32 Strategies for Effective

8/9/2019 32 Strategies for Effective

1/5

Strategies for

Effective

Classroorm Management

in

the

Secondary

Setting

PAUL

PEDOTA

Abstract: Over

the years,

researchers have

written many

books

and

articles about

the

lack of

discipline or lack of

respect

students

have

toward

their

teachers. This image

is

enhanced

by the daily accounts

in movies,

newspapers, televi-

sion,

and

radio or

in

speaking to

students, their teachers, or

parents. In this article, the

author provides

working strategies

that

can

be used by

new and veteran

teachers that

will provide

educators

with procedures

to maximize

classroom instruction

by incorporating effective

classroom

management techniques

into their daily

routines.

Keywords:

classroom

management, effective teachers,

sec-

ondary

setting,

strategies

veryone

concedes

that there

is a

severe

shortage

of qualified teachers

in the

United

States and

that

one

of

the most

frequent reasons

cited

in

the literature

regarding

the problem of staffing

and retaining

quali-

fied

individuals

is

the

lack of

student

discipline

(Mac-

donald

1999;

Tye

and O'Brien

2002). In speaking

to

new and veteran

teachers who

have

left the profession

primarily

due

to

discipline

problems in

the

classroom,

many

have commented

that although

they felt

that

during

the preteaching training

period sufficient

time

was spent on classroom

management,

they were

not

truly

prepared

for

the realities

of the classroom,

which

contributed

to

feelings

of frustration, anger,

and

help-

lessness

(Miech

and Elder 1996).

In

reviewing

the

research,

one

can

see

that

effective

teachers-those

who

have

fewer

discipline

problems

in

the classroom-spend

a

good deal of

time on planning

(Brown

1998); take

into

account

diversity

as well as

the

preference

of individual

learning styles (Daniels,

Bizar,

and Zemelman

2 1;

Dunn and

Dunn 1993; Sleeter

and

Grant 2003);

provide activities

that get

students

to begin

work

immediately

and

ensure

there is a suf-

ficient

amount

of work

that will

have students working

the

entire

period (Omstein

and

Lasley

2004);

and

are

consistent

in

classroom

management

techniques

with .

.. a

healthy

balance

between rewards

and

punishment

(Miller,

Ferguson,

and Simpson 1998, 56).

Establishing,

explaining, reviewing,

and

modifying

(as needed) rules, routines,

and

procedures that

are

cearly

understood to

handle the daily

recurring

activi-

ties

as well as

developing

procedures

for unpredictable

events

that may

occur, will

help you

to

devote

the

maximum

amount

of

time available for instruction

and

enhance

classroom

management (Marshall 2001).

The following

is

based

on

my beliefs, my

personal-

ity, and thirty-seven years of experience

as

an educator.

Individuals

should use

this

article as

a

guide

and

not

as a

complete

list

of

strategies

or techniques

that

can

be

used

for

effective classroom

management.

Your per-

sonality

and philosophy of

education will dictate

those

ideas you

will or will not

use in dealing

with develop-

ing, setting

up, and using

an effective

strategy

to ensure

maximum

instruction

with

few

classroom

discipline

problems.

First

Things

First

As a teacher,

ensuring

that

all

students can

learn in

a safe environment

is your prime

objective. Before you

can begin

to

teach, you

must

devote

time

to

preparing

your

classroom

and

developing procedures

that

will

help

you

maximize

instruction

in

a positive climate,

such

as the following:

Seating

lans

Permanent seating

arrangements

will help you

to

learn

students names quickly,

take attendance,

and

perform any

other

administrative task while

students

are

involved in some

instructional

activity. The use

of

Paul

Pedota

is

a ormer

principal

n

a New

ork

City

secondary

school

and

is currently

the

directorof alternative

certification

programs

at

St. John s

University,

New

York

Copyright ©

2 7 Heldref

Publications

163


2/5

The

Clearing

House

a

Delaney book

or

seating

chart

can

help to make

this

task

a

simple one.

In

addition,

you should

think

about

how

your seating

arrangements

can

be

modified

to

support

different

types of instruction,

such as whole

group

instruction,

small

group

instruction,

or

students

working

individually.

PhysicalSurroundings

The room

should

be

arranged

to ensure

that al l

students

can see

well, there

are no

obstructions,

the

lighting

is adequate,

and if

and when

students

move

around,

they

do not interfere

with

other

students.

Your

desk should

be

positioned

so that

you

can monitor

the

activities of

all

students

as well as

not

interfere

with

movement

within

the

class.

ousekeeping

Procedures

Procedures

for the

storing

of equipment

and

other

material,

the distribution and

collection

of

student

material,

keeping

the

chalkboard

dean,

the location

of

the

wastepaper

basket,

using

the

pencil

sharpener,

and

so on,

must

also be

developed.

Displays

The

classroom

should

be

a

showcase for

student

work,

as

well as

posters,

magazine

covers,

charts,

maps,

and

pictures.

It

is important

to let

students

know

that

their

work is important

as

well as

let others

know

what

students

are learning.

Your

material,

as

well as

student

work, should

be

changed,

at

least

every month

or

when

you

begin

a new

unit.

This will

allow for

all students

to

have the opportunity

to

have their

work

displayed,

which

will give

them

a

sense of ownership.

School

and

class

rules

should

also be

posted as

a

reminder

to stu-

dents of

the

code

of behavioL

Instruction

Plan for

a

variety of instructional

experiences

and

keep

students

actively

involved.

You

will find

that by

avoiding

the

sameness

of daily

classes,

you will

help

prevent

discipline

problems.

One

way

that

this

can

be

accomplished

is

by allowing

students

to be

active par-

ticipants

in learning

rather than

passive

listeners.

Setting

Classroom

tandards

for Behavior

and

Work

Students,

just

like adults,

prefer

to be

in an

environ-

ment

that is

structured

and

predictable.

In school,

where

students

have individual

teachers

who

hold dif-

ferent

beliefs

as

to how

to handle

certain situations,

it

is important

that

you

make your

expectations

perfectly

clear. To

this end, it

is

extremely important

that

proce-

dures

are in

place that

are consistent

with

schoolwide

policy

and

that

both

students

and

their

parents

know

what

is

expected

in terms

ofbehavior

and class

work.

If

rules

are

firm, fair,

and

followed consistently,

you

will

be able

to handle

most situations

that may infringe

on

the use

of instructional

time.

Developing

a

written

syllabus

or

contract

that

includes

the subject

material,

subject

class

requirements,

and class

and

individual

code

of conduct

helps all

to understand

their

responsi-

bilities Brophy

1986;

Curwin

and

Mendler

1988).

The

following

provides

some

examples

of

what

should

be included

in a code

of conduct:

Student

attendance

The importance

of

daily class

atten-

dance

must

be

emphasized.

Students

should

know

what

are

considered

legitimate

reasons for being

absent,

procedures

to follow

when

absent

as

well

as

when

returning

from

an absence,

and

the impact

recur-

ring

absences will

have

on

grades.

Student lateness

and

dismissal:

Students

must under-

stand the

importance

for

being

on

time for class.

Being

late

causes

students

to not only

interrupt

instruction

for

others,

but

also

causes

them

to miss

work.

In

addi-

tion,

procedures

for

dismissal should

be

in

place

at the

end of

the instructional

period

and

students

should

be

reminded

that

only

you

dismiss

the class.

Classroom

intemrptions

Procedures

should

be

developed

to handle

classroom

interruptions-such

as

intercom

announcements,

visitors,

and

fire

drills.

In

all of these

situations,

students

must

know

that

you alone

give

direction

on

student

actions.

Students

leaving

classroom:

What

are

the

procedures

for

leaving

the

room?

Are

you

going to use

a

sign-out

book, issue

a pass,

write

the names

of students

on

the

chalkboard, or

restrict the

pass

at

certain

times?

Student

work: You

should

make

students

aware of the

subject

manner

to be studied;

instructional

objectives

you

hope that

students

will

obtain;

skills that

will

be

developed;

their responsibility

regarding

class

work

homework,

or any

other assignments;

the number

and

types of

tests;

and a

review

of how

you

will arrive

at

a

grade

for

each

student.

Recognizing

students

in

class:

Students

should

not shou

out

questions,

answers,

or comments

without

firs

being

recognized

by

you.

Moving

around

the room

a

you

call on

volunteers

as

well as

nonvolunteers

wil

ensure

that

all

students

are on task as

you

build

a cli

mate

for

learning.

Instruction

Policies

should

also be

developed

to

take

into

account

how

students should

act

and

interact with

each

other during

different

types

of instruction.

Fo

example,

when

working

in

groups what

is

the

expected

behavior

of students?

How

is this

behavior

differen

from

behavior

exhibited during

other

types

of

instruc

March/April 2007

64


3/5

Effective

Classroom Management

tion? If during

group

work

students are speaking to

one another how

do

you control

the

volume?

Recognitionof accomplishments:

It is important

to see the

glass

as

half

full

not half

empty,

that

is, try to accentu-

ate the positive

over the

negative.

To

establish

a posi-

tive

classroom

environment, students must

feel

that

you recognize their accomplishments.

Inappropriatebehavior:

Ignoring inappropriate

behavior

until it

reaches

a

point

that you

have no

choice

but

to

give

a harsh punishment

should be avoided.

In

decid-

ing on the appropriate

course to be taken,

you

must

ensure

that

you are reacting to

what

took

place and not

the individual.

It is imperative

to

realize that once classroom

rules

and procedures have

been developed, the worst thing

that

you

can

do

is

act

hastily,

not

enforce a

rule,

or

enforce

it

sporadically.

In addition, you may

not

have

thought of everything and

may

have

to

revise, modify,

add, or disregard a

rule. Do

not be

afraid

to

talk

to a

colleague

or

school official if you are having a

prob-

lem

or to change

something

if what you

had originally

planned is

not working.

You must

model

the behavior

that

you expect from

your students. You

must

avoid

the use

of

insulting,

abusive, or threatening

language. Although it may be

hard at times, you

must learn

to

control your

temper.

Your

words

and/or

actions

can

upset

others

and

may

even

instigate physical actions, which

can cause harm

to the student

other students, or adults. To

get respect,

you must earn it, and by

setting a good

example and

by treating

others as you would like to be

treated,

this

can be accomplished.

Communication

Communication can be

verbal

and nonverbal

and

just as

in everyday

life,

poor communication

can

cause

unnecessary

problems. Table displays

some simple

Dos and

Do

nots in

using communication

effi-

dentiy

and effectively.

If you must reprimand students, use

a normal tone

of

voice,

look

at

the student

do

not

use

gestures

such

as pointing your finger,

and do not insist on

the

last

word (Kerr

and Nelson 2002).

Good communication skills

and being a good

lis-

tener, as well

as a good speaker, can

help in

preventing

problems in

the classroom.

When students

feel that

they are

welcomed into

a

nonthreatening environment

where learning

is

encouraged,

they

usually come

ready,

willing, and able

to

learn.

Strategies to

Help Manage

Your

Classroom

By now you

should be asking yourself, how

can

I

build an environment in

my

classroom

where

there is trust and mutual

respect

among all,

as

well

as

have

rules that are firm,

fair, consistent, and fol-

lowed? Table

2 outlines ten rules to help

manage

a

classroom.

Combining structure

and

fairness

with dear expec-

tations

in a

caring,

nonthreatening environment

are

the

major

elements

of

good teaching

and

effective

classroom

management. Students who

believe

that

you

really

care about them as individuals, that is, academi-

TABLE

2. Top Ten List for Classroom

Management

10. Develop

a

philosophy of we rather than

I and

use

a

personal approach

in

working with your students.

9. Class rules

should

be

reasonable,

fair,

equitable,

and

used

in a

consistent m anner.

8.

Your

actions, words, and deeds should model

the

behavior that you expect from

your students.

7. Remember self-esteem is

as

important

for adolescences

as

it

is

for

you-avoid

sarcasm or actions that belittle

an individual

in front of classmates.

6.

Be proactive. Move around the room

and keep

your

eyes moving.

5

Before

you speak, get everyone's

attention and say

what

you mean and mean what you say.

4.

Keep parents informed.

Parent involvement will

support your role

as a

teacher.

3. Always

give

students hope-make them

feel

that

they

can

accomplish anything.

2. Treat

your

students

as you yourself would

like

to

be

treated.

1. Be

yourself.

Do not

be an

imitation

of

someone

else.

Success

will

follow

if

you

allow your own

personality

to show.

TABLE 1.

Dos

and

Do Nots in Communication

DO DO

NO T

Think before you speak

Say you

will do

something

you cannot do

Speak

only when

you

have

everyone's Speak to individuals and not

pay attention

attention

to

the class

Give

students the opportunity to ask

questions

Be

close minded

Be

specific

in

your

statements,

directions, Take silence as knowing

questions, and so

on

Vol. 80 No. 4

165


4/5

The

Clearing

House

cally,

socially,

and emotionally, will gain status

and

recognition and a sense

of

self-worth and belonging

(Dreikurs,

Grunwald,

and Pepper

1971; Glasser

1990)

as well

as

establish

your

authority and

credibility.

Conclusion

By

following these simple

strategies

you

can

have

an

orderly

dassroom

environment that will improve

stu-

dents

learning

outcomes

while providing for

an

atmo-

sphere

that is

structured

and

consistent

and shows

that

you are

serious

about

teaching and

learning. Motivat-

ing, challenging, and engaging

students

as you strive for

high expectations will

not

only

help

to improve student

behavior

in

school

and

academic

accomplishments but

will also

provide the key for

students to

understand

how to act

in

a moral

and

ethical way

in

society.

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J.

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March/April

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TITLE: Strategies for Effective Classroom Management in the

Secondary Setting

SOURCE: The Clearing House 80 no4 Mr/Ap 2007

PAGE(S): 163-6

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32 Strategies for Effective