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Classroom Management: Managing What?!

Outline

DefinitionsConcerns & ChallengesSchools of thoughtResearch – overview What to do? Tips & Practical ideasVideo analysis

Is that it!

Classroom Management –Definition

Everything teachers do in order to aide teaching and learning in the classroom.

“classroom management is fundamentally about interpersonal relationships—about connecting with students, conveying a sense of caring, and building community.”

(Weinstein, 2007, p. xix)

Classroom management is concerned with four main strands of classroom life: Space Time Participation Engagement

(After Wright , 2005)

AL Zeini (2008)

High school English teachers in the UAE face many problems concerning class management.

70%

12%

18%

S/Agree-Agree

Neutral

S/Disagree-Disagree

Male Teachers' Responses to Statement 1 (n=114)

High school English teachers in the UAE face many problems concerning class management.

63%15%

22%

S/Agree-Agree

Neutral

S/Disagree-Disagree

Female Teachers’ Responses to Statement 1 (n=96)

CM Concerns of Middle/Junior high School Teachers

Time and energy Classroom constraints Reading levels and language skills Student immaturity Thinking skills required SequencingSupport Materials management

(Baker, et al, 2002)

Little Successes Make Teachers Happy

When something works: An activity Group work A lesson Active listening Class participation Good behavior

Challenges

Classroom management is a challenge - particularly to those new to the field.

“Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed class.”

(Marzano, 2003, p. 6)

“Performing in a foreign language class is in itself potentially somehow more stressful than performing in other subject classes.”

(Allwright & Bailey, 1991, p. 174)

Classroom management is seen as a measure of teaching effectiveness.

Schools of thought in Classroom Management (After Wragg, 1993)

Authoritarian (control of Knowledge and behavior) Permissive (students given autonomy) Behavior modification (rewards and punishments—reward good

behaviors) Interpersonal relations (healthy classroom climate—caring and

sharing) Scientific (based on systematic observation and analysis of

successful teaching) Social systems (classroom seen as representative of wider

education values) Folklore (management based on tricks of the trade and recipes)

Classroom Management – Research

“Successful classroom management can set the stage for optimal learning, as well as reduce stress on teachers.”

(Gordon, p. 18)

“Teachers who devote the time and attention to establishing a strong supportive connection with each of their students in the beginning of the year find they have fewer discipline and learning challenges.”

(Shub & DeWeerd , 2006, p. 4)

Research---cont.

“When students perceive their teachers to be supportive and caring, they are more likely to engage in cooperative, responsible behavior and adhere to classroom rules and norms.”

(Wright, 2008, p. 115)

“As students encounter more engaging and authentic work, the time for off-task behavior decreases.”

(Baker, et. al, 2002)

Good activities, when properly introduced, increase student interest and motivation, and that greatly reduces classroom control problems.

(Rudolph, 2006, p. 14)*

What to do?

Welcome your students Listen to their concerns Get to know your students Lead by example Show interest Be fair, clear, and consistent Diversify your teaching methods Encourage sharing of ideas Show respect Promote tolerance, understanding, and appreciation of

difference

What to do…Cont.

Motive students to learn Reward successHave an ‘appropriate’ sense of humor Be organized and ready to teach and ‘learn’Become aware of the power of nonverbal communication

To accent To complement To contradict To regulate To substitute

NVC

Nonverbal communication reveals what we really think and feel.

Teachers in particular need to learn how to read and send the right messages.

Messages: 8% verbal vs. 92% nonverbal.

The Silent Language

Physical appearance Kinesics—body movements Proxemics –personal space Vocalic/paralanguage Chronemics –time Haptics –touch Olfactics –smell

Thank you