Top Ten Classroom Tips

Because we are aspiring teachers, I thought that we would need a lot of help with classroom management. They say that not only is classroom management learned but has to be practiced on a daily basis. On this site, Top 10 Tips for Classroom Discipline and Management, they give ten tips to new teachers about classroom management.

Tip #1: “It’s easier to get easier”, although the title is kind of confusing the tip is to make sure that you have a complete, well thought out discipline plan from the start. Students will realize what they can and cannot get away with quickly. If you have a poor plan to start out with it may be quite difficult to create a new, effective plan during the year or semester. So the title pretty much means that if you set up an effective discipline plan from the start, it is easier to lighten up as the school year progresses rather than toughening up.

Tip #2: “Fairness is Key”, Students have a keen eye for what is or is not fair. Be sure to treat all of you students the same so that you are not viewed as unfair by your students. Even if you best student misbehaves, be sure to punish him/her just like you would your worst student. This also helps with making sure that your students follow your rules. If you are viewed as unfair, students are less likely to follow your rules.

Tip #3: “Deal with disruptions with as little interruption as possible”, If you have to deal with classroom disruptions be sure to do so immediately without stopping or interruption the lesson. If you interrupt the lesson you are stealing time away from those students who want to learn. Instead, try different techniques that stop the disruption, but keep the flow of the lesson such as calling on a student who is talking.

Tip #4: “Avoid confrontations in front of students”, Be careful to handle issues with a student in private rather than in front of the class. Calling out a student for his/her misbehavior may let other students get the hint, but you may be discouraging the student who you are making an example of. Also when you handle confrontations in front of the class, the student may feel that he is being made the center of attention (negative attention) in front of his/her peers.

Tip #5: “Stop disruptions with a little humor”, Using a little humor can help to get a class back on track with the lesson. However you are urged to be able to tell the difference between good humor and sarcasm. Be aware of student’s personalities and what they may view as humor or sarcasm. Sarcasm could hurt a teacher-student relationship.

Tip #6: “Keep high expectations for your class”, Keep a positive attitude about your class, “My class will behave today”. These attitudes can go a long away in your overall attitude throughout the day. Also let the students know your expectations. If you expect your students to sit quietly and raise their hand during the lesson, tell them before the lesson to sit quietly and to raise their hand.

Tip #7: “Overplan”, Avoid free time by over planning. The article claims that by having free time you are telling your students that you care little about your subject. Although I do not agree with this, take what you will.

Tip #8: “Be consistent”, You have to be very consistent with you students. Make sure that if you are getting on to students one day for their misbehaviors that you get on to them the next day for their misbehaviors. If you are inconsistent, your students may lose their respect for you as well as their attention.

Tip #9: “Make rules understandable”, Make rules and consequences clear and understandable to your students. Make the rules sweet and simple. I think that you AND your class should come up the rules and consequences that way they have a hand in their environment.

Tip #10: “Start fresh everyday”, Be sure not to carry anything over from one day to the next. The article gives an example of Julie who disrupts the class every day. Make sure you don’t go into the classroom expecting her to misbehave without giving her the chance to behave and thus treating her different from the rest of the class.

Discipline by Design

I have just read an article entitled Discipline by Design that I urge you to read. The article talks about how students are at different levels of discipline just like they are at different levels of reading or math. You wouldn't give all of your students the same reading assignment because they are all on different reading levels and you shouldn't discipline all of your students the same way either. There are four stages of student discipline:

1. Recalcitrant Behavior

The Power Stage: Might makes Right!

2. Self-Serving Behavior

The reward/punishment Stage: "What's in it for me?"

3. Interpersonal Discipline

The mutual interpersonal Stage: "How can I please you?"

4. Self-Discipline

The social order Stage: "I behave because it is the right thing to do."

People in stage one are often defiant and refuse to follow directions. Most children "progress beyond" this level around ages four or five, but few older children are still in this stage. It is called the power stage because there is an imbalance of power between the child and the authority figure. For students who are still at this level within the classroom, you have to sure that you have eyes in the back of your head. Students are less likely to misbehave if they know that you are constantly watching them and what they do.

Children in stage two have a very self-centered attitudes. These children only represent a small percentage of the students within the classroom. They behave because they will receive something such a reward or because of the punishment that they may receive. Much like the above stage, these children need to have a constant eye on them to keep them in line.

Children in stage three care about what others think about them and want everyone to like them. These students make up the middle/junior high schools. They are beginning to develop a sense of discipline. These students need little reminders of what is expected of them. However, in the classroom you may find that several of your students are between the second and third stage. These students may misbehave in some classrooms and not in others. To foster this child's behavior, let him/her know that you care about their behavior in his/her other classes as well as your own.

Children in stage four know the difference between right and wrong and hardly get into any trouble at all. These students do not like assertive discipline and become annoyed when a teacher has to use so much class time in order to deal with discipline problems.

As elementary teachers we will probably work with students within stage one and stage two the most. We need to be able to identify what stage a student is in and be ready to help him/her work to reach the next stage. One big mistake is to try to get students to skip a stage. You must have reasonable expectations and be happy when you see improvement. Also get to know your students so that if you see a change in behavior you can ask about what ever the cause may be instead of yelling and/or getting on to him/her. There are many external factors that can affect a child's behavior.

** see the link to the article posted under "interesting links"!

First Blog Post

Hi! My name is Kayla Gelinas and I am a junior at Georgia Southern University. I have just entered the Early Childhood Education program and am thrilled by the prospects of becoming a teacher. I look forward to graduating and seeing where life will take me. During my Pre Professional Block (PPB), I worked in Metter, Georgia. I was in a first grade class, and although I thought that I wanted to teach the older grades, the first graders stole my heart. Now, I want to teach the younger students. I am very excited about becoming a teacher.