Classroom Management (Management of Discipline)

Professional Education 4:General Principles and Methods of Teaching

Prepared by:

TALABOC, Clarice Anne D.

III-6 AB/BSE Literature (English Stream)

Management of DisciplineEffective Classroom Management Technique

Classroom Discipline

Learning is the central goal of the total school operation, and teaching is the school’s basic production technique.

Effective teaching and effective learning take place in a well-managed classrooms.

When class time is consumed by management problems, students are losers, for little learning takes place.

“Good classroom management is one of the strongest influences in academic learning.” (Good, 1979)

Do Classrooms Need Managers?

In a survey of teachers, chronic student misbehavior was noted as the main source of job stress by 58% of respondents. (Feitler & Tokar, 1982)

Class disruptions

Incomplete work

Non-participation

Cheating

Repeated tardiness

Absences

Characteristics of Classrooms

Classrooms have distinctive properties affecting participants regardless of how students are organized for learning or what educational philosophy the teacher espouses. (Doyle, 1986)

Characteristics of Classrooms

Multidimensional.

Simultaneous.

Immediacy.

Unpredictable.

Public.

Histories.

Gaining Student Cooperation: What It Means

The basic task for teachers is to achieve order by gaining and maintaining student cooperation in class activities. (Doyle, 1979)

The Goals of Classroom Management

Order for its own sake is an empty goal… It is unethical to use classroom management techniques simply to keep students docile and quiet. (Woolfolk, 1987)

The Goals of Classroom Management

More time for learning.

Access to learning.

Management for Self-Management.

Four Stages of Classroom Management

Brophy and Evertson (1978) have identifies four general stages of classroom management, each of which is defined by age-related needs.


First Stage.

During kindergarten and the first few years of elementary school, children are learning how to go to school. They are being socialized into a new role.

Direct teaching of classroom rules and procedures is important during these stage.

Little learning will take place until the children master these basics.

Since most children this age are willing to accept adults as authority figures, we can expect them to follow instructions and try to please.


Second Stage.

Children in the elementary years are usually familiar with the student role, even if they are not always perfect examples of it.

Many school and classroom routines have become relatively automatic. Specific new rules and procedures for a particular activity may have to be taught directly, however.

At this stage, you will spend more time monitoring and maintaining the management system than teaching it directly.


Third Stage.

Toward the end of elementary school and the beginning of high school, friendship and status within peer groups take on tremendous importance.

Pleasing the teacher may be replaced by pleasing peers.

Some students begin to test and defy authority.

The management challenges at this stage are to deal productively with these disruptions and to motivate students who are becoming less concerned with teacher’s opinion and more interested in their social lives.


Fourth Stage.

By the end of high school, the focus of most students returns to academics.

Classroom management at this stage involves:

-managing the curriculum

-fitting academic material to students’ interests and abilities

-help students become more self-managing in their learning

The first few classes (sessions) each semester may be devoted to teaching particular procedures for using materials and equipment or for keeping track of and submitting assignments. But most students know what is expected.

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)Psychologist

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs

Needs of Young Adolescents

Adolescence covers the age time-frame of 12-18 years, a period corresponds to the high school and early part of college levels in the educational ladder.

Kathleen Daniel, et al. (1977) developed a list of needs of young adolescents.


PHYSICALLY, young adolescents need:

Opportunities to move and change activities.

Flexibility of space, which may vary in size.

Sturdy things, since adolescents are awkward and clumsy.

Times of quiet and rest.

Opportunities to test the limits of their physical ability.

Healthy food and especially healthy snacks as they need them.

Adults to understand the changes they face.

Sex education, information about growth and development.

An environment that downplays the differences in size and ability.


SOCIALLY, young adolescents need:

The opportunity to work in the same, and opposite sex groups.

An opportunity to relate to a close group of pees and large group of peers.

Social activities, fun nights, carnivals they can work on.

Free time to socialize.

Opportunities to learn and practice social skills.

Opportunities to explore values and beliefs.


EMOTIONALLY, young adolescents need:

An emotional safe, supportive environment where students are free to risk and learn from failure as well as success.

Successful experiences, which help students feel better about themselves as learners.

Tolerance for mood swings.

Help in understanding their bodies and emotional ups and downs.

An environment that fosters security and affection, a sense of belonging, self-confidence, and self-competence.

Recognition and reward.

Fun and adventure (educational and recreational).

Participation in school and classroom decisions.


COGNITIVELY, young adolescents need:

A vehicle for connecting new information to what is already known, thus helping students to feel more confident about learning new material.

Experiences in abstract thinking that may help students move gradually from the concrete to the abstract levels of reasoning.

Discussions, debates.

Opportunities to experiment with formal thought such as in cooperative learning groups.

Learning strategies that help students build background knowledge, activate what they know, and organize information.

Time, discussion, prodding.

Why Is Classroom Management an Integral Part of Teaching

Ornstein (1990) states that in order to teach, one must be able to manage the students under him. No matter how much potential one has as a teacher, if he is unable to control the students in his classroom, little learning will take place.

Inadequate classroom management and discipline are widely considered by the public to be a major educational problem.

The classroom cannot function without the teacher. The success of the activities in the classroom depends on the ability of the teacher as a classroom manager.

Care of routine

Classroom discipline

Allan C. OrnsteinProfessor of Education

Ornstein’s Suggestion on Ways to Establish and Maintain Good Classroom Management and

Discipline

How to Encourage Students to Behave and Work with the Teachers in the Class

Act as if you expect students to be orderly from the first day on.

Expect everyone’s attention before you start teaching.

Don’t talk too much.

Hold students accountable for abiding by rules.

Be businesslike but friendly.

Maintain you dignity.

Treat minor disturbance calmly.

How to Handle Group Infractions or Misbehaviors

Don’t wait until a class is out of control.

Focus on the individual rather than the class.

Don’t punish the group when you are unable to deal with the individual or to find which individual is causing disturbance.

Maintain your temper and poise.

Avoid threats; but if you make one, carry it out.

Analyze your own behavior for possible causes of misbehavior, especially if the difficulty continues.

Seek help from others.

How to Deal with Individual Offenders in the Classroom

When a student is involved in a minor infraction (whispering, annoying a neighbor, calling out), use nonverbal signals such as facial expressions or gestures while you continue to teach. If the infraction stops, don’t reprimand the student.

If these signals fail, move closer to the student while you continue to teach. If this stops the student, don’t reprimand any further.

If proximity fails, quietly talk to the student while the rest of the class continues to work.

Avoid physical contact, especially in a tense situation.

How to Deal with Discipline Problems That Cannot Be Resolved in Class

Talk to the offender in private, before or after class.

If you have to punish, make the punishment fit the misbehavior.

Leave the misbehaving student with the feeling that he is ruining things for himself and the group.

Ignore a student’s claim that s/he “doesn’t care.” This is usually a defensive reaction.

Give the student a chance to redeem him/herself.

Use the resources at your disposal.

Seek help from others.

Communicate with the parents.

How to Deal with Discipline Problems That Cannot Be Resolved in Class

Analyze your methods.

If you have to refer the student to a counselor, disciplinarian, or supervisor, be specific. Avoid subjective remarks, stick to the facts.

Don’t rely too much on others to solve your classroom problems.

How to Develop and Maintain a Positive Approach to Classroom Management

Be positive.

Use praise.

Trust.

Express interest.

Be fair and consistent.

Show respect; avoid sarcasm.

Establish classroom rules.

Discuss consequences.

Establish routines.

How to Develop and Maintain a Positive Approach to Classroom Management

Confront misbehavior.

Guide.

Avoid over controlling.

Reduce failure, promote success.

Set a good example.

Be willing to make adjustments.

Discipline: The Delicate Balance

References:

Ornstein, Allan C. Strategies for Effective Teaching. Navotas, Rizal: Navotas Press, 1990, Philippine copy.

Anita E. Woolfolk, Educational Psychology, 3rd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1987), pp. 350-351.

Ida Profahl, Second-Grade Teacher. Denison Elementary School, Denison, Iowa.