5 Classroom Management Tips

Last Week I wrote down 9 Classroom Management Tips and since then I read Jane Bluestein's Managing 21st Century Classrooms: How do I avoid ineffective classroom management practices?

16 quotes later, I have 6 additional tips related to what most would say is the most difficult aspect of teaching to "master."

Classroom Management isn't easy, but keep these 5 additional tips in mind...

1. It's Not About You

Don't make it about you; it takes away from the real reason why classroom management is important; behavior that takes away from the learning of others must cease because it's taking away from the learning of others, not because it doesn't please you.

 "...instead of talking about how their behavior makes you feel, focus on how their cooperation will pay off for them." p.41

Making it about you the teacher sends the message that it's your show instead of theirs. 

Making it about pleasing you and complying to your wishes takes student attention away from the prime matter at hand - their education and preparation.

 "Simple recognition...that emphasizes students' efforts and actions rather than how their behavior pleases you is a great way to build morale and positive relationships." p.23

Don't praise students because they make you happy and make you feel satisfied; praise students because their efforts and actions are that of a student who will best learn taught lessons.

 2. Don't Cut off Your Nose to Spite Your Face

You can't react in a way that alienates your other students; you can't be threatening or volatile and still expect students to learn what you're teaching.

 "When we perceive threat, our primary brain functions retreat to the survival centers of the midbrain....Whether targets or witnesses, most individuals exposed to this energy will either shut down or fight back, with a no-win outcome likely for all concerned...." p.37

If they're not asking questions, then they're probably not learning; if they're afraid of your response, then they're not going to ask questions. 

You can't be draconian and expect real engagement.

 "Thus, the harder we try to control or disempower kids, the harder they will push back, whether by exhibiting overt defiance, becoming passive-aggressive, shutting down..." p.7

The brain cannot be in learning mode and survival mode at the same time. Fear is literally and figuratively a four letter word in the classroom.

"Classroom management behaviors that rely on teacher control and students' fear of punishment trigger the brain's survival instincts and suppress the brain functions students need for learning, cognitive processing, and retention...." p.8

There's always a tomorrow; don't say or do anything that you can't take back. 

I highly recommend the book

 3. Own It

Classroom management is not about your rules; it's about you. 

"When you walk into a classroom where kids are busy and engaged, it is unlikely that their cooperation was motivated by rules. And I can guarantee that when students are disruptive, off task, or out of control, it's not because there aren't enough rules." p.11-12 

Don't set limits that you're not prepared to enforce; don't say you're going to do something unless you're going to do it.

"But structure is only as effective as our willingness to follow through on the conditions and limits we use to create it." p.25

Avoid practices that send unintended messages. 

 "Asking for excuses for explanations when students have misbehaved, broken an agreement, or failed to complete an assignment interferes with our goal of building responsibility by suggesting that students can talk their way out of the requirements we set." p.26

You communicate most effectively with your actions; words eventually become meaningless.

 "Another way we sabotage our authority is by reacting to infractions with warnings instead of following through on the conditions we set." p.27

 4. Respond Intentionally

Don't give praise for the sake of praise.

"Although recognizing effort, persistence, or a job well done is legitimate and valuable, there are a number of ways to get this one wrong, with potentially harmful results." p.20

Instead of responding simply because you feel compelled to respond, think about what you want to happen as a result of your response. 

"...if you intention is to elicit a behavior you have not seen yet, you need to use a different approach from the one you use to reinforce existing desirable behavior." p.23

Respond in the manner that the behavior merits - no more and no less. 

"The best way to improve follow-through (and thus maintain respect and authority) is to only allow positive outcomes when they are earned and withdraw them when the conditions are violated." p.28

5. Always Make it Positive

Make sure the work students are doing is aligned with present abilities.

"Students who believe they're going to fail no matter what have little stake in engaging and cooperating." p.17

Use words and phrases that create the culture of cooperation rather than the expectation of struggle.

"Even making a simple change from a threat ('if you don't do this, you can't...') to a promise ('As soon as you do this, you can...') transforms the energy and power dynamic in the interaction and increases the the likelihood of cooperation, especially if the positive outcome is meaningful to students." p.18

Classroom management isn't about responding to bad behavior; it's about anticipating potential cracks that students can and will fall through, and filling them before the fall.

9 Thoughts on Classroom Management

Ought classroom management be easier than it usually is?

A student violates a rule or acts outside of the handbook, and they receive a consequence; the concept should be simple.

But, like with anything involving people, classroom management is arguably the least easy thing educators do.

It's especially hard when you're aiming for more than behavior management and compliance.

When you're going for total learning and the physical/emotional environment required for it classroom management becomes a constant cycle of observation, consideration, and dialogue. It can be cognitively, physically, and emotionally taxing all at once.

Anything that obstructs the clarity, momentum, provisioning, etc of the lesson must be addressed with the end goals of the lesson in mind - your response has to be intentional.

1. It can't be reactionary.

2. It shouldn't be addressed in public, but it ought to be timely.

3. Don't make it about you the adult; it has to be about the student, the class, and learning.

"Parents and teachers can reduce their own frustrations and those of the students by understanding that what appear to be laziness and lack of motivation are often an extreme need for support and guidance." - Margaret Searle, p. 159

4. You have to respond in a way that sets limits on the behavior while also communicating that you're always there to help and that you'll never give up on them.

5. It can't be judgmental.  It can't be insulting.

#fhspantherchat instead of getting frustrated with what you're seeing or hearing you need to identify why it's happening & how to proceed
— Eddie Evans (@ewevans3) March 9, 2014

6. Do some investigating; find out why before moving forward.

7. Reach out to those around you and ask what have others seen and heard from the student; I may not have the right approach but I'm sure we can come up with something.

8. Think about tomorrow. Don't burn a bridge. Don't embarrass.

See the entire presentation here
Read about it here

9. Labeling, getting frustrated, lashing out, giving up, etc. is contrary to what we're trying to do

Each issue and each person is unique. Remember that and proceed intentionally.

Let it be Theirs

I just finished reading Betty K. Garner's Getting to Got it and picked up some great insights on working with struggling students and empowering them to use their strengths to become more equipped learners. A theme that I kept seeing throughout is the unintended negative effects of adults doing too much for children, especially for students who struggle. I include several quotes below along with my reactions.

"Unless students interact creatively with information to construct meaning, there is little or no change." -page xv

I think about a lot the history classes I've taught as a teacher and taken as a student; we didn't DO enough with the information presented. I think about classes I've taken with tons of great information and factoids that I never did anything with that I've since forgotten. The information was great; it was interesting and provocative stuff; I worked hard finding cool information as a teacher and worked hard to remember the information as a student. But we never did anything with it; we never used it to do or create anything. Most of it's been lost; it wasn't learned.

"Too often, teachers make connections and point out patterns for students without realizing we are teaching them to imitate what we do rather than to construct meaning for themselves." -page 6

"...he mediated meaning- by asking questions rather than telling him what to do or solving the problem for him." -page 10

"Too often, well-meaning parents and teachers short-circuit students' cognitive development by doing the mental work for them.... We unintentionally encourage them to become passive recipients, to depend on others than on their own capabilities or need to know." -page 15

I wrote about doing the work for them after reading Margaret Searle's Causes & Cures in the Classroom. We mean well when we do it; it's to model what it's supposed to look like; it's to give them a sense of accomplishment; it's to prompt them; it's to help them do well on the test; it's to help them out in an awkward or embarrassing moment. It may even be more for us and our own comfort or ego than theirs. Whatever the reason, when we do it for them we're robbing the long-term to satisfy the short. Instead of telling we ought to ask; instead of lecturing we ought to converse; instead of talking we ought to listen; instead of trying to affect the result we ought to facilitate the process. 

"Sometimes teachers get caught up in doing lots of activities that keep students busy and may even produce wonderful products or displays. However, the time would be more effectively spent designing and implementing activities to help students develop the cognitive structures that will equip them for independent learning." -page 24

Impact won't be known until later. Whether they can do what they were taught how to do down the road is how we'll measure the extent to which it was learned now. They're only students for a small, minuscule amount of time when compared to how much life there is post-student; they need to be able to learn for a lifetime if they're going to thrive. Individual tidbits of information come and go; independence is forever. 

"The true level of understanding is evident in the kinds of questions students ask." -page 26

I used to love when there were no questions; I used to always think that if there weren't any questions then I must've taught it really well. Perhaps I was off base. Perhaps I wasn't focusing on the right stuff. Perhaps they weren't doing enough with the information I was providing. Perhaps I was doing too much providing. I think I was doing too much providing...

Why Do We Do the Work For Them?

Why do we do the work for them?

 I started thinking after reading the Week 20 post about delegation in the #savmp blog, and this quote from a book I just finished

"Adults need to model, ask clarifying questions, and help students reflect on and about their own routines, not do the work for them." - Margaret Searle, Causes & Cures in the Classroom p. 77 

Why do we do the work for our staff and/or students? Because we're afraid of what others will think if people under our tutelage produce work in need of improvement or worse. Because we think short-term.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking something to the effect of, "if my evaluee doesn't write a proficient goal or provide satisfactory evidence, then my colleagues are going to think I'm an unsatisfactory supervisor; what good am I if my people (or students) aren't proficient?"

So I do more than I ought to; I try to control the outcome rather than support and assist during the process. The goal that I'm concerned about becomes 90% my words and 10% theirs. They're "proficient," I pat myself on the back for "helping," and we repeat again in a few months. Nobody learns; we're not growing.

Ask questions instead of giving answers

If they don't do it themselves, then it comes at the expense of the long-term; the goal is always for them to be able to do it well without assistance. Start with them doing it themselves and let the doing it well happen organically. Guide by the side, ask questions, generate partnerships.

I shouldn't compromise the long-term goal to satisfy short-term insecurity.

Replace speaking with listening as often as possible

I should try to be the resource that makes them their own resource. In practice:

Student Discipline: Go through the handbook with them as you're determining consequences; when they match the offense with the proper consequence and then serve it, it becomes a lesson rather than a simple consequence.

Organization / Note Taking: Expose students to different examples of note taking and organization for the same topic. Show them an outline, word web, word cloud, venn diagram, etc. Have them decide which makes the most sense for them instead of mandating one style because it's what's always worked for you. 

They need to own it for it to be learned; if they don't own it, then it was merely taught; they won't remember

Google Docs in the Classroom

As I began utilizing online collaboration tools for my teaching and learning last year, one of the first sites I immediately grew fond of was Google Docs. As soon as I began using it in the middle of the year in my AP US History class, I saw its value in assessment of writing, studying for exams, and preparing outlines in an interactive and reflective way. It immediately led to increased writing about the material we were covering, which directly led to improved performance on formal essays. It was also extremely effective as an organizing tool for a staff committee I chaired.  We were able to discuss differences and outline thoughts leading up to each meeting, which led to seamless and productive face to face gatherings. It eliminated many of the physical restraints such as time and other commitments that can plague staff committees.

The one frustration that came with using Google Docs was confusion and messiness that multiple editors can bring to an existing document. At times, clauses were accidentally deleted, or answers were misplaced or spaced in awkward ways. My AP class this year can attest to that from their summer assignment.  However, the new comment feature on the site seems to alleviate the only negative I saw.  It maintains all the collaborative benefits multiple sets of eyes on the same document can bring, but allows for the document itself to remain intact.  I was excited to use it in the classroom to analyze war quotes to begin a unit on morality and WWII earlier this week with my America & the World classes with juniors and seniors.

Allowing the students to comment on the document rather than edit opened up many new possibilities for classroom application of Google Docs.  The document remained clean, which allowed the students read the quotes without distraction and focus on what they want to say about each one.  The way they were able to discuss and dissect what they were reading while informally improving their ability to articulate their thoughts after reading with their writing was exactly what I was hoping for.  Being in the computer lab together allowed for the students to follow up written thoughts with conversation.  It was a rare occurrence where we were working on our reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills all at the same time.

I envision us using this tool in the future as a way to model the great reading strategies championed in Mike Schmoker's, Focus, as it allows me to show the students exactly what I would highlight through a difficult reading.  Comments provide readers the opportunity to essentially write in the margins, like one would do on paper.  Students that may be unsure of what to highlight and comment on in text would immediately benefit from seeing in real time what others are choosing to note.  Peer editing becomes cleaner, and I now have the ability to discuss writing samples with students in a more direct and efficient manner. I continue to be impressed with Google Docs, and the way it allows me to promote good reading habits and analytical writing in innovative and modern ways.

Edmodo Reflections Day 1

Achieving a 100% active class participation rate in a given session is a great feat.  Even on my best of performances as a teacher, universal participation in a given outing eludes me more often than not.  I've always had luck with engaging students and enticing them to want to participate in discussions, but there always seems to be someone who abstains from the conversation.  As rare as 100% active participation in a class period is, seeing it in two different gatherings on the same day rivals Haley's Comet in frequency.

Day 1 of introducing and utilizing Edmodo in two classes produced universal participation both times, and I cannot wait to do this with my three remaining classes tomorrow.  Students appreciated the simplicity of signing up and entering the Group.  They were very fond of and comfortable with the interface,  commenting repeatedly on the similarities with Facebook.  Students easily unpacked the features, such as the library, and already seemed more comfortable with it than me in certain regards.  Finally, and most importantly, the discussion we had regarding Just War Theory and concept of a Good & Bad war produced articulation, depth, and resource sharing at levels I have certainly never seen before during the first week of school.  I am excited to continue to explore the possibilities of Edmodo with all of my classes this year, and very much look forward to further great collaborative discussions with my students using various modules. 

Bad Advice for Teachers

I received two terrible pieces of advice during my student teaching and first years in the classroom that I've found are very common.  They may be the two most prominent pieces of advice given in Teacher Education Programs.  Once I was distanced from both of these schools of thought, my ability to teach and conduct a class improved considerably. Avoid both of the following:
1a. Be Yourself- Terrible advice. Be the most noble, inspirational, principled, organized, strong minded, confident, and creative version of yourself you can concoct. Eventually, your real self will catch up to your teacher self, but do not simply be yourself. A young new teacher being them self will probably come off as unsure, a little overwhelmed, and doubting their career move, and an older new teacher will probably come off as unsure, a little overwhelmed, and doubting their career move, but in a completely different way. Identify your audience, determine what it will take to hook them, and get yourself there. Stand tall, act like you own the place, and nobody will doubt you. Being yourself is not advisable.
1b. Find What Works and Stick With It- More terrible advice. Complacency leads to mediocrity, and you don't want to get boring. Find what works, make it better, and then find other things that work too. You want an arsenal of effective strategies an methods at your disposal. Always have a new project going. Whether its tech integration, or picking out your weakest area of the content and making it your strongest, a great teacher is always working on making something better. It's the only way to stay fresh and current.