Action Research Project

Amy Murdock Lois Oestreich Intro to Multicultural in Classroom 2 December 2013

Action Research Project

Phase I Problem Identification Is a well-managed classroom ideal in teaching? Many classrooms today there are times where the first day of school will start off great, then it will have times when students will not show respect for the classroom rules. This is a problem for most first year teachers as they do not know how to set up clear rules and expectations in the classroom rules the very first day. Students get out of hand and tend to misuse this crumbling framework of rules. Teachers will become stressed and will just end up quitting after the first year if they cannot see the underlying problem. I would like to draw up a framework of positive classroom rules in order for students to come to class with knowledge of expected behavior. Improving these clear rules would mean better presentation for materials, more time for the students to get involve in their assignments as well as group projects without them being overwhelmed in having less time to finish the material at hand and have the ability to ask questions to the teacher then having them be at home and stumped with a question that cannot get answered until the following morning when the homework is due. This inquiry about this topic is very beneficial to every new/old teacher that is teaching. Teachers would have less time struggling with the lesson plan if the transitions times went smoothly instead of in twenty minutes intervals of waiting for students to get the hint to settle down. When substitute teachers, step in for the regular teacher less transition time will be great on the stress levels of them coming back to teach. Having students knowing what they are supposed to do when there is a substitute is great relief for the whole staff of the schools. Students would be able to tell how far they could push a teacher with clear positive classroom framework for rules and with clear consequences. If students come in the classroom and know

Action Research Project

what they are required to do when they are supposed to then this keeps them out of trouble in class and lets the teacher do what they need to get down during that time; this could be helping other students, one on one reading time, Dibbles, etc. Positive classroom management is a great topic that allows for a range of insights of development in each new class that the teacher teaches. Teachers can find a particular way that fits their teaching style. I think that if the rules are outlined in the curriculum then they can be twisted and bent to what you are looking for in the environment that is being set up in the classroom. Students would have a better time learning in a positive classroom if there is structure.

Action Research Project

Phase II - Plan of Action Improving to a positive classroom there should be at least twelve clearly stated objectives in the classroom according to Elementary Education Degree (2013); firstly always have clear established rules that are enforced consistently, with this said rule be clear about what is expected and what the consistent consequences to breaking the rules are. This first rule is a wonderful idea to have a clearly stated objective which tells the students what your expectations in a simple sentence. In order to develop my own set of positive rules in my classroom will be firm in a positive way. I will make my rules very strict and make sure they will not do the crime again unless they want certain things such as major classroom activities to go out the window. They will have no fun in the school year if they do not follow through. Sounds very strict, but I like to be firm and this way they will be consistent. Being and staying positive through words, is what every classroom teacher needs to do. I will focus my attention on classrooms with weak and strong classroom management. See which students sink in education and which achieve through their studies that their teacher has provide to them. Approximated timeline for an observational study would be all year, from September to June when classes end and see if those classes that I have mentioned above have achieved more than those who had little to none supportive frame work.

Action Research Project

Phase III- Data Collection

I will collect better data than I am doing on this paper. I will certainly try to take a poll of other classes that do not have a proper positive framework to have a functioning classroom with a properly organized classroom. I have substituted in both types of classrooms and the classrooms that do not have any such rules listed except for raise hands and be respectful is a 1st grade class that likes to run around and scream talk when I am talking . I do my best in not stressing out, but it over whelmed me in which I had to step out of the classroom and had to get another teacher to instruct the class in how to treat a substitute. National Centers on Accessible Instructional Material, through Grant Miller Ph.D. stated (2013); For many educators, classroom orfor that matterschool management evokes several terms such as "order," "discipline," "cooperation," and "misbehavior." These terms are casually mentioned sometimes but are not well defined, often leaving the reader to assume that they are either mere synonyms or antonyms. Doyle's (1986) literature review concerning classroom management, however, offers some appropriate working definitions that help distinguish each term. First, imagine a hierarchy of concepts where "order" is at the top with "discipline" below. According to Doyle, order prompts engagement whereas a teacher uses discipline to curb misbehavior. The result is cooperation. "Misbehavior," as Doyle contends, "is any action by one or more students that threatens to disrupt the activity flow or pull the class toward a program of action that threatens the safety of the group or violates norm of appropriate classroom behavior held by the teacher, the students, or the school's staff (Doyle, 1986; p. 396). Thus, a common assumption is to equate management with discipline, only focusing on an individual student's misbehavior with the goal of achieving student cooperation. Yet, as Doyle

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(1986) points out, "'cooperation' rather than 'engagement' (in the sense of involvement with content) is the minimum requirement for student behavior" (p. 396).In other words, engagement is learning; cooperation is passivity. This is meaning that when achieving goals students have a better time in a well behaved class rather than the noise less productive ones that you see in some schools. Not have an overall engagement of students, but have a satisfactory in depth engagement so that students might actually understand what is being presented to the class.

Miller goes on to say, The third tier of school systems for management concerns the classroom system. According to Walker et al (1996), "Classroom systems are developed by teachers to support the larger school-wide policies and procedures and to manage the academic performance and social behavior of students within instructional environments and arrangements" (p. 198). Studies concerning this context present proactive lesson-planning strategies for whole-class instruction and cooperative learning. In total, 17 studies were found for this review which highlights what researchers have found in this area. Five of these studies (Behets, 1997; Goodsby, 1996; Nelson, Johnson & Marchand-Martella, 1996; Stright & Supplee, 2002; Vasquez-Levy, 1993) concern whole-class instruction, whereas the remaining 12 (Christenson & Serrao, 1997; Hannifin & Clark, 1989 (as cited in Webb, Baxter & Thompson, 1997); Harwood, 1995; Hooper, Ward, Hannafin & Clark, 1989; McManus & Gettinger, 1996; Mulryan, 1995; Mulryan, 1994; Nelson et al, 1996; Sharp et al, 1996; Tudge, 1997; Webb, 1991; and Webb et al 1997) present cooperative learning strategies.

Action Research Project

Phase IV - Analysis of data Unfortunately, the studies with the most respectable methodology (i.e., large sample size, triangulation of data) concerning classroom system lack the richness of detail concerning context and the techniques teachers used in their classroom. Several studies located for this review presented a sound justification for the 'what' of their study, yet lack a thick description of the how. As a means to better illustrate the basic principles these studies reveal concerning the challenges teachers face in the classroom and how they implemented successful strategies, a weaker (methodologically speaking) empirical study (Vasquez-Levy, 1993) was selected for its illustrative description. The experiences of Vasquez-Levy's (1993) lone participant, Abel, serves as an appropriate vignette to help illustrate how lesson planning and the teacher's overall interaction with students can serve as a proactive classroom management strategy(A.I.M.). Grant Miller goes on to say, These principles of effectively establishing order for a learning environment in these studies are parallel to those found in previous systems: the program must be coherent, consistent, positive, and proactive. This could be hard to consistently maintain in some of these researched observations of different types of classrooms. Experimental observational studies would a great way with seeing if these classroom management techniques were working or not. Graphs with statically data that could be plotted to show the variations to the collected data through experimental observations. These well stated understandings are that teachers need to be positive, consistent, and proactive in maintaining their classrooms to service children in need of an education.

Action Research Project

Phase V - Plan for Future Action What I will do differently from these study notes that Grant Miller, nothing, they have outlined and predicted what teachers should do when using this data and how it should affect their classroom framework. I support the materials that they have state that students will achieve more in a structural sound classroom. Most of these students do not get it at home which leaves school as the only place to have some kind of structure to the madness of the world. I would recommend to other want to be and new teachers that having a structured classroom should be an affective choice. I would make sure that my classroom have structure and meaning to all that is being learned by students. I might recommend to others is that sometimes strict teaching isnt such a bad choice, but not so strict that the students begin to back lash and be disrupting with behavior. I could also suggest that some teachers take a classroom management class to learn new fresh ideas on different strategies to basic frame working.

I hope this paper has properly outlined and focused on a topic that is useable in an education environment and will satisfy the grade to the course. I do stand by the uses of a positive outlook to maintaining a classroom for achieving students. I have learned a lot of from reading through the resources that I have picked. Being strict and not flexible is a down fall that I will have to change in maintains a classroom.

Action Research Project

References Elementary Education Degree.com (2013) Top 12 Proven Classroom Management Tips; Retrieved (12/02/2013) from http://www.elementaryeducationdegree.com/classroommanagement-tips/

Miller, G., & Hall, T. (2005). Classroom management. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [12/02/13] from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/classroom_mana...