Monday, October 31, 2011
Classroom Management
Prevention is often the key to successful classroom management. What are some of the major instructional and procedural prevention strategies that should be implemented in the classroom? How should students, parents, and school administrators be involved in these prevention strategies?
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I think one of the most important classroom management strategy for prevention is guidelines/expectations. When students are aware of what they are expected to be doing throughout the day and during each instructional time, they are responsible for their own actions and tend to follow teacher guidelines better. Also, i believe it helps when the teacher repeats herself as to what the students should be doing and what the expectations are. This way, the students do not have an excuse for not knowing and not following and are more likely to stay on task. I think students can get their parents involved by talking about the school day. They may discuss their actions, attitudes, and things they completed during that school day. This way, parents are able to get their child aware of behaviors that need to be changed and can help them in doing so.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the major instructional strategies that is important to implement into the classroom is connecting lessons to students' lives. Students are more interested in learning if they are learning about something that they care about or that they have some experience with. It is important for teachers to find different ways to connect lessons that they are teaching to their students' lives so that the students are more interested in the lesson. When students are interested in what they are being taught, they are less likely cause distractions during class since they will be focused on the lesson. Students can be involved in this strategy by sharing any connections that they have with the lesson that the teacher might not have addressed.
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers need to implement rules, routines, and procedures starting the first day of the school year. This will minimize behavior issues and make the classroom more efficient. Another strategy for the teacher to use is to make the students aware of their own behavior and encourage them to hold themselves accountable. They need to learn to be reflective and learn from their behaviors. This connects to the social foundation their parents have provided them with. Unfortunately, many students may not learn those skills at home. The teacher should communicate with the parents often to get a better idea of the student's life at home. Finally, administrators affect classroom management because they should be there to support the teacher if there is a serious behavior issue. I think it also falls on their shoulders to implement a quality character education program school-wide, and to try to promote a positive school culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Kathryn and Elizabeth that teachers should implement rules,expectations, procedures, and guidelines into their classrooms. This makes students more aware of what they are expected to do in the classroom, which will lead to less behavioral issues. I have noticed in many different classrooms that I have spent time in that there is a list of rules on the wall that students can look at every day. The students also helped to create the rules, which I think is also a great thing to do. When the students help to create the rules, they feel like they have more power in the classroom and creating the rules also helps the students know that the rules are fair and they are more likely to follow the rules.
ReplyDeleteI think a key prevention strategy is having rules set up and enforced in the classroom. I also think that students should have a say in what the rules will be. This way they feel some control, and will then feel more responsible if they break their own rules. The rules also need to be enforced at all times and the students should know what the consequences are for not following the rules. This way they know exactly what to expect and they are more likely to follow the rules since they are reminded of them so often.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point Kathryn made about holding students accountable for their own actions. I think it is important for students to do self-checks on themselves where they able to decide if they are following the rules or not. They need to hold themselves responsible for how they are acting and not attribute their behavior to other factors. I think that she also makes a good point about how their behavior is linked to how their life may be at home. Talking to parents can be very helpful in deciding how to deal with students' behavior. They might also lend you a few strategies of how they deal with the child at home. Their rules and procedures for the child may be things you can bring into the classroom if the student is not behaving.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point, Krislyn, about asking parents about behavior issues. If something is working at home, it is definitely worth a try in the classroom. The may also help the student see you in a different light, if you are teaming up with their parents and using similar strategies. Another thing to remember is that teachers may actually be asking us advice in the future as well. It would be a good idea to be proactive and brainstorm some tips and resources for them before they ask. For example, if you know a student could use extra math practice, suggest some strategies or resources they could use during the school year or over the summer.
ReplyDeleteI think a major prevention strategy for the classroom would be goal setting and "self-checks." If the students can see the areas in their behavior that needs improvement, putting the responsibility on them to improve is not only instills in them independent improvement, but it also helps the teacher to guide them. The teacher can then check in with the student by asking them how they have worked toward their goal, or by reminding them of their goal. The teacher can easily show both the parents and the administration the goals that the students set for themselves. This will allow the parents to remind them of their goals at home.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Kathryn, Elizabeth and Krislyn that it is very important to establish rules and procedures in the classroom. I think a good way to hold the students accountable would be to have them sign it at the bottom. This way, when the teacher reminds the students of the goals that are implemented in the classroom, she can also remind them that they agreed to those rules. I also agree that the students should have a say in what the rules of the classroom are. This will give them some responsibility in the classroom and I believe that will help them feel like they are an integral part of their class.
ReplyDeleteI agree very strongly with Emily that goal setting is very important with the students being productive in their learning. I see this a lot in the classroom. Every morning the students talk about and assign goals for the day or goals they need to be working on. Throughout the day, they are then reminded what those goals were and if they are following them. I think this is a key strategy in classroom management. These goals can also come from being productive at home as well. Everything at home transfers into the classroom as well.
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