Classroom Management: Creating Productive

Learning Environments What is classroom management?

What is a Productive Learning Environment?

Productive Learning Environment – a classroom that is safe and orderly and focused on learning◦Central to effective classroom management◦Students are well behaved, emotional climate –

relaxed & inviting◦Learning – Highest priority

What is a Productive Learning Environment?

Classroom management – all the actions teachers take to create an environment that supports academic & social-emotional learning◦Important – suggest that schools & teachers are

in charge & know what they’re doing! Contributes to learning and development Students – more motivated to learn

◦Learn more – well managed ◦Emphasize – respect & responsibility◦Avoid – criticizing

Goals of Classroom Management

Successful classroom management – begins with goals◦Guide out actions

Classroom management vs. discipline ◦Management prevents problems from occurring

Effective Classroom Management:◦Creating a positive classroom climate◦Creating a community of learners ◦Developing learner responsibility◦Maximizing time and opportunity for learning

Classroom Management

Creating a Positive Classroom Climate◦ Learners feel

physically & emotionally safe, personally connected to both their teacher & their peers, & worthy of love & respect

◦ Bullying/other harmful acts – not tolerated

◦ Positive classroom climate – essential

Creating a Community of Learners ◦ Positive emotional

climate = learning community – a place where you & your students all work together to help everyone learn

◦ Involved all students◦ Student help in

developing procedures ◦ Respect for all

Classroom Management

Developing Learner Responsibility ◦ Helping students learn

to be responsible – one of the biggest challenges

◦ Talk about it, teach it, help students understand the consequences for behaving irresponsibly

◦ Ongoing effort

Maximizing Time & Opportunities for Learning

Allocated time◦ Amount of time a

teacher/school designates for a content area

Instructional time◦ Time left for teaching after

routine management & administrative tasks

Engaged time◦ Time students are paying

attention & involved in learning activities

Academic learning time ◦ Student are successful

while engaged in learning activities

Creating Productive Learning Environments

Communicating Caring Teaching Effectively Organizing Your ClassroomPreventing Problems through Planning

Communicating Caring

Caring – refers to a teacher’s investment in the protection and development of young people◦ Caring teacher – heart of productive learning

environment Research – students are more motivated & learn

more in classrooms where they believe teacher like, understand & empathize with them ◦ Call student by first name – learn names ◦ Greet students every day◦ Use “we” & “our”◦ Nonverbal communications (eye contact, smiling)◦ Spend time with students ◦ Hold students to high standards

Teaching Effectively

It’s impossible to create a productive learning environment without effective teaching

Close link between management & instruction◦Plan for classroom management & effective

instruction

Organizing Your Classroom

Classroom organization – a professional skill that includes:◦Preparing materials in advance◦Starting classes and activities on time◦Making transitions quickly & smoothly

directions◦Creating well-established routines

Turning in papers, going to the restroom, lining up for lunch

◦Essential for effective classroom management

Preventing Problems through Planning

Developmental Differences in Students◦Different grade levels◦All students need caring teachers who have positive

expectations for them & hold them to high standardsCreating Procedures & Rules

◦Procedures – routines students following in their daily learning activities (how papers are turned in, when to sharpen pencils)

◦Rules – guidelines that provide standards for acceptable classroom behavior. When consistently enforced – reduce behavior problems &

promote a feeling of pride & responsibility in the classroom community

Involving Parents

Parent support – essential for student’s cooperation & motivation

Benefits:◦More positive attitudes & behaviors◦Higher long-term achievements◦Greater willingness to do homework◦Better attendance & graduation rates◦Greater enrollment in postsecondary education

Strategies:◦Send letters home◦Maintain communication frequently ◦Emphasize students’ accomplishments (newsletters,

e-mails, notes)

Intervening When Misbehavior Occurs

Intervention – teacher action designed to increase desired behaviors or to eliminate student misbehavior and inattention.

Moving near student, calling on inattentive students to bring them back to the lesson, removing student

Three Goals of Intervening

1. Stop the misbehavior quickly & simply2. Maintain the flow of your lesson3. Help students learn from the experience

Helping Students Understand Interventions

Demonstrate withitness & overlapping◦As a teacher – you know what is going on in your

classroom & main the flow of the lesson ◦Overlapping – multitasking

Be consistent & follow through ◦Enforce rules

Keep verbal and nonverbal behaviors congruent◦Keep words, tone and body language consistent – NO

mixed messagesApply logical Consequences

◦Use consequences that are related to the misbehavior

Serious Management Problems

Responding to Defiant Students◦Experts offer two suggestions:

Remain calm & avoid power struggle Give the rest of the class an assignment

◦Defiance often the result of negative student-teacher relationships

◦Students – aggressive or impulsive and display temper tantrums

◦Student refuses to leave classroom or physically violent – send a student to the front office

Serious Management Problems

Responding to Fighting ◦Incidents of student aggression toward each

other – more common than threats to teachers◦You must intervene – not physically- report it◦Goal – protect victim & other students ◦Effective response

1. Stop the incident 2. protect the victim 3. get help

◦Experts recommend involving parents & other school personnel

Serious Management Problems

Responding to Bullying ◦Bullying – a form of peer aggression that

involves a systematic or repetitious abuse of power between students

◦44 states – passed antibullying laws◦Districts – zero tolerance policies◦Largely ineffective ◦Threatens students’ feelings of safety &

security in schools◦Teachers – central to help eliminate bullying