(Part Three Of A Four-Part Series)
Brittany Peppers :
I am excited to follow this blog and learn many things about it as I graduate from college and begin my teaching career. My question to you is 鈥淚n your opinion, what is one thing to remember about classroom management if you don鈥檛 remember anything else you are taught about it?鈥�
Brittany has asked a great question, and this post was going to be the final installment of a three-part series responding to it. However, I鈥檓 now extending it to a fourth installment that will be published next Wednesday:
appeared earlier this week and shared guest responses from several authors of books about classroom management and other education issues.
was composed of answers from other educators who I know and, in most cases, with whom I have worked.
Today, I鈥檒l be sharing my own advice and thoughts from Katie Hull-Sypnieski, who is the best teacher I鈥檝e ever seen.... By the way, Katie will be co-leading an 澳门跑狗论坛 Teacher Webinar titled 鈥淢aking Differentiated Instruction Work for You鈥� on February 1st. If you鈥檙e interested in the topic, I鈥檇 strongly encourage you to participate. I鈥檓 sure the Ed Week Teacher site will have registration details soon.
Next Wednesday, I鈥檒l wrap-up this series with a selection of comments from readers and one or two special guests.
I鈥檓 going to 鈥渃heat鈥� a bit and share two suggestions instead of the one Brittany requested. The first is to be positive, and the other is 鈥渄on鈥檛 sweat the small stuff鈥� (with a nod to the late Richard Carlson鈥檚 of the same name).
Being Positive
There has been substantial research (reinforced by own personal experience) finding that promoting a positive classroom climate can have a major impact on learning and classroom management. Ways to make this happen include:
Relationships: Keeping advice in mind:
鈥淲ill what I am about to do or say bring me closer to the person with whom I am communicating--or will it push me further away?鈥�
You can learn more about related research and practical suggestions on this topic at .
: Research has shown that 鈥渓oss framed messages鈥� (if you do this, then something bad will happen to you) really don鈥檛 have the 鈥減ersuasive advantage鈥� that they are thought to have. In fact, positive-framed messages (if you do this, all this good stuff will happen to you) are more effective.
I鈥檝e had much better success talking with students about how changing their behavior will help them achieve their goals (passing a class, graduating from high school, going to college, etc.) than with threatening negative consequences (though, admittedly, in a few circumstances, that might work and I鈥檝e used it).
Saying Yes: 鈥淎voidant instruction鈥� is the term used to describe the action of emphasizing what people cannot do -- 鈥淒on鈥檛 walk on the grass鈥� and 鈥淒on鈥檛 chew gum.鈥� Some recommend that a more effective way to get the desired behavior is to instead emphasize what you want people to do, rather than what you don鈥檛 want them to do.
For example, if a student asks to go the restroom, but the timing is not right for the lesson, I try to respond, 鈥淵es, you can. I just need you to wait a few minutes,鈥� instead of just say, 鈥淣o.鈥� Or if a student is talking at an inappropriate time, instead of saying, 鈥淏e quiet!鈥� I sometimes go over and say to him/her 鈥淚 see you have a lot of energy today. We鈥檒l be breaking into small groups later and you鈥檒l have plenty of time to talk then. I鈥檇 appreciate your listening now.鈥�
Saying 鈥淧lease鈥� and 鈥淭hank You鈥�: show that people are more likely to comply with a task (and do so more quickly) if asked to do so instead of being told. Calmly saying 鈥淐an you please sit down?鈥� to a student may very well be more effective than 鈥淪it down!鈥�
Saying 鈥淭hank you鈥� can provide immediate positive reinforcement to the student. shows that people who are thanked by authority figures are more likely to be cooperative, to feel more valued, and to have a greater sense of self-confidence because of that kind of recognition.
Here are even more resources on being positive in class.
鈥淒on鈥檛 Sweat The Small Stuff鈥�
The New York Times recently wrote about . He apparently made a deal to leave them alone and they left him alone. This is what he told a Mormon leader:
鈥淲hen I was a boy on the farm in Illinois there was a great deal of timber on the farm which we had to clear away. Occasionally we would come to a log which had fallen down. It was too hard to split, too wet to burn, and too heavy to move, so we plowed around it.鈥�
In other words, there are some battles not worth fighting.
I also think it鈥檚 also a good classroom management guide. We need to 鈥渒eep our eyes on the prize鈥� and not get sucked into distracting conflicts.
If a student keeps on forgetting to bring a pencil to class, I just give him one from a big box of golf pencils I buy at the beginning of each school year. If they don鈥檛 have paper, I have a stack. I鈥檝e got bigger fish to fry, like helping them developing intrinsic motivation to read the first book in their lives and develop an appetite for learning.
Of course, we are only human. We all have bad days -- in fact, I just had one this week -- when we may not be feeling well or are distracted, and not show the kind of patience these suggestions require.
The issue, I think, is not whether we are positive and 鈥渄on鈥檛 sweat the small stuff鈥� all the time.
The question is 鈥淗ow do we operate most of the time?鈥�
A quick and sincere 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry鈥� can take care of the rest....
In addition to getting a class more focused on learning, I鈥檝e found that I gain two other big benefits by following these suggestions (and the ones that are described by Katie) -- I get more energized by my teaching and I also feel better about myself...
Response From Katie Hull-Sypnieski
As I mentioned earlier, Katie is the best teacher I鈥檝e ever seen. She and I have been classroom 鈥渘eighbors鈥� and often co-teachers for the past nine years. In addition, she and I are co-authoring The ESL Teacher鈥檚 Survival Guide, which will be published this summer. Look for an article in Ed Week Teacher soon on differentiated instruction that we are co-writing, and put her February 1st Webinar about the same topic on your calendar.
Effective classroom management for me starts with relationships. Building relationships with my students and their families lays the groundwork for future interactions to be positive. I rely on this foundation of trust and mutual respect throughout the school year as problems come up. Many times student behavior issues can be resolved simply through one-on-one dialogue. Taking time to quickly 鈥渃heck-in鈥� with students throughout the week helps to build and maintain these kinds of positive teacher-student relationships.
Classroom management also means looking at myself and asking: 鈥淎m I modeling the behavior I expect from my students?鈥� The longer I teach the more I realize the truth behind the phrase 鈥渢he teacher sets the tone.鈥� The look on my face, my body language, and my overall energy all have an effect on the classroom environment and on student behavior. Students can learn more when they feel safe and supported. I try to build this type of environment by creating routines, structures, and being consistent. When students know what to expect as they walk in the door, they can quickly engage in learning. When they know that I will greet them with a smile every morning no matter what and that they don鈥檛 need to worry about whether I鈥檓 in a bad mood or a good mood, they can focus on their learning and not on me.
Finally, if students are engaged in meaningful and challenging learning activities then many behavior issues can be prevented. Directly showing students how they can apply what they鈥檙e learning to their lives can increase motivation and decrease off-task behavior.
Please feel free to leave a comment sharing your reactions to this question and the ideas shared here.
Thanks to Katie for sharing her response!
Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org.When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it鈥檚 selected or if you鈥檇 prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.
Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a selection of twelve -- including -- published by .
I鈥檒l be posting the next 鈥渜uestion of the week鈥� in a week-and-a-half. The final installment of this classroom management series will be posted next Wednesday.