Whether you're a first-year teacher or a seasoned pro, effective classroom management is a critical piece of any successful classroom. Share what works.
Behavior Management
John Bennett
Emeritus Faculty in the School of Engineering / University of Connecticut
Posted on 4/9/2011
When classroom management is raised, i have always known how fortunate I was to be teaching university engineering students: qualified students choosing to take my classes. My classroom management was about pedagogy and materials that provide the environment and encouragement for my students to learn effectively - a joy to do for the 30 years prior to retirement.
In conversations with many teachers as I expand my outreach to K-12 following retirement, I realize even more how fortunate I was to be able to ignore the BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT aspect of classroom management. I strongly believe this aspect to be the largest detriment to effective learning in all too many classrooms AND most likely the cause of teacher burnout in all too many instances.
I'd really like to hear about BH. For so many classrooms, think how just improving BH will improve learning. May I suggest this to be a major difference when comparing countries?
Comments (22)
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Hi John, Can we say that from
Hi John,
Can we say that from a sociological perspective, student behavior is relative to a distinct geography versus country?
Behavior Management
Hi John,
Are you wondering if differences in behavior management strategies correlate with differences in students acheivement?
My guess would be that any correlation between student acheivement and behavior problems is going to be difficult to draw concusions about. There are so many other variables at work that it would be impossible
to determine if any effect observed could really be attributed to the difference which interests you.
What we have observed, anecdotally, is a drop in need for behavioral interventions occuring during activities which engage students. The natural conclusion to draw is that interesting activities leave little opportunity for students to entertain themselves through "other" behavior choices. Are you thinking this effect might be culturally based? Or perhaps may operate differently depending on cultural factors?
If the conclusion we are drawing is correct, it's not behavior management that needs attention, but curriculum. If the result is to be trusted, it impels us to interest students if we really want to improve their behavior.
Mary Kate
Is there an easy but
Is there an easy but effective way/form other teachers use to send a weekly conduct report home? Or, if you don't send a weekly condluct report home, what system do you use to maintain good conduct in your classroom? Any suggestions?
Behavior plan
My school uses an individualized behavior plan which the child maintains. Goals are arranged on a grid and the student collects teacher signatures for each goal. There are usually five reporting periods each day. Goals are arrived at through teacher/student collaboration. Parents may track the child's progress by viewing the record any time they are in the classroom.
This approach casts teachers in the role of facilitators. Misbehavior is viewed as a learning opportunity and the objectives are clearly stated. Any difficulties meeting a goal are noted on the grid. We generally ask the student whether or not he has earned a signature instead of making that decision unilaterally. Students focus on working toward future success, and the teacher's role is that of cheerleader and supporter instead of enforcer.
Though some families use the grid to reward good behavior and punish unmet goals, we do not encourage this (in general). What we have found is that any reward structure skews the child's motivation and they only focus on success when they can earn goodies. It's not unusual for a student to work for weeks at meeting a goal, get a reward, and then revert right back to the original behavior after the reward is obtained.
Hope this helps.
MK
Region vs. Country
I was trying to say that the expectations of parents / families with respect to behavior in the classroom and in general seem to vary from country to country; but I'd guess it's by region as well. With not only classroom management to deal with, behavioral management now must come first. Often with the elephant in the room as well (standardized test preparation), I'd guess actual classroom management as in pedagogy becomes unfortunately less critical.
Behavior and Parents / Families
In conversations with teachers, a number report that the parents / families are often consciously not interested in either the behavior status or in interaction with daughters / sons in encouraging or expecting progress. This missing link (on the part of only a few students probably) has a disproportionate impact on classroom effectiveness regardless of subject matter or pedagogy used. I'm including lack of emphasis on homework and studying in the parental expectations. HOW DO TEACHERS DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES?
The lack of parental / family expectation of civility (and thus absolutely no providing an environment that promotes motivation to learn for sure) makes any teacher efforts to facilitate effective learning doesn't it?
When parents don't show interest
school can become a refuge for the child.
Material which is engaging is very important, as is a classroom culture which encourages curiosity. I have some kids who do their challenging homework during spare moments in class or during recess time. Language barriers are usually the issue, but even in a private school environment, there are some parents who are just throwing money at the issue, and others who expect us to do everything, including monitoring homework completion.
I try to help the child as much as possible. I figure they are the ones who really suffer in this situation.
mk
Different Worlds
John,
I must say, we teach in the most opposite environments the a person is likely to find. I teach in a state prison in Ohio. My students are murders, rapists, drug dealers, and child molesters. Behavior in the classroom is easily my largest concern. I have seen some of the most extreme outbursts of bad behavior that a person can witness. What would you like to hear about?
Behavior Management
Behavior management in my classroom is not consistent, however, my students are eager to please and do well with their homework and state assessments. I do not maintain a behavior management plan, but would be interested in hearing plans that have worked for other teachers.
I also use this strategy and
I also use this strategy and it works for the most part for a time. We ask parents to sign of daily on the report and these are returned to us and kept on file. Like you I find that after the goals are met students revert to their old behaviors. Ia am interested in how to sustain the changed behavior. I am not a proponent of giving out food either. School supplies and extra computer time are usually my rewards. Any suggestions?