The%20Classroom%20Learning%20Environment

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Chapter 4

• The Classroom Learning Environment

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To remain an effective teacher with a minimum of
distractions in the classroom, you must

• Apply your knowledge of the characteristics and
  needs of the students
• Initiate, practice, develop, and model the
  behaviors that facilitate student learning
• Do this in a conducive learning environment
• The principle focus on this chapter is
• maintaining a conducive learning environment

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What is a conducive environment?

• It is an atmosphere that is caring and responsive
• Management of a conducive learning environment
  derives from having knowledge about young people
  and how they learn
• Young people are willing to spend time on a task
  when they perceive value and reward in doing so.
• They start to possess ownership in planning and
  carrying out a task

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Classroom ControlIts meaning, past and present

• Historically, in the 1800s, classroom control
  used to be referred to as classroom
  disciplinepunishment.
• By the 1900s, the era of progressive education
  began, providing students with more freedom to
  decide what they would learn. The teacher would
  provide the material to stimulate the students.
• Todays meaning of classroom control encompasses
  a broader concept of classroom management.
• The teacher is in control rather than controlled
  by the class.
• So, what does that mean?

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Todays Classroom Control

• Teacher has a management plan
• This plan
• -prevents inappropriate student behaviors
• -helps students develop self control
• -suggests procedures for dealing with
  inappropriate student behavior
• What is this called?

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Effective Classroom Management

• The process of organizing and conducting a
  classroom so that it maximizes student learning.
• Todays teachers use techniques that enhance a
  students self-esteem.

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Classroom ManagementBehavior Modification

• Definition Behavior modification describes
  several high-controlled techniques for changing
  behavior in an observable and predictable way.
• B.F. Skinner He was a leading authority. His
  ideas were about how students learn and how their
  behavior can be modified by using reinforcers,
  aka rewards.
• - he felt that there was value in nonverbal
  interaction with communicating to students that
  you know what is going on.
• i.e., smiles, pats, and handshakes.

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Steps to Behavior Modification

• Identify the behavior
• Record how often and under what conditions the
  behavior occurs
• Cause a change by reinforcing a desired behavior
  with a positive reward
• Choose the type of positive reward to give

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Types of Rewards

• Activity rewards like playing a game,
  decorating the classroom, being freed without
  penalty from doing an assignment, running an
  errand for the teacher.
• Social rewards like verbal attention or private
  praise, facial expression of approval, a wink or
  a smile, bodily expression like a thumbs up or a
  high five.
• Graphic rewards such as numerals and symbols
  made by rubber stamps.
• Tangible rewards such as edibles, badges,
  certificates, stickers, or books.
• Token rewards such as points, stars, scripts, or
  tickets that can be cashed in later for a
  tangible award.

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Leading Authorities

• Lee and Marlene Cantor- assertive discipline
• - teacher has the rights and should expect
  appropriate behavior
• - students have rights to choose how to behave
  in the classroom
• - plan limits for bad behavior
• - clearly state your expectations and
  boundaries
• - plan a system of positive consequences
• e.g., send positive messages home, rewards
• - establish consequences
• e.g., time out, withdraw privileges
• - follow through and be consistent.

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Rudolf Dreikurs- logical consequences
• - Be fair and firm and involve students in
  making the class rules.
• - Make sure students understand the rules and
  consequences
• - Allow students to be responsible for their own
  actions and also for influencing others to
  maintain good behavior
• - Encourage respect for self and others
• - Recognize student goals and encourage them
• - Dont encourage students goals of getting
  attention seeking power or taking revenge

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Linda Albert- cooperative discipline
• - continues the work of Dreikurs
• - this approach puts emphasis on the three Cs
• capable, connect, and contribute
• Jane Nelsen-
• - continued the work of Dreikurs
• - provided guidelines for helping children
  develop positive feelings of themselves

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• William Glasser- reality therapy
• - this means the condition of the present,
  rather than the past, contributes to
  inappropriate behavior.
• - he believes children can learn self control
• - he suggests class meetings devoted to
  establishing class rules
• Carl Rogers and H. Jerome Freiberg-
• Their book Freedom to Learn
• Personal-centered classrooms
• Students feel a sense of belonging

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Paul Gathercoal- judicious discipline
• - based on professional ethics, quality
  educational practice, and democratic principles
• - based on students constitutional rights as
  outlined in the 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendments to
  the U.S. Constitution
• - basically, by allowing students the
  opportunity to experience these freedoms, they
  learn to govern themselves
• - reduction in hostile behaviors has resulted.

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Haim G. Ginott- communications model
• Teachers must model the behavior that they expect
  from students.
• Thomas Gordon-
• - emphasized influence over control
• - denounced the use of reinforcers aka rewards
• - advocated encouragement and development of
  student self-control and self-regulated behavior.

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Frederic Jones-
• - negative reinforcement method- rewards follow
  wanted behavior
• - PATpreferred activity time, derived from the
  Jones model
• - Jones Model
• 1. properly structure your classroom so
  students understand the rules and procedures
• 2. maintain control by selecting appropriate
  instructional strategies
• 3. build patterns of cooperative work.
• 4. develop appropriate backup methods for
  dealing with inappropriate student behavior

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Leading Authorities (cont)

• Jacob Kounin- the ripple effect the effect of
  a teachers response to one students misbehavior
  on students whose behavior was appropriate
• - withitness a skill enabling you to see what
  is happening in all parts of the classroom at all
  times

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Developing your own approach to classroom
management

• Concentrate your attention on desirable student
  behaviors
• Quickly and appropriately attend to inappropriate
  behaviors
• Maintain alertness to all that is happening in
  your classroom
• Provide smooth transitions and stay on
  taskprevent dead time
• Involve students by providing challenges and ways
  of establishing rules, consequences,
  opportunities to receive and return compliments,
  and chances to build self-esteem

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Provide a supportive learning environment

• Consider the physical layout and arrangement of
  the classroom
• Create a positive ambiance
• Admonish behavior, not persons
• No discrimination
• Attend to the physical appearance of the
  classroom

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Provide a supportive learning environment

• Behaviors to avoid
• Avoid comparing one student with another
• Avoid encouraging competition among students
  except when all students have equal opportunity
• Avoid ever giving up on any student
• Avoid telling a student how much better he or she
  could be
• Avoid using qualifying statements, such as I
  like what you did, but. or Its about time.

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Provide a supportive learning environment

• Get to know your students as people
• Learn students names
• Share stories about students during the first
  week
• Observe students in class-develop withitness
• Observe and chat with students outside the
  classroom
• Conference and interviews with student and
  parents
• Encourage writing about themselves

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Classroom procedures and guidelines

• Adopt procedures rather than rules and
  consequences rather than punishment
• Assign student seating
• Explain procedures and acceptable behavior
• Explain signaling for teacher attention
• The teacher dismisses the class, not the bell or
  the clock
• Establish procedures for late to class, etc
• Explain emergency procedures

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Inappropriate student behaviorExamples

• Nondisruptive.chatting with a neighbor, fooling
  around, etc
• Disruptions to learningincessant talking,
  walking around the room, clowning, throwing
  objects, etc
• Defiance, cheating, lying, and stealing
• Bullying, fighting, sexual misconduct, and
  violence

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Teacher response to student misbehavior

• Typically, teachers respond in one of three ways
• Hostile, assertive, or nonassertive
• The teachers response should be assertive
  because assertive is non abusive and non
  assertive is not clear enough
• Direct vs. indirect assertive response
• Direct is verbal from the teacher
• Indirect is eye contact, body language, proximity
  to student
• Order of behavior intervention
• First effort should be indirect
• Second effort could be direct in saying the
  students name
• Third effort might mean a time out
• Four effort may be to call a parent or suspend
  from class

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Teacher mistakes to avoid(there were 50, but I
mention a random few here)

• Inadequately attending to daily planning
• Emphasizing the negative to students with too
  many warnings
• Not requiring students to raise hands
• Sitting while teaching or standing in one place
  too long
• Being too serious and no fun
• Not mixing up your teaching strategy
• Poor use of instructional tools, such as books or
  computer
• Using threats
• Verbally reprimanding a student from across the
  classroom
• Not learning and using student names
• Using poorly worded, ambiguous questions
• Wanting to be liked by students

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Summary

• This chapter was about learning about ways to
  deal with any and all challenges of classroom
  teaching
• To become an accomplished classroom manager takes
  thoughtful and thorough planning, consistency
  with application, and reflection of your work.