Strategies%20for%20Great%20Classroom%20Management

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Strategies for Great Classroom Management

• Create the classroom culture

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Teaching Optimism

• Optimism belief that setbacks are normal and
  can be overcome by our own actions
• Pessimists are more prone to depression
• Children can recognize and dispute their negative
  thinking

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Attribution Theory

• Attribution Statements
• "You seem to know your chemical equation
  assignments very well."
• "You really work hard in science."
• "You're trying more, keep at it!"
• Persuasion Statements
• "You should be good at science."
• "You should be getting better grades in science."
  
• "You should be doing well in science."
• Reinforcement Statement
• "I'm proud of your work."
• "I'm pleased with your progress."
• "Excellent progress."

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Four Basic Principles of Discipline with Love and
Logic

1. The students self-concept is always a prime
   consideration.

1. An equal balance of consequences and empathy
   replaces punishment whenever possible.

1. The child is always left with a feeling that
   he/she has some control.

1. The student is required to do more thinking than
   the adult.

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Implementing Love and Logic

1. Take care of yourself by setting limits.
2. Give choices when reasonable.
3. Let consequences with empathy do the teaching

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Enforceable Statements

• Unenforceable
• Please sit down, I am going to start.
• Open your books to page 54.
• Please stop talking and listen.
• Raise your hand if you want to talk.

• Enforceable
• Ill begin, as soon as you are seated.
• Well be working from page 54.
• I teach when there are no distractions.
• I listen to students with their hand raised.

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Delayed or Anticipatory Consequence

• In the real world classrooms, immediate
  consequences typically create more problems than
  they solve.
• Most of us have great difficulty thinking of one
  while we are teaching.
• We are forced to react while we and the student
  are upset.
• We often end up making threats we cant back up.

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Reasons to Delay Consequences

• Allows for individualization of consequences.
• Student does some thinking
• Gives time for everyone to return to a calm state
• Helps to establish positive relationships

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Avoid Power Struggles

• NEVER reason with a student reasoning turns
  into a power struggle.
• Student, Thats not fair
• Teacher, Probably so or Nice try without
  sarcasm

Sarcastic teachers do not know when the student
is going to get even with them they just know
that they will!
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Ways to avoid power struggles

• Use thinking words not fighting words
• Never tell a student what to do, tell them what
  you are going to do
• Set limits without telling students what to do
• Share control

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Share Control

• All human beings have a need for control.
• Share control by providing choices
• Force decision making
• Deliver content message (bad news) with a
  positive relationship message (smile)
• use questions

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Reasons Behind the Use of Choices

• Choices create situations in which students are
  forced to think.
• Choices provide opportunities for students to
  make mistakes and learn from the consequences.
• Choices help us avoid getting into control
  battles with students.
• Choices provide an opportunity for students to
  hear that we trust their thinking abilities
• builds self-confidence
• builds relationships between adults and children

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Examples of Choices

• Would you rather have homework due Monday or
  Tuesday?
• Would you like to edit your own paper or have a
  partner do it?
• Will you be turning in your work on time, for
  full credit or later, for partial credit?
• Would you rather listen without interrupting or
  move to another seat?

CAUTION! -- It is very easy to turn your
choices into threats. (Would you rather turn in
your work or go to the principals office?)
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Rules for Giving Choices

• Always be sure to select choices that you like.
• Never give a choice that you do not like (that
  does not match your value system).
• Never give choices when danger is involved.
• Never give choices unless you are willing to
  decide for the student in 10 seconds.
• Delivery is important
• Youre welcome to ________ or ________.
• Would you rather ________ or ________.
• What would be best for you, ________ or
  ________.

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Why Guide Students to Solve their Own Problems?

• Teaches students to be responsible
• Gives students opportunities to make good
  decisions.
• Students dignity and self-respect remain when
  they can choose the best solution
• Lets the consequences be the bad guy teachers
  are viewed as helpers not judges this improves
  teacher-student relationship

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Steps that Guide Students to Solve their Own
Problems

1. Empathy
2. Power Message
3. Choices
4. Student takes ownership
5. Give permission / follow-up

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Steps One and Two(sometimes combined)

• Empathy
• How sad.
• I bet that hurts.
• Power Message
• What do you think youre going to do?
• Would you like to hear what other kids have
  tried?

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Step Three

• Offer Choices
• Would you like to hear what other kids have
  tried?

Offer a variety of choices that range from bad to
good. It is usually best to start out with the
poor choices. Each time a choice is offered, go
on to step four.
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Step Four

• Have the child state the consequences.
• And how will that work?

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Step Five

• Give permission for the child to either solve the
  problem or not solve the problem.
• Good luck. I hope it works out.

Have no fear. If the child is fortunate enough
to make a poor choice, he/she may have a double
learning lesson.
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Classroom Interventions

• Useful when
• consequences do not apply
• dealing with a difficult student
• Two Types
• One-Sentence Intervention
• Disciplinary Interventions

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One-Sentence Intervention

• For the damaged student with low self concept
• A way of building a positive relationship with a
  difficult student
• The goal is to get the student to feel good about
  you, the teacher
• The student will do something for you, but for
  nobody else including himself.
• TEST when you can say Would you try that just
  for me? Thank you and the student performs the
  task.

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Disciplinary Interventions

• Most appropriate when the teacher
• wants an immediate change of behavior
• is instructing
• wants to restore order without making a situation
  a major issue
• is circulating the classroom
• wishes to enhance her relationship with the
  student

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Disciplinary Interventions

• Do not need to perform in order.
• Do not go from one extreme to another or begin
  with the most severe
• Choose the most appropriate interventions

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Most Common Mistakes

• Stating limits as demands
• Choosing unenforceable limits
• Forgetting to consider consequences in advance
• Neglecting to get support or approval from
  administration

Remember to use an enforceable statement with a
calm voice. I will accept all papers prepared
in the correct form.
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