Classroom Management Research Review #seaccr

Classroom management is the foundation for student learning and effective teaching. It is essential that teachers have or develop efficient classroom management skills. In my review of literature, there were some important themes that were visible. These themes include: establishing those rules and procedures, monitoring and adjusting, having clear consequences, and the classroom environment.

Establishing and teaching rules and procedures in your classroom is the foundation for learning and classroom management. “Establishing expectations includes identifying and defining a small number of positively stated expectations, or rules, that are broad enough to include all desired behavior and are mutually exclusive. The identified expectations are posted and are explicitly and systematically taught to students” (Simonsen et. al., 2008, p.358). These statements sum up the importance of having and teaching clear rules and expectations. Teachers should start their year out with a set of expectations for behavior (Odom-LaCaze, McCormick, & Meyer, 2012, p. 1). It is not possible for teachers to instruct or for students to be productive if there are no guidelines for behavior (Marzano, 2003). Teachers need to have rules and procedures in place at the beginning of the year and teach them effectively.

Once rules and procedures have been set in place, teachers need to monitor student behaviors and what is working in their class and with their group of students. Monitoring refers to checking the effectiveness of school policies on discipline and pastoral care (Smith & Laslett, 1993). We need to be sure that our classroom policies match school policies and that we are monitoring them and being supported by administration. Monitoring could include signals in the classroom such as a finder to the lips, headshake, or eye contact until the student complies with the behavioral expectation (Bala). If students have learned the expectations and rules sometimes simple cues could get them back on task. Monitoring and adjusting are essential to making your behavior plan effective throughout the year.

Teachers’ response to inappropriate behavior is essential to management plan. Some consequences might include: brief, contingent, and specific error corrections, performance feedback, differential reinforcement, planned ignoring, response cost, and time out from reinforcement (Simonsen et. al., 2008, p.364). Sometimes one response works for the whole class other times you need to differentiate responses. Consequences should be posted and not only should students understand the rules but they need to understand the consequences as well, it improves cooperation and achievement among students (Odom-LaCaze, McCormick, & Meyer, 2012, p. 3). At times, we establish rules and teach them but forget about teaching the consequences.

The set up and classroom environment effect classroom management. “Structure refers to the amount of teacher or adult-directed activity, the extent to which routines are explicitly defined, and the design or physical arrangement of the classroom” (Simonsen et. al., 2008, p.353). Physical arrangement and instruction play a vital role in behaviors of students. According to a study by Worseham (2006) there are four keys to good room arrangement including: keeping high traffic areas free of congestion, be sure students can easily see the teacher, frequently used materials and supplies are accessible to students, and have small groups (Bala). In setting up your room or adjusting your room arrangement, these are important to keep in mind.

Classroom management is at the heart of teaching and learning. If we don’t have well managed classes, instruction time is lost and you are not being an effective teacher. In research, there are 4 key ideas that came up and those include: establishing rules and procedures, monitoring, teacher’s response to behavior, and physical environment of the classroom.

References

Bala, E. (n.d.). Improving Classroom Instructions: Through Effective Classroom
Management Approach in Nigeria Basic Education System. Department of
Educational Foundations and Management, Federal College of Education,
P.M.B 3473.

Marzano, R., & Marzano, J. (2003). Rules and Procedures. In Classroom management
that works research-based strategies for every teacher. Alexandria, Va:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Odom LaCaze, D., McCormick, C., & Meyer, L. (2012). Classroom Behavior and
Management for Teachers. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal, 22(3).

Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Meyers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-
based practices in classroom managememt: Considerations for research
practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351-380.

Smith, C., & Laslett, R. (1993). Chaper 1: Four Rules of Classroom Management. In
Effective classroom management a teacher’s guide (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Annotated Bibliography #seaccr

Annotated Bibliography

Bala, E. (n.d.). Improving Classroom Instructions: Through Effective Classroom
Management Approach in Nigeria Basic Education System. Department of
Educational Foundations and Management, Federal College of Education,
P.M.B 3473.

This was a study done in the Nigerian school system about learner centered classroom management. It explores the importance of having well managed classrooms in order for learning to take place. It does not go very in-depth with some of the ideas but explores organization, norms, accountability, planning, whole group, and monitoring behavior. The final section of the paper gives recommendations for teacher training programs to implement more classroom management and organization.

Marzano, R., & Marzano, J. (2003). Rules and Procedures. In Classroom management
that works research-based strategies for every teacher. Alexandria, Va:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

This was a chapter taken from Robert Marzano’s book Rules and Procedures. The Chapter was about the importance of establishing rules and procedures in both elementary and secondary classes. Marzano explores the research that was done in various classroom, which could be a bit much if you have never taken a statistics class. The most significant section is the action steps and recommendations that Marzano gives. The action steps come from a program called Classroom Organization and Management Programs (COMP) and involve identifying rules and procedures and involving students in the rules and procedures at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Odom LaCaze, D., McCormick, C., & Meyer, L. (2012). Classroom Behavior and
Management for Teachers. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal, 22(3).

This article explores behavior management in elementary classrooms. One of the most important messages that I took away from the article is that good behavior management systems need clear and enforceable consequences. It explores the importance of how extensively we need to teach rules and procedures at the beginning of the year. The article then explores what effective teachers do including: being equitable, avoiding confrontations, having a sense of humor, holding high expectations, being prepared, and enforcing rules consistently. This was a short article but had a lot of valuable ideas in it.

Week 2 Response #seaccr

This week I have discovered that others have similar ideas for their areas to improve. Behavior management seems to be an area of interest for many of us. It is something that is central to our teaching and students’’ learning in our classrooms. I was able to have some interesting discussions with other students about it.

I have found that other students do a similar behavior management system. It was very informative to read about what others have in place and discuss what systems I have in place. We can all agree that behavior management is one of the most difficult things in teaching because the same system does not work for every class or every student.

It was reassuring to read and discuss the issues of behavior management with other students. I was also able to share some of the ideas for the reading that I did this week for my annotated bibliography. Blogging this week has helped me share my ideas and get ideas from other professionals.

#seaccr Week 2 Blog

In my classroom, I would like to improve the behavior management. I have a difficult class this year and I would really like to work on finding things that work for them. At times, I feel like I am stopping instruction to deal with behavior every minute. It is very time-consuming and draining. I would like to collaborate and find strategies that work with this group of students.

Currently, I have whole class rewards, individual behavior charts, and table group rewards in place. Sometimes, they are not really responding to any of those. I would like to find something that works with this group of students. I have two on individual behavior plans. I have been trying to find different ways to deal with the behavior as a whole in my class.

I have been collaborating with colleagues and my administrator about my situation and have gotten suggestions but I would like more feedback on this. Collaboration could give me a fresh perspective on this and I am open to suggestions. Others may have experienced something similar or have talked to teachers in the situation so they may have ideas that could work. Collaboration has always been one of my first outlets when I find myself in a difficult situation. It is reassuring and very helpful.

Week 1 response #seaccr

This week, I interacted with students from our class as well as EDTE 636. They were also on the topic of classroom research but it was more technology based. I enjoyed reading both sets of blogs. The communication through social media is a quick and efficient way to communicate with each other on common topics.
On the blogs for our class, I responded to other students discussing motivation of our students and our own self-reflections. As teachers, we are always trying to find ways to motivate our students, and I was able to have a discussion about how that works and what that might look like in various classrooms. I also discussed the importance of self-reflection and gathering data from various sources to assist in those self-reflections.
I discussed how the use of technology might look like in a 2nd grade class. I talked about the difficulty of integrating technology with limited resources and student training. Before I can integrate technology in my class, I need to teach my students the proper ways to use the technology.
Communicating with other students on a common theme and a similar theme this week contributed to my learning and the learning of others. I was able to discuss some common points and learn from others’ thoughts and ideas.

#seaccr Week 1 Blog

Classroom research is about finding out what works in your classroom and with your students to improve your teaching and student learning. Classroom research can be done in a variety of ways from informal observations to formal assessments and research. Classroom research informs teachers about ways to improve their practice.

Classroom research is essential to the teaching profession. Without research, it would be difficult to be informed about our students learning. As teachers, we are constantly looking for ways to improve and further our education.

In my classroom, research can enhance my students’ learning and behavior. I would like to do research in the areas of academics and behavior. This year, I have a very difficult class and if I could some research about behavior, I think I could find ways to enhance the behavior by chancing my practice. Research is also important in my classroom for the academic side of things. I have a class who is very low in both math and reading. I would like to find ways to change my practice to better meet the needs of those students.

Classroom research is so key to improving our practice. I am looking forward to the research project, because I do want to find ways to improve and help my students’ behavior and academic achievement.

This is an article that I found about research:

http://josotl.indiana.edu/article/viewFile/1589/1588