Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Classroom Management
It has been said that classroom management can be the key to a successful classroom. Why do you think that could be true? Classroom management is used at all levels of instruction. What classroom management techniques have you observed in your university classes? How are these techniques similar to or different from what you experienced in elementary, middle or high school? Have you seen very effective and ineffective techniques used at all levels? What made them effective or ineffective? Explain.
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Stephanie Carlson said
ReplyDeleteI have learned that classroom management is the key to creating an effective learning environment. By implementing the appropriate classroom management strategies teachers are able to minimize distractions to students while maximizing available instruction time. A comprehensive classroom management plan consists of procedures, expectations, consequences, and positive reinforcement. Together these components create an environment where students are continually engaged in productive activities. Effective classroom management enables teachers to create and maintain a classroom environment conducive to learning.
I have observed my professors utilize several techniques in my university classes. For example, one of my professors established a procedure regarding turning in assignments. When the professor asks for an assignment to be turned in, we pile our work in the center of our tables, and he walks around and picks them up. Simple procedures like this one helps the classroom run smoothly while allowing the professor to focus on teaching.
I have seen effective and ineffective techniques used at a variety of levels. During my L1 experience, my mentor teacher arranged her classroom in order to maximize attention and minimize disruptions. The teacher arranged the desks so the students could easily interact, but she also split up friends who might get off task. The teacher also arranged the desks so that intriguing materials were kept out of sight to minimize distractions. The teacher utilized these classroom management strategies in order to promote a successful learning environment.
One ineffective technique I have seen was too many rules. The classroom rules were basically a list of don'ts that were too wordy and lengthy. Too many rules are ineffective, because it can lead to a student vs. teacher environment. It is important to keep rules precise while stating the rules in terms of what the student should do.
Classroom management is a key to a successful classroom. When a teacher establishes how they want their classroom to be managed, it can help the teacher control the environment in the classroom. By using good techniques, their classroom will have less behaviors and students will be able to focus more on learning. Explaining what teacher's expectations and consequences are in the beginning help students understand what they should do in the classroom. When students do what they are supposed to, praising them will guide them to do better in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have observed many different classroom techniques in my classes at UNI. Many professors give their expectations on the first day of class. Most explain consequences of not attending class or handing in late work if they do accept late work. A lot of these techniques were used in high school. Some teachers excepted late work for partial credit or said if you did not hand it in on the due date then you don't get the points. In high school being absent was different than in college. We had to have parents notes if we were absent a day but in college you do not have that and that is probably one why professors do not tolerate absence.
I have seen very ineffective and effective techniques being used. An ineffective technique I have seen is when you have a huge class size in college, they put you in an auditorium. This causes distraction and disruptions from the teaching being done. Students can be spread out or do something else without the professor even knowing it. An effective technique I have seen used is when a teacher made a few rules for the class then had the class make the rest of the rules together. When students make rules themselves they are more likely to follow them because it seems reasonable to them and they can remember them better.
I agree that classroom management is very important in creating a successful classroom. Without it, there would be a lot of chaos and confusion, making it a hard learning environment for students. The way the room is organized, the rules and procedures, and even the attitude are very important when considering classroom management. Many of the techniques I have experienced in my college classes are 3-5 desks in a group or a circle. I think teamwork and collaboration are very important skills, so I think that is effective because then we work together and sometimes even challenge one another. Also, during the first week of school, professors go over the syllabus and tells their rules and consequences. This is important to know up front in case of an absence or late assignment submission. This helps to create respect and order if later these instances occur.
ReplyDeleteThese techniques are very different from when I was in elementary and middle school. When I was young, the desks were arranged in straight lines facing the front of the room, where the chalk board and white board were. There were rules and daily procedures, but really no consequences of anything. High school was a little similar to college, but much different as well. One way they were alike was more group collaboration. Desks were placed in small groups and there were many more group discussions and projects. However, in high school, you did not have the choice whether or not to go to class. If you missed, a note from a doctor or parent was required and another note from the office to the teacher. You also did not get to pick what classes to take, like in college. As far as late work or un-submitted work, high school teachers were much more lenient than college professors. High school teachers would constantly remind us and still accept and grade late work. Most college professors give one and only one chance.
I have seen many effective and ineffective techniques of classroom management. In my level one field experience, we had a very rowdy classroom. My teacher re-arranged the desks from a horseshoe shape to straight lines facing the white board. My teacher had the students make a list of rules then had each individual sign it for later reference. The children followed the rules more and helped reinforce them since they all helped create them. She also used the stop light tactic. If students were talking or off task during a quiet work time, she quietly went over and moved the marker from green to yellow. This was very effective and all of the children's behavior improved. However, in one of my college classes, it is a big lecture in an auditorium. There is no attendance taken and no assigned seating. What happens is kids sit in the back and tune out and text or do other homework. The other students sit by their friends and talk constantly, which makes the learning environment hard for other students. This classroom management is clearly ineffective. These are just a few reasons why classroom management is so important.
In Mrs. Guenther's class today, the students were not doing what they were supposed to during writing workshop. Mrs. Guenther decided to go over expectations of students during writing workshop at this time. I am not sure if she had gone through them before but it is always good to remind them. On the projector she wrote out what she was supposed to be doing as the teacher, then was the students were to do. She explained each thing as she went and even had some students help figure out what some of them were. When she went over what the students were supposed to be doing she made sure everyone was paying attention and understood what they were. She did this by asking the students to answer if they knew what they were.
ReplyDeleteIn my classes I have learned teachers should have students help create expectations and rules of the classroom with the teacher. This helps them remember what they are and feel like they were involved in the process so they are more likely to follow them. I have also learned that even if this was not discussed in the beginning of the year, it is not a problem because you can only discuss so many expectations and rules at first before students start to forget them. Sometimes it is better to discuss certain issues only when they arise in the classroom. Like I said I have heard of this being done before but I have never seen it so it was nice to witness it in Mrs. Guenther's class.
I like the example that Callie shared about her Level 1 teacher having students help create the classroom rules. I love this idea because it allows students to be a part of the rule making process. It gives students the opportunity to think about how they want their classroom to look and feel like. By including students in the rule making process, it provides them with a sense of ownership while helping them to create a positive classroom environment. Ultimately, students are more likely to follow rules that they have been able to provide input on, rather than rules that have been imposed on them by the teacher.
ReplyDeleteClassroom management is very important in the classroom. It's important to establish a routine as soon as possible for the students and the teacher. This way everyone knows what is expected of them. If an instructor has effective classroom management it will minimize the distractions the students may have. This also gives the teacher control of the classroom, and there is more focus on learning.
ReplyDeleteMost of my professors go over rules and expectations the first day of classes. In one of my classes the teacher has assigned each one of the students a different role anything from collecting name tents, to letting the students know about what the different organizations on campus have going on. This is similar to what I remember in elementary school when each one of the students in my class had a job, some of them are the same such as passing out papers or collecting papers, and others were different in the sense that in elementary they were very simple and some of the jobs we have in my UNI class are a little more difficult.
I have seen both effective and ineffective techniques used in the different classrooms I have been in. One of the ineffective things I have observed is having a large class size especially at the college level. Students are easily distracted and they don't get as much out of the class because there is one instructor to 50 or 50 plus students, it makes it hard for the instructor to communicate and get to know all of his or her students. One of the more effective techniques I have observed is when the instructor notices some students getting off task they would go over and stand by those students and just the teachers presence by the students was enough for them to realize that they were getting off task and they needed to get back to work.
Classroom management sets the stage for the learning environment to which they will be involved in all year. To have a conductive classroom of learning and achievement for the students the teacher needs to creating and maintaining an inviting classroom environment. Every teacher should know that classroom management has little to do with noise or activity level. A well-managed classroom is one in which students are consistently engaged in productive learning activities and rarely interfere with their own or other student's achievement. Teachers must learn to vary their classroom management based on the particular instructional strategies.
ReplyDeleteIn the university I would say the effective classroom management techniques applies especially to my major classes because most of my others were lectures and the professor didn’t change their strategies very much and it was very straight forward taking notes then tests on that content. It is effective when the teachers explain exactly what is expected of us for assignments and in class and how they want us to go about doing the assignments.
In high school an ineffective classroom I was one teacher who thought it would be a good idea to simply be friends with his students the first week because he already knew many of the students. The next week he realized that his class had not gotten much accomplished in regards to actual school and so he attempted to get us to work. However, our class would not listen because he had not established rules during that first week and the teacher lost control of the classroom.
My level one experience was an awesome example of a good effective classroom the teacher. The teacher got a sense of how the students respond and what they will be ready for in the next 180 days. This teacher was very eager to get going and had planned for the good in her classroom and left a lot of room for the unavoidable error that comes with disruptive students. This teacher I could tell was passionate and wanted to be there so in turn her students wanted to be there and were eager.
I agree with what Stephanie mentioned about having to many rules in the classroom. I have also seen classrooms with a long list of don'ts for the students, and it gets to be to much for the students and teacher to handle. The rules should be student-teacher based, and there should be minimal wording to them. This makes things easier for the teacher and the students then can refer back to the rules and see that they were a part of coming up with them.
ReplyDeleteI believe classroom management is definitely the key to a successful classroom. I think that classroom management is so important because it can be a preventative measure to stop misbehavior before it begins. It can also help make the most of instructional time and allow the days teaching goals to be accomplished. When classroom management is strong and clear from the beginning it can positively set the tone for the entire year. Likewise if procedures, rules, consequences, organization, and class environment is not addressed or not taken into account the boundaries are unknown and can be pressed creating an ineffective learning environment.
ReplyDeleteThe management techniques I have seen and been taught at the university are much different than what I reflect back to in middle school and elementary school. Rules were given with no reasoning, consequences were not consistent, and in some classroom procedures were continuously different making organization impossible. In my elementary classes I think it was harder to see management because it was so smooth and unnoticeable which I think is also a compliment to my teachers’ organization and using management techniques from the beginning of the year.
In my level I, I saw almost flawless management skills at Cedar Heights while observing kindergarten. Even though I came towards the beginning of the year the children already knew their procedure because it was very structured and rarely changed. Every moment of their days were accounted for, especially transitions which I think can be big time consumers at any age, but especially the younger grades. Students were challenged and had to grow and mature to reach the level of expectations given, but were able to do so. In this classroom there were occasional times when students would misbehave but the problem would be addressed and corrected so quickly very little time even escaped her lessons.
I agree with Callie and Stephanie when they mentioned how in college auditoriums it is often hard to concentrate because of the design of the room, the number of people, and the style of teaching. I also think room organization in elementary schools is important. In some schools, and even in some UNI classrooms, classes are separated by thin walls, or room dividers. This makes the noise travel between rooms much easier and is a big distraction for both educators and students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carly about large classes being ineffective. When there are so many students and just one teacher, it is not the best learning environment. I think it is important for teachers to really know their students, each and every one. In classes with fifty or more, that's almost impossible and most teachers will not make the effort. One on one help is also very useful, but ineffective in these specific classrooms. Learning about each student helps to know their strengths and weaknesses, and that information is beneficial in knowing how to present information in lesson plans. Small classes and teachers and students knowing each other is very important and much more effective than huge lecture halls.
ReplyDeleteThrough my experiences, I have learned that classroom management is crucial for a good education. Without good classroom management, lessons become disorganized and the students are unable to focus. The class will then get off topic and nothing will be done that day. As teachers, we have to set guidelines or have the students set up rules that we all feel are important to help us learn the most that we can.
ReplyDeleteI had heard from a teacher who helped set up rules in his classroom to help manage his students and they also came up with punishments if the rules were not followed. He talked about how was also subject to those rules and punishments and even confessed that he had to do pushups because he broke a rule in the classroom. This helped him manage his class because the students felt like the teacher wasn't exempt from the rules and punishments.
This was something that was a big deal to me because as a kid, I always felt that teachers were exempt from the rules at school. They were able to go onto websites that we were not allowed to go on during the school day like facebook or myspace.
For the most part, I feel like the instructors here at UNI are always working to motivate us. They seem excited about what we are going to learn. To me, this is important because if a teacher is just going to sit their and talk in a monotone voice and act like they don't care if we learn anything we won't feel motivated to do anything more than pass the class. This is a significant part to classroom management because as a teacher, if you don't care, your students won't learn.
Another management technique an instructor tried to use was to get students to sit at a different table every week so that we would meet new people during our collaboration assignment and learn about different points of view. This didn't work however because most of the class went to the same seats every time. It would have worked better if she would had picked out seats every week if this was something she was determined to do.
I like how Erin reminds us that good management doesn't always mean a quiet classroom. People learn through collaboration and experience, not just worksheets. Experiments are always a fun thing for students to do and that is how they learn. We experiment as babies and toddlers. We experiment with our bodies to figure out what we can do. We challenged our minds learning how tall the blocks will go before they fall or figuring out how to get to the cookie jar on the counter. I remember working together with my brothers on how to fix the things we broke before mom or dad found. We learned by doing and talking so we should have our students out of their seats and learning as much as we possibly can. This is something that I think some teachers forget while trying help students learn.
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