Classroom Management: How to Be An Effective Teacher and Impact Student Lives

Learning Targets Participants will: Discover the difference between managing a classroom and disciplining a classroom Learn characteristics of effective teachers and classrooms Develop procedures for the first day of school

“What you do on the first days of school will determine your success or failure for the rest of the school year.”

A snapshot of an effective classroom looks like this: The students are greeted at the door. When students walk in the classroom there is an agenda posted that includes the schedule, bell work, and objective for learning. The students begin to work immediately without any direction from the teacher.

Classroom Management Is NOT about DISCIPLINE Classroom Management Is about ORGANIZATION & CONSISTENCY

3 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher Positive Expectations Classroom Management Lesson Mastery Well-Managed Classroom+Positive Academic Expectations=Effective Classroom

The Effective Teacher: Uses a script to organize the class the first week of school. Continually acquires knowledge and skills. Produces results. Impacts and touches lives.

Some common observations on the importance of effective teachers: The most effective teachers can produce 9 months or more of learning, essentially a full year, than an ineffective teacher. Teacher expertise accounts for a greater difference in student performance-40 percent- than any other factor. Students who have several effective teachers in a row make dramatic achievement gains, while those who have even two ineffective teachers in a row lose significant ground. Teacher quality accounts for more than 90 percent of the variation in student achievement. The single greatest effect on student achievement is not race, not poverty—it is the effectiveness of the teacher. As teacher effectiveness increases, lower-achieving students are the first to benefit.

The most important thing to establish in the first week of school is… CONSISTENCY! The students know: What to DO What to LEARN

The number one factor governing student learning is classroom management. The first day of school is the most important of the school year. Effective classroom management practices must begin on the first day of school!!!

Having an Effective Discipline Plan The Effective Teacher: Thinks through a discipline plan before school begins and conveys the plan to students when school begins. Discusses the plan so students understand its logic and accept it as reasonable. Involves the home to help guarantee and enforce the plan. Uses discipline to help teach young people self-discipline and responsible behavior.

REACTIVE vs. PROACTIVE

The ineffective teacher or the teacher who doesn’t yet know what to do is a REACTIVE teacher. With no organized classroom structure, this teacher REACTS to every problem with yelling, screaming, punishments, threats, and coercion to whip the classroom into compliance. The reactive teacher goes home angry, tired, and stressed out.

The effective teacher is a PROACTIVE teacher The effective teacher is a PROACTIVE teacher. Because 80 percent of classroom problems are caused by ineffective teachers, the effective teacher has a proactive plan to PREVENT problems from occurring. The effective teacher knows that the #1 problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines—the lack of a plan that organizes a classroom for academic success. The proactive teacher knows how to prevent problems and thus have a successful classroom. This teacher can go home at the end of the day happy, with the knowledge that students have learned.

The basic structure for a discipline plan where the teacher is in charge has three parts: Rules/Guidelines: What the student is expected to follow. Consequences: What the student encounters if a rule or guideline is broken. Rewards: What the student receives for appropriate behavior.

RULES/GUIDELINES Used to set limits Students need to feel that someone is in control and responsible for their environment—someone who not only sets the limits but also maintains them. Function is to prevent or encourage behavior by clearly stating student expectations. No more than 3-5

Rules have CONSEQUENCES. Positive consequences or REWARDS result when people abide by the rules. Negative consequences or PENALTIES result when people break the rules. Consequences are NOT punishments. The issue is CHOICE. Teach students that their actions or choices result in consequences. Successful people accept that life is a series of consequences and that they can be positive or negative.

Two major differences between Discipline and Procedures: DISCIPLINE concerns how students BEHAVE. PROCEDURES concern how things ARE DONE. DISCIPLINE HAS penalties and rewards. PROCEDURES HAVE NO penalties or rewards.

The Three Steps to Teaching Procedures Teach. State, explain, model, and demonstrate the procedure. Rehearse. Rehearse and practice the procedure under your supervision. Reinforce. Reteach, rehearse, practice, and reinforce the classroom procedure until it becomes a student habit or routine.

Teach the Procedure Clearly Effective teachers know what activities need to be done and have worked out procedures for each. It is essential to have procedures ready for opening day

The key to successful implementation of classroom procedures: PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!!

Procedure Activity

Resources www.teachers.net www.k6educators.about.com www.effectiveteaching.com www.effectiveclassroom.com www.gazette.teachers.net www.harrywong.com/firstfive www.mathraps.com www.theteachertoolkit.com www.pbisworld.com www.interventioncentral.org