Child in certain occasions – they have something to contribute to a balanced life. But we do need to have the Adult in charge, at least most of the time. How can we achieve this?
A piece of advice I found useful:
My Response to I’m OK–You’re OK I see that this book does clarify many details about Transactional Analysis for me. When I read the two Games books, I wondered how I would ever keep all the game descriptions straight, but now I see I don’t have to. What I really need to do is determine what ego state a person is in and then adjust my response to be complementary to that. In this book’s wording, I need to “hook” the Adult ego state of the person and I can try that with the strategies from BPC. I also see the need for me to be very aware of my reactions and ego states when I am in a stressful or challenging situation. I can recall times when I felt irrationally stubborn about suggested changes – now I know how to identify what I am feeling and how to analyze it with my Adult. The author points out, near the end of the book, that Transactional Analysis makes the person become responsible for his own behavior along with being empowered to change that behavior by understanding why he is behaving that way. ___________________________ Getting Past No, by William Ury; ISBN 0-553-37131-2 The subtitle for this book is “Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation.” It is a book teaching the art of negotiation. I decided to review it because it emphasizes the same techniques I see for classroom management and for getting along with people in general. It also offers useful techniques for calming yourself down and getting focused when the situation gets stressful. I will concentrate my review on the relevant parts. ________________________ In Part II of this book, “Using the Breakthrough Strategy”, the author starts with an interchange between two people where the first states the problem but then they both react emotionally to each other’s words. At the end of the conversation, the problem has been lost in the battle of hostile words and negative feelings. “Action provokes reaction, reaction provokes counterreaction, and on it goes in an endless argument.” (GPN, pg 12) “Human beings are reaction machines. The most natural thing to do when confronted with a difficult situation is to react – to act without thinking. There are three common reactions…” (GPN, pg 12) Those reactions are: striking back, giving in, and breaking off. The author describes striking back first.
Once the hostilities increase, it is difficult to scale them back. “Even if you do win the battle, you may lose the war.” (GPN, pg 33) Furthermore,
The reaction of giving up is described as “the opposite of striking back.” (GPN, pg 34)
The third common reaction is to “break off.” That is, to withdraw from the relationship or situation. This can be an appropriate reaction in some cases. For example, “if continuing means being taken advantage of or getting into fights again and again … Sometimes, too, breaking off reminds the other side of their stake in the relationship and leads them to act more reasonably.” (GPN, pg 35) It is also important to consider the costs of this action, both financially and personally. They are often high, and you need to decide if breaking off is worth it. It might be better to explore the motives and reasons behind the conflict in an attempt to preserve the relationship. Next, the author explores the dangers of reacting without thinking.
So what are we to do? The author describes a technique he calls, “Go to the Balcony.”
Next the author provides techniques for suspending our natural reactions.
There are many tactics, but the author groups them into three categories: obstructive, offensive, or deceptive:
There are advantages to recognizing the methods used to manipulate you.
To summarize so far, you need to recognize your reaction to a difficult situation. You should “go to the balcony” to help you maintain your perspective during the discussions. You should be on alert for various tactics used by the other side that are designed to distract you and allow them to control the situation. The next part addresses your reaction and going to the balcony in more detail.
Techniques for “going to the balcony” are for buying yourself time for thought and composure.
My Response to Getting Past No What appealed to me about this book is how it teaches personal control in the face of difficulty. Now that I am more aware of it, I am more likely to recognize my internal reactions and control them better. What drew me to this was recalling incidents I have had with students and their family members that were hostile. I was not always pleased with my reaction to them and wished I could have done a better job handling it. In one instance, a parent came in to my office and instantly began yelling at me. We did not exchange names; she did not state why she was there or even ask if she could talk to me. The immediate hostility put me on edge and we ended up having a yelling match. If I had the techniques listed here, I could have taken control of the situation by inviting her to sit, by introducing myself and asking her for her name, and then by asking her to please explain her purpose and her concerns. Perhaps that would have defused the situation, at least somewhat, and pressured her to be more civil in her communications. Then, using the balcony techniques, I might have been able to help her realize that what she was asking for was unreasonable and unfair to other students in the class. Other instances come to mind, and I think all of them would have benefitted from my using Mr. Ury’s techniques. PDF versions for download: y 1 Article Review — Students Who Yell 2 Article Review — Informing Students of Consequences 3 Article Review — Caring Too Much 4 Article Review — Motivating Students 5 Article Review — Having More Authority My project required me to write five article reviews, of articles that were relevant to classroom management. I picked ones that would give me solid tools to use in the classroom. My choices were:
You can read the PDF versions (above) or read the reviews in full below. ____________________ Article Review: “How to Handle a Student Who Yells at You” Source: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2016/04/16/how-to-handle-a-student-who-yells-at-you/, accessed 24 Jan 2018. Review This article would benefit from being outlined first:
When I consider this article, I see a valid and viable strategy for a community college classroom. It does not require a lot of time, it treats students like adults, it educates the entire class, and it is easy to remember when the professor is in a stressful situation. I particularly like the “Delay” step. This might give the class a chance to relax, too, knowing a confrontation is avoided. It also shows the disruptive student that you aren’t going to be baited. The “Fix” step is important for the community college classroom in that it should help everyone recall the rules, which should be listed in syllabus. Some might have forgotten, and some might not have read it at all but it enforces them in a timely manner. The “Enforce” step is a good reminder to me to turn away after I make my statement. I realize now that continuing to look at the student is a good way to encourage them to keep misbehaving. The final advice, to respond later with simple kindness and acceptance, is excellent. I have had students who have misbehaved and then corrected themselves worry about coming back into my room. They know they can’t take back what they did. I tell them directly that that incident is in the past and forgiven. We are good to move forward. Then, later, I make it a point to make eye contact and smile at them. This works. My challenge will be to keep calm in the initial confrontation. Other sources have suggested counting to ten while looking thoughtful. Looking away from the student and rubbing your chin has had the effect of making the student think you are considering some highly effective punishment. Then they are relieved when you respond pleasantly. But what it is really doing is giving you time to calm down. The phrase I think that will help me the most is “Let accountability do your talking for you.” It is the ultimate in treating students as adults. Article Text in Full How to Handle A Student Who Yells At Youby Michael Linsin on April 16, 2016 Recently, I received an email from a teacher who was yelled at by a student. Her class had been in the middle of a learning game, and everything was going smoothly. Or so she thought. The students were playing by the rules. They were having fun and enjoying each other. They were playing cooperatively. In fact, she was thrilled with how well the activity was going. But then, out of the blue, a student stood up and accused her of favoring one team over another. When she tried to explain, he began arguing with her. When she defended herself and her decisions and assured him that she would never do such a thing, he became furious. He began yelling, pointing his finger at her, and calling her a cheater. It was an ugly scene, and the teacher was left shaken and unsure of how to handle it. This isn’t the first email we’ve received on this topic. And it won’t be the last. Confrontations like this are happening more frequently. In this day and age, students seem more aggressive when they feel slighted and less willing to listen to another point of view. Further, many have never had anyone show them, or model for them, what respect looks like. This underscores the importance of first deescalating the situation—in order to ensure your safety and the safety of your students—before teaching a life-lesson the offending student won’t soon forget. Here’s how:
The instant you recognize—or think you recognize—a student becoming angry, your singular goal is to calm them down and avoid confrontation. In the case above, the moment the student stood up, the teacher should have gone into deescalation mode. The best way to do this is to delay. Do not respond directly to the student’s complaints. Doing so will only make things worse. Instead, stay cool and relaxed, pretend it’s no big deal, and say “It’s okay. I understand what you’re saying. I can see how you might feel that way. I promise I’ll fix it, but let’s finish the game first.” Then move on as quickly as you can. Go ahead and let the student complain a bit longer if they wish or get in a last word. Delay, delay, delay, and they’ll calm down.
You are under no obligation to explain yourself or your decisions to any student who speaks to you or approaches you disrespectfully—nor should you. It only encourages more disrespect. However, after the student settles down, it’s smart to set the record straight by clarifying your rules, protocols, or procedures related to the game or activity to the entire class. This allows you to defend your decisions as the teacher and leader of the classroom while at the same time fulfilling your promise to “fix it.” Get to the point, be brief, and provide facts only.
Your classroom management plan should include an addendum that allows you to skip the warning stage and jump directly to a more appropriate consequence. Any incident of brazen or continued disrespect should be met with your strongest consequence—which may include an extended time-out for elementary students or detention for high school students—plus a notification of parents. The behavior should also be documented and, if it was in any way threatening, aggressive, or potentially dangerous, then officially referred to an administrator. (Note: Although we have strong opinions about how administrators should best handle severe misbehavior, and support and protect classroom teachers, we are a website dedicated to helping teachers. We do not provide advice for principals on this blog.) Only after the student has forgotten about the incident, which may be much later in the day, or even the next, should you approach, deliver the news of your consequence, and then turn on your heel and walk away.
Students tend to repeat the behavior they see from others. This is one reason why a class can get out of control so quickly. Therefore, it’s important that you review your rules again a day or so after the incident. Severe misbehavior can act as an agent to improve behavior and politeness class-wide. Whenever you have a dramatic incident or a particularly bad day, you should view it as an opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to the entire class. Focus on your rule concerning disrespect. Be sure and define once again what it looks like and reiterate that it won’t be tolerated, that you won’t allow anyone or anything to upset the experience of being a member of your class. Finish your review by reminding your students that the goal of your classroom management plan is to safeguard their right to learn and enjoy school and your right to teach great lessons. Limiting Contact As counterintuitive as it may seem, the less contact you have with the offending student, the less likely a similar incident will happen in the future. We’ll delve deeper into this topic in future articles, but just know that pulling them aside to counsel, patch things up, force an apology, or convince them of your point of view will only weaken your leverage and influence. Let accountability do your talking for you. By not taking their disrespect personally, but instead keeping your cool and following through on your promise to protect learning, your respect in the eyes of all your students will grow. The offending student, especially, is often changed by the experience. So much so that they’ll begin treating you with reverence and even admiration. When you then show them—through your simple kindness and no-hard-feelings acceptance—what grace, forgiveness, and true respect looks like . . . You’ll forever change how they view the world. ______________________ Article Review: “How Best to Inform Students of a Consequence” Source: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/03/17/how-best-to-inform-students-of-a-consequence/, accessed 24 Jan 2018. Review Article outline:
I see the value of this advice. When I have delivered consequences, I have always just watched and waited after I stopped talking. Now I see this gives the student an opportunity to show me defiance, to argue, to put on some performance for his/her classmates. Turning away from the situation and resuming teaching or writing on the board will break eye contact. The student has nothing to work off of from me and, if I am doing it right, the other students will be focused on me. The student’s chance of showing off has been nullified. I wonder about what to do if, after I deliver the consequence and turn away, the student does not respond correctly. What if the student continues to argue? What if the student doesn’t leave when he/she is supposed to? I suppose my response would be to turn back and repeat the consequence with a statement that if he/she doesn’t comply, the consequence will escalate. Then turn away again. If the student does not respond, then I can call for assistance in escorting the student out of the room. It will be a challenge for me to not include reasoning as to why the rules are what they are. My tendency is to try to help the students understand the reasoning and to encourage them to act maturely. But now I see this actually undermines the rule enforcement process. The “why” can come later, when the situation is over and everyone is calm and thinking rationally. Article Text in Full How Best To Inform Students Of A Consequence by Michael Linsin on March 17, 2012 How you give a consequence matters. How you speak to your students, what you say to them, and how you react emotionally and with your body language after they break a classroom rule goes a long way toward curbing misbehavior. Whether you’re giving a warning, a time-out, or a letter to take home, the key is to inform them in a way that takes the focus off you—the mere deliverer of the news—and places the responsibility solely with them. Your students must feel the burden of behaving poorly. Because if they don’t, if they don’t feel a sense of regret and a greater desire to follow your classroom rules, then your consequences will be ineffective. What follows are a few guidelines to help you inform your students of a consequence in a way that tugs on their conscience, causes them to reflect on their mistakes, and lets accountability do its good work. Tell them why. When a student breaks a classroom rule, tell him (or her) clearly and concisely why he’s been given a consequence. Say, “Danny, you have a warning because you broke rule number two and didn’t raise your hand before speaking.” Telling them why leaves no room for debate, disagreement, misunderstanding, or anyone to blame but themselves. Keep your thoughts, opinions, and comments to yourself. Let your agreed-upon consequence be the only consequence. Refrain from adding a talking-to, a scolding, or your two-cents worth. By causing resentment, these methods sabotage accountability. So instead of taking a reflective look at themselves and their misbehavior, your students will grumble under their breath and seethe in anger toward you. Do not escort to time-out. If the consequence calls for time-out, don’t escort them there. Getting up and walking to time-out is an important part of the accountability process. It acts as a statement, or an acknowledgement of sorts, that they indeed broke a classroom rule and are ready to take responsibility for it. Also, escorting them can make them less motivated to go. Behave matter-of-factly. A matter-of-fact tone and body language enables you to hold students accountable without causing friction. Most teachers make a fuss out of misbehavior—reacting angrily, showing disappointment, sighing, rolling eyes. But this can be humiliating for students in front of their classmates, causing them to dislike you and undermining the critical rapport-building relationship. Be more like a referee, less like judge. A referee’s job is to enforce rules, not mediate disagreements—which makes being fair, consistent, and composed a lot easier. Thinking like a referee, rather than a judge, also helps students see that your consequences aren’t personal, but something you must do to protect their right to learn and enjoy school without interference. Safeguard your influence. An influential relationship with students gives you the leverage you need to change behavior. And so anything you do that threatens that relationship—yelling, scolding, lecturing, using sarcasm, etc—should be avoided. Simply tell your students like it is, follow your classroom management plan, and let accountability do the rest. Move on. As soon as you’ve informed the misbehaving student what rule was broken and the consequence, turn your attention back to what you were doing without skipping a beat. The burden of responsibility then shifts in total from you, the deliverer of the consequence, to the student. The interaction should take no longer than 10-15 seconds. Note: Your students must know exactly what their responsibilities are upon receiving a consequence. Thus, it’s critical to teach, model, and practice your classroom management plan thoroughly before putting it into practice. Your Students Decide, Not You Small, seemingly insignificant details—often glossed over, ignored, or deemed too nit-picky to care about—can make a big difference. How you inform your students of a consequence is a small part of classroom management, to be sure, a bit player in the theater of your classroom. But it’s an important part, requiring Oscar-level performance. Despite how much an act of misbehavior may get under your skin, or how much you’d like to express your frustrations, you have to stay in character. Because if after receiving a consequence your students blame you, or become angry with you, then the consequence will be ineffective. They must see that they alone bear the responsibility for their misbehavior. After all, you don’t decide when or if to enforce a consequence. Your students do. ______________________________ Article Review: “Why Caring Too Much Can Make You a Less Effective Teacher” Source: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2014/10/04/why-caring-too-much-can-make-you-a-less-effective-teacher/, accessed 24 Jan 2018 Review Article outline:
This article has pointed out a problem I believe I have. I care too much about my students and their learning. I worry that any changes or experiments I do with my lessons might adversely affect their learning so I am very cautious about making changes. I wonder at my colleagues’ more casual attitude about making changes. This is not a 100% problem. I do acknowledge that I cannot care more than my students in that I see it is their responsibility to do the work and pass the class. I do not strive to be a “co-dependent enabler”, as I have seen described in other websites. But I do want my classes to be successful, despite knowing that some students just won’t put in the effort. On the other hand, I have always tried to run my classrooms where the student responsibility sits on their shoulders. In order to pass, they have to get their work done, come to class prepared, and study and prepare for exams. They are in charge of getting their questions to me. I suspect I worry because I have had students who insisted that I take responsibility for them. They want me to structure the points so they are guaranteed to pass. They want me to give them the lecture notes and tell them exactly what to study for tests. It is difficult for me to resist that pressure semester after semester. What strikes me in this article is the idea that teachers give their best and expect the students to do the same. This has been my model but does not always result in my students’ best. From what I read in here and other articles, though, is that if they fail, it is not on me if I give my best. Again, the responsibility is theirs. The statement about caring too much can have you make mistakes that make you less effective has been addressed in other articles. Basically, if you are worried about being the caring, approachable teacher who has a good rapport with your students, you might be tempted to ignore accountability because you are concerned you will ruin your relationship with your students. Another aspect I like is the recommendation to focus on the three core responsibilities: teaching, inspiring, and holding accountable. This makes teaching look much more fun and relaxing. Hopefully it will reduce the stress of worry, too. Article Text in Full Why Caring Too Much Can Make You A Less Effective Teacher by Michael Linsin on October 4, 2014 Teaching is important, to be sure. But if you’re not careful, this fact can weigh heavily. It can cause you to wrap an unhealthy amount of your identity into your job. It can cause you to be distracted around your friends and family. It can cause you to care too much. And when you care too much, not only are you wrung out, preoccupied, and no fun to be around, but you make mistakes that make you a less effective teacher. You become personally offended when students misbehave. You become irritable, easily frustrated, and less approachable. You become so invested in your students’ success, so pressured by administrative powers, that you begin doing for them what only they can do for themselves. The truth is, the most effective teachers maintain a level of professional distance—from their students, their classroom, and even their school. They view teaching as a two-way street. Meaning, they give their best for their students. They teach high-interest lessons. They build leverage and influence through their consistent pleasantness and likability. They create a learning experience their students want to be a part of. But they also expect the best in return, which manifests itself in everything they do. From enforcing consequences dispassionately to giving directions one time to their reluctance to kneel down and reteach individuals what was taught to the entire class minutes before . . . their actions announce to the world their deep and abiding belief in their students. You see, when you take on what are your students’ responsibilities, even emotionally, they’ll be left with the message that they have a free pass. So they shrug in response to your urgent exhortations. They ignore your requests for quiet. They listen only when convenient. They daydream and side-talk and count tiles on the ceiling. It never occurs to them that they’re sitting in a sacred place of learning or that they desperately need what you have to offer. The result is a stressed-out teacher and a class full of students who just don’t care. In the most effective classrooms, responsibilities are clearly separate and defined. The teacher does their job well, providing everything their students need to be successful, then hands the onus to do the work, discuss the book, perform the experiment, and solve for x in full over to their students. Your job is to teach, inspire, and hold accountable—which is completely in your control. When you focus your physical and emotional energy on these three core responsibilities, and determine to turn the rest over to your students, your stress will all but disappear. At the same time, the whole vibe of your classroom will change. The winds of complacency and apathy will die out. Balance will be restored to the kingdom. Your students will feel the burden of responsibility for learning and behaving settle upon their shoulders, where it belongs. Their respect for you will soar. Their sense of independence will swell. Rapport will come easy—light and effortless. Your heavy mood, your hurt, and your disappointment will lift and dissipate into the heavens. You’ll have the energy you need to create your dream class. And you’ll finally be able to leave school at school. Now both you and your students will possess the same look: Happy yet determined. Calm yet filled with purpose. Fulfilled yet resolute. The way it’s supposed to be. _________________________ Article Review: “How To Motivate Your Students To Behave Better, Work Harder, Care For Each Other… Or Anything Else You Want From Them” Source: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2010/10/30/how-to-motivate-students/, accessed 30 Mar 2018 Review Article outline:
I see the value in making a behavior correction talk to the whole class. I see how steps 1 – 3 work. I am not sure that step 4 will always work, even if I show that I believe the students can. I suspect there will often be “that one person” who will test to see how sincere my statements are. That person will be the one who says they don’t think they can do it. I imagine you should respond to their concerns with a question, like, “What do you think is stopping you from doing this?” or “What needs to be done to make it so you can do it?” This opens the door to negotiating the rules with the students, and other articles on this website say that is a bad idea. One of the teachers I interviewed about his classroom management style said his policy is that everyone has a voice but he makes the rules. So perhaps asking the student what needs to be done is giving the student his voice. If the student asks for something reasonable to change, I can consider or even make the change. If the student asks for something unreasonable, I can always ask more questions, like, “Is this change going to be distracting to your classmates or to me?” In the comments section of this article, the author says the students have a right to choose but “You are simply protecting their right and everyone else’s right to learn and enjoy learning without interference.” If they choose to not comply with the rules, they are choosing to leave if their behavior is infringing on the rights of their classmates and instructor. The challenge for me would be to deliver that statement matter-of-factly, instead of in a manner that conveys, “You’d better comply, or else.” I do not see step 5, gathering and putting our hands in a circle, working in a college classroom at all. I would feel silly doing it and I think the students would feel the same. But perhaps a big smile, a “thumbs up”, and saying, “Great! Let’s get going on an excellent class!” might be a good substitute. I wonder if doing this at the beginning of the semester would be a good way to set the tone for the entire class. Explain that this classroom is a place of learning and that everyone has the right to learn and enjoy it without interference or disruption. We all are charged with the duty of safeguarding those rights. The classroom rules are designed to help us with that. Then ask if anyone feels they cannot support these goals. If anyone responds that they can’t, then we have the “why not” dialog. There is good advice in this article. With modifications, I think there are ideas that are applicable to a community college classroom. Article Text in Full How To Motivate Your Students To Behave Better, Work Harder, Care For Each Other… Or Anything Else You Want From Them by Michael Linsin on October 30, 2010 Lecturing individual students is a common classroom management practice—just another tool in a teacher’s tool belt. But it’s a colossal mistake, born of frustration, that does nothing to curb unwanted behavior beyond several minutes. The reason? When you lecture individual students, it’s done out of anger and not out of a pure intention to help improve behavior. And students know it. It causes them to dislike you, lose respect for you, and desire to get even with you—greatly diminishing your influence. Whole-class lectures, on the other hand, can work miracles. How To Motivate Their Socks Off I prefer to call class lectures “motivational speeches” because that’s what they’re designed to do: to motivate students. Done a certain way, a motivational speech can light a fire under a lazy class, reverse poor attitudes, inspire altruism, or stop unruly behavior in its tracks. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Tell them what you don’t like. Your students will behave/perform better when they know precisely what not to do. To that end, start your speech by pointing out what you’re unhappy with. What are you seeing from your students that you want corrected? Without singling anyone out, cite specific examples. Step 2: Tell them why it’s wrong. Explaining why is a powerful persuasion technique. Your students are much more likely to agree with you—and thus change their behavior—if you offer a clear explanation why their behavior is wrong. Make your reasoning brief, direct, and easy to understand. Step 3: Tell them what you want. Make clear to your students what you expect from them. In other words, how they should behave. Again, be specific. Show them how you want them to attend during lessons, raise their hand, choose a partner, greet their tablemates, or whatever behavior you want changed. Step 4: Challenge them. Ask your students, challenge them, to stand up if they feel like they’re not going to be able to do what you ask—for whatever reason. Tell them that, if this is the case, if they really feel like they can’t do what you expect of them, you want to know now. You don’t want to wait and find out later when you see the same old behavior again. Step 5: Challenge them again, then finish together. Challenge your class to stand and gather around you if they are committed to whatever you’re asking of them. If they’re not, tell them to remain seated (they won’t). Extend your hand into the center of the group. Ask them to do the same. Now glance around, looking them in the eyes, and say, “Now I want you to show me, prove to me that you can listen, learn, study, and become the best students you can be.” Then finish with a bang: “Be the best on three. One…two…three… BE THE BEST!” Add Your Passion The above steps won’t work if you just go through the motions. It will be just another lecture, just another teacher droning on, unless you tap into that place deep inside you that believes in an individual’s capacity to overcome obstacles, to rise above their circumstances, to become more than the opinions of others. You have to believe, to know beyond a doubt, that your students are capable of fulfilling the vision of excellence you have for them. Because if you don’t believe it, they won’t believe it either. So don’t be afraid to let it out. Don’t be afraid to show your passion for helping students become more than they think they can. Don’t be afraid to show your desire to create your dream class, to make your classroom and this school year a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and your students. If you get goose bumps as you look into your students’ eyes, if they look back at you with intensity and determination to be better students, then you know you’re on the right track. __________________ Article Review: “9 Ways To Have More Authority Next School Year” Source: https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2017/07/22/9-ways-to-have-more-authority-next-school-year/, accessed 2 Apr 2018 Review Article outline:
I agree that all these traits are important. Any time you can project confidence to others, they will respond well to it. Sometimes you get a person who wants to challenge your confident leadership. If they are right and you shouldn’t be leader, you can confidently and with dignity step aside. If they are incorrect, you can confidently assert your leadership, and they typically back down. A number of articles have pointed out the value of being honest and real in your praise and other communications. You want to praise the behaviors and accomplishments, not the person, by describing what it is that was done right or done well. Similarly, when addressing problems, describe what is wrong and how to fix it or improve. This way no one has to spend any mental time trying to figure out what you want or if you are actually communicating some other message. Being calm is important as well as being able to project excitement (versus nervous energy). The key is knowing when to project it, and to not over-do it. Too much excitement, too often, will burn the class out. Basically, this article is saying to treat yourself well physically, mentally, and emotionally, and that will allow you to do the same for your students. That will all work together to allow you to lead your students confidently and let them place their trust in you. Article Text in Full 9 Ways To Have More Authority Next School Year by Michael Linsin on July 22, 2017 Authority plays an important role in effective classroom management. Because it affects how students view you. It affects how well they listen to you and follow your directions. It affects their behavior around you, their trust in you, and their respect for you. Some teachers seem to have it right out of the box. They walk into a room and students immediately sense a strong, sure leadership presence. And it changes them. They become calmer, more mature, and more polite. It imbues them with a desire to please and behave and be better students and people. Although, at first glance, authority appears to be an inborn gift reserved for a lucky few, there is really no mystery at all. Anyone can have more of it by emulating the following nine traits.
Teachers are dressing more casually now than ever before. You’ll do well to buck the trend—because it has an effect on whether students perceive you as a leader worth following. This doesn’t mean that you must dress formally or wear expensive clothes. General neatness in appearance and quality of clothing is key. Dress like the leader you are and your students will treat you will greater respect. Sharp clothing will also make you feel more confident, which will further improve your authority.
Confidence in the way you carry yourself sends the message to students that you know what’s best for them and that you’re steering them in the right direction. This frees them to let their guard down, accept your words as true, and place their trust in you. So stand tall. Throw your shoulders back. Move, behave, and express yourself as if you know exactly what you’re doing. If you’re not feeling confident, that’s okay. The appearance of confidence can have the same effect. According to research, simply changing your posture can make you feel more powerful and thus behave more confidently.
This one is huge. Do what you say you’re going to do and over time your authority will skyrocket. Be wishy-washy, however, break your promises and ignore your classroom management plan, and you’ll lose authority quickly. Everything you say will be called into question. Your students will challenge you, argue with you, or pay you little mind. Some may even try to wrest control of the classroom right out of your hands.
Be upfront and honest in all your dealings with students. Refuse to engage in over-the-top flattery or manipulation. Steer clear of do-this and get-that rewards, catching students doing good, or token economies—which effectively snuff out intrinsic motivation. Make your words of praise genuine and based on true accomplishment. Tell your students the truth about where they are both behaviorally and academically. A direct approach is highly motivational. It will give you strong authority as well as a dignity and morality that is common to all great leaders.
The use of intimidation in any form is terrible leadership. Lecturing, glaring, scolding, and losing your cool may frighten students into behaving in the short term, but the price is your respect, plummeting authority, and more and more misbehavior. Being consistently pleasant, on the other hand, will give you effortless rapport, powerful leverage, and behavior-changing influence. It will cause students to love you and want to get to know you better, without any additional effort from you. It will make your classroom management plan matter to them and work like it should.
Teachers who rush around, who are frazzled, scatter-brained, and tense, will never have the same level of authority as those who are calm and prepared. It’s not even close. Nervous energy has a way of spreading throughout the classroom, infecting every inch. It causes excitability, inattentiveness, and a form of misbehavior that is very difficult to eliminate. It also makes you look like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Teachers who struggle to gain authority tend to talk fast and ramble on and on. They repeat themselves and fill silences with ums and ers. They include details and asides that neither help nor advance learning. They over communicate. To improve your authority, as well as learning and interest, slow down. Be concise and stay on message. Finish your sentences and pause often to give your class a chance to comprehend what you say. This will cause students to lean in and focus. It will draw them to you rather than push them away.
You can’t be an effective teacher, or one your students look up to, if you’re stressed out, tired, and irritable. Good teaching requires you to be at your best every day of the week. Which means you must become efficient with lesson planning. You must stay focused during work hours and learn to say no. You must be productive rather than just busy. Go home at a decent hour and get away from even thinking about school for a few hours. Get your rest, exercise for energy, and sit down to eat real, whole food. Spend time with your family and friends or enjoy your favorite hobby. This will not only improve your authority and likeability, but it will also make you a calmer, happier teacher.
Negative thoughts—about students, your job, the curriculum, etc.—have a way of bubbling to the surface and revealing themselves in your behavior, body language, facial expressions, and even in the things that you say. It’s something you can’t hide. And it will severely damage your ability to be an effective teacher. Great teaching and inspired leadership is predicated on setting aside negative self-talk, refusing to engage in it and choosing instead to see only the best in the people, situations, and circumstances at hand. It’s a choice, after all. It’s a choice that has a profound effect on how your students view you—as well as on your very happiness. Do You Have It? The nine ways to improve authority will separate you from the pack. They’ll cause students to decide within just a few minutes of sizing you up that you’re someone worth their attention and respect. They may not be able to put their finger on what it is about you that is special. But they’ll know it’s there, and that it’s different and powerful. You just have it. You have that secret sauce, that inexplicable mystery of presence and authority that causes parents and staff members alike to whisper words like charismatic, gifted, and “a natural” when describing you. But the truth is, it’s nothing more than a set of traits available to anyone. They’re available to anyone willing to adopt them for themselves and dare to be more than just another teacher. PDF version for download: 22 Summary Report 22b Citations for Summary Report Summary Report When I began this project, I felt that I was, frankly, terrible at managing my classroom. I could recall incidents where I was unhappy with the way I responded or the outcomes. I also felt that I was the only teacher who had such troubles, even though I knew that was not a rational thought. Now I know that I am not that bad after all. I had overlooked the day-to-day things I did well and focused on what were truly unusual events, which would challenge even the most seasoned teacher. My feelings now are that I am at least average to good at classroom management, but with room to grow and improve. The ideas and techniques I learned from this project give me opportunities to achieve that growth. I know that I need to recognize when I am handling situations well, to document challenging situations, and to have a long-term improvement plan. Having these in print and readily available to me in the classroom will give me the opportunity to review them regularly. This will strengthen my skills and my resolve, as well as show me how I am improving. In this report you will see a draft of the improvement plan I expect to implement in my classroom. I am inspired by the quote, “With a classroom environment like that in place, a teacher would have time to teach.” (cpi management strategies) The first insights I had were, surprisingly, from the definition of classroom management. I had always thought of my classroom as a place of learning, but I see now that I will need to emphasize that to my students in each class during each semester. I can’t assume they have arrived with the same idea. Their background might be that the classroom is a place for goofing off, or trying to irritate the teacher, or a place where the teacher makes sure they will pass the class. I don’t know, so I should make sure we all have a chance to view it the same way. To this end, I created a PowerPoint slide show that asks them, “What is the purpose of this classroom?” and concludes it is a place of learning and that we all must work to make sure the room is a safe and comfortable place for everyone to learn. While I don’t expect it to be 100% effective, I hope it will create the right attitude and atmosphere at the beginning of the semester. It will also give me something to refer to if a student has any behavior problems. Something else that I enjoyed seeing: Part of the definition of classroom management is
While this idea isn’t new to me, I was pleased to see it included because it emphasizes a teacher’s responsibility to the students, whereas the rest of the definition tends to talk about how a teacher should manage student behavior. Another insight I had was on the strong connection between classroom management and discipline. The two must work together to create that safe learning environment. It is important to my plan to show that connection and to help me use them well. I’ll need advice on how to blend them effectively. I began studying classroom management because I had no training in it before becoming a teacher. When I interviewed K through 12th grade teachers, I was astonished to discover how little training they had. The articles and opinion pieces I read all agreed that classroom management is an important skill for a successful teacher, and yet it is not a topic that is emphasized in the K – 12 teacher training. From that I realized that I was not alone in my troubles and frustrations. I asked those teachers if they thought they were good classroom managers; many said they were but some credited other jobs, like managing an office, for preparing them for it. Some didn’t receive any training until they were already full-time teachers. I saw many different strategies utilized by the teachers. Some I agreed with and others I didn’t. However, what was important was that their strategy worked for them and their classroom. It was interesting to read about the different management styles. I had seen them before taking the self-assessment, so I knew what I had hoped my style would turn out to be: authoritative. This is a “coaching” or “selling” style that appealed to my desire to treat my students as adults and have them respond positively to that. I was pleased to see that it did, but I was also enlightened by the idea that my management style should be fluid. That is, I should be willing and able to adjust my style according to the students and situation at hand. There are advantages to each style, and I should pick the one that I think will work best at the time. I was not surprised to find that teaching/management styles correlated closely with parenting styles. I relied a lot on my parenting style when I first started teaching regularly, and I believe I still do. I want to include in my improvement plan the description I found for authoritative teaching and parenting, so I can review it at the beginning of the semester. This should remind me of how I want to be and set my focus and attitude in the right place. Part of this includes a reminder of how teaching is a performance art and how my mood and body language can affect the class’ attitude and behavior. The second self-assessment needs to be a part of my plan’s structure. It is a checklist that I can modify to suit my goals and use to see if I am meeting them. The modifications should match the goals of the plan. I also want to include a description of how my body language should look when I am teaching: erect posture, radiating confidence and leadership, appearing approachable. I want to create the impression that I am a “helping person” who also gives the students opportunities to self-discipline. One behavior I do not want is to be a “co-dependent enabler.” I want my students to learn how to be good students without expecting me to always hold their hands, make them do everything, or not allow them to struggle. It was not surprising to see that a teacher’s behavior and body language can affect student behavior. My own experiences as a student showed me that I reacted negatively to a teacher who often walked into the classroom radiating anger, and positively to a teacher who always presented herself as pleasant and interested in her subject. My own teacher persona has been modeled on teachers whose teaching styles I liked. Now I know I need to focus on the ones whose behaviors I appreciated, too. I really liked the advice and steps given for teaching students to listen to me. It makes sense, it helps me to treat them as responsible adults, it helps them become more responsible, and, as a bonus, it will prepare them to be better listeners for their future teachers. This will be in my plan. My challenge will be to wait silently for long enough. I wonder if I will react appropriately to the students who ignore me: Will those “leader” students the advice mentions truly step up and correct them? The technique for controlling student “side-talking” is interesting. I see that it is up to me to decide what times and situations are appropriate for it. I must make these decisions before I try to teach my students about it. I especially like the part about having the students know a gesture for “not now” when a classmate tries to talk to them. This puts a lot of the control in the students’ hands instead of mine. I will include this advice in my plan. The technique about using pauses in my talking to help make a point is one that I have used for a long time, but still needs to be in my plan to remind me. It took me a while to get comfortable with the silence, but I saw results quickly. The students had time to finish writing notes, reflect a moment on what was being said, and perhaps ask questions. Sometimes my pauses were when I was erasing the board; other times I just stopped talking and waited, watching them write, until it seemed they were ready to listen again. There are places in my lecture notes where I remind myself to pause and let the information sink in. One of my biggest challenges is setting appropriate limits. The five-step approach to limit setting was very helpful for me, especially the idea that the purpose of limits is to teach, not to punish. The thought of offering choices with consequences is the parenting style I used, and I am glad to better see how to use it in the classroom. This will be included in my plan. I was impressed by the article on gentleness as a good management strategy. It appeals to me, but I worry I might not be able to make it work, so it will be in my plan. This will be a primary challenge for me in improving my classroom management style. Part of including gentleness in my behavior is avoiding giving my students “the look” – which I never used much but I do know I have used it. Another challenge I will have is building the type of rapport I want with my students. I want to hold them accountable, show them there are consequences for poor behavior or choices, and I want them to respect my authority as the teacher in the classroom. But I also want to be able to visit with them and get to know them at least a little. That fine line of achieving both will be an important skill for me to hone. I appreciated the part warning me about going too far and becoming unhealthily deferential. The goals are being fair and consistent. Many articles and teachers recommended to me that I “pick my battles.” One article pointed out the flaw in that strategy: it can cause disrespect, resentment, and might even spawn more confrontations and arguing. My own experiences confirm this. The strategy of gentleness combined with a reasonable rapport suggests you should never have battles. A solid classroom management plan like that should work for you by eliminating battles in the first place. This same approach reminds us to think like referees when enforcing consequences. I need to remind myself of this regularly, so I will include it in the plan. One article I found was on things you don’t have to do to be a good classroom manager. Fifty items were listed and nearly every one of them was something I have done at some point in my teaching experience. To have them pointed out to me as behaviors and choices I can avoid was enlightening and liberating. I plan on keeping a copy handy to look at each teaching day until I know them thoroughly. To boost this, an occasional review of the common mistakes and corrective suggestions is going to be part of my plan. The mistakes remind me of what not to do and the suggestions put me on the right behavior or response track, especially the ones on inconsistent expectations and consequences, and on taking student behavior too personally. It will be interesting to resolve some of the conflicting advice given on the websites once I decide what methods apply to me. It was interesting to find out how professional speakers handle hecklers. I have had some very challenging hecklers over the years and I wish I had the advice I found for this project back then. Some of the advice is specifically for someone who is giving a talk, as opposed to a teacher who meets with the class over and over again. Other advice seems like it might work, like staring at the heckler instead of responding, which uses social pressure to get them to calm down. I particularly like the reminder to avoid asking the heckler questions when you can’t control the answers. There is no reason to give the heckler a chance to continue to heckle. My plan will reference handling hecklers. Not every class has problems like this, so I don’t feel like I need to review the techniques regularly, but I feel it is important to know there are ideas to consider if I do happen to get a heckler. It might be helpful to have a very brief list of the steps to take, just in case I need it on the spot. Similarly for hostile students, I think I need a reference to the section as well as have a checklist of responses in my plan. I like the part that discusses some of the causes for hostile students, which gives me a chance to react from a place of compassion. It is good to know some students have the goal of getting the teacher upset or angry, so I have to remind myself not to let them put me there. I also need to make sure I don’t try to reason with them when they are angry. That does nothing constructive and will probably frustrate me more. The advice that makes the most sense to me is to put limitations on the student but give him choices, with consequences. This, combined with the advice for spending some time quietly thinking before responding, might be an effective combination. My immediate concern is how I react, so I will need to be able to quickly look at the parts about staying calm and watching my body language. I particularly like the “Principles of Active Listening.” It is too easy to pretend you are listening when, in truth, you are planning your devastating response or even thinking about something else. Getting back into the habit of really hearing what the person is saying is a good goal. This tells me the effective communication strategies will go into the plan. The role-playing scenarios will be a good reference for reviewing before a semester starts. I want to be prepared for a variety of situations, and they could be good conversations with my colleagues. It is better to think about them ahead of time than try to figure them out in the heat of the moment. This could be a resource that grows in time, with contributions from my own and my colleague’s experiences. While a reference to the classroom management guidelines should go in my plan, I don’t want all of them in it. I will pick through the lists and choose the ones I think will be most helpful in general. What I want to do is select the ones that will get me through any situation at the time, with a reference for the others I can look at later as needed. Perry’s Stages of Cognitive Development are, I think, very helpful for the students to see at least once during the semester. It is a lot like learning metacognition: once you are aware of it, you can track your own development and see how to advance it. I will be including this in the presentations I give to my students to help them learn better study skills. It is also important for me, as teacher, to recognize the stages so I can determine where my students are as compared to where I am. If I am teaching from a higher stage, then I need to include nudges to get the students higher, too. This is emphasized in the part about “Your Goals as Teacher.” The part on the intellectual development of women is important to consider, too, especially since so many of our women students come from cultures where the male is dominant and the female is expected to be quiet. Being aware of their specific development patterns could be helpful in supporting their learning. The section on teachers’ fears is, I found, very comforting. It is easy to feel like you are the only person with these concerns because everyone else is better/more experienced than you. I liked the discussion by the experienced teacher, and the conclusion: “Fear is a part of any important work. We don’t need to get over it, but we may need to change our approach to it.” (siobhancurious) The approaches discussed later in the section “reflect the resilience and resourcefulness teachers develop over their careers. It’s not that anxiety or fear in the face of problems disappears. Rather, there’s a shift. … They invite challenges, lean into them, and live the questions that once caused fear.” (idti.pro fear factor) I was glad to see that self-care was incorporated into dealing with fears and anxieties. This needs to go into my plan. The information on stage fright is also helpful. There are important ideas here to help you enter the classroom with a good attitude and to create a positive atmosphere of learning. A short version of this list needs to be in my plan. Similarly for the frustration assumptions, it is good to recognize habits that might derail my attitude; this needs to be in my plan. I included information on secondary trauma stress because I have experienced it in my classroom. Having students who, during the semester, were diagnosed with cancer, suddenly rendered homeless, had a family member commit suicide, or dealt with other life-changing issues caused me concern, worry, stress. Having the Professional Quality of Life survey will help me determine my emotional state and avoid burnout, more than just reminding myself to have a “healthy life-work balance.” The advice that is in this section can help me achieve that balance, so I am a better teacher and human being. The book reviews play a vital role in this project. They support and enhance many of the ideas in the sections. For example, Games Students Play first defines “transactional analysis” and then how teachers can use it to defuse and deflect poor student behavior as well as understanding their own reactions to those behaviors. It lists and discusses a variety of games that are typical of students who disrupt the classroom; I appreciated the insight into the student’s motivation and goals to help me approach the problem with clarity. Games People Play continues this insight by giving specific definitions of the types of ego states and expands the definition of transactional analysis. It shows how the transactions between two people can result in good communication (complementary transactions) or in a breakdown of communication (crossed transactions). I was intrigued by the structure to analyze games. It is detailed and may help me understand the games better, especially if I take notes on the situations in my classroom. These two books are worthwhile including in my classroom management plan. I want to list the ego states and their definitions, and I want to include a sampling of games to remind me of what to look for and how to react. The most important part is to remind me of strategies to use at the time of poor student behavior. Between Parent and Child is an excellent reminder of how to talk to people in a way that lets them listen without a strong, negative emotional reaction. I have loved its methods and try to employ them as much as I can in my life. The discussion on setting limits is supportive of the advice found in the previous sections. In my plan, I will only need a reminder for when I am upset by a situation. The book, I’m OK – You’re OK, expands more on the ideas of transactional analysis and of ego states. I liked the descriptions of the physical responses you can see when a person switches from one ego state to another. This will be helpful to analyze any difficult situation I am in and help me react appropriately. My plan should reference this list for regular review. The same goes for Getting Past No, which strongly supports the ideas in BPC. It helps you to see how to react to difficult situations in a mindful way, breaking the dangerous cycles of automatic action-reaction. In fact, when discussing the different types of manipulation tactics, I was reminded of all the game descriptions in transactional analysis. The idea of “going to the balcony” and the techniques for controlling the situation so you can keep your composure are all worthwhile for my plan. The article reviews give advice for dealing with difficult students, how to control how much I do for my students, how to motivate my students to want good behavior, and how I should behave in the classroom to emphasize my authority while still being an accessible teacher. These are worth reviewing regularly (especially before the semester starts) to remind me and set a good mental attitude. I liked being reminded to take care of myself so that I can be a good teacher, instead of a worn-out one. In my plan, I will list some of the features. When I review the plan, contained in the pages after this one, I notice it seems like just a collection of ideas and not truly a plan. I recognize that it really is a collection of strategies for me to review and internalize, so that they can be turned into a plan when I need them. Instead of some orderly layout of steps to take towards improvement, it is a set of tools available to select and organize when a problem arises in my classroom or in me. My expectation is that the plan will travel with me to my classes. I can review it when I need to and when I have some spare time. I will also keep a copy of the entire project in my office to review and remind myself as needed. There will be a copy of the project in my department, too, for the benefit of my colleagues and to inspire discussions. Cited web sites for “Summary Report” Format: reference name in text cpi management strategies itdi.pro
fear factor siobhancurious Wikipedia Classroom Management: PDF version for download: 22a CM Plan for me My Classroom Management Plan Attitude: I give my best and expect the students to do the same. If they fail, it is not on me if I give my best. The responsibility is theirs. Table of Contents Page Classroom Management Guidelines 2 Authoritative Teaching Style 3 Self- Assessment 4 Improving My Teaching Style 5 Choosing My Reactions 6 Setting Limits and Delivering Consequences 8 Managing Hecklers 10 Managing Hostile Students 11 Effective Communication Strategies 12 Overcoming Stage Fright 13 Frustrations 13 Games Students Play 14 Improving Student Behavior 16 50 Things You Don’t Have to Do 17 CM Guidelines
Maintain the appearance of control at all times. Use a clear, firm voice. If you made an error, admit it! Authoritative Teaching Style Authoritative, “coaching,” or “selling” style:
Summarized as ‘Come with me.’
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Behavior:
1. Maximize structure and predictability in the classroom I establish and explicitly teach student procedures. I actively supervise (move, scan, interact, reinforce). 2. Establish, teach, and positively state classroom expectations. My rules are stated as “do’s” instead of “nos” or “don’ts.” I explicitly teach and review these expectations or classroom “rules” in the context of routines. 3. Managing behavior through effective instructional delivery I conduct smooth and efficient transitions between activities. I am prepared for lessons/activities (filler activities, materials readied, fluent presentation, clear I provide a clear explanation of outcomes/objectives. I end lessons/activities with specific feedback. I am using pauses well during my lecture. 4. Actively engage students in observable ways I utilize multiple and varied opportunities for each student to respond during my instruction. I engage my students in observable ways during teacher-directed instruction I frequently check for student understanding. 5. Evaluate Instruction I consider and note needed improvements (to lesson) for next time. 6. Use a continuum of strategies to respond to inappropriate behavior I provide specific, contingent, and brief error corrections (stating expected behavior) for academic and social errors. In addition, I use the least restrictive procedure to discourage inappropriate behavior (non-verbals, proximity, teacher reaction, re-teaching, etc.) and proceed to more restrictive procedures. I respond to inappropriate behavior in a calm, emotionally objective, and business-like manner. 9. Developing appropriate student relationships I learn and use student names by the end of week 2. I speak to students with dignity and respect—even when providing correction! 10. Paying attention to my “self-care” Getting enough sleep, eating right, exercising, engaging in hobbies. Leaving school at school but being productive, not just busy, when at school. SELF
ASSESSMENT – Am I Doing This? Improving My Teaching Style
How my body language should look:
Use Gentleness
Don’t pick your battles! Inconsistency leads to disrespect and resentment. Guide your classroom so that there are no battles to fight. Remember, especially when you are upset, The code of communication with people is based on respect and on skill. It requires (a) that messages preserve the listener’s as well as the speaker’s self-respect; (b) that statements of understanding precede statements of advice or instruction. Strong feelings do not vanish by being banished; they do diminish in intensity and lose their sharp edges when the listener accepts them with sympathy and understanding. Three steps to survival. – To prepare ourselves in times of peace to deal with times of stress, we should acknowledge the following truths:
Choosing My Reactions Human beings are reaction machines. The most natural thing to do when confronted with a difficult situation is to react – to act without thinking. There are three common reactions… Those reactions are: striking back, giving in, and breaking off. In reacting, we lose sight of our interests. … Often the other side is actually trying to make you react. The first casualty of an attack is your objectivity – the faculty you need most to negotiate effectively. They are trying to throw you off balance and prevent you from thinking straight. They are trying to bait you like a fish so that they can control you. When you react, you are hooked. Much of your opponent’s power derives from the ability to make you react. … Disruption Tactics Stone walls. A stone wall tactic is a refusal to budge. The other side may try to convince you that they have no flexibility and that there is no choice other than their position. … Any other suggestion on your part is met with a no. Attacks. Attacks are pressure tactics designed to intimidate you and make you feel so uncomfortable that you ultimately give in to the other side’s demands. Perhaps the most common form of attack is to threaten you with dire consequences unless you accept their position … Your opponents may also attack your proposal …, your credibility …, or your status and authority … Attackers will insult, badger, and bully until they get their way. Tricks. Tricks are tactics that dupe you into giving in. They take advantage of the fact that you assume your counterpart is acting in good faith and is telling the truth. One kind of trick is manipulating the data – using false, phony, or confusing figures. Another is the “no authority” ploy, in which the other side misleads you into believing they have the authority to decide the issue, only to inform you after you have given up as much as you can that in fact someone else must decide. A third trick is the “add on,” the last minute additional demand that comes after your opponent has led you to believe you have already reached agreement. Going to the Balcony Even if reacting doesn’t lead to a gross error on your part, it feeds the unproductive cycle of action and reaction. … the good news is that you have the power the break the cycle at any time – unilaterally. How” by not reacting. … Objects react. Minds can choose not to. When you find yourself facing a difficult negotiation, you need to step back, collect your wits, and see the situation objectively. Imagine you are negotiating on a stage and then imagine yourself climbing onto a balcony overlooking the stage. The “balcony” is a metaphor for a mental attitude of detachment. From the balcony you can calmly evaluate the conflict almost as if you were a third party. You can think constructively for both sides and look for a mutually satisfactory way to resolve the problem. Going to the balcony means distancing yourself from your natural impulses and emotions. You should go to the balcony at every possible opportunity throughout the negotiation. At all times you will be tempted to react impulsively to your opponent’s difficult behavior. But at all times you need to keep your eyes on the prize. You need to recognize your reaction to a difficult situation. You should “go to the balcony” to help you maintain your perspective during the discussions. … you need to recognize not only what they are doing but also what you are feeling. The first clue that we are reacting usually comes from our bodies. Our stomachs get tied up in knots. Our heats start to pound. Our faces flush. Our palms sweat. These are all visceral responses signaling that something is wrong and that we are losing our composure in the negotiation. They are cues that we need to go to the balcony. Balcony Strategies Pause and Say Nothing The simplest way to buy time to think in the middle of a tense negotiation is to pause and say nothing. It does you little good to respond when you’re feeling angry or frustrated. Your judgment is distorted. … Pausing will not only give you a chance to step up to the balcony for a few seconds, but it may also help the other side cool down. By saying nothing you give them nothing to push against. Your silence may make them feel a little uncomfortable. The onus of keeping the conversation going shifts back to them. Uncertain about what is going on in your head, they may respond more reasonably. You obviously can’t eliminate your feelings, nor do you need to do so. You need only to disconnect the automatic link between emotion and action. Feel the anger, frustration, or fear – even imagine attacking your opponent if you like – but don’t channel your feelings and impulses into action. Suspend your impulses; freeze your behavior. While it may feel like hours, it will probably last only a few seconds. This may not be easy when your opponent is shouting or stonewalling, but it is necessary for successful negotiation. … Rewind the Tape You can only pause for so long. To buy more time to think, try rewinding the tape. Slow down the conversation by playing it back. Tell your counterpart: “Let me just make sure I understand what you’re saying.” Review the discussion up to that point. An easy way to slow down negotiation is to take careful notes. Writing down what your counterpart says gives you a good excuse: “I’m sorry, I missed that. Could you please repeat it?” Take a Time Out If you need more time to think, take a break. … A time-out gives both sides a chance to cool off and go to the balcony. Don’t Make Important Decisions on the Spot In the presence of the other person, you are under strong psychological pressure to agree. One simple rule of thumb will help keep you out of trouble: Never make an important decision on the spot. Go to the balcony and keep it there. More Techniques My challenge will be to keep calm in the initial confrontation. Other sources have suggested counting to ten while looking thoughtful. Looking away from the student and rubbing your chin has had the effect of making the student think you are considering some highly effective punishment. Then they are relieved when you respond pleasantly. But what it is really doing is giving you time to calm down. You are under no obligation to explain yourself or your decisions to any student who speaks to you or approaches you disrespectfully—nor should you. It only encourages more disrespect. Setting Limits and Delivering Consequences
Limits aren’t threats Limits offer choices with consequences
Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable consequences.
Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits. Allow time when giving choices. Generally, it’s best to allow the person a few moments to make her decision. Remember that if she’s upset, she may not be thinking clearly. It may take longer for her to think through what you’ve said to her. When enforcing consequences, think like a referee, not a judge.
It is important to
Deliver the news of the consequence and turn away.
Let accountability do your talking for you. Managing Hecklers Choose a strategy: #1: Never reward interrupting. #2: Don’t try to be funny. #3: Manage your own emotional state. Take a deep breath and stay calm. Remove your emotional attachment to the situation and deal with it in a level and relaxed way. #4: Let the heckler have their say. #5: Listen to them. #6: Actually respond. #7: Don’t let it get personal. #8: Be gracious. #9: Ask them to stop. #10: Get the rest of the audience on your side. #11: The last resort: have them removed. #12: Don’t dwell on it. Other helpful techniques: Use reflective listening before you respond — expressing in your own words your understanding of what they’ve said. Silence — stop speaking and turn and stare at the heckler, everyone else will turn to see what you are looking at If you get asked antagonistic questions, throw them back to the audience for discussion. Avoid shooting them down prematurely — by asking probing questions. You can ask questions like, “What exactly are you trying to accomplish or point out?” or “How is your opinion on (topic) relevant to _____?” Move toward the heckler Ignorance is not bliss — Ignoring hecklers just makes matters worse. Managing Hostile Students Remain Calm. Try to keep your cool, even when challenged, insulted, or threatened. Isolate the Individual. You will be more effective one-on-one. – But never corner them. Keep It Simple. Be clear and direct in your message. Avoid jargon and complex options. Watch Your Body Language. Be aware of your space, posture, and gestures. Make sure your nonverbal behavior is consistent with your verbal message. Use Silence. – Do not argue with them. Use Reflective Questioning. Paraphrase and restate comments. Watch Your Paraverbals. Make sure the words you use are consistent with voice inflection to avoid a double message. What causes students to behave this way? Modeling: Children observe hostile-aggressive behavior modeled by parents, teachers, peers, and in the media. Peer Reinforcement: Behavior such as fighting is reinforced by peers when they take sides in or cheer for individuals who are fighting. Social Skills Deficit: Children lack the social skills necessary to deal with stressful situations in an assertive rather than aggressive manner. Low Self-Esteem: They believe that it is not all right to feel anger and frustration and think they are bad people when they do have these feelings. If you are confronted by a person who has a weapon, keep in mind that a person who threatens you with a weapon hasn’t necessarily decided to use it. If the person senses that you’re losing control, their behavior will most likely escalate.
Effective Communication Strategies Guidelines involved in effectively communicating with a person in crisis when working alone are similar to those important in any crisis situation:
*Integrated Experience: how my attitudes and behaviors affect your attitudes and behaviors and vice versa. If my attitude and behavior is positive, it will most likely yield positive results. The reverse is true as well. If I have a poor attitude or I’m exhibiting rude, disrespectful behavior, my results will likely not be great, and could contribute to someone escalating to verbal aggression or worse—physical assault. Non-verbal signals:
Principles of Active Listening
Overcoming Stage Fright Move, laugh, and breathe. Before class, release nervous energy by jumping up and down 15 times in the bathroom. It will make you laugh. Shake your limbs to release nervous tension. Breathe slowly and deeply from the belly with your hands on the back of your hips. “Power pose” for two minutes. After leaping up 72 stairs in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the film Rocky, Sly Stallone raises his fists in what Harvard professor Amy Cuddy calls the power pose. In other words, adopting these postures makes a person feel more powerful. Deposit Easter eggs into your curriculum. Dreading students’ negative response to a lesson that is conceptually confusing? Plant some surprises in the lesson for you and the class to look forward to. Playfulness is confidence building and contagious. Start the class off with a ritual. The first couple minutes of a new class can be the most intimidating. I begin all my classes with 60 seconds of good news. Reinforce content. Bring ancillary materials: posters, handouts, advance organizers, or a PowerPoint presentation. Don’t cede your center. Avoid interpreting blank student faces as uninterested or angry (see “critical-parent syndrome”). Commit to an emotion. Right before class begins, recall the last time you were happy and excited. When class starts, you’ll feel more relaxed and animated. Count chairs. Counting rhythmically will help keep your adrenaline more regulated. It’s not about you. Remember to concentrate on students learning instead of you performing perfectly. Frustration Assumptions I should know this The students should know this. I should be better/do better. Antidotes Find time to reflect: Talk, write, read, slow down. Ask questions: Who are my students? What kind of teacher do they need me to be? Shifting the focus from ourselves to our students can better inform our next steps. Practice self-compassion: Even slow learning is learning. Your pace is yours. Practice mindful breathing and kind self-talk—they will help you see what’s in front of you and make more effective choices. Games Students Play Some of the games: Uproar –“bugging” the teacher with a series of small incidents to force him to blow up at her. If Mr. Johnson controlled his temper, she had him at bay and could continue to goad him until he did blow up. “Chip on the Shoulder” — student has a sensitive spot, his “chip”, and creates a ruckus to deflect attention away from himself when that chip is knocked off Stupid – student would do things that others would find “stupid”, like bringing the wrong book to class or holding the wrong end of the baseball bat. He did this so often that after a while, people would call him “stupid” while others would make excuses for him. Clown — This student would imitate Mr. Johnson to make the class laugh. The book points out that this isn’t necessarily a game, however Mr. Johnson needs to make sure he doesn’t react negatively as long as the behavior is not disrupting class. Schlemiel — This student causes problems by “messing up” other people’s possessions. Most reactions fall in two categories, “persecutor” or “rescuer.” The persecutor gets angry and the rescuer forgives. In either case, the “Schlemiel” gets the attention he or she seeks and is tempted to behave this way again. Make Me — This student doesn’t do the required work and, in some way, demands that the teacher force them to do it. Blemish — Basically fault-finding, no matter how small, by the player who wants the “perfect” teacher. Generally, not a disruption in the classroom. Sometimes shows up with administration. Why Does It Always Happen to Me? — The student feels sorry for himself and complains about how everything wrong always happens to him. Indigence — The student claims interest in getting the work done as long as the teacher is reminding him of it, but when left to actually do the work, fails to accomplish it and has a lot of excuses. Why Don’t You – Yes, But — The student has many excuses why the work can’t be done. The teacher offers suggestions, but the student always has a reason why it won’t work. Late Paper — The student claims the work is done but forgotten at home and says he will bring it in later. However, it never makes it in. Wooden Leg — The student uses a real or imagined disability as an excuse to avoid doing work. Disciple — The student is willing to work for one teacher but not another. Often the student sees the preferred teacher as a parent figure, and he wants to please him or her. Lil Ol’ Me — The student attempts to manipulate the teacher by agreeing with everything he says and proclaiming her life has been changed by the teacher’s words. Let’s You and Him Fight — The student tries to get two people (presumably the teacher and another student) to argue by making provocative statements. The trap-baiter then watches the battle ensue. Miss Muffet — The student tells his parent or non-teacher authority a twisted version of what the teacher said or did in the classroom. This gives the parent an opportunity to react strongly and become enraged at what was said or done around their darling child. Let ‘em Have It — The student bothers the instructor repeatedly until the instructor tells him to make an appointment or to quit bothering her. Then the student tells a parent or non-teacher authority that the teacher doesn’t like him or is picking on him. High and Proud — The student flaunts foul language, rude or offensive images, or poor behavior, intending to provoke a reaction. Do Me Something — The student’s attitude is “Try to teach me” with the obvious goal of showing the teacher he won’t be taught. Ego States Ego states are normal psychological phenomenon. … Each type of ego state has its own vital value for the human organism. In the Child reside intuition, creativity and spontaneous drive and enjoyment. The Adult is necessary for survival. It process data and computes the probabilities which are essential for dealing effectively with the outside world. … Another task of the Adult is to regulate the activities of the Parent and the Child, and to mediate objectively between them. The Parent has two main functions. First, it enables the individual to act effectively as the parent of actual children, thus promoting the survival of the human race. … Secondly, it makes many responses automatic, which conserves a great deal of time and energy. Many things are done because “That’s the way it’s done.” This frees the Adult from the necessity of making innumerable trivial decisions, so that it can devote itself to more important issues, leaving routine matters to the Parent. Thus all three aspects of the personality have a high survival and living value, and it is only when one or the other of them disturbs the healthy balance that analysis and reorganization are indicated. Otherwise each of them, Parent, Adult, and Child, is entitled to equal respect and has its legitimate place in a full and productive life. (See the book review on “I’m OK, You’re Ok” for physical descriptions of the ego states.) Improving Student Behavior “A Simple Way to Improve Listening”
About Students Talking on the Side
They need to know specifically what your definition of side-talking is and what it looks like. There may be times when you allow it—or a form of it. If so, your students need to know when those times are and what appropriate side-talking looks like. Modeling all forms—right and wrong, appropriate and not—is key to their understanding.
Once your students are clear about what side-talking is, and when it is and isn’t okay, the next step is to empower them with a tool they can use to curb inappropriate side-talking on their own and without saying a word. The tool you’ll show them is a simple hand gesture they’ll display to whoever attempts to side-talk with them during a lesson, while immersed in independent work, or whenever you deem unacceptable.
As long as it isn’t culturally offensive, any sign or motion of the hand will do. Crossing the first two fingers and shaking lightly is a good way to go. It’s a gesture conspicuous enough for you to see from across the room and all students can perform it easily.
It’s important to emphasize that the gesture is nothing more than a polite reminder to a friend. It’s like saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk right now.” It isn’t aggressive or angry and it should never accompany any talking or admonition. HAVE YOU REVIEWED THE “COMMON MISTAKES” SECTION RECENTLY??? 50 Things You Don’t Have To Do
What is the maintenance stage of learning the alphabet?The third stage is 'maintenance'. During this stage, the person is able to perform the task independently, even after teaching has ended. The fourth stage is 'generalization'. During this stage, the person learns to generalize the learned skills/tasks to other situations or environments.
What is the maintenance stage of learning?Once the child is fluent in a skill, the next phase is maintenance. Maintenance is learning to do the skill after the instruction has stopped.
What is the fluency stage of learning?During the Fluency stage, students accurately perform the skill, but they do it slowly. During the Generalization stage, students perform the skill both accurately and fluently, but often confuse it with similar skills or are unable to apply it to new opportunities.
What are the six common stages of the learning cycle?PTLC comprises six steps—study, select, plan, implement, analyze, and adjust.
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