SUCCESSFUL TEACHING

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Joe Coles

Southwest Plains Regional Service Center

P O Box 1010 / W. Hwy 56 @ Lark Avenue

Sublette, Kansas 67877

Phone: 316-675-2241 Fax: 316-675-8396

Toll Free: 800-728-1022 Website: www.swprsc.org

Email: jcoles@swprsc.org

Philosophy of Teaching What is yours?

What is it going to be 25 years for now?

What is your Brand?

Ask a lot of questions!! Whom to ask?

Principals Mentor Teacher-buddy

One thing a principal wants out of his teachers!

Be at the door

Greet students by name.

Say something meaningful to them other than academics.

Seven things Students want to know.

1. Am I in the right room?2. Where am I suppose to sit?3. What are the rules in this classroom?4. What will I be doing this year?5. How will I be graded?6. Who is the teacher as a person?7. Will the teacher treat me as a human

being?

Discover Your District’s Policies and Procedures Teacher handbook Board policies Student handbook Negotiated agreement

School wide Policies & Procedures Checklist Schedules

Daily class schedule Bell schedule School-year schedule

School wide Policies & Procedures Checklist School wide routines

Attendance procedures Drill procedures Lunch counts & collecting money Assigned duties

Classroom Management

"A Teacher who is grossly inadequate in classroom management skills is probably not going to accomplish much." - Brophy & Evertson

Classroom Management Teachers almost never think about

managing a classroom.  They only think about presenting lessons -

lectures, worksheets, videos, actives- never management. 

One does not wait for problems to occur, then think about what to do about it. 

Effective teachers do not discipline a class he manages it.

According to the Wongs there are four

characteristics of a Well-Managed Classroom 1.  Students are deeply involved with their

work, especially with academic, teacher led instruction. 2.  Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful. 3.  There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or disruption. 4.  The climate of the classroom is work oriented, but relaxed and pleasant.

How to Prepare Your Classroom

Student Desks:  Desks do not have to be in traditional rows, but all chairs should face forward so that all eyes are focused on you.  (You can put students in groupings after you have established classroom management) Floor Space:  Keep high traffic areas clear.  Don't put desks, chars, or tables in front of doors, water fountains, sinks, pencil sharpeners, or your desk.

Things to Think About Wall Space:  Elementary teachers usually love

this part, most secondary dread it.  (It doesn't have to be that bad!)

Cover one or more bulletin boards with colored paper and trim and leave it blank.  This board will be to display student work.  Do not decorate it at all.  This is not your showcase, but theirs.

Display your discipline plan in a prominent place.  You can move it after the first week.

Have a consistent place for listing the day's or week's assignments.

Post a large example of the proper heading or style for papers to be done in class.

Your Area Teacher Area:  The closer you are to your

student the more you will minimize your classroom behavior problems.

Place teacher's desk, file and other equipment so that they do not interfere with the flow of traffic.

Do not create a barrier between yourself and your students.  Put your desk in a place that you will be able to assist, reinforce or discipline.

Place your desk away from the door so that no one can take things from your desk and quickly walk out.

Prepare Yourself:  This is important!

Have a place to keep your valuables, purse, keys and briefcase.

Have an emergency kit put together containing items like: tissue, rags, paper towels, soap, first aid kit, extra lunch money, tampons/pads, small sewing kit and Band-Aids.  These are for your use, not students!

Obtain teacher manuals and any resource materials that you will be using.

Get a supply of forms that are used for daily running of the school routines.  Examples:  Attendance forms, tardy slips, hall passes, and referral forms.  Put them in a place you will be able to get to them easily.

How to Have Students Follow

Classroom Procedures The number one problem in the classroom is not

discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines. - Wong

  Classroom management is not the same thing as discipline.  Discipline is only a small part of classroom management. 

How seriously you take this page will determine whether you have a chaotic or a well oiled learning environment, whether you will leave each school day frazzled and angry or happy and successful.

Discipline vs. Procedures Discipline:  can be seen by students

as a DARE to be broken, it concerns how student behave and has penalties and rewards. Procedures:  is a DO, a step to be learned, and concerns how things are done.  There are NO penalties or rewards.

Procedures Classroom procedures are statements of student

expectations necessary to participate successfully in classroom activities, to learn, and to function effectively in the school environment.

Classroom procedures allow many different activities to take place efficiently during the school day, often several at the same time, with a minimum of wasted time and confusion.

Classroom procedures increase on-task time and greatly reduce classroom disruptions.

Classroom procedures tell a student how things operate in the classroom, thus reeducating discipline problems.

Three step Approach to Teaching

Classroom Procedures 1.  Explain:  State, explain, model, and demonstrate the

procedure.  Use concrete terms.  ( "Nicely, put papers on the desk in next to you." is not concrete enough, "Put papers flat on the desk next to  you, without touching the person or making a sound" is much better.) 2.  Rehearse:  Rehearse and practice the procedure under your supervision.  Actually have students practice procedures.  Have students critique each other on how they well they follow the procedures when rehearsing them. 3.  Reinforce:  Re-teach, rehearse, practice, and reinforce the classroom procedure until it becomes a student habit or routine.  When procedures are done correctly respond with words of praise, pats, and smiles. Re-teach the correct procedure if rehearsal is unacceptable and give corrective feedback.  End again with praise.

List of Procedures to Design and Teach to Students

What to do when the bell rings What to do when a pencil breaks What to do when emergency alert signal

sounds Rest room breaks How to enter the classroom Where to find the assignment What students are to do when they want

your attention Headings on papers

List of Procedures to Design and Teach to Students Where completed papers go Where to find an assignment if they have been

absent What to do at dismissal time How a teacher is to quiet a class (think about

when it is noisy!) What students are to do when they are done

with an assignment Morning routine Getting to work immediately Tardy

More Going to the library or a center of some

sort When a school wide announcement is

made Walking in the hall during class time Responding to a fire drill Responding to earthquake drill Responding to a severe weather alert

More Responding to School Emergency

(someone in the building with a gun)  (Many schools now have policies like this in place due to the recent school shootings)

When visitors are in the classroom If the teacher is out of the classroom If a student is suddenly ill Saying, "thank you"

HARRY WONG FOUR STAGES OF TEACHING

Fantasy Survival Mastery Impact

Three Characteristics of an Effective Teacher. Be a good classroom manager.

Designs lesson to reach mastery.

Has positive expectations that students will be successful.

Seating Chart

1. Facilitates roll taking.

2. Aids name memorization.

3. Always 2 or 3 possible students that don’t want to be in your classroom. They find one another.

ACTIVITY FOR GROUP

Classroom Management Monitor student behavior

Be aware of who is listening, understanding, participating, or misbehaving.

Stand where you can see. Let the students know that you are

aware of what is going on at all times in the classroom.

Classroom Management Handle in appropriate behavior promptly

and consistently. Constantly monitor to detect inappropriate

discipline behavior and inconsistency with procedures.

Ways to deal with it.• “The Stare”• Remind the student of the correct rule or procedure.• Ask the student to repeat the correct rule or

procedure.• Tell the student to stop the rule violation.• Tell the student to stop the rule violation and attach a

consequence.

Classroom Management Plan ahead

Have a clear idea of what is to be taught and how it is to be taught.

Assignments must be posted daily. Students must have a set of Study

Guidelines which tells them exactly what they are expected to learn.

Teach students how to take criterion-referenced tests.

PLAN What is your plan?

Other Support Student support resources

English Language Learning (ELL) aides or teachers

Special education teachers School counselors School Psy. Others?

Classroom Rules How many rules do I need?

What should they be?

Why you should have only Three to Five Rules Limit classroom rules to a number that

you and the students can readily remember- never more that five.

I you need more than five rules, do not post more that five at any one time.

The rules need not cover all aspects of behavior in the classroom.

Three to Five Rules – cont. You have the right to replace a rule

with another. As a new rule becomes necessary,

replace an older one with it. Te rule your replaced can be retained

as an “unwritten rule,” which the students have learned.

How to Have an Effective Discipline Plan

If you are a new teacher developing your first discipline plan, this part of teaching probably is difficult. 

You come however, with knowledge of what your teachers used, and the knowledge of plans cooperating teachers used. 

This is YOUR chance to decide what will work for you.  True, you don't know what will work for you until you try it. 

So below I have some guidelines.

Rules:  Your way of setting limits on how far students can go.

Have no more than 3 to 5 posted in the room.

Rules have consequences, and they should also be posted

Consequences:  What happens if rules are broken

Normally in the jr. high, middle school and high school levels, the school has its own set of consequences.  Be sure you understand the system and know thoroughly how it works.

Consequences can be positive (rewards) and or negative (penalties)

Make sure consequences are logical and reasonable

Be careful that what you perceive as a consequence is not seen by students as a reward. 

When a Disruption Occurs:  Students will test you!  Be ready to call on them when they do not follow the rules.

As a wise professor once told me, "At all cost, keep teaching."  Students want to get you to stop teaching.  Don't let them!

Do not stop the lesson in order to penalize a student.  You need to decide ways to let students know without wasting time, that you know they have misbehaved and will get the consequences.

You could work out hand gestures: maybe point at the student and hold up the number of fingers of the rule they broke.

Use proximity control:  get close to the student who is misbehaving.  Give them the eye.

Use student names in discussion.  Do not always call on the trouble makers, but let them know you are watching them.  For example:  "Say, Johnny is walking down the street and he sees a helicopter..." Johnny is probably looking at you now, forgetting about what he was doing.

Students Who Escalate a Situation:  Often when students know they were "caught" they deny it.

Don't let students take more teaching time away from the class

Students might say things like, "What are you picking on me for?", "Why me?",  "What did I do?", or "Everybody else is doing it!"

If student persists, respond simply, "Because, you chose to break the rule."  Say it several times, same tone of voice with no expression on your face.  After a week, or month or so, students will start answering for you.

If a student refuses to settle down, and it is obvious that he/she wants to make a scene, send him/her out of the room.

Give Positive Feedback: Do your best to mention names of students who

are behaving the way you would like. As a new teacher, I was overwhelmed at how

much time my "problem" students took.  Meanwhile the majority of the class is behaving correctly, and yet the only one who gets attention are the ones who misbehave.  Keep this in mind when developing your discipline plan.

Example:  "Thank you, Cindy, for your attention!”

  Be Consistent:  This is so much easier said than done.

If you make a rule, stick by it.  Students know when you are not serious about a rule.

Don't keep warning students about consequences; give them!  Too many warnings, mean you are not serious, and students will soon run your classroom.

If you are going to make an error, make it an error on the side of being too strict, NOT to lenient.

Once you've relinquished your control to the students, you will not get it back.  You can always lighten up.  I don't know anyone who has successfully re-claimed power back from students.

Do not feel guilty about handing out your consequences.  Students want a well controlled classroom and they know that means when rules are broken there are consequences.

And remember, THEY CHOSE to break the rules, it has nothing to do with you.  Do not take bad behavior personally.

Other Support Get Support:  With a group of people backing you, you have

much more of a chance to be successful. Administration:  Talk to your administrator about the discipline

plan you have decided on.  Take any suggestions that he/she gives seriously.  They need to know your plan, and not come to you later with a student in the office questioning why the student was sent.

Parents:  Make sure they understand the discipline plan in your classroom so when problems come up, they know the rules and consequences and you can stick by your line of, "He/she chose to break the rule."

Coaches/ Club sponsors:  Get to know as many extra curricular advisors as possible.  I was amazed how well students begin behaving once they know you are in communication with a coach, sponsor or advisor.  If there is someone a student really looks up to, this is a connection you need to make.

Seven Commandments for Communicating with Parents

1. Communicate early and often to the parents of every student.

Trust is closely tied to both familiarity and dependability.

Frequent communication assures interest and commitment to their child.

Dependability and consistency.

Parent Communication 2. Position yourself as an advocate

for the student and a partner with the parents.

Clarifies your intent. Establishes a purpose for

communication. Shows your working with the parent

and child, not against.

Parent Communication 3. Ground your communication in

what you will promise parents. Let parents know the conditions under

which they can expect to hear from you.

How and when they can contact you. Assure parents of your prompt

attention and response to their calls.

Parent Communication 4. Commit to preventing and

avoiding giving parents any surprises, especially negative ones. Anticipating potential problems and

alerting parents can prevent problems from gaining life.

By contacting parents when a problem occurs, they will be more likely to work with you toward the resolution.

Parent Communication 5. Be open to what parents have to say,

even when it is difficult to hear. 1. We must understand that parents have

experiences and insights regarding their children that we will never have.

2. Parental criticism may be difficult to respond defensively. This information is important, and may be a first step to finding a solution.

Parent Communication 6. Recognize that words alone are a

small part of your communication with parents. 1. Nonverbal behavior is roughly half of

the message we communicate. 2. Tone of voice carries over 30% of the

message. 3. So our words are only about 10-20%

of our communication.

Parent Communication 7. Remember that in

communication, doing nothing is always doing something. Our silence is likely to be read as a

message.

How to Involve Parents Communicate through

correspondence Say hello letter Provide information about your

professional background Share your personal interests Express your confidence for a great

year

Progress Reports

Good or bad . . .Do ‘Em

(Real teachers grade papers in the car, during commercials, in the faculty lounge, and have even been seen grading papers in

church!)

Positive Phone Calls To each parent at several times

during the school year

Communicating Problems Ask yourself one question

“If I were the parent would I want to be notified?”

What to Say When You Call About A Problem 1) statement of sincere concern 2) describe specific behavior that

necessitated the call 3) describe the steps you have taken to

solve problem 4) get information from parents 5) present your solutions 6) Express confidence in the ability to

solve problem together 7) plan a follow-up contact

Additional Advice 1) document call in your planner 2) communicate with your

administrators!

Know How to Handle Hostile Confrontations 1) remain calm and thank the parent for expressing

concern 2) listen to the parents’ complaints without defending

yourself or justifying your actions 3) show empathy and concern by asking the parent

for more specific information 4) restate the student’s problem behavior and clarify

why it is not in his or her best interest to act this way 5) If a parent still seems critical or angry, point out

that it is in the child’s best interest that you both work together toward a solution

6) finally, if the parent is still upset, suggest that he or she talk with the principal

Communicating Class Policies Regarding Homework Explain why you assign homework and describe the

benefits for students Explain the types of homework you will assign Inform parents of the amount and frequency of the

homework (include days of the week & the amount of time you expect a

student will need to complete the assignments) Provide guidelines for when and how students should

complete the homework (include the relative importance of neatness, turning the work

in on time, and making up homework after an absence)

Explain how homework will affect student’s grades

Inform parents if you plan to give regularly scheduled tests on a certain day of the week

Let parents know how you will reinforce student’s efforts to complete their homework (also explain the consequences for not

completing homework) Clarify what you expect of the parent

Long Term Assignments Simplify Notify

(Real teachers know the difference among what must be graded, what ought to be graded, and what probably should never

see the light of day again!)

Share with the rest of the group things that you found out about your partner!

The five most important qualities for a good teacher Write them down by yourself.

Compare with your partner. Come up with your top 7 between you

Share with the rest of the group.

Student Motivation Several of you ask to talk about this!

Why?

Very important topic!

Motivation Students In motivating students to learn, our

efforts, must be directed at students individually.

Our efforts to motivate students individually and as a group have a great deal to do with how we position ourselves in the classroom to influence them.

Six Techniques These techniques are motivational

and position us to be influential with both individuals and the whole class.

Six Daily Actions That Motive Students to Learn

1. Be aware that young people are more motivated when they believe work and learning are important.

• Use words like- important, useful, meaningful, vital, beneficial, and hug into your daily communication urgings.

• Students are more motivated with work that has a bigger purpose. (More so than ever)

2. Be aware of what is important to young people.

Open and honest communication. Personal and family life. Work they are required to do. Wind them into your lessons, your expectations, and

your requests. Be careful not to issue orders or demands that make

you appear inconsiderate or uncaring. Be student-centered- not teacher centered.

3. When you have information or knowledge that has a bearing on the lives of students, tell them what you know– as soon as you know it. Holding info or surprising students will work

against your motivational efforts. Our responsibility to make sure students get

all the info they need regarding expectations, upcoming assignments, test dates, and due dates.

4. Whenever possible, allow students to participate in decisions that affect them. Remember, getting to make decisions is personal. It is important. It is motivational. Decisions allow students greater flexibility. Being flexible about how a task is done and setting time

lines can go a long way in helping students believe in you.

How can you do this?

5. Continually giving students feedback on how they are doing is motivational. Use every opportunity to counsel, provide feedback,

and motivate students in the right direction. Help students develop attitudes and skills that lead

them to focus on academic work and success. It is a mistake for students to have to wait until a test or

exam to find out where they stand academically.

Ideas how to do this!

6. In as many ways as possible, tell students you appreciate having them in class. Acknowledge their focus. Praise their questions and insights. Don’t let any extra effort go unnoticed. Students work harder for appreciation. Most work harder for recognition. Also tell their parents! Students will be more motivated when they

believe you’re “aware of everything.”

A Few Last Thoughts . . . Real teachers can’t walk past a crowd of

kids without straightening up the line. Real teachers are written up in medical

journals for the size and elasticity of kidneys and bladders

Real teachers hear the heartbeats of crisis; always have time to listen; know they teach students, not subjects; and they are absolutely non-expendable.

JOBS OR MISSION