Misbehavior, Conflict Resolution and the ecology of classrooms

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Misbehavior, Conflict Resolution and the ecology
of classrooms
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Misbehavior

• What is it?
• What will you do?
• At the schoolwide level
• In your classroom before
• In your classroom during
• In your classroom after

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Schoolwide and classroom attributes of
well-disciplined schools (1 of 2)

• Staff commitment.
• schoolwide emphasis on the importance of learning
  and intolerance of conditions which inhibit
  learning.
• High behavioral expectations.

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Schoolwide and classroom attributes of
well-disciplined schools (2 of 2)

• Clear and broad-based rules, made known to
  everyone
• Warm school climate.
• A visible, supportive principal.
• Delegation of discipline authority to teachers.
• Close ties with communities.

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Classroom Strategies

• Plan
• Student bill of rights
• Transitions
• Practice
• Use 1st weeks to practice
• Include
• Use groups and social context
• Respond
• Address issues as they arise, quickly

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Responding in the moment

• Proportioned respond
• Try to restore calm
• 1. Understand underlying motivation (if feasible
  involve participants in discussion of events)
• if uncertain, start with assumption the
  misbehavior is unintentional
• 2. Validate each participant's perspective and
  feelings
• 3. Indicate how the matter will be resolved
  emphasizing use of previously agreed upon logical
  consequences apply to this case.
• 4. If the misbehavior continues, revert to a firm
  but nonauthoritarian statement indicating it must
  stop or else schoolwide policies will apply
  (suspension).
• 5. As a last resort use crises back-up resources
• a. If appropriate, ask student's classroom
  friends to help
• b. Call for help from identified back-up
  personnel
• 6. Throughout the process, keep others calm by
  dealing with the situation with a calm and
  protective demeanor

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The aftermath...

• Removal/deprivation (e.g., loss of privileges,
  removal from activity)
• Reprimands (e.g., public censure)
• Reparations (e.g., of damaged or stolen property)
• Recantations (e.g., apologies, plans for avoiding
  future problems)

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Conflict Resolution
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Cooperation Conflict

• With collaboration comes conflict!

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Think...

• Describe one recent conflict with an individual
  in your life.
• What does this other person think about the
  conflict?
• How would that person describe what you think
  about the conflict?

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Value of Conflict

• Negative Outcomes
• winning at another's expense
• creating anger, resentment, hurt feelings, and
  distrust and
• decreasing participants ability to resolve
  future conflicts constructively.

• Positive Outcomes
• enhancing mutual problem solving
• maximizing joint outcomes
• strengthening liking, respect, and trust and
• increasing participants' ability to resolve
  future conflicts constructively.

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Some situations are beyond CR (1 of 2)

• Those involving physical violence, most
  especially in the presence of weapons.
• Trained, authorized persons are needed to defuse
  such conflicts.
• Those involving disputants with unequal power
  such as disputes between a student and a teacher.
  
• Such disputes require a higher authority to
  resolve them a principal or a school committee
  or a court of law, an entity which has authority
  over both/all antagonists and access to
  mechanisms for enforcing their decisions.

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Some situations are beyond CR (2 of 2)

• Those involving matters properly belonging in
  courts of law, situations governed by statute and
  potentially requiring long-term supervision and
  enforcement as when property or custody are
  involved.
• Those involving a set of legitimate rules or
  established customs which are breached.
• For example, if two kids get into a verbal
  argumenteven a screaming match-- about who sits
  in a specific chair in the cafeteria, the dispute
  can be arbitrated if one has dumped the other
  out of the chair, theyve engaged in a sanctioned
  behavior with standardized negative consequences.

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Identified strategies that work

• Stop, think, communicate, listen.
• Peer mediation.
• Consult with the Community (class).

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CR steps... before

• establish a cooperative context
• use academic controversies in the classroom
• implement a conflict resolution / peer mediation
  program

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CR Steps during (1 of 3)

• Stop! Disruption of the physiology and
  psychology of anger
• stopping whatever one is doing, be it verbal or
  physical
• creating physical and psychological space
  between/among antagonists and, yes,
• taking a deep breath.

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CR Steps during (2 of 3)

• Identifying ones own goals and feelings,
  communicating these to the other using I
  statements.
• Listening to the goals feelings of the other
  antagonist(s),
• making sure one has heard and understood through
  reflecting back.
• Taking a third-person perspective which includes
  the goals and feelings of both/all disputants and
  describes the situation as a non-participant way

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CR Steps during (3 of 3)

• Collaborating with each other peer mediatorsto
  describe the core problem rather than the
  conflict
• Identifying multiple solutions to the core
  problem, trying to recognize the most realistic
  one in the circumstances
• Implementing a resolution and
• Reflecting on the process.

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Sample Steps in Peer Mediation (1 of 5)

• Part I. Introduction
• 1. Have participants introduce themselves.
• 2. Explain the mediator's role.
• 3. Explain the ground rules. An example of a good
  ground rule is Respect each other.
• 4. Explain steps of mediation.
• 5. Ask for any questions before you begin.

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Sample Steps in Peer Mediation (2 of 5)

• Part II. Telling the Story
• Both parties tell their side of the story to the
  mediator.
• Summarize both parties' side of the story.
• Make sure you understand the conflict.
• Make sure the parties understand the conflict.

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Sample Steps in Peer Mediation (3 of 5)

• Part III. Identifying Facts and Feelings
• Parties tell their side of the story to each
  other.
• Bring out facts and feelings of what the parties
  say.
• Have parties change roles.
• Summarize the facts and feelings of both sides.

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Sample Steps in Peer Mediation (4 of 5)

• Part IV. Generating Options
• Ask both parties how they can solve the problem.
• Detail or write down all solutions.
• Select only the solution(s) that both parties can
  agree to.

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Sample Steps in Peer Mediation (5 of 5)

• Part V. Agreement
• Use only the solutions that both parties agree
  to.
• Get verbal or written agreement.
• Follow-Up.

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The ecology of the classroom

• Planning and managing for the dynamics of a
  hands-on, minds-on learning environment.

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Attributes of effective classroom managers (1 of
3)

• Plan
• have a clear, specific plan for introducing
  students to classroom rules and procedures.
• Set Limits Early
• spend much of the first days of school
  introducing and practicing rules and procedures,
  until the students know the rules and how to
  accomplish the procedures.

Adapted from the Virginia Tech web
http//www.tandl.vt.edu/doolittle/4124/notes/cm.ht
ml
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Attributes of effective classroom managers (2 of
3)

• Give Specifics
• teach students specific procedures for specific
  situations.
• Include all students
• work with the whole group initially, making sure
  all students are active, even if they plan on
  using group work later.

Adapted from the Virginia Tech web
http//www.tandl.vt.edu/doolittle/4124/notes/cm.ht
ml
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Attributes of effective classroom managers (3 of
3)

• Ensure Early Success
• use initial activities that are clear, simple,
  fun, varied, and ensure early success.
• Respond
• to classroom misbehaviors immediately

Adapted from the Virginia Tech web
http//www.tandl.vt.edu/doolittle/4124/notes/cm.ht
ml
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Common Transition Mistakes (1 of 3)

• Abruptness
• abruptly ending an activity, leaving some
  students with the desire to finish the activity.
• provide a warning that the end of an activity is
  near.
• Dangling
• when students are ready to begin a new activity
  and the teacher is busy obtaining materials,
  reviewing lesson plans, or talking with a
  student
• be prepared and use routines where useful
  (handing out materials).

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Common Transition Mistakes (2 of 3)

• Flip-Flopping
• this occurs when a teacher, engaged in an
  activity, re-engages a previous activity (such as
  assigning homework for an activity that has
  already been completed).
• make sure an activity is complete before moving
  on (and make sure the students move on with
  you!).

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Common Transition Mistakes (3 of 3)

• Fragmenting
• when the class is advanced to the next activity
  piecemeal, one group at a time, or early
  finishers first.
• As much as possible, start and stop activities
  together as a class (such as rotations through
  learning centers).

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Some management suggestions
The First Minute of Class

• Your first priority when the class starts, is to
  get students to work.
• An assignment is posted that the student
  completes upon entering the classroom.
• "Bell Ringer" procedures class work should be
  placed in a consistent place.
• The students are responsible for completing the
  posted assignment.
• Once the students are on task, then the teacher
  takes roll without student involvement.

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Establish Rules and Routines Early

• Examples Universal Rules
• 1.Follow directions the first time they are
  given.
• 2.Raise your hand and wait for permission to
  speak.
• 3.Stay in your seat unless you have permission to
  do otherwise.
• 4.Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
  
• 5.No cursing or teasing.

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Establish Rules and Routines Early

• Examples Elementary Specific Rules
• 1.Wait for directions with no talking.
• 2.Eyes front when the teacher is talking.
• 3.Change tasks quickly and quietly.
• 4.Complete the morning routine.
• 5.Report directly to the assigned area.

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Establish Rules and Routines Early

• Examples Secondary Specific Rules
• 1.Be in your seat when the bell rings.
• 2.Bring all books and material to class.
• 3.No personal grooming during class time.
• 4.Sit in your assigned seat daily.
• 5.Follow directions the first time they are given.

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Discuss and Post Consequences

• Discuss the rules and their purposes.
• Describe the consequences to breaking rules.
• Collaboratively construct a bill of rights.
• Dont make infractions personal
• Invoke established consequences.