The Trainee Teacher and Classroom Management: Getting It Right

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The Trainee Teacher and Classroom Management
Getting It Right
Christopher Blake, Ph.D. Mount St. Marys
University Maryland
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What is Discipline?

• Collection of factors, not discrete entity
• More than simply reaction to misbehavior
• Teacher-influenced AND student-influenced
• Encompasses multiple phases
• Power plays important role
• Effective instruction effective discipline

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Working Toward a Definition

• Texts definition of discipline
• Inclination of students to work with
  teacher to establish climate
  conducive to learning (Wilen, et
  al., 2004, p. 71)
• Dynamic set of conditions affecting causes
  and outward expressions of behavior

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Four Phases of Discipline

• 1) Prevention
• Motivation
• Identity
• Stimulation
• Security
• Power

• 2) Management
• 3) Intervention
• 4) Remediation

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Research on Discipline

• Difficulties with discipline research
• studying discipline
• translating research into recommendations for
  practice
• Importance of research lies in its
  incorporation into teachers underlying
  belief system

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Research Group Dynamic (Kounin, 1970)

• Withitness (awareness and anticipation)
• Overlapping (multitasking)

• Ripple effect (control measure applied to one
  student has effect on
  entire group)

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Research Effective Classroom Managers I
(Evertson Emmer, 1982)

• Be explicit about what constitutes acceptable
  behavior
• Monitor student compliance with rules
• Develop student accountability for work
• Communicate information clearly
• Organize instruction

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Research Classroom Management (Doyle, 1986)

• Teachers main task establishing and maintaining
  work systems
• Rules, procedures, etc. are supplements to
  orchestration of programs of action
• Difficulties arise if students unable/unwilling
  to follow teachers lead

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Research Classroom Management(cont.)

• Curriculum and management processes should be
  examined together
• Routinization of classroom procedures and use
  of familiar activities can foster order
• Keys to teacher success 1) understanding likely
  sequence of events, 2) skill in monitoring

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Research Effective Classroom Managers II
(Evertson Harris, 1992)

• Make effective use of time
• Use appropriate group-work strategies
• Develop lesson plans and activities conducive
  to student engagement
• Communicate rules clearly
• Implement management system from beginning

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Research Motivation (Cotton Savard, 1984)

• Tangible rewards have temporary positive effect
  but long-term negative effect
• Misbehavior decreases when opportunities exist
  for academic and social success
• Punishment largely ineffective

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Other Research

• Gettinger, 1988
• Be proactive prevention better than remediation
  for achieving optimum classroom conditions
• Recent research (mid-late 1990s)
• Teacher power over vs. power with

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Models Assertive Discipline (Canter, 1976)

• Teacher-centered (teacher as enforcer)
• Teacher must be in charge
• No student has right to interfere
  with instruction
• Regulatory and contractual definitive set of
  procedures

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Models Assertive Discipline (cont.)

• Evidence-based
• External control over behavior rather than
  diagnosis and treatment of causes
• Helpful for teachers who lack confidence
  and/or viable strategies
• Better suited for middle school students

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Models Group Management

• Rule-based
• Procedural correctness
• Human and time management emphasis
• Engagement of active learners
• Better suited to high school and
  elementary students

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Models Democratic Discipline

• Preserves student dignity and integrity
• Produces personal social-learning outcomes
• Promotion of student self-control
• Does something WITH or FOR students rather than
  TO students
• Avoids aggravating already troubled student

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Models Democratic Discipline (cont.)

• Analysis of teacher power
• Referent (relational power, charisma)
• Expert (pedagogy and content area knowledge)
• Legitimate (implicit use of authority)
• Coercive (explicit use of authority)
• Reward (approval of student performance)

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Models Democratic Discipline (cont.)

• Emphasis on teacher authority, not control
• Constructivist orientation students have own
  role to play
• Goal fostering community of learners

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Whats Wrong With the System?

• Up to 50 of new teachers leave within 5 years
• 2 million new teachers must be hired within five
  years to reduce class sizes

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What Needs to Change?

• Teacher-education programs need to be dynamic and
  flexible so more people enter them.

• First-year teachers need support so they are
  effective not overwhelmed.

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Teacher Education Programs Need Balance

• Prospective teachers should be in the classroom
  early
• Students should be free to pursue an academic
  pursuit even while preparing to teach.

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They Should Also Be Flexible

• It is good to have teachers who have been
  employed outside of education
• They should not have to give up a paycheck during
  the transition

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How can these ideas be implemented?
Let us go to Cincinnati for a look...
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The Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education

• Five-year program
• Provides dual bachelors degrees education and
  an academic discipline
• Classroom practice begins in the first year
• The fifth year is a paid, year-long internship

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They are sent up the creekbut given a paddle

• The student is in full charge of the class for
  half the day
• They learn the details of classroom management
• They are guided by a mentor teacher, a
  university adviser, and a CITE coordinator

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But what can the schools do...
Once the novice is on his own?
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What Assistance Does the Novice Teacher Require?

• A lighter load
• Professional development
• Mentoring

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A Lighter Load Allows the Teacher to

• Spend more quality time setting goals and
  developing lessons
• Not have to choose between calling a parent and
  correcting papers

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Professional Development Opportunities Provide

• Ideas to hone skills
• A chance to exchange ideas with other teachers
• A chance to reflect on current practices

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Mentors Provide

• A sounding board for ideas
• An introduction into the culture of the school
• Advise for handling the many concerns of a
  teacher (i.e. parents, students, administration,
  etc.)
• A place to vent

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Are there any school systems that provide these
elements for first year teachers?
Let us look into the Santa Cruz New Teacher
Project...
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In this program the mentors

• Have weekly professional development meetings
  with other mentors
• are released from classroom duties to assist 14
  beginning teachers
• broaden their perspective of effective teaching

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Mentors help new teachers by

• Meeting weekly to observe, coach, and offer
  emotional support
• assisting with planning, classroom management,
  and facilitate communication with principals

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Is it successful?

• 94 of teachers who began this program in 1992
  are still in the profession

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Case Findings

• Enterprising teacher education programs prepare
  creative and intelligent student teachers for
  their professions.
• Novice teachers given proper support are more
  effective and likely to make teaching their
  career.

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Examples of Classroom Discipline Observed in
Internship I

• Eye contact with students
• Clear rules and expectations posted
• Withitness anticipated problems before they
  occurred
• Proximity effect

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Internship I Discipline Observations (cont.)

• Flexible lessons (lesson modified to adjust
  to student attitude)
• Appropriate praise for accomplishments
• Climate of acceptance
• Teacher familiar with each student as
  individual

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Mount St. Marys Professional Development Schools

• State National Standards
• Accountability
• Accreditation
• Partnerships between the IHEs and LSS

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Mount St. Marys Professional Development Schools

• Requirement across all programs (Undergrad, Grad,
  Trad, Non-Trad)
• Two semesters of school-based partnerships
• Behavior Management Course in Internship I

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Behavior Management Induction Plan

• Extensive Internship (Internship I II)
• Benchmark Phases Beginning
• Middle
• End
• Rubric based on national INTASC
• Aligned to national standards for pedagogy
  content

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Curriculum Oversight Pre-Service

• Coordinating Council (IHE/LSS)
• Internship I II Syllabi 5 Areas
• Planning
• Communication
• Professionalism
• Management
• Analysis Reflection

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Curriculum Oversight - Inservice

• Teachers for Teachers Mentoring of Non-Tenured
  Teachers Coordinating Council Accredited
  Program
• Matched with Intern
• Same 5 Areas of Development
• Planning
• Communication
• Professionalism
• Management
• Analysis Reflection

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Behavior Management Support Team

• Team of 8 Faculty, Supervisors, Mentors, LSS
  Administrators, Assistant. Principal, SPED
  Coordinator
• Mentor Training 3 full days

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References

• Research cited in Wilen, W., et al. (2004, 5th
  edition). Dynamics of Effective Secondary
  Teaching, Chapter 3 Democratic Classroom
  Discipline. Boston Allyn Bacon.
• Class notes, 25 May 2004, MEDUC 505.
• Moir, Ellen Supporting New Teachers During Their
  First Years of teaching. Edutopia Online
  www.glef.org
• Curtis, Diane Beyond Ready to Teach. Edutopia
  Online www.glef.org