Saturday, June 27, 2009
CHP 13- Management (answer several of the following)
What steps am I taking to prevent classroom problems? Am I reinforcing appropriate behavior? Am I creating activities that keep the students engaged and allow me to maintain control of the classroom? Am I making sure that I am able to observe all of my students at any given moment? Do I remain calm when behavior problems occur in the classroom? Am I able to address the problem without embarrassing any student in front of his/her classmates? Am I making an effort to work with the student to resolve the problem?
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In order to keep my classroom under control, I spend a lot of time planning my lessons and keeping my room organized. I learned this lesson the hard way. If you have to spend a few minutes finding the papers you need, your students will get off-task and you will spend the next ten minutes trying to regain control. One tactic I use is "Working in Progress" folders. My students always have a folder that has unfinished assignments they need to complete. This is handy for kids that finish early or need my help, but I am working with someone else. They also keep a library book on their desk so if they are done, they can read a book instead of punching their neighbor. One thing that helps keep my students involved in lessons is the way I present material. I try to keep humor in everything I do. Sometimes I turn around and talk to the wall because it appears to be the only one listening. Other times I talk to my trusty purple elephant to get her opinion on how I can explain something better. Yes, the kids think I am nuts, and I probably would be certified insane if an administrator walked into my room, but the kids listen. I have had my fair share of disturbances in my class but it is easy for me to remain calm. I worked as an emergency dispatcher for a tactic team for 12 years, so handling 10 year olds is not threatening to me.
ReplyDelete-Visibility: Visibility is a huge issue in my classroom (our school was formerly a high school, and I have a typical "high school band room), as it is gigantic, and has several offshoot rooms-- locker area, practice rooms, storage rooms. I really try to set up good routines and places, so that I can see what kids are doing. I've had peers who have made more stringent rules about student visibility, but we have challenges at our school, because we're also expected to monitor the hallway. Though it might seem ridiculous, one strategy our school used this year for visibility was making all students LINE UP in the hall, waiting until the instructor let them in the room. That allowed the teacher to watch the hall, and get the students focused down, prior to allowing them into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteCalmness: I get really sensitive when a student or parent says that I "yelled" at them. I never raise my voice to a yelling level (except perhaps to get attention quickly in a moment of chaos), and certainly don't yell at kids. If I'm yelling, I've lost control. I'd rather remove the kid from the situation, and talk to them calmly later, rather than yell at them. That's a product of my childhood... I also got yelled at once during a movie in 8th grade English, for sleeping, and well.. haven't ever fallen asleep in a class since. I was so mortified. Sometimes, taking a step back, breathing, and letting the situation lose a little steam goes a long way to solving the problem.
I think that behavior management is essential for learning to take place. Basic rules and expectations are the foundation for a successful learning environment. I always have my students create the class rules, which I post all year long. (They must be reasonable of course.) We also talk as a class about what our world would be like without rules. (i.e. "What if someone was allowed to come to your house and steal your new bike without consequences?")
ReplyDeleteI find it helpful to also create a list of things that students should do when they're done with their work and I post that in the room as well. Idle time=behavior problems!!
I have made sure that my desk and computer are situated so that I can see the entire class at any time. If a behavior problem occurs and is continuously disrupting others I find it best to have the student sit in a neighboring classroom "time out" area to cool off. This gives both of us a break and a chance to settle the problem calmly. This works well for my 4th grade team since our classrooms are connected by multiple doors.