Nip it in the bud: Becoming a proactive and reflective classroom manager Dr. Allen Guidry East Carolina University

A model for approaching CM Relationships Instructional time management Policy and procedure Classroom/material organization Discipline

The basic principle of effective classroom management The best way to deal with a classroom management problem is to not have a classroom management problem in the first place

What we must remember… You are the only person you can control in that classroom Remember this when diagnosing and prescribing interventions for classroom management problems.

Management of instructional time Classroom management begins with a well- planned, engaging lesson High time on task requires three elements: Preventing misbehavior Withitness and overlapping of activities (teaching and handling admin matters) Managing movement Momentum and smoothness in lesson Maintaining group focus Group alerting and encouraging accountability

Management of instructional time (cont.) Most problems occur when (1) there is a “lull” in the lesson and (2) when transitions occur So what does that mean for you as you diagnose classroom management problems?

Kounin’s principles of group management Preventing misbehavior Withitness Overlapping Managing movement Momentum Smoothness Maintaining group focus Group alerting Encouraging accountability Higher participation formats

Common problems (momentum and smoothness) Dangle – topics left to do or talk about something else Flip-flop – coming back to topic left from dangle Thrust – intrusion on activity with some (often irrelevant) information Stimulus bound – teacher distracted from outside stimulus and attention drawn from lesson

How should I teach? Jones says that classroom management problems start with two problems: Massive time wasting Misbehavior during independent practice Many teachers teach like this: Teacher input, teacher input, teacher input, independent practice The remedy – “Say, see, do” teaching I teach my new teachers “My time, our time, their time” with a strong focus on “our time”

Policy and procedure can save the day! Wong says to focus on the very first seconds of the very first day of school – set the stage for the rest of the term This focus should be on teaching policy and procedure Start the first and every subsequent day with an assignment on the board (same place, same way every day) Teach them the procedure (Explain, model, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse) Remember, if you have procedures, you limit the need for rules

The two most basic procedures… Some sort of “bell-ringer” Whole-class prompt

What if I haven’t used procedure effectively Identify the area of instruction that most needs procedure Design a step-by-step procedure for that task Teach the procedure to students Explain it to students Model it with students Rehearse it with students Reinforce it with students Go to your next procedure

Some additional basic proactive strategies Meet them at the door Keep them engaged (teach from “bell to bell”) Plan more than you intend to teach Use your eyes Train yourself to see both inappropriate and appropriate action (this will help us get a feel for behavior – this helps us ID action that stands out) Catch them being good Check to make sure you have set the child up for success (physical arrangement; developmentally appropriate material)

A model for approaching CM Relationships Instructional time management Policy and procedure Classroom/material organization Discipline

Some people to look for B.F. Skinner - behaviorism Jacob Kounin - momentum and smoothness Fred Jones – positive discipline Harry Wong – procedure Rudolph Dreikurs – identify goals of misbehavior Linda Albert – cooperative discipline Lee Canter – assertive discipline