Classroom Management by Lisa Rodriguez, Ph.D. Elements of classroom management vary.

In researching this topic, it is clear that a common understanding for the term management might be useful. For this purpose, management refers to issues of supervision, refereeing, facilitating, and even academic discipline. Not all student behaviors require intervention or confrontation while some are serious enough in nature to warrant formal disciplinary action. Rest assured that while there are current studies in higher education literature that suggest a growing trend of rudeness and even overt animosity towards faculty by students, the vast majority of classroom experiences are not dramatic. Since many professors teach for years without encountering some of the management instances we discuss here, our intent is to move beyond identification of classroom problems to suggest preventative strategies and practical solutions. For some faculty, teaching comes quite naturally and the notion of management in the classroom is irrelevant. But situations within the classroom do occasionally occur that lead us to seek out advice in order to maintain the learning environment for students not to mention our personal sanity. Typical classroom management topics are listed in faculty handbooks to reflect pragmatic concerns such as policies on classroom breaks, adds and drops, disruptive and dangerous students, emergency procedures including weapons and drugs in the classroom, location of phones, etc. Keeping essential records is a component of this topic and is addressed in the previous Read section. A rule of thumb for faculty is to keep current on policies regarding student and faculty interactions as well as the role of your teaching assistants, if you have one. Know your college and state policy on student conduct.

As a new faculty member, I was terrified that I would not know how to handle students who were older than I. I wanted very much to hear "for instances" from other faculty. Serendipitously, our campus Staff Learning Department instituted an online discussion forum where faculty could seek collective advice on issues of classroom management. Your campus may use the services of the 4faculty discussion forums. If your campus doesnt utilize the 4faculty system, you might encourage them to do so or ask if you might work with your Professional Development Office or Information Technology to establish this valuable communication forum on your campus. Some common conduct issues identified by Gerald Amada in his research for Coping

With Misconduct in the College Classroom (1999) are listed in the table below. In discussing what constitutes problematic classroom behaviors with colleagues, I have decided to add to Dr. Amadas list. While his approach does not necessarily align with learner-centered teaching, his work does cover many sticky issues of navigating the uncomfortable situations that occur from time to time and suggests several strategies for working with student services and other administrators to remedy situations. Issues / Solution Suggestions Table Issue 1. Undermining the instructors authority Solution This is tricky as it speaks to "attitude." A student might belittle the instructor or engage in a battle of the wills. This student would need to be privately told that their attitude was confrontational and asked how this might be resolved mutually. "Be careful not to read most questions about content, interpretation, or assignments as a challenge of authority. Acting as it they are not, even when you suspect they are, can convey a sense of confidence and control. Sometimes merely assuring the student, while smiling, that you have indeed reflected on this issue at length and that they too will understand soon why the information or the assignment is valuable diffuses the situation. You may even want to encourage them to ask the question again at a later date if necessary." 2. Leaving class too frequently Camps are divided as to whether or not students should ask for permission to leave for bathroom breaks or wait for a break in the class. I dont require my students to limit their bathroom breaks or ask permission, however, this is contentious for some faculty when breaks are taken too frequently. You might privately ask the student if everything is OK so that they know that you are concerned by their behavior. Dont assume disrespect it might be a bladder infection or some other physical problem. If this is a repeated problem, students need to know that their non-verbal behavior is perceived as disinterest. You might ask them after class if they need a more comfortable seat. Some students are extremely shy and it might take half of the semester before they open up enough to make sustained eye contact or face the instructor completely. Remember also that sustained eye

3. "Spacing Out" or Sitting With Back to Instructor

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contact is a culturally dictated practice that might not be feasible for some students. 4. Poor hygiene (possible cultural considerations) Poor hygiene, too much perfume, cigarette odor or other strong odors can be distracting or even nauseating to students. The cause for the odor might be culturally based in bathing preferences between cultures. This can be a real problem for some faculty while others will never encounter the dilemma. I suggest letting the offending student know that in close quarters, some students have issues with strong smell. It might be suggested that for the course (not their outside of class lives) that the odor be masked in some way. Verbal or physical threats are serious matters. They are discussed in detail by experts in the field in "Handling Crisis." As a general rule consult professional experts for assistance immediately. 6. Gum, Food, Pagers, and Cell Phone Disruption If decided upon by class, consequences for breaking this policy might range from the loss of participation points to the offender having to present on a topic of interest to the class. Some instructors allow pagers and cells to be on the vibrate setting as long as they are attended to at the break rather than used when it interrupts the class. Instructors need to abide by this rule as well and allow for at least one mistake per student as accidents do happen from oversight. The idea here is to prevent habitual disruption from gum popping and phones ringing. This is common but manageable. Many students are excited and talkative so it might be good to give them a few class periods to settle in. However, if its evident right away that this is a trend, its best to ask them to stay after class. You might approach them initially by saying that you are pleased with the amount of enthusiasm they have for discussion but were hoping that they have suggestions for getting the other class members equally involved. The student will most likely get your drift with minimal humiliation. Sleeping in class is usually considered rude. Most faculty believe it should not be tolerated and is best curbed up front by waking a sleeping student and asking them to step outside with you. Once

5. Verbal or physical threats

7. Monopolizing Discussions

8. Sleeping in class

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there faculty often tell students that its best for the rest of the class if they return when they are awake enough to be an active participant. This occurs from time to time and you obviously are the one to choose lenience or punitive action. If its one of your more regularly involved students, perhaps give them an option of an extra credit research assignment they can bring to your next class period covering the subject matter they missed while they were sleeping. An alternative approach is to assume that the student does not feel well, was up most of the night with a sick child, or has some other condition that results in sleepiness when still for long periods of time. You might simply choose to wake the student and ask them if they are feeling alright. To pull this off you need to approach it with true concern for the student's health and well being. Most of the time, student's are so embarrased and so appreciative of your genuine concern that they don't let it happen again. Encourage students to actively participate, take notes (explain that this is helpful to their learning as it stimulates memory in the brain) and in particularly long classes break up the session with activities or paired conversations about a topic to ensure that students stay engaged. Students don't learn much from listening, so remember that the more they "experience" the learning process the more you are really teaching. 9. Repeated Tardiness: There should be clear parameters set around this issue up front either in your syllabus or in the class decided norms. Stick to your guns on the policy. Some fair policies might include 3 tardies equals one absence. It might be best to discuss this with students individually; some are habitually late because they are dependant on bus routes or other drivers for transportation to school. 10. Refusal to Participate or Speak We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win situation by either giving the student alternative options to verbal participation (unless its a speech class) or simply carefully coaxing some response out of

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them and praising whatever minimal effort you receive from them. Remember, some students are terrified to be in a class setting especially if there are round tables rather than desks allowing for little anonymity. 11. Sexual Innuendo, Flirting, or Other Inappropriate Suggestion This behavior should be curbed as soon as it occurs. Its never comfortable to tell a student that they arent being appropriate and if you are uncomfortable, a short, positive e-mail or phone call might suffice. Your response should be not judgmental and you might discuss it with your department chair or faculty mentor before broaching it with your student. In some cultures, students work together to produce homework. It may come as a shock to these students that they cannot submit identical work. This may also come as a surprise to couples, parent-child, siblings, or close friends. Be careful to give thought to how you will handle this before you encounter it and react as if it were intentional cheating. This can also occur when the class does a great deal of group work. Make sure you are clear about what is individual vs. group work in your assignments. Depending upon the class and the students prior knowledge of what plagiarism entails, some faculty issue an automatic F for the first instance, then expulsion from the class with a report to the department chair and division dean on a second instance. Most colleges have specific policies. Be sure to know you college policy before taking action. Plagiarism should be outlined in your syllabus with a reference for students to the college catalog for more information. 14. Too Much Chit Chat Give 2-minute chat times for groups or before class begins let them know that you have material to be covered and that their talking isnt helping you achieve your goals for the class. Know too that some students occasionally translate a word or phrase to a tablemate who might not have as strong an understanding of English, be patient and observant when curbing this behavior. 15. Disrespectful Behavior The reality is that sometimes students just plain wont like you. You will find yourself in a

12. Sharing/Copying Work

13. Plagiarism or Lying

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conversation with yourself about why they dont like you and treat you with disrespect. Animosity will perpetuate itself so remember your role and look for a way to positively invite the student to engage more deeply in the class. Perhaps offer them a special task based on a self-disclosed talent; for instance, a student whose hobby is Origami (Japanese paper folding) might lead a lesson on the art of following instructions. Printable version of this table ( solutionstable.pdf )

A few notes on confronting the behaviors listed above: Avoid calling a student to the carpet publicly. This can be humiliating and break down respect and the sense of a safe environment that students need in the classroom. Start with a positive statement if possible: for example, if a student is monopolizing class discussion, you might start by saying, "Im really pleased that you take such an interest in discussions and have a lot to share. But I was wondering if you might have suggestions to help others get equally involved?" Document incidents that you feel might continue or are egregious enough to warrant a paper trail. Keep in mind that your dean will likely suggest you take a graduated approach: verbal warning, written warning, meeting with the dean, etc. Remember that you were once a student. Think before you act. Take a deep breath if necessary before saying or doing anything you might later regret.

Setting the Classroom Atmosphere You may wish to revisit and reflect upon the importance of the first day of class. A successful first day and week often contributes to a semester free of classroom management problems. Setting ground rules, as discussed in Module 4, can be particularly helpful. Managing Tempo and Time If you have an early morning, after lunch, or after dinner class time, you might notice some problems with rhythm and attentiveness. You might start these classes with brainteasers or wake up exercises that get students ready to focus. Being aware of circadian rhythm might save you some frustration in getting used to timing issues with your class.

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New instructors often become surprised by how even the best-laid lesson plans go awry. It is often the case that students will lead the discussion off topic and the instructor, pleased to have such lively interaction, will not be able to bring the class back on track. As mentioned in Making a Good First Impression, a handy practice is to have key phrases pre-planned to bring class back to topic such as "time to come together now, please wrap it up in 2 minutes." Some classrooms dont have clocks where faculty can see them, so as is practiced in Toastmasters (the professional speaking organization) it might be useful to select a timekeeper whose function it is to notify you when discussion time is up and transition is needed. I often write a reminder to the class not to let me get off track or talk past a certain time amount when we have a good amount of material to be covered or group activities planned. With this reminder written on the board under the daily agenda, students arent as hesitant to let me know that while they are fascinated by my words, I have exceeded a self-imposed limit. Taking this a bit further, the act of student input into the pacing of the class adds to a sense of empowerment and lessens the sense that they are powerless to mood or whims of the instructor. Finally, if you have taken the advice to audio or video tape your instruction but still find that you are prone to tangents, you might bring a kitchen timer with a soft bell to keep track of time limits on lecturing or group projects. This is especially helpful with question and answer times following student presentations. With limited time allotted to groups or individuals to present, a timer can serve to maintain the sense of fairness. Making a Connection Between Faculty and Students: Students can feel disconnected and disoriented in a new class. Returning students might feel self-conscious about their age and out of place returning to school while younger students might bring emotional remnants of negative high school experiences with them to their first college classroom. Breaking the ice is essential in establishing this connection. In Planning for the First Day of Class, you found solid advice for the first day of class. Some ideas for lessening the tensions that might exist from lack of familiarity include: Know your philosophy regarding education and tell your students what it is. This can be an enlightening experience for them to realize that you consider your career to be deeper in meaning beyond merely collecting a paycheck. Take digital photos (with permission) of the class to let them know that you value them and want know their names and faces as soon as possible. Other options are name tents in on their desk, or practice as a group with name memory tricks. Harry Lorraine is a memory expert whose video "Memory Power" teaches name and face recognition tricks. There is also ample information available on the Internet for getting students names learned quickly. Present a visual depiction of your life such as a Power Point that contains family photos, pictures of a pet, a mission statement, examples of artwork, hobbies, short biographical sketch, etc. Allow students to ask questions within your comfort zone. I
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have found this to be a useful introduction to technology in presentations as well as breaking down student-perceived barriers. See Sample Share an instance when you struggled as a student and how you dealt with it. Share your memories of your best and your worst instructors when you were a student. Let them know that you are evolving as an instructor and hope to develop into one that learns to meet students expectations. Distribute a questionnaire. I usually distribute a single-page (confidentially and with a clear statement that the decision to not answer the questions does not constitute lack of participation) for students e-mail address, phone number, age, number of children, hobbies, favorite books, expectations about the class, favorite movies, music, number of hours worked, special information that would help them succeed in the class, favorite subject in high school, plan of study, and more. Answers to the questionnaire are later discussed with the class in terms of averages and areas of interest. Often students make connections with each other when they hear commonalties. Let the students know what you want them to call you. "Miss," "Mr.," "Mrs.," "Ms.," "First Name," "Professor," or "Dr." are the choices most commonly agreed upon. Remember, some students will not feel comfortable being required to call you by your first name based on cultural background or prior educational experience, so its recommended that they are not forced to do so. Conversely, be aware that some students interpret the informality of being on a first name basis or the discovery of commonalties as permission to try to bend boundaries or challenge standards. There is much to be gained from balancing friendliness with expectations. Announce your boundaries for communication. Be it e-mail or talking after class, let them know what you will and will not accept. Tell students that you want to have outside of class communications but you need a certain amount of time for replies and need courtesy in communication. For example, I give a separate e-mail address to my students than my home address and let them know that they may not Spam me, add me to chain e-mail lists, send me unsolicited or unidentified attachments, nor add me to their instant message buddy lists without prior permission. Additionally, let them know that you want to be equitable in sharing your office hours with others students, so they might be asked to come to office hours with concrete questions or concerns. Walk your talk: give students a list of things and behaviors they can expect from you. If you agree to give assignments back graded within one week, do so. Avoid contradicting yourself or appearing indecisive. Model the behaviors you expect of your students. Allow students to form a list of expectations they have for you, the instructor. This can serve to empower students as well as provide a forum to discuss what their fears, concerns, expectations, and needs as students really are. This activity will most likely aid in the classroom sense of fairness and serve to prevent later challenges to fairness and or documentation issues by students. Making Connections: Student-to-Student

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Research into student retention suggests that students drop out of college most frequently citing lack of connection as the key factor. With this in mind, it is good practice to pepper the first few classes of the term with connection building activities. Having established a connection amongst peers, students will be more likely to contact each other outside of class for support, ask each other for missed notes, feel safer to offer answers aloud during discussions, and ask for advice regarding other academic and personal concerns. One of the most gratifying feelings as a new faculty was to witness my students staying after class to chat informally. Some suggestions for fostering student connectedness are: Pair off or small groups of three in which students find answers to questions written on the board such as "where were you born?," "why are you taking this class?," "what kind of car do you drive?," etc. Scavenger hunts such as finding one person with 2 kids, one person who has a famous relative, one person who is born in January, 2 people who have unusual pets, etc. For more suggestions, you might consult with your staff development office for books on team building exercises or search the Internet for "ice breaker" activities. Helping Students Learn to Be College Students Distributing this list of desirable and undesirable behaviors can serve to avert management issues in that some students simply do not realize that their behavior is negative or disruptive to the instructor or to their classmates. The following table identifies some common positive and negative behaviors that provide students with a guide for managing themselves as students. You might wish to distribute this list to your class at the time you discuss your syllabus or set class norms as a group. Feel free to modify this list as needed for your students. Positive Impression Givers Book on desk, pencil or pens ready Negative Impression Givers Picking face, nose, grooming, knuckle cracking, nail filing or cleaning teeth Heavy sighs, eye rolling

Note taking or recording the lecture/class with permission from the instructor Ask questions that are appropriate

Laughing AT the instructor rather than WITH the class Leaving early without letting the instructor know ahead of time Frequent tardiness or absences
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Make an effort to maintain eye contact Sit where you can see and be
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attentive Submit assignments on time, ask if there is supplemental material you can explore to better complete your assignments such as video titles or other materials Distracting noises: foot tapping, nail biting, pen twirling/tapping, yawning w/o covering your mouth, mumbling, zipping up bags to indicate you want the class to end, paper tearing, paper toy making, etc. Head on desk to indicate boredom

Help your classmates whenever possible Make certain you understand assignments when assigned Save announcements about necessary absences for before or after class

Staring at the clock or your watch

Skipping assignments and/or breaking assignment policy, handing in shoddy, unstapled, ripped out pages that show no care for the assignment Refer to sexual situations inappropriately in assignments (unless its asked for in the assignment such as a human sexuality class) Frequently forget text and notebook

Refrain from doing other course work or paying bills in class

When using the Internet in class, stay on task rather than surfing for fun Give the instructor the respect you wish to be treated with

Attempt to be class clown inappropriately; a joke here and there is fine, but repetitious clowning is distracting Squinting or face making to show disapproval Note passing or hand signals to others

Dont interrupt, belittle, or put down fellow students Keeping an open mind when issues arise you disagree with. Disagreeing with dignity. Make certain you pay your fees for enrollment and get your text on the first day of class

Interrupting the instructor to ask what you missed when you were absent or if you missed anything "important" Acting as if the class or topic of discussion is irrelevant or stupid if
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you really feel so, drop the class Know the instructors name and call them only what they prefer to be called ask if necessary Spell the class, instructor, and assignment name correctly on all submitted work Leaving your belongings where they inconvenience others

Tipping in your chair

Classroom Management, Management of Student Conduct, Effective Praise Guidelines, and a Few Things to Know About ESOL Thrown in for Good Measure Dr. Bob Kizlik
One of the best and most highly recommended books on classroom management is available from Amazon.com. Click HERE to read about it and order it. Updated June 2, 2012 The evidence is irrefutable, Surveys of graduates of education schools and colleges indicate that the #1 area of concern of new teachers is their feelings of inadequacy in managing classrooms. Despite clinical experiences, practicums, student teaching, and other observations in classroom settings, this problem has persisted for decades. There is no magic elixir that will confer skill in this area of professional responsibility. We only wish there were.

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Classroom management and management of student conduct are skills that teachers acquire and hone over time. These skills almost never "jell" until after a minimum of few years of teaching experience. To be sure, effective teaching requires considerable skill in managing the myriad of tasks and situations that occur in the classroom each day. Skills such as effective classroom management are central to teaching and require "common sense," consistency, a sense of fairness, and courage. These skills also require that teachers understand in more than one way the psychological and developmental levels of their students. The skills associated with effective classroom management are only acquired with practice, feedback, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Sadly, this is often easier said than done. Certainly, a part of this problem is that there is no practical way for education students to "practice" their nascent skills outside of actually going into a classroom setting. The learning curve is steep, indeed. As previously mentioned, personal experience and research indicate that many beginning teachers have difficulty effectively managing their classrooms. While there is no one best solution for every problem or classroom setting, the following principles, drawn from a number of sources, might help. Classroom teachers with many years of experience have contributed to an understanding of what works and what doesn't work in managing classrooms and the behavior of students. The following information represents some of the things that good classroom teachers do to maintain an atmosphere that enhances learning. It is written in straightforward, non-preachy language, and will not drive you to distraction with its length. I think most students appreciate that. With that in mind, I truly hope this information is useful to you. Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions to Dr. Robert Kizlik

An Effective Classroom Management Context (these four things are fundamental) 1. Know what you want and what you don't want. 2. Show and tell your students what you want. 3. When you get what you want, acknowledge (not praise) it. 4. When you get something else, act quickly and appropriately.

CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT While good classroom arrangement is not a guarantee of good behavior, poor planning in this area can create conditions that lead to problems. The teacher must be able to observe all students at all times and to monitor work and behavior. The teacher should also be able to see the door from his or her desk. Frequently used areas of the room and traffic lanes should be unobstructed and easily accessible. Students should be able to see the teacher and presentation area without undue turning or movement. Commonly used classroom materials, e.g., books, attendance pads, absence permits, and student reference materials should be readily available. Some degree of decoration will help add to the attractiveness of the room. SETTING EXPECTATIONS FOR BEHAVIOR *Teachers should identify expectations for student behavior and communicate those expectations to students periodically.

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* Rules and procedures are the most common explicit expectations. A small number of general rules that emphasize appropriate behavior may be helpful. Rules should be posted in the classroom. Compliance with the rules should be monitored constantly. * Do not develop classroom rules you are unwilling to enforce. * School-Wide Regulations...particularly safety procedures...should be explained carefully. * Because desirable student behavior may vary depending on the activity, explicit expectations for the following procedures are helpful in creating a smoothly functioning classroom: - Beginning and ending the period, including attendance procedures and what students may or may not do during these times. - Use of materials and equipment such as the pencil sharpener, storage areas, supplies, and special equipment. - Teacher-Led Instruction - Seatwork - How students are to answer questions - for example, no student answer will be recognized unless he raises his hand and is called upon to answer by the teacher. - Independent group work such as laboratory activities or smaller group projects. Remember, good discipline is much more likely to occur if the classroom setting and activities are structured or arranged to enhance cooperative behavior. MANAGING STUDENT ACADEMIC WORK * Effective teacher-led instruction is free of: - Ambiguous and vague terms - Unclear sequencing - Interruptions * Students must be held accountable for their work. * The focus is on academic tasks and learning as the central purpose of student effort, rather than on good behavior for its own sake. MANAGING INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR * Address instruction and assignments to challenge academic achievement while continuing to assure individual student success. * Most inappropriate behavior in classrooms that is not seriously disruptive and can be managed by relatively simple procedures that prevent escalation. * Effective classroom managers practice skills that minimize misbehavior. * Monitor students carefully and frequently so that misbehavior is detected early before it involves many students or becomes a serious disruption. * Act to stop inappropriate behavior so as not to interrupt the instructional activity or to call excessive attention to the student by practicing the following unobstructive strategies:

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- Moving close to the offending student or students, making eye contact and giving a nonverbal signal to stop the offensive behavior. - Calling a student's name or giving a short verbal instruction to stop behavior. - Redirecting the student to appropriate behavior by stating what the student should be doing; citing the applicable procedure or rule. Example: "Please, look at the overhead projector and read the first line with me, I need to see everyone's eyes looking here." - More serious, disruptive behaviors such as fighting, continuous interruption of lessons, possession of drugs and stealing require direct action according to school board rule. Assertive Discipline has been used by many schools, and is an effective way to manage behavior. Find out more by clicking here. PROMOTING APPROPRIATE USE OF CONSEQUENCES * In classrooms, the most prevalent positive consequences are intrinsic student satisfaction resulting from success, accomplishment, good grades, social approval and recognition. * Students must be aware of the connection between tasks and grades. * Frequent use of punishment is associated with poor classroom management and generally should be avoided. * When used, negative consequences or punishment should be related logically to the misbehavior. * Milder punishments are often as effective as more intense forms and do not arouse as much negative emotion. * Misbehavior is less likely to recur if a student makes a commitment to avoid the action and to engage in more desirable alternative behaviors. * Consistency in the application of consequences is the key factor in classroom management. SOME ESOL PRINCIPLES (A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT L.E.P. STUDENTS): * They are not stupid and they can hear what is being said.. They just don't necessarily understand the language or culture, yet. * They come from a variety of backgrounds, even in the same country. For example schooled, unschooled, Americanized, etc. * It is easy to misunderstand body language and certain behaviors. For example, eye contact, spitting, chalk eating, etc. * Don't assume they understand something just because it seems simple to you. Simplify, boil down. * Even when they have lost their accent, they often misunderstand common words and phrases. * Correct repeated patterns or mistakes. * Good E.S.O.L. strategies are good teaching strategies. GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE PRAISE (Applies primarily to praise associated with instruction and student performance)

Effective Praise

Ineffective Praise

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1. Is delivered contingently upon student performance of desirable behaviors or genuine accomplishment 2. Specifies the praiseworthy aspects of the student's accomplishments 3. Is expressed sincerely, showing spontaneity, variety and other non-verbal signs of credibility. 4. Is given for genuine effort, progress, or accomplishment which are judged according to standards appropriate to individuals. 5. Provides information to students about their competence or the value of their accomplishments. 6. Helps students to better appreciate their thinking, problem-solving and performance. 7. Attributes student success to effort and ability, implying that similar successes can be expected in the future. 8. Encourages students to appreciate their accomplishments for the effort they expend and their personal gratification.

1. Is delivered randomly and indiscriminately without specific attention to genuine accomplishment 2. Is general or global, not specifying the success. 3. Is expressed blandly without feeling or animation, and relying on stock, perfunctory phrases. 4. Is given based on comparisons with others and without regard to the effort expended or significance of the accomplishment of an individual. 5. Provides no meaningful information to the students about their accomplishments. 6. Orients students toward comparing themselves with others. 7. Attributes student success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or easy task. 8. Encourages students to succeed for external reasons -- to please the teacher, win a competition or reward, etc.

Classroom Behavior Management Guidelines for Success

INTRODUCTION

How do the most effective teachers manage behavior in their multi-ethnic, multi-cultural classrooms? develop and use classroom rules and routines? use classroom consequences that work?
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design positive behavioral supports for challenging behaviors? avoid career- and health-threatening frustration and burnout?

The establishment and maintenance of safe and supportive classrooms that contribute to high quality student achievement are critical skills that are rarely taught at the university. Consequently, those skills must be crafted and honed on the job. Each school and each classroom presents its own unique challenges, and because every year brings a new group of students, teachers must become lifelong learners.

The foundation of this learning lies in just a few research-supported principles and actions, TeachSafeSchools.com and the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment have condensed the information for ready consumption.

Everything starts with TEACH:

T.E.A.C.H.
T Tailor for diversity. Make it a point to know as much as possible about your students, including their diverse cultural, ethnic, behavioral, and learning characteristics, along with stressors they may experience outside of school.

Encourage positive behavior. Aim for a 4:1 ratio of positive comments to negative corrections for all the students.

Arrange the environment for success. Teach your behavioral expectations directly and immediately through collaboratively-established classroom rules and well designed classroom routines.

Consult your peers. Seek collaboration with experienced teachers and specialists before difficult problems start to become entrenched.

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Hug yourself. Prevent stress and burnout by focusing each day on what you are accomplishing and not just on what is frustrating.

To help you implement the TEACH guideline, we have put together the next section that elaborates, clarifies, and expands on these five essential principles. We have divided them into three segments:

The Needs of All the Students The essentials for every student in every classroom Link to this section The Needs of More Challenging Students Managing challenging behavior effectively Link to this section The Needs of the Teacher Securing professional support and managing stress Link to this section

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Classroom Behavior Management Guidelines for Success

The Needs of All the Students

Culture Counts! The effective management of any classroom starts with a solid
understanding of who the students are. Schools today are diverse groupings of children, youth, and adults who see the world through their own lenses of experience, culture, and ethnicity. The teacher who fails to take into account the profound influence of these human differences can never expect to truly reach his or her students in a meaningful way. Effective teaching and effective classroom management means recognizing that the classroom is full of other peoples children, and the teachers first task is to learn who they are.

The many suggestions in these guidelines must be taken in the context of cultural competence. What may be an effective behavior management procedure for a classroom of middle class, European-American students may be wholly inappropriate for students of Haitian descent. Similarly, second or third generation Hispanic American students bring a different set of experiences than do more recent immigrants, and middle class African-American students see the world differently than do students who live in pervasive poverty.

An outstanding discussion of these issues can be found in Carol S. Weinsteins et al article, Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management available online at: http://jte.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/55/1/25 (click Full Text)

Among their recommendations for the teacher to understand:

Family background and structure: Where did the students come from? How long have the students been in this country? What is the hierarchy of family authority? What responsibilities do students have at home? Is learning English a high priority? Education: How much previous schooling have the students had? What kinds of instructional strategies are they accustomed to?
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Interpersonal relationship styles: Do cultural norms emphasize working for the good of the group or for individual achievement? What are the norms with respect to interaction between males and females? What constitutes a comfortable personal space? Do students obey or question authority figures? Are expressions of emotion and feelings emphasized or hidden? Discipline: Do adults act in permissive, authoritative, or authoritarian ways? What kinds of praise, reward, criticism, and punishment are customary? Are they administered publicly or privately? Are they directed to the group or the individual?

Becoming a culturally competent classroom manager is a journey, not a destination, and the effective educator is always on that road. Teachers should access as many opportunities for professional development as possible, and school district administration should provide them.

The following resources are recommended:

For teachers: Two enjoyable and informative books by Gloria Ladson-Billings:

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Children. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass. http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787903388.html

Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787950017.html

For Counselors and School Psychologists: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/culturalcompetence/index.aspx#whatcompetence

For Administrators and Policy-Makers:

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Research-Based Resources: Cultural Competency of Schools and Teachers In Relation To Student Success http://www.nwrel.org/request/2005june/annotatedbib.pdf

Play by the Rules. Probably the best investment in time a teacher can make at the
outset of the school year is the establishment of communally-developed classroom rules. Done well and at the appropriate developmental level, this investment can pay returns in all of the days to follow. Rules are prevention-focused, designed to stop the misbehavior before it happens. For the student, rules act as a kind of surrogate frontal lobe by providing guidance on what to do and what not to do.

Rules should be: o o o o o o Few in number; 4 or 5 is best Positively stated, telling the student what to do. For example, Use indoor voices is preferred to No yelling Communally developed with the students to encourage ownership Posted prominently for all to see Taught through modeling, role-play and daily examples over the first few weeks or so Firmly and fairly enforced

Teachers should be certain the rules cover the major disruptive behaviors of concern. Examples of positively-stated classroom rules include: o Bring all required materials to class each day (secondary level) o Raise your hand to speak o Use school voices and school language only o Have permission to leave your desk o Keep hands and feet to yourself o Do as the teacher asks the first time

Have students take ownership of their classroom rules by participating in their development. Teachers should guide the process to ensure that all of the important bases are covered. For example, an elementary teacher might say, We need a rule to help us decide how loud to talk in the room. Whats a good rule for that? A middle or high school teacher might start the discussion with, If say I want school voices and school language only in our class, what does

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that mean to you? How shall we define that? Once done, engage the students in a discussion about why each rule is important and what might happen if the rule was not in place.

Use a workplace analogy to help the students understand the reason for the rules and the positively-stated format. For example, a rule in a mechanics shop might say, Return tools to their proper place when finishe, rather than say Dont leave tools lying around. This rule reminds the workers exactly what to do to keep a safe and orderly workplace.

Once in place, the teacher must enforce the rules with a calmly-stated reminder and a mild aversive classroom consequence. This should be done privately if possible and in a soft, composed voice. For instance: Jose, what does the rule say about leaving your seat? That means two minutes off recess. Please sit back down. Rules should not cover everything, however. See the section entitled, Its Just Routine below.

HELPFUL HINT: Consistency is essential, especially in the first weeks as the rules are being learned. Every time a teacher ignores a broken rule, the message to the student is: This rule is not very important. A practical, step-by-step guide on how to implement classroom rules can be found at http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/15_2NL_1.asp.

Consequences Count!

Implementing classroom rules means implementing classroom

consequences so that the rules can have real influence on student behavior. If a rule is broken, there must be some form of unpleasant consequence that follows. Remember: Rules without consequences are only suggestions. If it is not important, dont make it a rule. If it is, enforce it.

Classroom consequences should link to the seriousness of the rule violation. Forgetting to raise ones hand might be a rule violation, but it hardly demands a detention or loss of recess. Most classroom consequences should be mildly unpleasant, but not so unpleasant that they stimulate another problem, like an angry student. Teachers can divide consequences into three levels:

Level One for minor, first time violations Example: Reminder; brief time off recess

Level Two for multiple violations of the same rule

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Example: Loss of recess or other reinforcing activity for the day

Level Three, for more serious violations Example: Loss of recess or other reinforcing activity for the day and a phone call or signature-required note to parents

Students should learn from classroom consequences, not just suffer from them. A negative consequence for a rule violation should reduce the likelihood that the student will break the rule again. Teachers can ensure that the rules are working effectively by approaching them like an educator and not a disciplinarian. For example, students who misunderstand general curricular content are provided additional instruction to ensure understanding. The same should apply to learning the rules.

Does the student truly understand what a rule means? Some young children come from households in which there are few if any consistent, verbal rules and so have no prior learning to draw from. Learning to adjust behavior based upon a written guideline requires a level of cognitive maturity, understanding, and practice. Be patient and teach.

Old habits die hard, and students who come from previous classrooms that did not contain effective rule structures have some un-learning to do. Acknowledge that to them, and encourage their new learning. Most will soon make the adjustment.

Does the student have the necessary skill to adhere to the rule? The biggest culprit here is impulsivity, including ADHD. Adding verbal reminders, visual cues, and foreshadowing the onset of a challenging time period will all help.

HELPFUL HINT: Consistently administered mild consequences for misbehavior will be effective for most of the students most of the time. Chronic rule violators may need more in the way of classroom behavioral support, and a consultation with the school psychologist or behavior specialist should be sought as soon as possible.

The Bob Dylan Rule.

Building enjoyable activities into the school routine serves a dual

purpose. They give the students something to look forward to, and they contribute to the
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overall positive climate of the classroom. Anticipating an enjoyable activity such as computer time, class game, or a special Friday video can serve as a motivator for work completion and rule adherence. Plus, it simply makes the school week more fun!

In addition, remember that an effective and easily administered consequence for rule violation is the loss or partial loss of a rewarding activity. But first, the activities have to be in place. Like Bob Dylan said, When you aint got nothin, you got nothin to lose.

The behavioral term for this is response cost. A cost is exacted for rule violation. For example, a speeding ticket is a response cost: You have money. You broke the rule. They take away some of your money. In the classroom, the student has access to 15 minutes of free computer time at the end of the morning. The student breaks a rule. The teacher takes away five of those minutes.

HELPFUL HINT: Enjoyable activities are not enjoyable if they always get taken away because of rule infractions! A rule of thumb: Once a particular student has lost the privilege for the third time, it is time for additional behavioral support. Change the plan or seek consultation from a master teacher, the school psychologist, or behavioral specialist. Do not stick to a non-working classroom management plan. As the saying goes, When the mule is dead, its time to stop trying to ride it.

Its Just Routine. Think about what you did in the morning before you arrived at school.
It was probably pretty much what you do every workday morning Bathing routines, dressing routines, eating and transportation routines We like regularity; it is comforting and lowers stress because it reduces the many decisions we have to make over the day. We dont start the day agonizing over whether to brush our teeth before or after the shower we have our routine already established.

The same thing works for students in the classroom.

Classroom routines are teacher-designed behavioral guidelines that inform the student, This is how it is done in my classroom. For instance:

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When I say, Get ready for recess, we dismiss by rows starting when every desktop is cleared and every eye is on me. We hand papers in by folding them lengthwise, writing your name on the top of the folded edge, and passing them forward from the rear. When you are tardy, sign your name on the tardy sheet on the door, put your pass in the box, and quietly take your seat.

Teachers will find it helpful to develop clearly stated routines for all the repeated activities that are open for possible problem behavior, such as:

Entry and departure from the classroom (morning, recess, lunch, end of day) Entry when tardy Re-entry into the building from recess Removing material from cubbies or curriculum displays Getting help from the teacher Behavior when a visitor needs the teachers attention Behavior when a classroom assignment has been completed early

HELPFUL HINT: As it is with classroom rules, it is important to teach the routines to the class just as you would any other curricular subject. Use role-plays and other practice techniques until all of the students understand, and then stick to the routine!

Catch Em Being Good. Its an old bit of advice, but still one of the best. Positive
teacher regard is given when the student is demonstrating desirable behavior. Its really just that simple. Studies of general education classrooms have shown that the ratio of negative teacher comments to positive teacher comments over the course of a school day can be as much as 20 to 1. Effective teachers, even those in difficult circumstances with high risk students, have learned to substantially reduce and even reverse this ratio. Once a teacher has had to warn or reprimand a student, an effort should be made to reverse the ratio by the subsequent addition of more positive interactions.

Positive comments should not be hollow, phony praise. Positive social praise should come only when it is earned, but then it should come. Other forms of positive comments are equally important, however, and will make up the majority of the total. For example:

Greet each student by name every day

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Remark to individual students about attractive clothing, new hairstyle, etc. Ask friendly questions about popular culture, sports, etc. Use nonverbals such as smiles and thumbs-up to reinforce on-task or otherwise desirable behaviors

HELPFUL HINT: The goal is more positives than negatives, especially with the most challenging students. Once a student has been reprimanded, make a mental note to increase the number of positive interactions. Some useful advice on how to catch em being good can be found at http://www.behavioradvisor.com/CatchGood.html

______________________________________________________________________________

The Needs of More Challenging Students

The behavioral support needs of most the students in a typical class will be met by establishing a positive, welcoming environment with an effective system of rules and routines. For some of the students, however, this will not be enough support, and additional measures will be required.

Follow the Law.

An important element to remember about student behavior whether

appropriate or problem behavior is that it always follows certain laws or principles. The two most critical laws for the teacher are: o o Behavior that pays-off (is reinforced) is more likely to be repeated in the future, and; Behavior that no longer pays-off is more likely to go away.

The classroom is full of potential pay-offs for both problem behavior and desirable behavior. The teachers objective is to reduce the pay-offs for problem behavior and increase those for desirable behavior. The three most common pay-offs in the classroom are: o o o Peer approval Teacher approval Task avoidance

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All of these consequences can follow and strengthen problem behavior or follow and strengthen desirable behavior. For example: o o During reading, Andy regularly makes animal noises and the class giggles. The pay-off for the problem behavior may be peer approval. During reading, the teacher frequently acknowledges the students who are following the rules. The pay-off for the desirable behavior may be teacher approval. Fed up with the animal noises, the teacher sends Andy to the principals office. The pay-off for the problem behavior may be now both peer approval and task avoidance.

HELPFUL HINT: Repeated problem behavior is paying-off or serving a purpose in some way for the student. Ask yourself: How can I arrange it so that the student gets the desired pay-off but not through problem behavior? For example: Can I make the task less aversive by shortening it? Can the student get peer approval if assigned to a leadership role? Can I increase my positive attention toward the student?

Most schools have a professional trained in Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), usually the school psychologist or a special educator. This person can assist the teacher to discover the purpose or function of the problem behavior and to design a classroom intervention to address it. A full explanation of how to conduct a FBA can be found at the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice - http://cecp.air.org/fba/.

Attention, Please!

Teacher attention is a very powerful tool in the hands of the skillful

educator. Most students crave it. Effective teachers understand this and use it to best advantage for positive classroom management. When teachers are struggling with classroom management, it is often because too much of their attention is being directed toward suppressing problem behavior rather than toward increasing desirable behavior. Which behaviors the teacher chooses to attend to and which he/she chooses to ignore or punish are critical decisions.

When possible, ignore minor negative attention-seeking behaviors that are not interrupting the learning of other students (pencil tapping, rocking, hand waving). When the attention-seeking student is engaged positively in the curriculum, then and only then provide attention.

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Attention from peers for disruptive behavior can also be very powerful, especially as the students get older. This can be challenging for teachers to address if left to flourish.

Speak with peers privately and inform them of your expectations to avoid laughing at or otherwise reinforcing the disruptive student. Problem-solve with them for ways to avoid this behavior (turning away, being assertive to the disruptive student). Provide the peers with positive feedback when they successfully ignore the disruptive behavior.

Remember, the more the peers are successfully engaged in the classroom curriculum, the less likely they are to participate in disruptive behavior as an audience.

HELPFUL HINT: Some students arrive at school from homes in which there was very little praise or attention provided to positive behavior. These students have learned that if you want any adult attention at all, you must misbehave. For these unfortunate students, negative teacher attention can be reinforcing, and verbal reprimands and classroom consequences seem only to fuel the misbehavior. In this circumstance, the teacher must creatively manufacture opportunities for the student to be successful, and then give them the gift of positive attention. Patience, understanding, and persistence are key; there may be a great deal to overcome.

Keep Em In Class! Effective classroom managers aim to address 95% of all behavioral
problems through rules and consequences in the classroom. Its when teachers are really struggling that the office referral slips start to come out and the lines begin to form in the principals office. Nationwide, the two most common results from a trip to the principal are a verbal tongue-lashing or a suspension, and neither has been demonstrated in the history of education research to have a positive effect on student behavior. Attempting to manage student behavior through fear of an office visit is destined to failure.

The best predictor of being suspended is being sent to the office, and the best alternative to suspension is classroom consequences.

Teachers and administrators should meet and agree on which behavioral violations should warrant an office referral and which should receive consequences in the classroom, and then stick to the agreement. For example:

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Classroom: Horseplay, non-aggressive defiance, lack of supplies, inappropriate language, minor teacher disrespect, student-to-student verbal aggression (the list continues)

Office: Physical aggression, gang-related behavior, sexually or racially inappropriate language or behavior, verbal aggression to teacher, teacher concerns for student or staff safety (the list continues)

HELPFUL HINT: Behaviorally troubled students are not afraid of anything that a school can do to them, and thus fear of consequences is a poor management strategy. A much better approach is a firm, consistent, and predicable classroom augmented by additional positive behavioral supports, discussed here in the An Ounce of Prevention section. Remember also that the student who is engaged in the curriculum is much less likely to engage in problem behavior. Further discussion regarding increasing academic engaged time can be found at http://www.nwrel.org/request/oct00/textonly.html

An Ounce of Prevention.

Like the rest of us, students who exhibit high rates of

disruptive behaviors tend to be creatures of habit. Day to day, pretty much the same things set them off transitions between subject lessons, teacher compliance requests, unstructured time, independent seat work, peer interactions, and so on. Addressing the behavioral needs of these students is accomplished most effectively by efforts to prevent the problems before they arise by setting up positive behavioral supports (PBS). These classroom supports answer the question: What additional guidance or structure does this student need in order to be successful in this activity?

The answer to this question may, at times, be obvious to the teacher, but at other times may require the eyes of a trained observer who can better determine the function or purpose of the problem behavior. Once that is decided upon, PBS can be set up to address the behavior. For example:

Environmental Supports: Is the students desk placed in the area most favorable for academic engagement and positive behavior? Would the creation of a small office away from distracters help during independent seat work? Incentive Supports
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Consider the use of a written behavioral contract that spells out the expectations and provides a reinforcing incentive for the student. Tie desired behavior to a preferred activity, such as extra computer time. Use group contingency programs such as the Good Behavior Game or Response Cost Lottery. (see Intervention Central - www.interventioncentral.com) Peer Supports Seat student near peers who will model desired behavior and can ignore problem behavior.

HELPFUL HINT: The Training and Technical Assistance website at the College of William and Mary has numerous links with helpful positive behavioral support advice http://www.wm.edu/ttac/links.html#9 . The Positive Behavior Support process is explained fully at www.pbis.org. Click on High School PBS for a comprehensive discussion of the use of positive supports with this age group.

The Needs of the Teacher

Teaching is hard work, a fact made clear by the high percentage of teachers who leave for other professions after less than five years. The effective classroom manager takes advantage of school support resources and attends to his or own level of personal stress.

Consult, Dont Sulk. What if you went to the doctor with a health concern, and she said
to you, I dont really know how to treat your illness, but Ill give it a try anyway? Chances are, youd find yourself another doctor fast! Our fellow professionals in medicine are different from educators in an important manner: They dont feel bad about not knowing everything and eagerly seek the advice of others.

Yet there is something about the culture of schools that makes teachers uncomfortable about seeking assistance. Am I admitting ignorance? Will my supervisor think less of me?

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To change this culture, leadership needs to come both from within and from the top. Principals must send the message that peer consultation is not just approved, but it is expected as a criterion of positive professional evaluation. This should especially apply to beginning teachers.

Pass along the expertise. Arrange weekly Round Table discussions in which master teachers can field concerns from beginning teachers.

Form a Behavior Consultation Team consisting of the school psychologist, behavior specialist, and others with expertise in problem-solving and classroom management to receive teacher referrals and provide evidencebased recommendations, progress monitoring, and follow-through. A useful guide to this process can be found in 25 Minutes to Better Behavior: A Teacher to Teacher Problem-Solving Process. http://positiveschoolclimate.sopriswest.com/product.asp?productid=40

Mandate professional consultation after the third office referral for disruptive classroom behavior. Something is not working, and it may be that the teacher needs additional support and permission to seek it.

Be Good to You! Teaching is a high stress profession due in major part to the fact that
teachers are given enormous responsibilities but too little in the way of decision-making power. This is especially true in large school districts where policy is frequently made at the top and delivered to the building level as a mandate. For many, each new school year seems to bring a new initiative, a new curriculum, a new program, a new something to learn and teach. Topdown policy making in the context of the needs of high risk students can create an exceedingly stressful working condition. Add to this the long work hours, student discipline problems, and the seemingly ever-present media reports on how schools are failing our children and one can easily understand why so many good teachers leave for other professions.

Most individuals choose a career in education because they want to be of service they want to be part of the solution, and the overwhelming number of them work very hard at it. Whereas the occasional Staff Appreciation Day sponsored by appreciative administrators is valued, it is rarely enough as a complete stress management intervention. Teachers and their fellow educators need to take responsibility for their own emotional well-being on a regular basis.

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Stop admiring the problem. When educators get together, whether in the lounge or after work, there is a natural tendency to tell war stories and commiserate with one another. There is nothing unhealthy about that unless it begins to dominate all of the social interactions. Know when to cut it off and turn the talk in a solution-focused direction. If shop talk in your home means complaining about work, put a strict time limit on it. One educator we know made a deal with her fellow educator spouse: Fifteen minutes of shop-talk, then thats it for the evening. Period.

Plant your flag on the smaller mountains. An educators day-to-day professional life is defined mostly by minor victories and continuing challenges, not Grand Accomplishments. Pay attention to those little victories! What worked? Who improved? The typical day is full of little triumphs if one takes the time to appreciate them. Taking five minutes at the end of the day to jot down the successes can be a very healthy activity.

Keep learning. Continuing education can be especially stress reducing if it is focused in an area of personal concern. Both professional and personal development can enrich skills and offer new and healthier outlooks. Learn a new language. Become computer literate. Learn to meditate. It is not only the outcome of learning but also the process that feeds and refreshes the mind.

Stay fit. The mind-body connection is now established doctrine in the health sciences. Physical exercise is an excellent addition to any healthy stress management program, and it doesnt take much. Find a buddy and walk at lunch. Organize a regular after or before school volleyball game. Park at the far end of the lot. Wear a pedometer and set goals. Climb the stairs just for the exercise.

Listen to yourself. Be careful of the natural tendency of people in stressful situations to exaggerate reality to fit their temporary discomfort. Watch for overgeneralized, stress-inducing words like always, never, and everyone. For example, change These kids never listen! (which is certainly not true) to The kids are not following directions well. Work out an agreement with a friend to call each other on the use of these stresswords.

Take care of one another. Get in the habit of recognizing the skills and successes of your fellow educators in the building. Peer approval can be very reinforcing, and a single, little comment can make someones day. I heard the field trip was a smashing success! Congratulations! That is a great bulletin board! I love the way your kids listen to you so well in the
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hallway. I glanced in your room, and they were just glued to your presentation! The simple task of offering praise can feel just as good as receiving it.

Reward yourself. Made it through another week? Another semester? Do something nice for yourself that is only for the pleasure of it. Visit a day spa. Get a massage. Go to a ball game. Buy a new pair of shoes. All the while, say to yourself: This is because I work hard, and I deserve it. (Important: In order for this technique to be effective, one must first work hard and deserve it!)

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Cited Classroom Management Links

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP) http://cecp.air.org/center.asp CECP is a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to improving education for children with, or at risk for serious emotional disturbance. The site contains numerous evidence-supported prevention and assessment strategies.

Dr. Macs Amazing Behavior Management Advice Site http://www.behavioradvisor.com/ This is the website of Dr. Tom McIntyre, education professor at Hunter College in New York. It is clever, fun, and packed with ideas for teachers of all levels.

Intervention Central www.interventioncentral.com It is one of the most popular education sites on the web, and for good reason. Intervention Central is a gold mine of ideas, procedures, techniques, and downloadable forms for hundreds of teacher and support service concerns.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) http://www.nwrel.org/index.php NWEREL is a non-profit educational organization that seeks to bring research-based support programs, technical assistance, and training to schools nation wide. Numerous free publications related to effective teaching are available on the website.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) http://www.pbis.org/main.htm This is a collaboration between the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and numerous universities to bring Positive Behavioral Supports to schools. The site is full of how tos to guide schools in the implementation of school-wide Positive Behavioral Supports.

The Responsive Classroom http://responsiveclassroom.org/index.html This comprehensive site advocates a social and emotional learning approach. It contains an excellent article database under Article Library.
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Training and Technical Assistance Center at the College of William and Mary http://www.wm.edu/ttac/ This site offers many useful idea and links can be found in the Resources section.

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EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM

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EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING DEPARTMENT

2005 BAKER COLLEGE

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Effective Teaching and Learning Department Sheri Beattie Director Effective Teaching and Learning Baker College 1050 West Bristol Rd. Flint, MI 48507 Phone: (810) 766-4305 Fax: (810) 766-4279 sheri@baker.edu Contact for training in the following areas: Blackboard PowerPoint for Instructors Teaching Methods Alison Rhoads Administrative Assistant Effective Teaching and Learning Baker College 1050 West Bristol Rd. Flint, MI 48507 Phone: (810) 766-4294 Fax: (810) 766-4279 alison.rhoads@baker.edu

See the Effective Teaching and Learning Web site for more information: https://www.baker.edu/departments/etl/trainingresources.cfm CIS Computer Trainers Thad Balivet Angela Staten Computer Trainer Computer Trainer Baker College Baker College 1903 Marquette Ave. 1050 West Bristol Rd. Muskegon MI 49442 Flint, MI 48507 Phone: (231) 777-5381 Phone: (810) 766-4308 Fax: (231) 777-5265 Fax: (810) 766-4279 thaddeus.balivet@baker.edu angela.staten@baker.edu Contact for training in the following areas: AS400/Carina WebCal Websites Microsoft Office Suite - Access - Excel - Outlook - PowerPoint (for staff) - Publisher - Word See the Computer Training Web site for more information: http://personal.baker.edu/web1/tbaliv01/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Classroom management overview ................................................................................ 40 What is classroom management? .................................................................................. 41 Classroom management models ............................................................................... 41 Goals of classroom management .............................................................................. 43 Instructor responsibilities .......................................................................................... 44 Keeping discussions on track .................................................................................... 45 Time spent on learning (course) outcomes ............................................................... 45 Student versus class issues ........................................................................................ 45 Addressing problems ................................................................................................ 46 Professional standards ............................................................................................... 46 Positive learning environment ...................................................................................... 47 Planning ........................................................................................................................ 49 Course planning ........................................................................................................ 49 Session planning ....................................................................................................... 50 Lesson outlines.......................................................................................................... 51 Student accountability............................................................................................... 53 Classroom challenges.................................................................................................... 56 Academic challenges ................................................................................................ 56 Non-academic challenges ......................................................................................... 58 Physical challenges ................................................................................................... 59 Common factors affecting learning .............................................................................. 61 Instructional style ...................................................................................................... 62 Personality conflicts .................................................................................................. 62 Student understanding ............................................................................................... 62 Attendance ................................................................................................................ 63 Classroom control tips .................................................................................................. 63 Setting expectations .................................................................................................. 64 Accountability ........................................................................................................... 64 Consistency ............................................................................................................... 64 Student involvement ................................................................................................. 65 Developing strong relationships ............................................................................... 66 Praise ......................................................................................................................... 66 Trust in the classroom ............................................................................................... 67 Disruptions ................................................................................................................ 68 Student names ........................................................................................................... 68 Motivating students ....................................................................................................... 68 Choice ....................................................................................................................... 69 Improvements ........................................................................................................... 70 When things go wrong .................................................................................................. 70 Suggestions for dealing with problem students ........................................................ 71 Things to avoid when dealing with problem students .............................................. 72 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 73 References ..................................................................................................................... 74 Appendix A: Dealing with difficult students ................................................................ 76 Activity 1: What is Classroom Management? .............................................................. 77
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Activity 2: Muddiest Point ............................................................................................ 79

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Classroom management overview

This two-hour module provides participants with techniques and tips for managing classroom dynamics. Topics addressed include dealing with problem students and situations and creating lesson plans and activities to minimize classroom control problems. This session provides instructors with the tools to both reduce and prevent instructor stress in the classroom.

Course outcomes:

Create How to set-up instructor lesson plans for the entire class session Apply tips for staying on schedule and using instructional time efficiently Handle problem students and dealing with class disruptions Prevent problems from arising and staying in control in difficult situations Hold How to hold students accountable for preparing for class Develop sStrategies for dealing with students who leave at break, do not attend class, or turn in assignments

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What is classroom management?

Ask any ten instructors across the country about classroom management and you will get ten different responses. Classroom management can be many different things to different people, with all of them correct in one form or another. MacDonald and Healy (1999) note that classroom management is your ability to keep students constructively involved in learning (p. 205). Kindsvatter, Wilen, and Ishler (1996) go on to state that management behaviors of the teacher are generally those things a teacher does in addition to instructional behaviors and are intended to keep students on task (p. 91), an important distinction to note. Classroom management does not take the place of good instructional behavior, it supports it when necessary. However, if you have sound instructional practices, it is less likely that you will need to revert to disciplinary management practices.

This document seeks to help you understand different ways of managing a college classroom environment to the benefit of everyone involved. MacDonald and Healy (1999) sum it up nicely in saying that class management is the essential complement to your capacity to teach interesting material in ways that engage the interest and effort of your students (p. 206).

A study conducted by Evertson and Emmer in 1982 (as cited in Kindsvatter et al., 1996, p. 78) described the following methods of effective classroom managers:

1. Provided explicit instructions about desirable behavior. 2. Monitored student compliance with classroom standards and reacted accordingly to deviations. 3. Developed a strong and more detailed system for student accountability. 4. Communicated information effectively, in presenting information, giving directions, and stating objectives. 5. Had more on-task time with learning activities, wasting less classroom time.

Classroom management models

Classroom management has often been linked with disciplinary measures. In the 1970s, research began on how to better manage a classroom using behavior management techniques rather than strict discipline. These techniques and research were mostly devoted to the K-12 environment and advocated the use of assertive discipline which is a term first coined by Lee and Marlene Canter. Tom McIntyre (2004) sums up the Canters approach by saying that the instructor makes all of the decisions about what is to be expected in the classroom. The instructor is responsible for enforcing the rules to keep other students from disrupting the
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learning environment. This method of discipline works for many teachers because it is easy to implement and enforce.

The Cantors had detractors to their method. Many said that the Assertive Discipline method was too teacher-centered and did not take the students and their individual needs into account. Another major issue with Assertive Discipline is the fact that it is a reactive technique, rather than a proactive one. It does not allow the instructor to work in collaboration with the student to prevent student misbehavior. Instead, pre-determined consequences are given, with little flexibility in determining the severity.

Another common classroom management method is the Discipline with Dignity method created by Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler. This method is much more proactive in nature and deals with prevention of misbehavior rather than attempting to determine the causes behind it. This model is more student-centered and focuses on larger issues, not the smaller ones. At its core, this method allows instructors the flexibility to make choices when it comes to consequences for the students or even to let students make those choices. It supports the use of humor and student accountability for problems.

Opponents of the Discipline with Dignity model argue that it might be too permissive and that it leans too far towards a student-controlled management. It requires more planning and consideration on the part of the instructor than the Assertive Discipline model. The Discipline with Dignity model can sometimes be seen as shifting the blame for student behavior to the institution rather than on the students themselves.

Whats important to remember is that every instructor has their own method of classroom management and you need to define what your method is before you go into the classroom. Your policies and their consequences should also be clearly stated in the syllabus. Gerald Amada (1999) suggests that each instructor identify which classroom behaviors could reasonably be deemed unacceptable and penalizable (p. 23) before the quarter begins. It is acceptable not to have a clearly defined policy on every potential item that could occur, but you should have policies for basic items like missing classes and tests, student behavior, and late work. You will find that writing these policies down will help you define exactly what kind of behavior you require from your students. It is also common for your basic ideas of classroom management to change over time. You will find that some issues naturally come to the forefront while other issues drop in importance to you as you gain more experience in the classroom.

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Goals of classroom management

Managing a college classroom effectively is a highly individualized activity. What works for one instructor does not necessarily work for others. However, the basic goals of classroom management for almost all instructors, articulated by Eggen and Kauchak (as cited in Campbell, 1999, p. 34) are to:

Create the best learning environment possible Develop student responsibility and self-regulation

It is not possible to have a positive learning environment if student behavior goes unchecked and if students have not developed the sense of responsibility that goes along with being a college student. By the same token, it is difficult to help the students become self-regulating and responsible if the learning environment in the classroom does not support this goal. Students need to understand their responsibilities as a learner and to develop the ability to regulate their own behavior in order to participate and fulfill their role in creating and maintaining a positive learning environment.

Student responsibility is often an area where instructors feel that they have no control. We are all looking for those self-motivated students who come to class prepared and awake, who are respectful and willing to think. Most of us expect our students to have learned how to be students by the time they reach college. Yet many of my charges need help in learning how to study or write papers, as well as how a college classroom is supposed to operate (Perlmutter, 2004, p. B15). That is most likely true of many of your students as well. For many Baker College students, the return to the classroom is a frightening prospect, considering that many of them may not have attended college previously or have been out of school for a number of years.

Some of the most important features of classroom management are the things that students do not necessarily see and instructors find difficult to describe. Good classroom management involves equal parts planning and spontaneity. It is possible to plan well, but not be able to react to the classroom dynamics or student needs. Its also possible to spend all of your time reacting to these things and not have done the proper planning that needs to go into a course as a whole or a particular session.

Gail Godwin once said good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater and to a certain extent, that is true. You must not only be prepared for what you want to teach in a quarter, you also somehow have to prepare yourself for the unexpected as well. Without a carefully constructed classroom management plan, teachers may develop defensive reactions

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to disruptive students and this will most certainly seriously compromise their effectiveness as teachers (Campbell, 1999, p. 46).

It is also true that you need to review your classroom management strategies periodically to ensure that they are still effective. Some instructors tend to use what worked for them at one time over and over and do not make adjustments for different courses or different students. As Campbell (1999) states, it is not enough to simply create a complete set of rules or to have contingencies specified for these rules. Continual review of the rules and the consequences of violating them must occur (p. 48).

You should also pay attention to how you state your rules. A list of Do nots tends to set a negative tone from the beginning; something you want to avoid. Students should be helped to understand that the rules are expectations of positive behavior and not prohibitions or negative behavior (Campbell, 1999, p. 48).

Instructor responsibilities

All college instructors have two essential professional prerogatives. First, they have the prerogative to set academic standards for their students and to grade or evaluate the quality of students performance according to those standards. Second, they have the prerogative to set behavioral standards for their classes (Amada, 1999, p. 21).

In an effort to assist you with this process, we have composed the list below, which can be viewed as a fairly broad interpretation of your duties. As an instructor at Baker College, you are expected to:

Ensure an appropriate pace and effective use of classroom time through course/session planning Keep the discussion and activities focused on the learning objectives (course outcomes) Create and maintain a positive learning environment Prevent, detect, and address disruptive or dysfunctional student behavior

One recurring theme through this session is the importance of proper planning in avoiding classroom management issues. A good plan, with plenty of diversity in activities and opportunities for students to experience learning for themselves, goes much of the way toward preventing some of the problems that arise from students becoming bored, leaving early or talking in class at inappropriate times. However, a plan is just that, a plan of what you think you
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want to accomplish during a class session. Do not get so tied to your lesson plan that you lose the teachable moments that you might not have scripted in advance. Be flexible enough to let go of the plan if necessary to seize the moments as they come.

Keeping your course focused on the learning or course outcomes will also help reduce some of the tension and resistance students may have about why a particular item or concept is important. If you can point to its relevance on the course outcomes and stay focused on what the students need to know to complete the course and program successfully, your classes should run more smoothly. As a career college, our main goal is to prepare students for a profession, and our course and program outcomes support this goal. Some ways to ensure that you maintain your focus are:

Keep the discussion on topic Balance the time on activities to the learning outcomes Separate individual student issues from class issues Address problems or disruptions immediately to keep them from snowballing

Keeping discussions on track

Maintaining discussion focus is a common problem for many instructors, both new and experienced. There are some students who just like to monopolize a discussion or who go off on tangents, either during a class discussion or when asking a question. Many instructors struggle with how to deal with this issue without being rude or making the rest of the students in the class feel like they wont be able to talk without being cut off. As difficult as it is, you must stop those students who refuse to keep their comments on the topic at hand. Instructors can do this by simply and politely telling the students that they have used up their allotted time and now it is someone elses turn to speak. (Amada, 1999, p. 81). You can also see Appendix A at the end of this manual for more strategies to deal with this issue.

Time spent on learning (course) outcomes

Balancing instructional time is always a delicate act. There always seems to be more material to cover than time to cover it. One of the ways that you can help both yourself and your students is to do the long-range course planning discussed in detail on page 14. If you find that you are spending a lot of time on items that do not relate directly to the course outcomes, you can often eliminate some of that time and gain more time for covering items that tied to the course outcomes.

Student versus class issues

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Sometimes it is difficult to determine what is an individual student issue and what is a class issue, but it is an important distinction. For instance, if you have a few students who are consistently late returning from break, lecturing the class about tardiness is ineffective, particularly if the offending students are not in the room. It can actually create barriers between you and the other students who were in the room on time. Additionally, the students whose behavior you object to arent even present for the punishment, so it does not affect them at all. Some issues can be dealt with at a class level, but many issues are actually individual student issues that are best dealt with in a private manner.

Do not be afraid to take students into the hall for private discussions during activity time. Some instructors tell students that if approached with an issue, the conversation will immediately be moved to the hall, regardless of its nature. This allows you to have confidential talks with students about both behavioral and non-behavioral issues without raising the curiosity of other students. Never underestimate the power of a personal, one-on-one conversation with a student. Regardless of what you may think, it is possible to teach from the hall. You are just doing it a different way than when you teach in the classroom and it often produces a more immediate change in behavior from the student.

Addressing problems
Dysfunctional student behavior can occur in many forms. Some forms are more disruptive than others, but even the most minor infraction can affect not only that student, but others as well. It is your responsibility, and not an easy one, to do as much as you can to prevent these behaviors and then deal with them if they do occur. Although it cant absolutely guard against disruptions, prevention does make them less likely to occur (Minimizing Disruptive Behavior, 2004, p. 6).

Not addressing disruptive behavior immediately can have repercussions for the entire class. If you come down on the offending student at a later date, he/she may wonder why you let the behavior continue for so long. Silence on the part of the instructor is often interpreted by the students as acquiescence, so by not saying anything immediately, you are giving an implicit nod to the behavior. Failure to resolve student misbehavior in a timely manner can also cause the other members of the class to question your policies, possibly leading to further disruption and behavior issues.

Professional standards
There are many ways that you, as an instructor, can maintain a positive learning environment. One of those ways is to follow the code of professional conduct. Baker College expects that all instructors will adhere to certain professional behavioral standards, which are listed below:

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Dress the dress code is clearly defined in the faculty manual. Baker College feels that when instructors should model the highest standard of professional behavior at all times, including dress. Speech in class, as well as via phone and email. Students are often hesitant to ask questions or to question an instructor when they should be encouraged to do so. A good portion of college is helping students find their voice and instructors must be particularly careful to speak in a professional manner to students. Humor is generally appropriate, but be cautious because not all students will take your comments in the same manner. Sarcasm is a dangerous area. Try to avoid even the appearance of belittling or being condescending to students. Student confidentiality students have the right to expect that their private issues remain private, so all grade or performance issues should be handled on an individual basis. This includes end of quarter grades and attendance. Many of these issues fall under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), so if you have any questions about what is considered confidential or to whom you can show information, please check with a campus official before releasing that information. Behavior toward students students have a right to expect that their instructors behave in a professional and courteous manner. Students have the right to have their opinions heard and should be treated with respect at all times. Teachers should model respect for students by virtue of the way they interact with them (Campbell, 1999, p. 58). Instructors have those same rights and it is often easier to enforce the instructors point of view rather than respect the students. Remember that a large portion of our students are working and have valuable contributions to make in the classroom. We need to approach teaching with humility. Only when we do so will our students treat us with respect. Only then will we deserve it (Benton, 2004, p. C1). However, respect is not always something that is automatically granted to you by your students. As Campbell (1999) states, every teacher must earn the respect of the students. Earning respect requires a conscious effort; it does not just happen (p. 58). Attitude something attracted you to teaching at some point; try and remember what that was and use it in your class. Each instructor has different strengths. Find yours and use them as a basis to conduct your class. Students will be able to tell the difference between a genuine love of teaching and enthusiasm for the craft and someone who is in it for other reasons. Its not reasonable to expect that you will love teaching every single day, but try to ensure that your good days outnumber your bad ones. Without realizing it, some instructors induce inattentiveness and disruptiveness in their students by teaching without the verve and joy for learning that is so essential to inspiring students in their quest for greater knowledge (Amada, 1999, p. 50-51).

Positive learning environment

Once you have decided how you will present yourself to the class, its time to begin considering how you can make your class a positive learning environment. Classroom conditions that provide students with academic and social success experiences tend to reduce disciplinerelated problems (Kindsvatter et al, 1996, p. 78).

Much of the recent research in education has been on the importance of learning communities and the numerous benefits they provide to both students and instructors. Students disrupt
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classes less when they know and care about other students in the class. Faculty regularly underestimate the power of peer pressure. It can be used to create classroom environments where students act appropriately because of commitments they feel to others in the class. (Minimizing Disruptive Behavior, 2004, p. 6). Use the learning communities ideas presented to enhance the learning experience, not only for your students, but for yourself.

Some of the things that you can do to foster a positive learning environment include:

Respect for diverse student backgrounds, not only culturally but socio-economically and professionally as well. Teach using a variety of methods, in an effort to reach the maximum number of students possible. Amada (1999) notes that, it is ironic and unfair for some instructors to discipline students for such inattentive forms of behavior as sleeping, chattering, and woolgathering in class when those same instructors are teaching in a boring, tedious, and soporific manner (p. 50) and perhaps the best antidote to all forms of disruptive behavior is for instructors to teach interestingly (p. 51). You can see the StudentCentered Teaching Strategies manual for more help on teaching interestingly. Provide consistent and fair treatment of all students when applying class policies (such as attendance and late assignments). Whenever an instructor imposes two very different penalties upon two or more students who have committed very similar infractions, there is an increased likelihood that the instructor can legitimately be accused of engaging in discriminatory conduct (Amada, 1999. p. 24). Maintain confidentiality and privacy in student records and issues. Ensure that the classroom is a safe, welcoming environment for students, where they feel comfortable asking questions and seeking assistance. Learning new concepts, ideas, and modes of thinking can be a very slow and painfully difficult intellectual and emotional process (Amada, 1999, p. 82). By encouraging questions and discussions among your students, you can help make this process more palatable for them and you. Model appropriate classroom behavior for your students. Be enthusiastic about your subject, about your class, and about the College. If instructors teach with a certain passion and zeal for their subject and can impart their intellectual excitement and idealism to students, it is likely to make an important difference in fostering a positive, non-disruptive classroom environment (Amada, 1999, p. 51).

You probably already do many of the items listed above implicitly. Making them explicit in your planning will help the students see them more clearly. One of the most important of these is to work to establish a positive relationship with your students, but do not take it too far. Far too many new teachers are overly and unnecessarily concerned about being liked by the students (Campbell, 1999, p. 58). This can be especially true at Baker College, where our students evaluate us every quarter and these evaluations are reviewed on a regular basis. However, it is important to note that these evaluations arent the only method for determining your skills as an
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instructor. They are one piece of the puzzle and are considered so by your supervisor. Student evaluations are one way that students can give feedback to you about your class, so take the time to read them and consider the comments carefully. Positive changes can occur to your teaching as a result.

Planning
Proper planning is perhaps the most essential of all course management functions. Good course and lesson plans allow you to see where you will go over the course of the quarter and detail how you plan to get there. There are two types of planning you should engage in every quarter:

Course planning Individual session planning

Course planning
Course planning occurs before you begin planning for your individual session meetings and is performed with an eye towards the big picture you have for the course. During course planning, you should have the syllabus, the course outcomes and the syllabus guide at hand. While planning, you will probably want to:

Identify major and minor topic areas you plan to cover. Use your course outcomes as a guide for this process. Target milestone weeks throughout the quarter to measure your progress against a timeline. This step can be especially important when you are preparing to teach the class again, so you can make adjustments to the overall course or session plan, if necessary. Determine any necessary supporting resources and make arrangements to obtain them. You could put a resource on hold at your campus library for students to review or identify websites that could be helpful. Identify summative assessment and/or evaluation methods you will use to determine if students met the course outcomes. Assessment is a crucial piece of the learning puzzle that tells us, as instructors, whether or not we are successful in facilitating learning. Evaluation involves making a judgment about how well the student performed on a given task or in the class (think of it as a grade on a paper or a final grade in the course). You can use your summative assessment method for evaluation if you choose. Develop generalized learning activities to support course outcomes. These do not have to be in final form, but sometimes as you are preparing, activities begin to take shape in your mind, so take a few moments to write them down for your later session planning. Review the syllabus guide to determine if there are any strategies, methods, or other information you would like to use. Remember that this guide is just that, a guide for how
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one person thinks the course could be taught. You are free to use what you want from the guide or not to use anything at all, if that is your preference. Read the Baker College catalog to determine where your course fits within the larger program. You may also want to review the course descriptions for the courses immediately preceding and following your course to obtain a better idea of where your course fits within the scope of the overall program.

When you have completed the list of activities above, you should have a fairly good idea how you plan to achieve the course outcomes. These outcomes are not to be changed or modified in any way and you must ensure that each outcome is adequately covered in the time available. How you choose to achieve that outcome is entirely up to you and will most likely be determined when you are completing your session planning.

Session planning
Session planning is the detail step in planning. This is when you stop thinking in general terms and begin to identify specific activities and teaching strategies that you will employ to help students learn the required course outcomes. Session planning allows you to create a detailed plan about how you plan to accomplish your overall plan you developed in the course planning stage.

One note of importance is that the first session is often the make or break session. Kindsvatter et al (1996) refer to the first day as the most important day of class in t erms of its potential impact (p. 92) and go on to note that students acquire their first impressions at this meeting, the tenor of the class is established and momentum is initiated (p. 92), so you do not want to underestimate the importance of this particular session in your planning.

During the session planning phase, you will want to:

Identify appropriate areas for lecture versus other learning activities. Lecture, though it is the most passive form of learning, does have a place in your repertoire. Research now shows that most students can attend to a lecture for about 15-20 minutes. Anything after that tends to be ineffective, so try to incorporate the concept of the mini-lecture into your sessions. The Teaching for Learning site at Flinders University (www.flinders.edu/au) states that the average capacity to give focused attention is about 15 minutes. Depending on other environmental factors (temperature of the room, time of day, etc, after 15 minutes students ability to attend reduces and they take fewer and less accurate notes. Select appropriate, targeted instructional activities to accompany your lectures. Effective managing teachers plan to vary instruction to achieve learning objectives in different ways and for the purpose of stimulating students interest and involvement (Kindsvatter et al., 1999, p. 92). Not all content must be covered by the instructor. There
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are many different learning activities where students can teach themselves and each other the content, with the instructor acting more as a facilitator. These activities also tend to be more student-centered and active, which means that students will become more engaged than they would if you were to cover the material. Develop formative classroom assessments, which are different than the summative assessments you identified in the course planning stage. This type of assessment gauges how well your students have grasped a particular concept and should be completed several times a session. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student needs (Boston, 2002). Gather any required instructional or supporting materials. Remember to review the supporting materials on the ORBIT system to see if there is anything you can use for your class. Create your media files, if appropriate. Many of the classrooms at Baker College are multimedia classrooms, meaning that they have a fully functioning computer connected to the Internet. You can create presentations in PowerPoint or documents in Word, or gather a list of websites you might want to display for the class either in advance or during the class session.

Lesson outlines
After you have determined what you think you will need, you can then begin the process of planning the actual lesson. Most lessons devoted to a single topic and typically involve the following as outlined by Deborah Mynster (1997):

1. Activation task this allows students to explore their pre-existing knowledge on a particular topic before you begin. This process is also known as activation. (5-10 minutes) 2. Correction, evaluation, and re-teaching of entry task you might need to correct student misperceptions before continuing. (5-10 minutes) 3. Teach new material which can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Lecture is certainly one, but there are also student activities that can facilitate this process outlined in the Student-Centered Teaching Strategies manual available on the Effective Teaching and Learning website. (15 minutes) 4. Assess student understanding through the use of the formative assessment discussed earlier. If your assessment shows that students are not grasping the concept, you will probably need to cover that topic using a different method or terminology. (10 minutes) 5. Provide closure allow students to process the learning or activity by directing them to write in a journal, compose a reflection paper, or to simply jot down a few notes about important parts or concepts for later review. One particularly successful technique is to have the student identify how this concept has changed their thinking about something else. (5-10 minutes) This outline is just a suggestion for a typical 55 minute lesson. Of course, all of our class sessions last more than 55 minutes, so you can do 2-4 of these units in the time allotted to you.
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What is important to note from this outline is the constant movement of activity for students. They are active in every stage of this plan, which can help increase student motivation to learn, which, in turn, can increase student success. When successful, students will perform better academically and will tend not to cause or contribute to discipline problems in the classroom (Campbell, 1999, p. 24).

Obviously you have more to teach than 4 items in an evening or 2 topics per day, so you need to refer back to your course plan for help in grouping these items in a logical manner. Some topics fit naturally well together while others, even though they may be covered in the same chapter in the textbook, just do not flow naturally. It is your job to identify when these mismatches are present and work around them to the benefit of your student.

It is always important to over plan for a class session rather than under plan. Just as some lessons will take you longer to cover than you originally estimated, some lessons will move more quickly than you planned, so rather than letting the students out early or giving them busy work, you can always move to the next activity or lesson you have planned. You can also use reinforcement activities if you dont want to move to the next topic or group the students for deeper reflection on the material.

Another benefit of using the lesson plan identified above is that it can, in and of itself, help motivate students to come to class. Obviously you are not to blame for any attendance issues in your class, but students are more likely to want to come to class where they are actively involved in constructing their own learning, rather than sitting back and passively taking it all in. Many of our students are kinesthetic learners, meaning that they have to physically become involved with the subject to master it and allowing then the opportunity to engage in active learning will help them be more successful and encourage better attendance.

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Another useful suggestion is to keep a teaching journal where you document your successes and your weaknesses for the course, identifying any areas where you can improve and what worked well for you. As you teach a particular course more often, this journal can become a valuable resource for you to see how far you have come in your personal teaching journey. An interesting study about classrooms was conducted by Brophy and Rohrkemper in 1981 and they found that many factors affect students behavior, teachers reluctance to recognize their own culpability diminishes the likelihood that they will make useful adjustments in their classroom practices. (qtd in (Kindsvatter et al., 1996. p. 78). By keeping this journal for yourself, you can identify where you can make these adjustments for the betterment of your students.

Student accountability
Instructors report that one of the most frustrating experiences they can have in a classroom is when students come to class completely unprepared for the class session. The student(s) may not have completed the required homework assignments or read the materials in the book. At this point, many instructors say that in order to proceed with the course, they (the instructor) will cover the material that the students were supposed to have covered before coming to class. In essence, students are learning that they do not necessarily have to come to class prepared because the instructor will cover the important material for them.

One common excuse for lack of preparation is that the instructor gives too much homework. Students do not understand that homework completion is a worthy goal-achievement goes up when students spend more time on homework (Cummings, 2000, p. 61). However, you want to ensure that the assignments you give students are both challenging and developmentally appropriate for that level of the course. It is important to remember that providing both the appropriate quantity and quality of work is the teachers responsibility (Cummings, 2000, p. 61). She further goes on to state (61) that quality can be measured by relevancy and meaning. So if youve taken the time to ensure that your assignments are both meaningful to the course and relevant to the material, you should be able to expect that students will complete the work assigned to them.

Alternatively, students report that when they do come to class prepared, the instructor goes over all of the material anyway, to ensure that students have the proper understanding of the material. In this case, students are shown that their preparation is unnecessary and that the instructor has to go over the material to make sure the students have the correct interpretation of the material. A formative assessment technique would be appropriate in this case because the instructor can use this activity to check student understanding in a more subtle way and them move on if students demonstrate an adequate grasp of the material.

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Neither of the above scenarios fosters student responsibility or accountability. Why should the student spend their free time preparing for class when the instructor covers all of the material they were supposed to prepare, regardless of whether they report they completed it or not? Students learn very quickly which instructors enforce student responsibility and which instructors do not and, as is human nature, will take advantage of those who do not.

Instructors need to tell their students that they must come to class prepared and then involve the students in various activities that allow them to prove their understanding of the materials or work through any problems they have. Students will often perform up to an instructors expectations but can also perform down to them. You should always set and maintain high expectations for accountability in class and then not lower those expectations if students fail to perform. If you are finding that students are regularly failing to come to class prepared, you have several strategies to deal with this problem including:

Required reading journals, detailing their thoughts about the readings or other materials that are due when they walk in the door. You can give the students an activity to work on while you skim the journals to determine where the students are with their understanding of the materials before you begin the session. Graded/ungraded or credit/no credit homework assignments. Not every assignment needs to receive a letter grade, but students should feel as if their assignments count for something. Most adult learners resent busy work, so collecting and reviewing assignments can actually help enforce accountability if they know someone will be reviewing them. This review person does not always have to be the instructor. Peer reviews can also be used very effectively in this situation. Quizzes at any time during the class. These quizzes shouldnt be punitive actions; rather they are another method for obtaining formative assessment about the students and their grasp of the materials. Strive to make tests and quizzes learning aids instead of simply the basis for grades (Kindsvatter et al., 1996, p. 89). Minute papers to summarize the readings or lessons learned from the assignments. You can do a minute paper any time during the class. Some instructors also require a minute paper as an entrance ticket to the class, meaning that the student has to have a paper to enter class that day. You can use the three question method, with one question asking for information from the previous class and the other two ask questions about the reading or homework.

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All of the methods serve the dual purpose of giving the students a tangible reason to come to class prepared and can serve as formative assessments for you to help you determine if the class truly understands the material or not. If students are in need of assistance on a particular topic, you will be able to determine that by reviewing their journals or quiz results. You can then take steps to address the problem immediately so that you can confidently move to the next area. What often occurs instead is that instructors do not realize that students are having problems until the test, which can sometimes be a couple of weeks after the topic was introduced. The above method has the benefit of an almost immediate action (at the next class session) while the information is still fresh in the minds of the students.

The key is to not do anything for students that they can do for themselves. Do not do the reading for the students or work through all of their homework assignments with them because this sends the exact opposite message than the one you want to send. If you want students to come to class ready to learn, then you should prepare your lessons assuming that is the case. Students will quickly learn that you will not spend your valuable class time doing things they were assigned outside of class and that there are consequences for that lack of preparation. The consequences are that they are less prepared to work on the activities and will not be able to contribute much to the group or discussion. For many instructors, this translates directly into participation points for the day, a concept that most students easily understand. You arent punishing them so much as you are dangling a carrot for them to work toward.

One of the most important things you can do for your students is to help them make connections between what they are learning and their future career or even other classes. Sometimes you need to make that connection for them in the beginning, while training them to do it for themselves as the quarter progresses. Its not unreasonable for students to ask the why questions or for you to "provide students with a credible rationale for learning activities and convince students of the relevance of a topic (Kindsvatter et al., 1996, p. 88). Many students have a difficult time understanding why they might need to know something so if you are able to help them understand how information in your course relates to something they will do professionally, you can reduce the friction that comes from the student perception that they are learning unnecessary information. Students may not become involved in their learning if there is no perceived benefit or relevance to what they are learning (Kelly, 2004).

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Classroom challenges
Instructors face many challenges in the classroom; some that are within the realm of their control as well as some that are not. One of the most important things you can remember is that you cant solve every problem for every student. Some students have academic or affect issues that are well beyond the scope of things you can or want to deal with in a classroom. Below is a breakdown of some of the types of things you can expect to see in a Baker College classroom:

Academic challenges o o o Can be controlled or addressed by you

Non-academic challenges Commonly referred to as affect issues Often beyond your control as an instructor

Physical o Can sometimes be addressed by the student and/or instructor

Academic challenges
Baker College students face the same academic challenges that you faced as an undergraduate. Some of these issues include:

Fear of speaking in front of others Distaste for working in groups Failure to understand how to complete an assignment accurately Anxiety when taking quizzes or test or writing papers Missing assignment deadlines Feeling like they have to get an A to be successful Failing in a course or program

The responsibility for each of the above items belongs to the student. You can not make the student understand something they do not or make them turn assignments in on time. However, you can act as a coach or facilitator to offer assistance. One method of doing this is to require students who come to you with a problem also come prepared with a couple of potential solutions for the problem. This is a skill that will serve them well in the workplace and this presents a good opportunity for students to begin practicing that skill for the future.

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Problems related to the course content are almost always the easiest to identify and correct. If a student does not understand something about a particular concept and comes to talk with you about it, isnt a problem to go over that material again or in a different way until the student understands. The main problem with this method it that it places the responsibility on the student to know what he/she does not know and to be confident enough to seek out the instructor for extra assistance. This may not always be the case, which is why the formative classroom assessment techniques (CATs) discussed earlier will help you diagnose and address this issue.

Other ways that you can address some of these academic challenges are to have students paraphrase, in writing, their understanding of assignments, particularly large assignments, so that you can do a quick check of their understanding before they get too far along in the process. This helps you as well, since you can intervene at an earlier stage rather than later. Often students will insist that they know what the assignment is and what it entails only to be proven wrong when you correct the assignment, so this step can often save both you and the students some potential problems later in the course.

Other students will come to you with problems that are not necessarily related to your course content but related to a type of assignment you selected. Many students have great fears of speaking in public or of taking tests. Other students do not like group work because they do not want to depend on others for their grade. Of course, you cant eliminate those requirements for the students who are fearful, so you need to work with the student to come to a satisfactory resolution for everyone involved. Often just the act of listening to the students concerns and asking for their input can help the situation. If youve taken the time to build the positive classroom environment referred to earlier, students will generally be more comfortable in trying something new. When all else fails, you can remind them that you are preparing them for a workplace environment where they will need to be able to speak in front of others and work as a member of a team and that it is a course requirement.

Perhaps one of the most common and frustrating of student complaints is when the student comes to you to complain about their grade and reminds you that they (the student) pay your salary or that they have paid for the class and they deserve a better grade than the one you have given them. While it is true that all institutions of higher learning depend on student tuition, it is ludicrous for a student to believe that just because they have paid tuition, they are automatically entitled to a grade different than the one they earned. Gerald Amada (1999) has a wonderful analogy about this phenomenon that you can modify for your students.

Most of us pay taxes, some of which are used to underwrite the salaries of the police officers who patrol our states highways. If we speed, drive recklessly or
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under the influence of alcohol, we are subject to citations, fines, or possibly even arrest. If we are pulled over by a police officer for speeding, it might be credible to debate the point of whether we were indeed exceeding the speed limit. However, if we instead argue that the police officer has no right to cite us because we pay his or her salary, we are asking for trouble. The policy officer is authorized to carry out the law and the act that we help to pay his or her salary does not abrogate that authority (p. 67).

You can remind students that their tuition money does not go directly towards paying your salary and that students who pay tuition fees are ipso facto subsidizing a wide range of educational services. Among those services are the salaries of instructors. One of the official and essential duties of these instructors is to maintain a reasonable degree of order in the classroom, conducive to a good teaching and learning environment (Amada, 1999, p. 68). From there, you can expand upon the logic to say that if you do not grade consistently and fairly, you are not performing the duties for which the students have paid.

Non-academic challenges
In addition to the academic challenges our students face, many of them are challenged with non-academic issues as well. Non-academic issues are more difficult for an instructor to deal with because they are generally removed from the classroom environment where you have direct influence. Issues such as fear of returning to school after being out for an extended period of time or of not feeling up to the standards of other students are issues where you, as the instructor, have little control. You can be encouraging and helpful, but ultimately it is up to the student to make that leap on their own. Certainly the way you structure your classroom can help build esteem in students, allowing them to start with smaller successes and build up to larger ones. Academic challenges and achievements in school are legitimate ways to enhance selfworth, self-confidence, and acceptance by ones peers (i.e., self-esteem) (Campbell, 1999, p. 13).

Childcare and conflicts with a full or part-time job can often interfere with school. Many Baker College students are employed while attending school and many have families as well. The average age of the Baker College student is 29, indicating that many of our students have been in the workforce, even if it is not in their chosen profession, and may have conflicts of this nature to contend with on a regular basis. While you do not need to make exceptions for these situations, you do need to be aware that they could occur during the quarter and have a plan in mind for how you intend to deal with them when they do occur.

There are many methods for dealing with these issues and the method you select will depend on your personality and comfort with discussing these issues in class. Many instructors spend
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some time the first day of class asking students what problems they anticipate occurring during the quarter and have students spend a short amount of time brainstorming some ways to deal with them so that they have some ideas in place if the problem were to occur. Other instructors are not comfortable with this method and prefer to let the student resolve issues by themselves.

Either method is fine as long as you remember that if a student comes to you with an issue you are uncomfortable dealing with; you can refer that student to the Academic Office or a counselor if your campus has one. You are not expected to resolve every problem a student faces and there are many times where a referral to an outside source is the appropriate method for handling the problem. What is important is that you take the time to listen to the problem and then help the student understand where they can go for assistance.

Physical challenges
Physical challenges can occasionally be both the easiest and most difficult type of challenge to overcome. Many of our classrooms have typical tables and chairs, which may be uncomfortable for students sitting for long period of time. Occasionally we arent able to regulate the temperature as well as we would like and Baker College policy prohibits eating and drinking in the classroom. Many of our students come to evening classes directly from work and have not had a chance to eat dinner or even mentally prepare for the upcoming class session. You have no control over these items, but you can do several things that will help your students deal with them in a constructive manner.

Consider Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Gwynne, 1997), pictured below, when attempting to deal with physical issues presented to you by the student. Students can not get to the social level where you need them for group activities until they have resolved issues on the first two levels. You can deal with these issues in a variety of ways, all designed to minimize the disruption on your classroom activities.

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Self-Actualization Esteem Social Safety Physiological

The first level is sometimes tricky as it is disruptive to have students wandering in and out of class, getting a drink or something to eat when you are attempting to conduct your lesson. Some instructors have solved this by beginning each class with an activity designed to stimulate thought on the previous session or activate thinking on the current session and tell their students that they need to complete the activity within a particular time frame, which will allow the student a few moments to get a drink or something to eat. Other instructors have resolved the problem of students sitting for long periods of time by making them move around when they do activities, either to a different table for group work or to the front or back of the room. This can help energize your students as well, as the simple act of moving often helps reinvigorate them.

The safety issue can be considered in several ways, but is most often seen as the act of creating the positive classroom environment, where students feel safe and are encouraged to ask questions and to share their thoughts. Creating this type of welcoming environment is sometimes difficult but worth the effort when the classroom discussions prove fruitful and engaging because students know that they are free to share their thoughts without judgment from others.

The social aspect of any classroom is where both the instructor and the other students can have a positive or negative impact. Making the classroom safe for discussion is one aspect, but also making sure that people are comfortable working in groups, that they know what it means to be a productive group member or discussion participant can sometimes make a big difference in the quality of the activity or project your students produce.

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Building esteem is always a tricky subject in any classroom, and can be much more difficult in the diverse environment that Baker College classrooms often become. Instructors need to work to match the assignment with the class, ensuring that it has the proper amount of challenge to make it stimulating, but not too much challenge to make it overwhelming. Students will develop appropriate self-esteem as they experience success in the school-related activities teachers provide for them (Campbell, 1999, p. 13). Small successes can help jump-start larger successes, in school and elsewhere, so by appropriately increasing the difficulty of assignments after students have mastered a previous level, you can help students of all ages build their selfesteem, which can in turn help motivate them to take on future challenges

The last level, self-actualization, is really left up to the student. You can assist another in becoming self actualized by providing the proper environment, coaching, feedback, and enabling success, but this is the step students have to break through on their own. However, as instructors, we want students to recognize that if they try, it will pay off. When effort leads to success, students begin to expect success on future projects (Cummings, 2000, p. 73). This is the goal we as instructors strive toward. If students start to have the confidence that they can be successful, you will spend less time arguing with your students and more time working with them to be successful. Most students simply require that an instructor help them feel confident that they will be able to cope sufficiently with the task and challenges of schooling (Kindsvatter et al., 1996, p. 89). Sometimes a verbal or written compliment will do while other students may require a little more help in this area. As long as you maintain a positive attitude toward the student and demonstrate confidence in their abilities, you are meeting their needs in this regard.

Finally, a quick word about student breaks because this can have an impact on all levels of student functionality in a class. Students need breaks, particularly in longer classes. The typical adult can be expected to attend to an activity for 90 to 120 minutes without a break, but can not go too much longer than that without stepping away for a few moments. It is ironic that instructors complain frequently about students coming to class late or returning from break late when that same instructor will often teach right through the students scheduled break. If you expect the students to honor your time by being prompt in returning from breaks, then you need to honor their time by stopping class at the scheduled time, regardless of what you are doing at the time; you can always pick up after break where you stopped.

Common factors affecting learning

There are many factors that can affect a students learning in a course. It is important to realize which type of issue you are dealing with to be able to respond appropriately in the situation. Several examples of factors that affect learning are below:

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Instructional style and methods Personality conflicts Student understanding Attendance

Instructional style
Students are greatly affected by the manner in which their instructor chooses to teach. Instructors who teach with a jubilant willingness to share in the exciting journey of learning are likely to have respectful allies rather than obdurate foes for students (Amada, 1999, p. 52). Research has identified several learning styles and studies have shown that a mismatch can affect the students learning. The resolution for this is to present your materials and conduct your class to appeal to a variety of learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic). A relationship between learning styles and teaching styles is a factor in the success of postsecondary students (Sarasin, 1999, p. 2). The Learning Styles manual available from the Effective Teaching and Learning website can help explain these items more thoroughly. Students regularly identify some aspects of instruction that get in the way of learning (Annoying Classroom Behaviors, 2004, p. 5). Think about how you teach on a regular basis. Reflect, after each class session or quarter, about what went well and how you might change it for next time. We like to think that students do not learn because of student issues, but in reality, our behavior could have something to do with it as well. Consider your teaching as a skill that needs refinement to stay sharp, not as something that, once mastered, can never be improved upon again.

Personality conflicts
Occasionally you will have a student that you just do not get along with for some reason. Students, especially those 18-22 years old, respond to their teachers as people (Annoying Behavior, 2004, p. 5). You, as an instructor, have to work even harder to reach that student as often they can sense the conflict that you do. Personality conflicts between students and instructors can make things uncomfortable for not only you and the student, but for the rest of the class as well. Sometimes students are even blatantly rude or disrespectful toward you. More often than not, when a student is disrespectful, it is because the student feels disrespected by the teacher (Benton, 2004, p. C1). Sometimes it is a case of miscommunication in terms of expectations or feedback, but even the most prog ressive teachers are disrespectful in a thousand subtle and not-so-subtle ways (Benton, 2004, p. C1), so in this case, it is generally a matter of reviewing your behavior and ensuring that it is appropriate. Sometimes a discussion with the student can help, but as long as you are behaving in a professional and respectful manner, there is little else you can do.

Student understanding

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Many things work together to increase or decrease student understanding. Again, you, as an instructor, do have some influence over the level of student understanding in your course. If you talk above your students heads or constantly use terminology with which they are unfamiliar, their understanding decreases. As student understanding goes down, disruptive behavior, in the form of talking with others, doing work for other courses, or lack of participation goes up. At that point you have to work twice as hard to bring the students back to where you want to focus.

Often instructors do not give students enough credit for the understanding about a subject that they do have. What counts as intelligence depends almost entirely upon context (Benton, 2004, p. C1). It is possible that what worked for you in terms of an analogy several years ago is no longer relevant or helpful to explain the topic or concept you want them to understand. Again, this is another time where a periodic review of your materials and methods will help ensure that you are using the most up to date references and sources available.

Attendance
Attendance is a never-ending issue that you will face in all of your courses, regardless of where you teach. As mentioned previously, many Baker College students are working and have families in addition to attending classes, so attendance is invariably an issue at some point. How you choose to structure your class is up to you, but a Baker College policy is that you are not allowed to grade on attendance. You do set the attendance policy for your class and are responsible for publicizing it in your syllabus each quarter.

Many instructors include participation points in their grading scheme and distribute those points each class session. Often these points are for in-class activities and can not be made up, so if a student is unable to attend, they will not be able to earn those points. Many students feel that this is a punishment and many have legitimate reasons for missing class. One of the most important things that you can do is to have a discussion with your students in the beginning of class to explain how you use participation and why it can or can not be made up if they miss class. When you help them to understand that this is not a randomly applied rule and that you are consistent with all of your students in this manner, you can reduce the number of arguments or challenges to your policy.

Classroom control tips

Classroom control is a highly sensitive topic among instructors. What works for one person may or may not work for another person; what one instructor finds acceptable may be unacceptable to others. One of the main points of this document and this training is to let you know that you, as the instructor, have the ultimate determination about what is acceptable or unacceptable in your class. Baker College trusts that you will use good judgment when you make these decisions, but ultimately the responsibility for the class is yours.
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That being said, there are many ways for you to manage your classroom in an effective manner. Generally a proactive attitude is best, where you determine what you will and will not accept before you begin the class begins for the quarter. It seems to be less confusing, both for yourself and your students, if you have clear ideas about how you will handle common classroom situations.

Setting expectations
One of the easiest things to do as instructors is set our expectations for student behavior and work. We expect a certain level of behavior from our college students and tend to react when students do not perform the way we think they should. However a crucial step is missing from that process and that is the part where you tell students what your expectations are. Do not be afraid to set high expectations for both yourself and your students, but do not keep them a secret either. Tell your students not only what you expect, but why you expect it and how they can meet and exceed those expectations. Reinforce your expectations when you give feedback to the students, either in assignments or in conversation. Communication is the key. A somewhat scarier prospect is to ask the students what to expect from you as an instructor. Sometimes students have unrealistic expectations or beliefs about how an instructor could or should act and by asking these questions and talking about expectations at the beginning of the course, you can correct any misperceptions about you or your role. Some instructors go so far as to have students make a list of expectations for both students and instructors and proceed with a discussion from there. You can take this process a step farther and draw up a learning or behavior contract that both you and your students agree to abide to during the course. Once expectations are out in the open, students will often begin to police themselves and each other, removing you from that role entirely. This helps foster that sense of student self-regulation; one of the goals of a positive learning environment.

Accountability
Accountability is one of the most important traits you can teach your students and by holding them accountable as discussed earlier, you help prepare them for the professional world in a somewhat intangible way. This works both ways though and if you tell your students that you plan to hold them accountable for their work, then you need to remember that they can hold you accountable as well. This can be another good place to discuss student and instructor expectations and behaviors. You can tell students that you will plan to return work the following week, but that would mean that they will be accountable for turning it in on time so you can meet your deadline. The more you can reinforce the concept that you are all accountable to each other, the more your students will want to perform to your expectations.

Consistency

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Perhaps the most important trait you need to have as an instructor is consistency. You must make your policy and then be consistent about applying it throughout the entire course. It would be a disaster if a teacher were seen by students as being unfair or showing partiality to some students over others (Campbell, 1999, p. 48). After the course is over, if the policy did not work out the way you intended, you can change it, but during the course, you must be consistent above all else. If you begin the course with a no late homework policy, then you can not accept late homework from anyone, under any circumstances. A violation of the rule in one case must be a violation of the rule in another case (Campbell, 1999, p. 48).This can be a tough policy to enforce, particularly if a student experiences some kind of legitimate trauma during the quarter and you want to be flexible, but your policy prohibits it. If you find yourself wanting to change for just one student, you may want to reconsider the policy completely, as there will always be that one student who just does not fit the circumstances for which you designed the policy.

Some things to be aware of in this arena include your policies on extra credit, making up participation points or class activities, and tests. You need to remember that if you cut a deal for one student, youve effectively just done the same for all of the other students in your class because they will talk to one another. Consistency is one of the most important habits you can acquire as an instructor because it will protect you from some of the highly subjective areas where it can be difficult to separate the person from the issue. All students, both the academically strong and the academically weak must be treated in exactly the same manner (Campbell, 1999, p. 48). If all late homework, regardless of reason, gets a 10% deduction per day that it is late, then you do not have to worry about being the one to judge if one students reason for turning their homework in late is better or more acceptable than another students. It removes you from the middle of that process and allows you to concentrate more fully on other aspects of the course.

Student involvement
As noted earlier, student involvement in the course is imperative. If you want students to be involved in the classroom discussion and the work, it can often be helpful to also let them be involved in some of the decisions regarding that work. Students need to feel that the classroom is a participatory democracy, but with the necessary limitations imposed by the school organization (Kindsvatter et al., 1996, p. 89), or in this case, you.

This can be accomplished in several ways, all with somewhat minimal effort on your part. Is it important that you choose the paper topic, or can the student make the selection? Does it matter to you if the paper is due in Week 8 or Week 9? Can students form their own groups for projects or will you do that? How should students behave in a group discussion? You can present your class with several alternatives and allow them to choose between them or you can allow the class to brainstorm for solutions before selecting one.

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Central to this process is the idea that you have the final say to veto a bad decision by the class (no tests for example) but giving the students some voice in how the class will be run can have multiple benefits for everyone. First, your students will feel that their opinion is valued and respected from the beginning of class, an idea that is sometimes difficult for students to grasp. Second, the group decision making process often leads to a shared experience that is difficult to replicate in other assignments or activities. The students, by virtue of their involvement in the decisions, will have some sort of automatic buy-in to the assignment or course that they may not have otherwise experienced. Lastly, the students can then begin holding one another accountable. For example, in a group discussion, if the group agreed that one person should speak at a time and a couple of students forget this rule, it is often another student who reminds them of the rule.

Developing strong relationships

One of the keys to any healthy, positive classroom environment is the strong relationships that exist between the instructor and the students and between the students themselves. Develop an easy rapport between you and your students and your job becomes much easier. Rapport can be thought of as the ability to interact effectively both in formal instruction and in informal interaction with the students (Campbell, 1999, p. 58). You can do much of the groundwork by fostering a positive learning climate referred to earlier, but there are other ways to develop these good relationships between class members as well including:

Praise students whenever possible Establish trust within the classroom Handle discipline issues individually Use discipline sparingly to support classroom needs Manage and attend to the needs of all of the students in the class Reinforce positive behaviors Learn and use student names

Praise
Praise works just as well for adults as it does for children, however the type of praise must be appropriate and targeted. Generally effusive praise tends to be ineffective and will often have a negative effect on students if they perceive that you are just saying something because you have to, not because you really mean it. Generic self-esteem boosting is not valuable, nor is it the way to effectively develop self-esteem in students (Campbell, 1999, p. 13). Praise should be given when appropriate and it should always be clearly focused on something that the student did that you want to bring out for the student or the class. It does not always have to be something the student did right, because often we learn more from our mistakes than if we did it correctly the first time. In some cases, making an effort or voicing an opinion, even an unpopular
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one, is cause for a positive comment from the instructor. Teachers must build student self esteem on the real success experiences [students] have in school (Campbell, 1999, p. 13).

You can use several formats when grading and giving feedback to students, all designed to give positive comments whenever possible. Some instructors use the SWI (strength, weakness, area for improvement) model while others strive to temper their negative comments with something positive. Other instructors who use a peer review process will direct their students to find two positive things to say for every negative comment. It does not matter how you choose to provide the information to the students, but it is important that you balance the positive and the negative whenever possible. Occasionally silence can also have a negative effect on students, when just the opposite is true. If you give grades on an assignment and no feedback, you are not helping the student to improve. Almost every assignment has good points and points that can be improved. It is not as though you have to make lengthy comments on every single assignment, but consider doing so on significant assignments such as papers or tests where a positive comment or even a note for the student to consider helps that student to grow and improve.

Another benefit of effective praise is to reinforce the behavior for the student, encouraging them to repeat that behavior. Positive attention is better than negative attention at all times. Even if students do not have the correct answer, praise the act of speaking up during a discussion while correcting the student in a positive way. You want to reinforce the discussion and student participation, even when the student does not know all of the answers. If a student has a history of being reinforced properly for effort and performance on a wide range of school tasks, it is likely that he/she will develop general motivation (Campbell, 1999, p. 24). You want to let the students know that it is acceptable not to know the answers because that is what the rest of the class can help do; determine the right answer, but that the key is to ask the question in the first place. Reinforcing the behaviors you want to see, either individually or for the class as a whole, can have a positive effect on everyone.

Trust in the classroom

Another method for developing strong relationships with students lies in your ability to establish trust within the classroom. Several factors can contribute to this feeling of trust between you and the students and between the students themselves. If you establish a classroom culture that is respectful and courteous from the beginning, where all student ideas and opinions can be freely expressed, you can help students learn to direct their own learning. However learning is sometimes a scary undertaking for students. This is when the trust that you have built up can help you. Students need to know that you will be there for them when they have problems or issues, that you will not be judgmental of their confusion or lack of understanding, and that you will work with them to arrive at a solution instead of abandoning them to their own devices.

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Disruptions
One of the most important management tools in your toolbox is the ability to handle a classroom disruption or issue smoothly and without disruption to the entire class. You need to be able to separate the individual from the rest of the class and resolve the issue quickly, without letting it interfere with the learning of the other students. Occasionally you might need to use disciplinary methods such as removing the student from the room or contacting your dean or security, but those methods should be used only when youve exhausted your other resources for resolving the problem with the student individually. You can not let the other students suffer through a disruption that has the potential for a poor outcome or can even put other students in danger.

Student names
One of the most obvious ways to develop strong relationships with your students is to learn their names as early in the quarter as you can and use them continually to help students recognize each other. One of the first concepts involved in forming a learning community is for people to know the other members of that learning community. By making an effort to learn the names of your students and using them regularly in class, your students begin to make those connections to you and to the other members of the class. When you call on students by name, students often feel appreciated and encouraged by the individualized recognition (Amada, 1999, p. 51) and you should have at least moderate success in gaining their attention and cooperation (Amada, 1999, p. 51).

Several methods exist for learning student names. One of the least well known is the fact that you can go to the SOLAR system and get a class list before your class begins and that this list can include student pictures, so you can study the pictures before you get to class on the first day or evening. You can also use icebreaker methods where the students introduce themselves or one another while you focus on learning their name. Whatever your method, it is important that you at least try to learn the names of most of your students. You expect them to remember yours and it is only fair that you make an effort to learn theirs.

Motivating students
It is impossible to tell at the beginning of a class session or quarter what will motivate your students to learn. Students will be motivated by different things at different times and it will be impossible to target each persons personal motivation every time. However, some general factors that can have an affect on student motivation include:

Giving students choices when you can Personalizing the curriculum when possible Creating opportunities for student success

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Focusing on improvement, not just the end result Using varied methods to teach Expressing confidence in the abilities of the students

Often you have more control of these areas than you may have previously thought, although developing student motivation is a difficult task for most teachers (Campbell, 1999, p. 24). Students are motivated by a variety of things, some intrinsic and others are extrinsic. You generally can not have an effect on the internal motivation of anyone other than yourself. Some students are motivated by a desire to succeed, to be the first in their family to go or graduate from college, to achieve a better career. You can help this student by providing interesting, relevant assignments that help link their coursework with their future career. You can eliminate busy work from the course and ensure that students are spending time on things that count for their grade.

Choice
Other students are differently motivated, and here you can exert a great deal of control. Some students are motivated by being able to make their own decisions in a course, so if it is possible, give students a choice of assignments or let them choose between one of two due dates for an assignment. By allowing the students some voice in the decision making process, you achieve a group decision that is shared and supported by most, if not all. The opposite is also true, that when students are denied choice, their motivation goes down and they are likely to engage in disruptive behavior. Students who perceived the most constraints on their autonomy were the ones who showed the greatest decline in intrinsic motivation toward school and consequently the greatest amount of misbehavior (Campbell, 1999, p. 36).

So how do you go about giving students choices in their learning without turning control of the classroom over to them? Start small and work up to a level that you are comfortable with. Jack Campbell (1999) suggests that you should attempt to be flexible enough to find a level of control that fosters positive growth without undermining intrinsic motivation to learn (p. 36). Your goal is to encourage the student to learn and nourish their motivation while accomplishing your goals of ensuring that the students are learning the course outcomes at the same time. You can ask the students their opinions regarding assignments or topics and factor them into your course as appropriate. Do not ask, however, if you do not intend to include any of their suggestions. You do not have to include all of them, but if you do not use any, then you risk losing their trust that you value them as people as well as students.

Remember that change forced upon students is debilitating; change chosen by students is exhilarating. The exhilaration or inspiration produced by making a choice can sustain students through their tasks (Cummings, 2000, p. 43). Use this power wisely to obtain student

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agreement and cooperation. When students make the smaller choices, you can focus your energy on more difficult items.

Improvements
One of the most important things you can do as an instructor is to focus on how far the student has come since the beginning of the quarter, course, program, rather than focusing on the end result, or their grade. Students of all ages have an all-consuming focus on grades and many will tell you that they have to get an A in this class at the very beginning of the quarter. Some will feel that they are entitled to an A because they paid for the course. You will probably even get some that threaten to go over your head.

All of this focus on grades has led to the current epidemic at almost every institution of grade inflation. Instructors complain about it and say that they do not know what to do about it. One way to combat this problem is to remove the focus on the grade and focus instead on the learning. Have the students complete a minute paper or a pre-test when they enter class for the first time and do the same thing before they leave for the last time. Try to focus on how far the student has come during the course, not on the final grade they will receive.

Another method for combating this focus on grades is to clearly define what work is expected for each grade. Remember, an A should be given only for truly excellent work, for something that goes above and beyond the average assignment. Many of our students believe that they should receive an A for meeting the minimum requirements of the class. If a student meets the minimum requirements laid out in the syllabus, their grade should be an average one. Students do not earn As by completing the minimum required of them. Students have a very difficult time accepting this, particularly if they do not hear about your grading policies or philosophy until late in the quarter. You may want to take some time early in the class to discuss what kind of work you require for an A, B, C, etc. Define these clearly for your students and let them know that your focus will not be on the grade, but on their learning in the course.

When things go wrong

Much of this training and document has been geared towards preventing classroom disruptions through planning and good facilitation. There are, however, instances when all of the planning and facilitation skills in the world can not prevent a problem, so managing that problem to the best of your ability becomes your next focus. The objective is to manage the consequences of a students behavior to bring about a more appropriate behavioral repertoire (Campbell, 1999, p. 100).

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There is a process you may want to take your students through when they are disruptive or having problems. This should be done in private, with plenty of time for you and the student to discuss each item listed below.

1. Give the student the opportunity to identify the issue or problem. Sometimes, students truly may not know that their behavior was inappropriate or disruptive, and this then becomes a teachable moment for you to help them understand why you have a problem with their behavior. 2. Work through some of the other choices he/she could have made in that instance. It is important that the student has a voice in this process and identifies some of the other potential options. Discuss pros and cons of each choice so the student has a good idea of the many different ways they have of dealing with a problem. 3. Help the student understand the consequence for inappropriate or disruptive behavior. For the first instance, unless it is truly heinous, a warning or discussion like the one you are having may work. However, the student needs to know that there will be escalating consequences for subsequent problems. 4. Link the consequence to the behavior and the desired change in the behavior. For instance, if the student is not completing homework because he/she does not understand the material, perhaps a discussion about obtaining a tutor or a trip to the learning center may help. Perhaps the consequence could be that the student will not be able to take the test until the homework is completed and failure to take the test could result in failing the class. The important point is that you link the behavior to a logical consequence, so that the student has a clear understanding of the decision they are about to make. The most important part of this process is that it is collaborative rather than dictatorial. As you and the student work through the problem together, you obtain the students implicit agreement to attempt to correct the problem. You also model appropriate problem-solving skills and classroom behavior. By working through this in private, you demonstrate your respect for the student as an adult as well as a college student.

Suggestions for dealing with problem students

It is possible that despite your best efforts, some students will continue to have behavior issues in your class. Again, you are solely responsible for handling behavior issues in your class and your decision about how to handle it is entirely up to you. However, it is normally suggested that you begin dealing with behavior issues with smaller interventions and work up to more drastic resolutions such as removing the student from class entirely. Your dean is always available to help you work through your options, so please do not hesitate to contact the support system you already have in place.

Below is a list of smaller interventions you may want to implement. This list is by no means exhaustive or exclusive of techniques for addressing disruptive behavior, but it will give you a

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place to begin. Some instructors keep a record of how the student reacted to these interventions, which might be helpful when speaking with the dean about the situation.

Use proximity control if possible. Teach on your feet, not on your seat (Ito, 2002). Often if you place yourself next to the student, minor issues such as talking while others are talking or doing work unrelated to the class will disappear. Consider the use of a learning contract to hold students accountable for coursework or their behavior. A learning contract spells out exactly what is expected from the student, with deadlines if possible. You can give contracts to the entire class, along with one for yourself as part of the expectations exercise referred to on page 27. See the Learning Contracts website http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/teaching/learning_contracts.htm for more information. Move the class to another activity to refocus attention on the material and not the disruption. If students are not paying attention during the class discussion, then move to another learning activity such as a minute paper or another type of written assignment to help them focus on the material at hand. Pair or group students in threes for small group activities. Ensure that there is some tangible outcome from the activity that they will need to present at the end of the session. Use lighthearted humor, if appropriate, to get the class back on track. Instructors who intersperse their lectures with clever witticisms and humorous allusions tend to raise the interest of students, reduce the potential for an adversarial classroom environment, and promote a good working alliance between themselves and their students (Amada, 1999, p. 50). Sometimes the use of humor can prevent problems before they begin. Students sometimes need to hear that learning does not have to be such a serious undertaking all of the time. Encourage your students to develop a group identity by letting them have fun together. Their attention will be diverted from the heavy task of learning and they will focus on enjoying themselves while supporting each other. They will associate the curriculum with the fun and quickly become committed to paying attention (Abbott and Lewis, 2004). A little laughter in the classroom promotes positive energy that students need throughout the day. Humor has many attributes that facilitate both learning and receptiveness to authority (Amada, 1999, p. 50).

Things to avoid when dealing with problem students

Just as there are ideas you definitely want to do when you have a student with a behavior issue, there are also things that you definitely do not want to do as well. Below is a partial list of these behaviors you will want to avoid.

Ignore the problem and hope it will go away. Behavior issues, particularly in a college setting, rarely go away. Not addressing the problem rarely has the effect of eliminating it; rather, it has almost the opposite effect of empowering the student to be disruptive. Not taking action could also encourage other students to be disruptive as well.

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Addressing the issue immediately, in a private conversation with the offending student will be much more effective for both that student and for the class as a whole. Punish the entire class for the infraction of a single student or small group. A pop quiz is not an appropriate disciplinary method for one or two students who did not prepare for the class session. This punishes the students who did take the time to prepare as well as reduce their trust in you to be fair in your dealings with all students. Follow through with the logical consequences for the students who are unprepared, that is, they are unable to participate effectively in the sessions activities and lose participation points. Act inconsistently. Despite what we think, students do talk to one another. If youve ever found yourself saying Ill do this for you but do not tell anyone, it is a sure sign that you are about to act in a manner that is inconsistent with what youve previously stated. Remember what you do for one student you must make available to all students, so be wary of deviating from your standards. Over-explain or debate your decision. It is perfectly acceptable to listen to a students point of view, consider it, and reach a different decision. As long as you share with that student your rationale for the decision, that should be the end of the discussion. Continuing to discuss the issue when you have already made a decision could make the student feel as if the decision is open for debate if they just talk long enough. Stating the decision, listening to any final comments the student may have and then ending the conversation will reduce the likelihood that you will change your mind. If changing your mind is warranted, by all means do so, but do not give the student the impression that he/she talked you into it or you are setting yourself up for a quarters worth of arguments. Have vague rules or consequences. Be open and honest about your policies. If there is a 10% penalty for late homework, apply it consistently and without apology. Do not, however, state that there is a penalty without being able to tell your students exactly what that penalty is. Do not say that they will lose points if things arent done or they will be sorry if they do not complete their homework. Instead, tie it to a logical consequence and reinforce the positive behavior that results.

One of the most important concepts in dealing with student misbehavior is the idea of a proportional response. You want to discipline students in a way that is fair, humane, and proportionate (Amada, 1999, p. 24). Do not go overboard with your discipline, but do not underdiscipline either. It can sometimes be a difficult task to determine how much of a penalty to impose, but you always have the option to speak with your dean or Chief Academic Officer (CAO) if you have questions.

Conclusion
As stated in the beginning of this document, classroom management is a difficult topic to nail down. Baker College has placed an enormous amount of faith and trust in your ability to resolve difficult situations and to deal effectively with students. We support your decisions and your ability to make those decisions and stand ready to support you whenever and wherever we can. We ask that you use your best judgment and that you be fair and reasonable in your dealings with students. Remember too that the best defense against student complaints and disruptions is to keep students so actively involved and engaged.

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References
Abbott, K. and Lewis, M. (2004). Humor in the Classroom. Retrieved 24 March 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.abbottcom.com/Humor_in_the_classroom.htm. Amada, G. (1999). Coping with Misconduct in the College Classroom: A Practical Model. Asheville: College Administration Publications, Inc. Annoying Behavior Can Impede Learning. (2004, April). The Teaching Professor, 18.4, 5. Belvel, P., and Jordan, M. (2003). Rethinking Classroom Management: Strategies for Prevention, Intervention, and Problem Solving. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Benton, T. (2004).No Respect. The Chronicle of Higher Education 50.18 C1. Boston, C. (2002). The concept of formative assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(9). 21 June 2004. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=9. Campbell, J. (1999). Student Discipline and Classroom Management: Preventing and Managing Discipline Problems in the Classroom. Emmitsburg: Charles Thomas Publisher. Cotton, K. (2001). Schoolwide and Classroom Discipline. Retrieved 9 Dec 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/5/cu9.html. Cummings, C. (2000). Winning Strategies for Classroom Management. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Dillon, J. and Maguire, M. (1997). Becoming a Teacher: Issues in Secondary Teaching. Buckingham: Open University Press. Fields, M. and Boesser, C. (1998). Constructive Guidance and Discipline: Preschool and Primary Education. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Fitzer, Kim. Curwin & Mendler. Retrieved on 3 May 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/fitzer/EdPsy399OL/curwinandmendler.htm. Gore, M.C. and Dowd, J. (1999). Tricks of the Trade for Organized Teachers. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Gwynne, R. (1997) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved 8 July 2004 from the World Wild Web: http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM. Ito, C. (2002). Behavior Influence Techniques. Retrieved 9 Dec 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.wm.edu/ttac/articles/challenging/influence.html. Jacobsen, D., Eggen, P., and Kauchak, D. (1999). Methods for Teaching: Promoting Student Learning. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, Inc. Jones, V. and Jones, L. (1998). Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating Communities of Support and Solving Problems. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon.

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Kelly, D. Adult Learners: Characteristics, Theories, Motivations, Learning Environment. Retrieved 3 March 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.dit.ie/DIT/lifelong/adult/adlearn_chars.doc. Kindsvatter, R., Wilen, W., and Ishler, M. (1996). Dynamics of Effective Teaching. White Plains: Longman Publishers. MacDonald, R. and Healy, S. (1999), A Handbook for Beginning Teachers. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Mamchak, S. and Mamchak, S. (1993). Teachers Time Management Survival Kit. West Nyack: Parker Publishing Company. McIntyre, Tom. (2001). Assertive Discipline. Retrieved 3 May 2004 from the World Wide Web:http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/AssertiveDiscipline.html. Minimizing Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom. (2004, March). The Teaching Professor, 18.3, 6. Mynster, D. (1997). Lesson Planning Retrieved 9 Dec 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/4127/less.html. Nelsen, J., Lott, L., and Glenn, H. (1997). Positive Discipline in the Classroom. Rocklin: Prima Publishing. Partnow, E. (Ed.). (1992). The New Quotable Woman. New York: Fact on File. Perlmutter, D. (2004). Thwarting Misbehavior in the Classroom. The Chronicle of Higher Education 50.30, B14-15. Planning Effective Lectures (2001). Retrieved 5 Sept 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.flinders.edu/au/teach/teach/lecturing/planstrat.htm. Sarasin, L. (1999). Learning Style Perspectives, Impact in the Classroom. Madison: Atwood Publishing. Stronge, J. (2002). Qualities of Effective Teachers. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Van Tassell, G. (2003). Classroom Management. Retrieved 9 Dec 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://www.brains.org/classroom_management.htm. Weinstein, C. (1996). Secondary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice. Boston: McGraw Hill.

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Appendix A: Dealing with difficult students

Presentation expert David Peoples has observed that out of every 100 people, theres at least one nut. Peoples has the following tips for dealing with troublemakers in class:

Type of Troublemaker Hostile Troublemaker (Devils Advocate) Know-it-all Troublemaker

Distinguishing Characteristic Interrupts with I do not agree. It will never work. Say things like I have a PhD and twenty years experience Talks too much, dominates, and wont shut up

Solution

Loudmouth Troublemaker

Interrupter and Interpreter

Interrupts others and/or explains what others have said or asked Introduces gossip and rumors into discussion Whispering between two people Reading newspaper, not participating Arrives late

Gossip Troublemakers Whisperer

Answer question with question: What should be done instead? Deferral: Lets talk about this later one-on-one. Meet with them individually to recognize their expertise and seek their buy-in State both sides and explain why your position is better Move physically closer and closer Say: I appreciate your comments, but we would like to hear from others. Say: Thats a good question, but in the short time we have I would like to stick to the subject of Jump in to make sure first person is done and/or ask first person to confirm second persons interpretation If it cannot be verified, Lets not take the time of the audience until we can verify the accuracy of that information. Stop talking; establish silence.

Silent Troubleshooter Latecomer Troublemaker Early Leaver Troublemaker

Use a directed question

Stop talking and establish silence when they come in Schedule quiz for end of class Handout graded assignments or other materials at the end.

Leaves early

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Activity 1: What is Classroom Management?

What does classroom management mean to you?

Shared definition of classroom management:

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Other definitions you hear that appeal to you:

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Activity 2: Muddiest Point

Answer the following questions:

What still confuses you about classroom management?

What do you plan to implement in your class as a result of this session?

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ETL/ClassroomManagement/Classroom Management documentation-new and experienced.doc

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Classroom Management Plan

I believe that classroom management is very important in any educational setting. If students are in a safe environment, then learning can take place. It is critical to have an engaging curriculum that includes all students and meets their needs. The main goal of the classroom management plan is to help create an environment for all to be able to learn in.

I will work hard to make my classroom a safe place for all to learn. The classroom must be democratically run with constant input from the students. I feel that if students are actively involved in the workings of the classroom that theyll feel ownership over it and will be further motivated to engage in the class and therefore learn. The needs of the students are crucial and will always be kept in mind when making decisions. I will be an advocate for the students and will make sure they know that I care about their life outside the classroom as well as in class.

Room Arrangement

I believe that there should be as much natural light as possible. The classroom should be a vibrant, fun place to walk into. I will have many plants and interesting posters from various cultures and places as well as bookshelves filled with an eclectic mix of books and magazines which are not limited to the subjects which are taught in the classroom.

I believe the desks or tables should be arranged in a circle or a horseshoe. This would maximize communication amongst the students and with the teacher. It would also allow adequate open space for student presentations and other activities.

My desk would be in the corner of the room inconspicuously tucked away. It would be for administrative tasks such as grading and doing attendance. When doing a lesson I would have a seat in the circle or walk around the room. I would try to have a plethora of information sources in the room about the unit which we would be working on. I would love to have a few computers
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that the students could use to research questions that they have as they come up. I would encourage students to volunteer some of their work for public display on the walls. I believe this would give a great sense of belonging in the class.

Rules

We need a classroom where learning can take place and if we all respect each other then there is no need for other rules. I would abide by school-wide rules, although, if I had a problem with any I would meet with administration to see if there were any arrangements that could be made. As long as it didnt interfere with learning I would allow students to eat and drink in the class as well as chew gum. I would also allow students to wear hats. I would make it clear from the beginning that if any of these things were abused or became problematic, that they could lose their privileges.

If behaviors are consistently bad, then the class might have to put together a constitution or contract. This document would spell out the rules in more detail and address problem areas. I believe that having student involvement in the drafting of the constitution is not only the right thing to do; it would also lead to more buy in and less struggles. The student, the parent and myself would sign the constitution. It would be posted in the classroom where all can refer to it when needed.

I would have set times when the class can discuss how things are going and specifically address whats not working and how we can make it better. This would be like an open forum where ideas are shared and hopefully changes could be implemented. This would be a time to talk about school-wide rules as well.

I would also put together a monthly newsletter to email or send home. I believe in involving the parent as much as possible. I believe that involved parents are much more supportive to their children. If they have important information coming from the teachers than they can better address concerns that might come from their children.

I would try all means before sending a student to the office. I believe that sending students to the office is drastically over-used and often does not help the student or the teachers relationship with the student. If there were consistent misbehavior from a student I would first
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ask the student to talk to me after class. I would start by sharing something positive about the student such as their involvement in the class. Then I would tell them why their behavior is disruptive/inappropriate for the classroom. I would have them meet with me later to put together a plan for how they can stop the behavior. If it continues I would call home and possibly set up a meeting with the parents. The only time I would send a student to the office is if he/she is being harmful to him or herself, other students or myself.

Classroom Procedures

Classroom procedures need to be consistent. I would always have the agenda on the board with homework assignments and other projects so the students can copy it into their notebook when they walk in everyday. I will have a warm-up ready for them to do for the first few minutes while I take attendance.

I believe it is important to have a wrap-up on the major topics covered for the day. Knowledge is better processed if this is done and it can be used as an assessment of how well they learned the material.

I would like to stay away from standard tests as much as possible. I will use alternative means of assessing students such as projects and essays. It is important that students learn the material as well as how to use higher-order thinking skills to analyze, interpret or evaluate the material. I would like to give out assignments or tests that enable the students to choose the means by which they will show their learning. This increased flexibility allows students to use their creativity to help show their competency.

I will do my best to only give out meaningful homework that supplements what is being worked on in class. I will avoid the trap of giving homework for the sake of homework or for a grade. I also want to give the students advance notice on assignments to help them with time management skills.

If a student is struggling with getting homework in or is doing poorly on tests or projects I would set up a conference to help them get back on track. Some students just need an extra push and I want to be there to give it to them. I want students to understand that they do have control over

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their learning; its not genetic or naturally occurring. I want them to help students who need it most, working one-on-one with them if necessary.

Supporting All Students

I believe its important to have a discussion with the students at the beginning of the year that focuses on rights and responsibilities and the balance that is needed between them. It should address that they have the right to feel safe, be treated with respect and the right to learn.

It is very important to give the students the choice to act appropriately. I believe that this means that redirection should be done in the subtlest way possible. The various stages that can be used include positioning yourself strategically, making eye contact or if needed quietly giving a student direction and saying thank you and moving away right away to avoid confrontation. Its all about giving them choices in which they wont feel pressured to be tough or cool, but instead can reflect on what is best for them.

I believe that other students can often times be best at getting things back on track. For example, when the class is really loud while I am talking I would choose to stop and wait. After a little while students start trying to get everyone to be quiet.

I must always remember to act from the head and not from the gut. When a teacher acts out of emotion things go wrong. It makes the teacher vulnerable and often can push the student even further with the behavior. I need to remind myself to have the patience necessary to address conflicts with a level head. One way that I can do that is when I am very angry is by telling the student that Im afraid of talking about what they have done or said because, Im so mad that I dont know what Ill do. I would then tell them to, Come meet me after school to figure out what we can do about this. Dont worry about it until then. They most definitely will think about it quite a bit before the meeting, which is the whole point. When communicating with students, I will use the least threatening means possible. I will use I statements and, if necessary, describe how the behavior made me feel.

Consistency is very important as it relates to enforcement of rules. If a student isnt held accountable for an action that has been deemed inappropriate and they know that you know about it, it well just perpetuate itself. The teacher needs to act on it immediately. Any
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punishment that may be used must be fair and reasonable. This will help the student understand that their actions led to this outcome.

I will do my best to think about and address the reasons why students are acting out in class. It is most likely because some needs of the student are not being met. Once again, I will be an advocate for the student to help them get what they need and deserve.

Positive Reinforcement

I believe a central part of developing and maintaining a productive classroom revolves around positive reinforcement. I will focus on the good behavior and attitude in the classroom as well as addressing the misbehavior.

This should not be praise based because students can become dependant on praise. Instead, I would work on a system of specific feedback, which enables me to have something positive to say about everyone. I believe that having a system like this will facilitate having an equitable classroom that limits the hierarchical attitude that there are good students versus bad students. It will also help students focus on making progress and putting in effort instead of only thinking about the final product.

I believe that a good classroom management plan can foster a safe space for students to learn in while limiting behavior problems. I believe that the most important thing is to develop a meaningful connection with the students, encouraging them to succeed and setting high expectations for them.

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Classroom Management: Firm & Fair

Two key attributes of successful teachers are firmness and fairness. Your ability to emulate these qualities will have a significant impact on the behaviors students exhibit in your classroom. Students respect and respond well to teachers who demonstrate that they are not easily swayed by student pleas or protests and who treat all students the same regardless of ability, personality, or past experience. While no step-by-step instructions exist for being firm and fair in the classroom, here are some suggestions for these two areas. Be Firm The ability to be firm is directly related to establishing realistic expectations and consequences. It involves saying what you mean, and meaning what you say. When expectations are not met, consequences must be enforced. The quickest way to throw firmness out the window is to make unrealistic expectations (e.g. the classroom is to be silent for the rest of the hour), or threaten consequences that cannot be carried out (e.g. I'll get your parents to come sit with you). Be realistic in what you expect and don't make threats you can't (or shouldn't) carry out. Be Fair Being fair as a teacher has two different components. First, you need to be fair in your interactions with different students. You can't enforce consequences for misbehavior with one student and overlook a similar behavior of another student. Second, you need to be fair to the class as a whole. Your expectations and associated consequences should be communicated before any activity. Making up the rules and consequences as you go isn't fair. Students need to know what you expect and what the consequences will be so they can make informed choices regarding their behavior.

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26

Evidence Based Classroom Management and Discipline

(1st draft Sept 2006)

All rights reserved. Fair use, including copying, by teachers and students is authorised. Commercial use requires prior written permission from the author.

This is a free additional chapter for Evidence Based Teaching by Geoff Petty (2006) Nelson Thorne s. It can be downloaded from www.geoffpetty.com. The book as a whole combines and summarises research on which teaching methods and strategies work best, and explains these strategies with examples. See the notes at the end of this chapter for more detail.

Can I get my students to behave better?

The evidence is emphatic, yes you can! And we know how. There are of course very many strategies designed to improve classroom management and discipline, but which ones work? Robert Marzano (2003) summarised the findings of over 100 reports on classroom management, including 134 rigorous experiments designed to find out which classroom management techniques work best. These experiments were carried out with real teachers in real classrooms. This chapter draws heavily on this meta-study of Marzanos, and compares strategies to find out which is best. Such studies of studies are the best source of evidence on what works as they include and integrate all reliable evidence. For a full account see Classroom Management that Works Robert Marzano et al (2003) for the detail, it is well worth reading.

These experiments tell us what teachers have made work, rather than reporting hunches and wishful thinking. No special training is required to use these strategies. If you are a reasonably experienced teacher, just experiment with the following methods, and you should get positive results quite quickly. You will need to give them a fair try for a few lessons before you and your students get the hang of them. The investment will be well worth it as their improved behaviour and motivation will begin to show. Less experienced teachers may need more time to make the strategies work.
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Marzanos meta-study describes four basic approaches that have been found to improve behaviour in classrooms. Their effectiveness is compared in the table below.

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Comparing the effectiveness of aspects of classroom management Summary of experimental data from Marzano (2003) Rules and procedures

Average effect-size

Number of students or pupils

626

Number of studies

Decrease in number of disruptions (Average for the studies)

28%

0.76

10

Strategies to clearly and simply express rules and other expectations of student behaviour. Also to justify these persuasively from the teachers and students point of view. For greatest effect the rules are negotiated with students
Teacher-student relationships 0.87 1110 4 31%

Strategies to improve the rapport, and mutual respect between teacher and student
Disciplinary interventions 0.91 3322 68 32%

The effective use of sticks and carrots to enforce the rules described above
Mental set 1.3 502 5 40%

Strategies to develop your awareness of what is going on in your classroom and why. A conscious control over your thoughts and feelings when you respond to a disruption. Marzano grouped high quality research studies on classroom management into the four categories above, and then calculated an average effect size for each. Effect size is explained in chapter 4, they are a measure of how effective a strategy is. If you dont know about effect sizes look instead at the last column in the tables: percentage reduction in the number of disruptions. For example, in experiments on strategies that involve teachers in devising rules and procedures the number of disruptions in the classroom was reduced by 28% on average. This is in comparison with not devising explicit rules and procedures.

In experiments, only one strategy can be used at a time. (If two were used, we would not know which caused any positive effects.) However, you can obviously use strategies in all these categories at once. This will have a greater effect than using strategies in one category alone. However, it is not statistically valid to add the effect sizes or the percentages in the table to find their combined effect.

If you find this a bit bewildering, just remember that the strategies that teachers made work best are those with a large percentage in the last column in the tables.

However you are unique! You might not get the same results as an average teacher. So the best results will probably come from concentrating on the category that you or your students have most difficulty
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with, or that you have considered least in your teaching. The final test is what works in your classroom, try the methods for a few weeks and see what happens!

I will now look at the strategies that have been found to work best in each of Marzanos four categories. I will only outline these, and if you want more detail please read the following chapters in my Teaching Today, which have more strategies and more detail. I am relieved to say these chapters are very much in Chapters in Teaching Today that might be helpful: 7 The teacher learner relationship and equal opportunities 8 Classroom management page 77 page 96

line with the Marzano findings. Alternatively follow up one of the references at the end of the chapter.

Some teachers think a well-planned, interesting lesson will by itself prevent disruption. Or that if the teacher is entirely benign and respectful of students, conflict will simply melt away. This isnt the case. We often start our teaching careers with these assumptions, but enlightenment usually doesnt take long. All teachers experience problems with behaviour, its just that some are better at preventing it, and dealing with it. But how? The strategies that teachers have made work best in experiments are explained below, with the theory outlined. However, if you are only interested in the strategies themselves look for the strategy icon in the margin:

Improving your use of rules and procedures

You might be forgiven for believing that how students should behave in classrooms is blindingly obvious, and explanation is entirely unnecessary. However, experiments show that classrooms become much more orderly when rules are stated, or better still negotiated, discussed and fully justified. It seems the little blighters need persuading of the obvious!

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So:

1. Create rules: Decide for yourself what rules and procedures will maximise learning, and would create a good atmosphere in your class. Alternatively adapt the rules in the box on page 4. Express these rules positively rather than as a list of donts. There should be a maximum of about 8 rules at secondary level, some say less at the elementary level.

2. Justify rules. Work out to your own satisfaction a persuasive case for each of these rules, however obvious this is. Im afraid because I say so is not a persuasive justification! Very early on, perhaps in your first meeting with the class, explain that you want an effective, fair and happy classroom, and a set of rules and procedures to achieve this. There are two main ways to do this, set out in 3 and 4 below.

3. Discuss rules with the class. Discuss why we have laws, rules and procedures in football, families, and in society. Ask for examples. (Avoid the off-side rule even if you understand it!) What would happen if we didnt have rules? Explain that the purpose of class rules is not to pump your megalomania, but to improve learning, and to ensure people enjoy the class.

4. Negotiate to get commitment. Suggest your set of rules as a start, asking for deletions, additions and suggestions. Be prepared to justify and compromise. (Alternatively ask the class to devise their own set of rules as described in 5 below.) Consider asking students to work in small groups to make sticky note responses to your rules. Then display and discuss these as a class. Consider asking each group to design a poster to illustrate one of the rules, and display these on the notice board. These can then be used as a reminder in subsequent lessons. Students could literally sign up to the rules as political leaders sign treaties. Refer to the rules as our rules not as mine.

5. Get the class to devise their own rules. Especially with older or more responsible groups you could ask them to come up with their own class rules. It may help to start this process off if you give them issues such as how can we make sure everyone gets the help they need?. Or you could ask them what has worked in other classrooms. Students can work in groups to devise rules on different aspects of class management, e.g. bringing materials; talking; attendance and punctuality, etc The class can then discuss and then vote on suggestions
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Then you go away and finalise the set of rules. You have every right to the last say of course. If you reject a popular suggestion explain why.

Here is a typical set of rules at secondary or college level. It is of course best to devise your own:

1.

Treat others as you want to be treated yourself. Be positive and helpful. Try to help two other people every day.

2.
3. 4. 5.

Treat other peoples property at least as well as you would treat your own.
Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher, or another student is talking. Dont distract others from their work. Only talk to neighbours, and only about work. If you are stuck ask neighbours for help first, then ask Mr Petty.

The aim here is to get students to buy into the rules and to see them as their own, and as worth keeping and enforcing.

Other uses of rules

Remind students of any relevant rules before a potentially disruptive activity. This is more positive than only responding to disruption and has been found to reduce disruption by about 25%. You could even gather students around the poster that illustrates the rule(s) and ask them for the justification for it.

If a rule is broken remind the student that, we agreed.. and remind them that they are part of a team so must keep to team rules. Be a team player could be a heading on the list of rules Get students to self assess their own behaviour against the rules with a self-assessment form. Then use this to set themselves targets for improvement. See the example below

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Self-assessment Is((student name here)). a team player?

I kept to this rule: always often

sometimes

never

Treat others as you want to be treated yourself Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher is talking Dont distract others from their work Etc.. Improvement since my last self assessment: What I need to work on most is:

If you use self-assessment consider the following: Asking students to remind themselves of their self-assessed targets at the beginning of a class (see the last row in the self assessment form above). Tell them you will ask them to selfassess any improvement at the end of the same class. Allow students to reward themselves with a sticky blob against their name on your notice board if they have improved, say, twice running in these self-assessments. Yes I know this sounds toe-curlingly naff, but the less mature students often love this.

Strategies to improve teacher-student relationships

The strategies below have reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average. Good teacher-student relations ensure that students have a more positive attitude to the teacher and to learning, and make them more likely to accept rules and any disciplining. They turn the classroom into a cooperative team, and reduce antagonism. So even if you detest the little clutch of demons, its worth developing good relations with them, and if you do, you might find that you dont detest them quite as much!

If you have read chapter 25 you will recognise the value driven management and leadership approach that was so successful in managing staff.

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What is the nature of good teacher-student relations? Marzano (2003) quotes internationally renowned research by Theo Wubbels, whose findings remind me of the old staffroom adage be strict but fair. Wubbels has found that the most effective teachers are both dominant (strong leaders) and cooperative (helpful, friendly and fair), but they are neither to extreme. This is shown diagrammatically below.

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The Ideal teacher-student relationship

Dominant
Strong sense of purpose in pursuing clear goals for learning and for class management. Leadership. Tends to guide and control Prepared to discipline unapologetically

Too dominant
Too controlling Lack of concern for students Teacher student relations damaged

Opposition
Treats students as the enemy Expresses anger and irritation Need to win if there is a disagreement between teacher and students

Ideal teacherstudent relationship Cooperative

Great concern for the needs and opinions of students. Helpful, friendly Avoids strife and seeks consensus

Too cooperative
Too understanding and accepting of apologies Waits for students to be ready Too desirous to be accepted by students

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Submission
Lack of clarity of purpose Keeps a low profile Tendency to submit to the will of the class Entirely unassertive, rather glum and apologetic

The diagram tries to show that the most effective teachers have found an optimal balance between cooperation and dominance. They are not so dominant that they fail to cooperate, nor so cooperative that they fail to lead. The precise approach will of course depend on the nature of the class; some need more dominance or more cooperation than others.

Research has also shown that students prefer the dominant-cooperative mix about twice as much as the purely cooperative style, or indeed any other style.

Wubbels has found that teachers new to the profession tend to start too cooperatively and with insufficient dominance. However after 6 to 10 years they often become too dominant.

To improve student-teacher relations experiment with some or all of the following strategies which other teachers have made work well. Are you better at dominance or cooperation? Ideally you should strengthen your weakest style, even if you also work on your strongest.

Many students are coping with stress, difficult home circumstances and worry about abuse, depression, eating disorders and so on. If your students experience such social and psychological strains you will need to attend to these as well trying the strategies that follow. This goes beyond the scope of this chapter. The FATE approach in Teaching Today may help, as will Marzano (2003).

Strategies to increase your dominance (leadership)

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Dont be put off by the word dominance. It means to become an effective leader, to pursue, vigorously and enthusiastically, a clear path towards both important learning goals, and good behaviour in the classroom. It does not mean to strut about in jackboots barking orders. We are doing this for the students, so we need not be shy about taking charge and accepting responsibility.

1. Ground Rules If you negotiate ground rules with students, and consequences for not keeping them as described on page ???, then you have already shown this attribute to some considerable extent.

2. Orientation Clarify the purpose and the key points in each topic before it is taught, including a persuasive reason for studying it. If you have read chapter 16 you will remember that these methods had very high effect sizes. (An effect size of 0.5 for a strategy means that if it is done well students learn the topic about a grade better. An effect size of 1.0 gives a two-grade improvement. By grade I mean an improvement equivalent to a GCSE or A level grade, but just for that topic of course.)

Strategy Goal setting before introducing a new topic. E.g. your goal is to use the information in this topic to solve this problem in the case study. Goals which the students are involved in designing Advance organisers (summary in advance of what is about to be learned along with a persuasive case for studying it) Highly specific behavioural objectives At the end of this lesson you should be able to

Effect size from Marzano 0.97

1.21 0.48 for easy topics 0.78 for more demanding topics 0.12

Another way of setting goals is to discuss with students the assessment criteria for the task they will do, as long as they really understand these.

3. Authoritative body language Appear absolutely confident and in control, especially when you are not. When interacting with students, especially if dealing with misbehaviour, your dominance is conveyed by body
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language. This includes proximity, confident posture, and tone of voice (not shrill or angry, but authoritative.) In Teaching Today I describe the PEP approach, which stands for: Proximity: dominance is increased by walking closer to the student. Walk around the classroom, if you notice students about to misbehave stand by their desk. When you talk to students stand a little too close for comfort but dont invade personal space. This is not an easy judgement. Eye contact: Holding eye contact expresses dominance, especially if you hold it for some time. What you say will be taken more seriously if you hold eye contact first for a few seconds, then say it maintaining the eye contact, then maintain eye-contact for a few seconds more. Posing questions. Rather than telling a student off for not working, ask questions such as Why have you not started? Do this with proximity and eye contact.

This has much more effect than getting angry or raising your voice, and will make you appear much more in control. The combined effect of close proximity and sustained eye contact can be very powerful indeed, so dont over do it.

Strategies to increase Cooperation

Being cooperative sounds easy, until you notice it means being cooperative with the worst behaved students in your class. This can try a saint.

As so often in educational problems, we have a vicious cycle to deal with here, but with determination we can turn it into a virtuous cycle:

The student misbehaves more or works less well

You dislike the student more and/or

In your direct control

The student dislikes you and your classes more

You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student Vicious cycle

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Breaking this cycle is hard, but it can be done. If you succeed it ensures the student behaves better, learns better, but it also makes your life much easier.

You will need to have negotiated clear rules with your students as described earlier, then you can start to break this cycle. This requires a great deal of emotional generosity and/or patience and restraint. If you cannot muster the generosity, try acting!

Probably the only part of the cycle you can break is: You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student here are some strategies that break the cycle here:

1. Catch them doing something right. Keep an eye on them, and when you notice
they are doing something right, even by accident, comment on this positively in private. Well done, youve made a start. Many students who misbehave are attention seekers, and if they earn attention for behaving well, they are less likely to steal attention by misbehaving. You can even bribe such students: Thats an interesting start, when youve finished the question let me know and I will have a look at it A promise of attention like this will often motivate students, but do keep your promise. See Madsen et al (1968)

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2. Put the student into intensive care. There is a violent method to do this,
which in your darkest moments often appeals! Here is a legal way. As well as catching them doing something right: Smile, use their name positively, ask for their opinion in class discussion, try to find something positive to say about their response. Make a point of looking at their work, and comment favourably about any genuine effort or achievement. Talk to them about it. Thats an interesting point, what made you think of that?. Keep high expectations however: I know you can do this. Be patient and helpful. If you react like this it shows you are not rattled by their misbehaviour.

Warning! The above advice can be overdone. Dont try too hard with intensive care especially, as you will be disliked if you appear desperate to be liked. The trick is to make your behaviour seem very natural, and the way you teach everyone. So you must give this same attention to at least some well-behaved students nearby too.

More general advice about increasing cooperation includes other ways of showing that you value students as individuals:

3. Learn and use their names 4. Communicate informally with students, Dont just talk about learning issues. When they are
coming into, or going out of the classroom ask their opinion: Do you think your haircut would suit me?. What do you think of the new library?. Ask about hobbies, attitudes and opinions,

5. Use eye contact and proximity to spread your influence about the whole room. 6. Negotiate difficulties with the class. I am having problems with students not giving in work,
whats the problem? What can we do about this? The strategies on page 17 and 18 also help with cooperation.

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Improving disciplinary interventions

The strategies that follow reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average.

There has been a heated debate for some decades over whether teachers should use mild punishments, or should only give students praise and recognition for appropriate behaviour. You may not be surprised to find that Marzanos meta-study, having statistically compared these approaches, shows that you are best doing both.

However, while nearly all teachers will use mild punishments, few give enough recognition for good behaviour. If you only use punishments, such as telling students off in response to inappropriate behaviour, then you can create a negative, nagging image for yourself. Also, attention-seekers will begin to misbehave in order to get your attention, as it is the most effective way.

Effect sizes are from Marzano (2003) Disciplinary Interventions Reminders

Average effect-size

Number of studies
70

Decrease in number of disruptions

24%

0.64

Reminding students of relevant rules just before they start an activity. E.g. reminding them of the ground-rules for working in groups before starting a group-work activity
Sticks 0.78 40 28%

Mild punishments
Carrots 0.86 101 31%

Strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour including recognition, praise, symbols etc.
Carrots plus sticks 0.97 12 33%

Using both mild punishments, and strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour with recognition symbols etc.

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Reminders
Many teachers are reactive, waiting for disruption and then responding to it, yet reminding students of the ground-rules for a forthcoming activity is a very positive and quite effective strategy. If you have agreed class rules, and students have designed posters to illustrate them, gather students round the posters to discuss the rules, and ask questions about why we have them. This need not take long, yet has reduced the number of disruptions in experiments by almost a quarter on average.

Carrots: strategies to reinforce appropriate behaviour.

This works better than just telling students off, and most of us dont do it enough. Try these strategies:

1. Tokens or symbols

Here is an example. A teacher asks each student to start off the lesson with five behaviour points. Or they might only do this with two or three problematical students. The students write five 1s on a piece of paper on their desk. During the class the teacher places an extra 1 if the student is working well, and crosses one off when they are not. Students often dont need an explanation for the removal of a point if the class rules are clear. Simply praising good behaviour also works remarkably well, Madsen et al (1968).

At the end of the class the student records how many behaviour points they have on a proforma. This might ask them to set targets for improvement. They might also be able to exchange these points for privileges such as sitting where they want, or giving out materials etc. It is important to explain the system you use and why: to help you become better and more mature learners. It should not be seen as a bribe even when privileges are given.

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These are often laughed off by teachers, but they really work and are greatly underused

Tokens and symbols can include: A thumbs up sign, wink, smile, praise etc to a student working well. It works especially well with problematical students Official Pat On The Back, this can be public or private. It is fun to say this with capital letters and administer it with mock ceremony, but not sarcastically Recognition in class notices, bulletins or notice-boards Round of applause or even standing ovation! Encouraging words Open microphone. The student is asked to speak to the class to explain how they succeeded, or, if you are brave, to make any point they like. Smiley faces, points, or stickers on a privately held record card, that you can ask to see and use as the basis for discussion on behaviour improvement. Smiley faces, points or stickers on a publicly displayed class list Badges: e.g. Im an improver The gal done good Displaying work Letters home saying that behaviour is good or has improved. Most students regard this as very significant and it doesnt cost that much. You could also use e-mail, text message, or phone message, but letters are permanent and you dont even need to put a stamp on as students will be keen to take them home.

They can be used to earn: Privileges such as sitting where you choose, helping to give out materials, leading groups, being allowed to present to the class, etc Class pressure points which the class can spend to persuade you not to set homework one particular week, or to allow more time to prepare for a test etc. The opportunity to choose the work they do or the way they work. E.g. be able to write up their work on a classroom computer. Letters, e-mails or text messages home, after say three weekly improvements College or school certificates for mature behaviour. These can be given in half-termly award ceremonies presented by the head of department Being chosen to present to another class, or at parents evening or open evening

2. Self-assessment Students can use the self-assessment process described on

page 5 to award themselves points or stickers etc.

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3. Contingent rewards:
These makes use of peer pressure to improve behaviour:

a. Class carrots if the whole class behaves or improves. E.g. If the whole class reduces calling out instead of putting their hands up, then the whole class earn pressure points (described in the above box), or are allowed to go and see the Art Departments final show of work. Success needs to be defined carefully, for example no more than three people calling out in each class for at least one week.

b. Class carrots if a specific individual or group of students behaves well or improves. This needs to be treated with caution. E.g. We are all going to help to keep Philip in his seat. If you are next to him remind him if he moves. If he does move, dont talk to him. If Philip doesnt get out of his place inappropriately for a week, the whole class gets five Team Player Points and Philip gets ten.

Sticks: strategies that involve mild punishment.

This works best in conjunction with the carrots above. Marzanos metastudy stresses that the effect of this strategy comes from consistency rather than severity.

Case studies with the use of rewards and punishments. TES 16th June 2006 www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2250510 Duncan Harper, Head of a Special school says many children are miss-labelled as autistic or having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He believes their poor attention span etc is due to being too tired to work after spending four to five hours a night watching TV or playing computer games. 20% of his 58 children are diagnosed autistic, and 50% ADHD. But Harper thinks non are autistic, and only 2 have ADHD! He develops excellent relationships with the parents, who are contacted by phone every two weeks. He arranges with them to remove TVs and computer games from bedrooms if the students behaviour/tiredness does not improve. Harper himself made seven such removals that year. A recent inspection graded the school as outstanding in all categories. Evidence is growing that poor sleep is affecting students behaviour, thinking and learning. Try Googling sleep student attainment.

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Consistency and assertiveness The punishment itself seems less important than your consistency in expecting a rule to be obeyed, and your assertiveness when talking to students or punishing them when you have to. Assertiveness is not the same as hostility. It is linked with dominance mentioned earlier and means that when you deal with class management you are firm, unemotional, matter of fact, unapologetic, confident and business like. It often includes a reminder to the student that you are implementing agreed class rules, not personal dictats. Being hostile angry or very strict is less effective, and may suggest to students that you are losing control.

Be assertive
Imagine you are dealing with a student who has been persistently talking. You have warned her that if she talks inappropriately again, you will move her. Despite this, she continues to talk. You could get angry, sarcastic and over-strict at this point. But it is more effective to be assertive:

1. Proximity and eye contact. Walk up to the student (proximity), with a firm upright posture, and fix them with eye contact . There should be little emotion in your voice or face. Just a business like confidence.

2. Ask for what you want in a decisive manner, act as if you mean it, and expect to be obeyed. The pitch of your voice should not be shrill, only slightly raised. I want you to move next to John now. But Pete started it

3. Listen, but use the broken record. Listen to such legitimate objections. It sometimes helps to repeat the objection to show you have listened as below. However do not accept denials, blaming or other arguing unless a genuinely strong case is made. It is the students duty to keep the class rules despite difficulties. Repeat what you want. Even if Pete did start it, you should not have talked again. Please move now. But thats not fair

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(This process of listening, perhaps acknowledging what was said, but then repeating what you want continues as long as necessary. This is sometimes called the broken record.) You remain firm unruffled and business like.

We all agreed our class rules are fair. Please move.

4. Defer discussion but require obedience. If the student persists tell them that they are wasting valuable class time, and must continue this conversation after the class. In the meantime they must move. Repeat this once if necessary very firmly.

5. Withdraw. If they still dont move remind them that defiance is a very serious offence and that they must see you after the class. Walk away to signal the dialogue is now over. The student might now move. If not, seek guidance from tutors and class managers; defiance is a health and safety issue as they might not even stop doing something dangerous when you tell There is a list of responses to inappropriate behaviour in Teaching Today 3rd edition, pages 117-8 them to.

6. Use Discipline Plans. If a student does not respond to assertive behaviour like this and problems persist, consult tutors and managers. Sit down with the student in a private one to one situation, and draw up a Discipline Plan Allen. T (1996) State the relevant class rules and explain why they help everybody learn and help create a happy classroom Ask the student why they have a problem keeping the rule(s) and what would help them keep it better. Stress that the rule must be kept despite the stated difficulties. Ask them to become a team player so they are accepted by the team. Stress that they have choices and set these out: If someone talks to you at an inappropriate time, you can either respond or you can ignore them. Which is best?.... What is hard about ignoring them? What could we do to ensure you do ignore them?.... If it helps you or them, state how their behaviour makes you feel, and how it affects others students. Ask for a detailed solution, and listen.

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If a solution is not forthcoming suggest your own. I think it would be better if you sat up at the front with Jackie and Peter. Set a target in concrete terms with consequences if it is not met, but also with an incentive if it is met. Okay so you sit with Jackie and Peter and if you cant stop talking out of turn, I will sit you by yourself. If you do stop talking for two weeks, I will let you choose where you sit. Put the plan in writing, consider asking the student to sign it and signing it yourself. Let the student have a carbon copy. Monitor the plan every lesson however briefly. Give the student credit for any improvement, even if they dont meet goals, however reluctant you might be to do this.

See the FATE approach in Teaching Today p 523-4 which might help.

Class meetings Some writers have suggested that difficulties with classroom management should be raised democratically at class meetings. See Marzano (2004) page 81. Teachers can call meetings, but students can also ask for them Everyone sits in a circle Names are not used, the purpose is to discuss issues not people The teacher or a student acts as chair to ensures the meeting keeps to the topic under discussion Minutes are written and posted on the board

Class meetings are sometimes held in conjunction with students keeping a journal. Here they record the behaviour of the class in general, and their own behaviour in particular.

Mental set
On page 2 of this chapter we saw that your mental set has more effect on reducing disruptions than agreeing class rules; dealing with disturbances directly; or using carrots and sticks. There is only a small number of studies to guide us, but these reduced classroom disruptions by 40% on average.

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Mental set is closely related to the common sense notions of having eyes in the back of your head and keeping your cool. There are specific strategies below, which are fairly easy to implement. Mental set describes an attitude or approach to classroom management that falls into two parts: withitness and emotional objectivity.

Effect sizes are from Marzano (2003) Mental set consists of: Withitness

Average effect-size

Number of studies
3

Average Decrease in number of disruptions

42%

1.4

Having a heightened awareness of what is going on in your classroom and responding very quickly to actual and possible disruptions.
Emotional objectivity 0.71 2 26%

Keeping an emotional distance between you and classroom events, and thinking about your emotional response to them.

Withitness
This is a term coined by Kounin (1970) meaning awareness of what is going on in every part of your classroom, and a quick response to disruption. This is important as it deals with another vicious cycle.

A student misbehaves e.g. talks or hits

The teacher does not notice, or fails to react

Other students respond e.g. talk back, or hit back

In your direct control Misbehaviour in the class increases Vicious cycle

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The class notices this behaviour is not dealt with. So they realise they could get away with it too.

Withitness strategies nip this cycle in the bud. This stops misbehaviour spreading, and makes it more likely you correctly determine and deal with who started it. It also prevents students gaining any prolonged satisfaction from misbehaviour. For example when students talk out of turn, if you usually step in before they have even completed their first sentence, then they get little out of their misdemeanour, so it is less likely to be repeated. If however students can often enjoy talk for a minute or so before you do anything about it, then talking becomes worth the telling off.

Withitness strategies
1. Scanning
When working with small groups or even individuals, orientate yourself so you face the rest of the class. Periodically scan the class. Try to get eye contact with as many students as you can. This is easier to do from the edges of the classroom than from the middle. To begin with you might need briefly to stop what you are doing with the group or individual to scan. But very soon you will be able to scan and help students at the same time.

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2. Intervene promptly
The moment you notice a disruption , or better something that might escalate into one, make your attention known. Fix the offending students with eye contact, and if necessary walk over to them. Stay near them a bit (but keep scanning the rest of the class from time to time). Proximity and eye contact are often enough to stop disruptive behaviour in its tracks. Sitting on, or at a students desk and looking at them stops almost any disruption!

3. Use names
If you cant get eye-contact use their name: Paul?. When Paul turns round sustain eye contact for a few seconds. If he knows what his is doing wrong, then an explanation is unnecessary, even if he says what? in that innocent tone. Very early in the year you may not know all their names, if so say Oi! sharply. However it really helps with this strategy to know names.

4. Stop instruction
Suppose you are talking to the class and one student starts talking. You could use their name as described above. However, another strategy is to wait for complete silence before starting teacher talk. The moment a student starts talking, stop talking yourself and look at the student. This is pretty startling for the student and they usually stop right away. Wait for complete silence again, and then continue from the beginning of the sentence in which you were interrupted. If you do this for a few lessons students usually tire of trying to talk when you are.

5. Use non-verbal reminders and commands

Once you have attention and eye contact with an offending student you can: Stand to attention with your hands on your hips to signal displeasure Put your finger to your lips to ask for quiet Shake your head slowly to signal disapproval Wave your hand in a hello-like gesture but with a frown to signal stop it. Point while clicking your fingers or with a stage cough to signal stop it. Point with a straight arm and a stare to show greater displeasure Try combinations of the above! My favourite is the straight-armed point and the slowly shaking head. That nearly always got a satisfactory response!
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If all this seems strange behaviour, arrange a visit to the classroom of someone who is good at classroom management, perhaps someone with a coaching role in your institution. They will almost certainly use such strategies. Remember the aim is to stop misbehaviour almost before it has started, so long-distance communication like this is vital, or you end up sprinting round the classroom like Linford Christie.

6. Avoidance
Consider the activities that can potentially lead to disruptions in your classes, for example: Students collecting materials from the back of the room A transition from group discussion to teacher talk (students tend to continue talking)

The former may be avoided by arranging to have the materials given out. Alternatively the disruptions may be reduced if you stand by the equipment, or if you let only one student per group collect them etc. It may not be possible to avoid the transition from group discussion to teacher talk, however a little thought might lead to a better way of managing it.

7. Reminders and warnings

Before a potentially disruptive activity remind students of the relevant rules. Remember, while Im explaining listen, no talking, and hands up for questions. Setting goals before teacher talk really encourages students to listen as explained in chapter 16 and on page 7.

8. Walk around
Walk round the whole classroom, using plenty of eye contact, and verbal interaction with students. Keep to the edges rather than the middle of the room as explained under scanning above.

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See Teaching Today for more detail on withitness.

Emotional Objectivity
This approaches attends to the following possible vicious cycle.

In your direct control Students misbehave You express anger, and may overreact, and so appear less in control

Vicious cycle

Students are more likely to behave badly

Students feel angry, and resentful. They are less respectful of you. They may even enjoy your anger

Many teachers take misbehaviour as a personal attack upon them and so get angry or depressed. But the students who misbehave in your classroom probably misbehave in everyone elses. What has worked better than anger in experiments is for the teacher to remain unemotional and matter of fact, especially when dealing with disruptions. This does not mean aloof or distant. You should be alert, businesslike,

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firm and unapologetic. But you must avoid showing anger or frustration even when you feel it. This makes you appear more in control, and makes you impossible to wind up.

Monitoring your thoughts about students Remember that students may well be dealing with difficulties at home, and be tussling with negative attitudes towards education due to a poor experience in the past.

It is important to recognise your own anger and frustration, so seek solace in talking things over with colleagues, friends or family, and get plenty of exercise. This helps rid the blood of "stress hormones" which makes you feel much better. So does laughing, so take a break to watch The Simpsons. If a day has been particularly difficult, seek out someone to talk to about it, and give yourself a reward in some way. See Chapter 50 of Teaching Today How to teach and remain sane.

Discipline is not your sole responsibility, if there are persistent problems get the matter raised in meetings. If course teams or institutions can agree a consistent approach to these issues, this can help greatly. It is certainly not reasonable to expect you to suffer alone.

1.

Dont take the behaviour personally. The students probably misbehave in other peoples classes too. Poor behaviour is often due to influences such as poor parenting, alienation from education due to a curriculum that does not allow the student to shine etc. unfair treatment by other teachers etc. None of these are the students fault.

2.

Dont hold grudges. When misbehaviour of any kind occurs, deal with it in a calm, straightforward firm but fair manner. Remind the student that you are just sticking to the agreed class rules. Then wipe the slate clean. Refuse to bear grudges. Treat the student exactly like everyone else, or even better by using strategies 2 and 3.

The effect of good behaviour on student achievement

It is no surprise that students learn more in orderly classrooms. Professor John Hattie has statistically combined and summarised research to find the effect of appropriate behaviour in the classroom, with the attainment of the students. He finds an average effect-size of 0.71. This means that on average,
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improving student behaviour can improve their learning by a grade and a half. (This is a GCSE or an A Level grade).

We have seen that classroom management techniques can improve student behaviour, but can they improve student achievement? Marzanos meta-study, the main source for this chapter, shows that attempts to improve classroom management have an effect size of 0.52 on student achievement. This means that on average students did a grade better in assessments due to the improved classroom management techniques.

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Hattie and Marzanos Effect sizes Classroom behaviour The influence of appropriate student behaviour on achievement Marzano: Effect of experimenting with improved classroom management techniques on student achievement

Effect size 0.71

Number of studies 361

0.52

134

Bibliography
Allen T. (1996) Elements of a discipline plan download from: www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/discipoptions.html

Madsen et al (1968) Rules, Praise, and ignoring: elements of elementary classroom control Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis. No2, 1, 139-150 This can be downloaded free, just Google the title, or use www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1310990&blobtype=pdf Accessed September 2006.

Marzano, R. et al (2003) Classroom Management that Works Alexandria: ASCD www.ascd.org

Petty G. (2004) Teaching Today 3rd Edition, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes

Petty, G. (2006) Evidence Based Teaching: a practical approach. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes

Wubbels, T. et al (1999) Interpersonal relationships between teachers and students in the classroom. In H. C. Waxman and H. J. Walberg (Eds) New directions for teaching practice and research (pp151-170). Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.

Wubbels, Th., Brekelmans, M., Brok, P. den, & Tartwijk, J. van (2006). An interpersonal perspective on classroom management in secondary classrooms in the Netherlands. In. C. Evertson & C. S.

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Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: research, practice and contemporary issues (pp.1161-1191). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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This is a free chapter from Evidence Based Teaching by Geoff Petty (2006) published by Nelson Thornes. The book describes teaching methods that experiments have shown greatly increase students attainment. What follows describes the book in more detail.

Teaching is about to embark on a revolution, and like medicine, abandon both custom and practice, and fashions and fads, to become evidence-based.

Half a million experiments in real classrooms have uncovered the teaching methods that work best. These can improve students attainment by two grades compared to conventional practice.

The fifty or more methods some old, some new: - can each raise pass rates by 20% to 30% - are creative, challenging, and greatly enjoyed by students - require the learner to do more in class . and the teacher less! - equip students for progression, by teaching intelligence.

Petty argues that only teachers can lead the evidence-based revolution, and they must do so at their own pace, using as a guide the ultimate evidence what works best in their own classrooms.

Teachers have as much to gain as students in meeting this professional challenge. The methods make teaching less draining, and more interesting, as well as more effective.

This book is a road map into this exciting new territory.

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Evidence Based Teaching: a practical approach Geoff Petty www.geoffpetty.com

Contents

What is Evidence Based Teaching? In which we get rational about how to teach, and look at evidence on how we learn 1 2 3 We need evidence-based practice, not custom and practice How We Learn: qualitative research on learning Motivation

What methods work best? In which we find out what teaching methods work best and how we know this - and that teachers make the difference, not their bosses or policy makers. 4 5 6 7 Effect size studies John Hatties table of effect sizes Marzanos theory based meta-study Extracting general principles

The top teaching methods: In which we look closely at the best teaching methods, to see how to use them, and what we can learn from them. 8 9 Feedback Whole class interactive teaching

10 Visual methods and graphic organisers 11 Decisions-decisions 12 Cooperative learning 13 Reciprocal teaching

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Seven Principles for evidence based teaching In which we extract from the research Seven General Principles that seem to explain what makes teaching methods work, and use them to improve our teaching 14 General teaching principles and the Present Apply Review model of a lesson

Choosing and using teaching methods: In which we look in detail at an ideal plan to teach a topic, looking at alternative teaching methods and how to use them 15 Feedback through interactive dialogue: the self-correcting classroom 16 Teaching Methods for the Orientation phase: setting he scene 17 Methods for the Present phase including teaching without talking methods 18 Methods for the Apply phase 19 Methods that provide Feedback to teacher and students 20 Methods for the Review and homework phases

Teaching Intelligence In which we see that intelligence is a range of skills that can be taught, and consider strategies to teach them. 21 Teaching Intelligence: Analysis and Productive Thinking skills

What do the best teachers schools and colleges do? In which we see how expert teachers and the best schools get their incredible pass rates. 22 What do the best teachers schools and colleges do?

Your Own Evidence In which we see how to improve our teaching, and find its a bit scary, but fun 23. Your own evidence: reflection and experimentation

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The Rational Curriculum: In which we see what they ought to tell us to teach, and find that if we teach it anyway, students do much better. But we find teachers have an awesome responsibility. You create the future. 24 Rational curriculum

Management and leadership: In which we find out how to improve the teaching of others in our team. 25 Management and leadership

And on www.geoffpetty.com: 26. Evidence Based Classroom Management and Discipline: (This can only be downloaded from www.geoffpetty.com)

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