Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Classrrom Management
Through your experiences as a student in elementary, middle or high school, describe a classroom management technique that a teacher used (don’t worry about the name of the technique, just describe it). How did you feel about the management technique as a student? If you were the teacher would you use the same technique? Why or why not?
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A classroom management technique that I distinctly remember as an elementary, middle, and high school student is raising your hand if you have something to say. This technique of raising your hand and waiting to be called on is a technique that I believe is very important. This technique is used if a student has something to say, has an answer to a question, or is asking a question. The student will raise their hand, and wait to be called on by the teacher. Once the teacher calls on them, they are then allowed to speak. This technique was used the very first year I was in school. It was then used every year since I’ve been in school. The teachers always made sure that we knew this procedure. This technique is used in all grades and in all schools.
ReplyDeleteThis technique is necessary to be used in a classroom to help make the classroom run smoothly. Nothing would ever get accomplished if students blurted out everything they had to say. Having students raise their hands helps with patience, taking turns speaking, and controlling when it is appropriate to speak. As a student I thought the technique was very helpful. It helped to keep the classroom quieter and calmer, as well as giving everyone an equal chance to speak. As a teacher I will definitely use this technique. I don’t think a classroom would be able to function without the use of having students raise their hands. It is a technique that is taught to students their first year of school, and is continued throughout their many years of schooling.
My Level I Field Experience was in a 1st grade classroom. The students in this classroom were also expected to raise their hands if they had something to say. The teacher in this class did something none of my previous teachers had ever done. If she needed to remind students to raise their hand she would simply say, “Signal”. The students would then remember that they needed to raise their hands. I think this is a great idea, and I will use it as a teacher in my classroom.
Nice thoughts, Lacey. I think that raising hands is really important. Recently I have been wondering about how to teach kids to talk "in the gaps" like adults do. A lot of time adults will be in large groups and are able to have a conversation in the group without group members raising their hands...it just happens. I have tried to have students form a circle to discuss once ground rules are set then this seems to work some of the time. In this instance it is really important for the classroom to be student centered.
ReplyDeleteWhat do the rest of you think about having students talking "in the gaps" during instruction/discussion?
I think this would give students more of a responsibility to be independent thinkers. They would have to be respectful of others while they are talking and then they can comment or pose a new comment. One of their five strategies in J term is "Seek first to understand, then to be understood". The presenter said that you should be listening to the person talking, not thinking about what you're going to say next. This is something that I know I need to work on. I think it would take practice and patience on both parts, students and teachers, but talking "in the gaps" would definitely be possible. That kind of group conversation seems to flow the best.
ReplyDeleteThe first classroom management technique that pops into my mind is one my first grade teacher used. I guess I would call this a positive behavior reward. At the beginning of the year we all created money pouches which we kept in our desks. Any time we did something good or behaved in a way the teacher liked, we received a coin. We either got a penny, nickel, dime, or quarter. Some things we did that earned us these coins could be standing quietly in line, helping someone when the teacher was busy, letting someone borrow a pencil, and so on. I loved this technique. It was so exciting when you got money and made you want to do more good things. It helped make other students behave well when they would see a classmate receiving money. This classroom management technique could also be used to help with math skills. I think it would be a good idea to have prize buckets. There could be prizes for different amounts of money and the students would have to do the math to see what prizes they could afford. Along with math skills it could be used to teach money management as well! Although I did this in first grade, I feel like it could be used in a variety of grade levels. It is a very fun technique that makes the students want to behave well. This may even help them behave well outside of the classroom was well which is a big plus!
ReplyDeleteA classroom management skill that I remember from elementary school is the assignment of student numbers. These numbers are assigned to the students at the very beginning of the school year and the students keep the same number the entire year. These numbers are then used for a variety of things. The teacher can put each number on the end of popsicle sticks and draw numbers when doing certain activites. The teacher can use these numbers when assigning weekly or daily jobs, such as door holder or board washer. The teacher can also use these numbers on mailboxes for graded work or take home mail. The number system is also very helpful when students line up to go in the hallway for lunch, recess, or other classes.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I was fond of the number system because it made things like lining up for lunch and recess move quicker. Also, I was close to the back of the number system because it was in accordance to our last name, and the teacher would switch whether we go from front to back or back to front to keep things fair. When I become a teacher I plan to use the number system if I teach the lower levels like first or second grade. This will make it easier to assign weekly jobs for my students, such as teacher's helper, gardener, boardwasher, and door holder. Also, it will help with choosing groups for projects, and ordering my students in line.
A classroom management technique that I remember being used in a number of my elementary classrooms is clapping. The teacher would clap a pattern and the students were expected to clap the pattern back. Many times the teacher would clap a few different patterns until he/she had all of the students' attention. From what I remember this management technique was used when bringing students in from group work or for a classroom that had gotten too noisy.
ReplyDeleteAs a student I enjoyed this technique. It was always fun to see what different pattern our teachers would come up with, sometimes the pattern was hard! It did a very good job of getting everyone's attention because it was easy to see and hear those who were not clapping.
I would use this technique in my classroom because of how quickly it works in most cases. As soon as a few students start clapping it gets the other students' attention. I would not want to overuse this technique because it could become uninteresting and no longer fun for the students, therefore not getting their attention anymore. I think if clapping patterns is used when necessary it would be a successful classroom management technique.
@Mr. Nielsen: I really like the idea of having students "talking in the gaps". It is a skill I have never given much thought to because it is something I feel I learned over time and now do daily without much thought. I think that "talking in the gaps" is not something that can be specifically taught, rather it is a skill that students will learn by doing and practicing. Having students sit in a circle and start with a discussion topic could be a daily or weekly activity to help them get more comfortable with one another and expressing their thoughts to help carry on a conversation. This activity would help students become independent in their thoughts and listen to their peers.
ReplyDeleteOne of the classroom management techniques that I remember from middle school was getting a "mark" every time you either misbehaved or if you didn't do your homework assignment. Every couple Fridays would be Friday fun day and if you had under a certain number of marks, you got the privilege to attend this. I thought that this was a good idea because most kids wanted to be able to do Friday fun day, so it gave them something to work towards. I also think that it started setting goals for kids, and they were goals they could achieve. For those students who always did their homework and behaved, this was easily achievable. For those who struggled, they had to work harder at it. I think that this is a good idea because when a child who finally gets to attend a fun day, you can see that they worked hard and succeeded.
ReplyDeleteFor my teaching, I might do this for a younger crowd, not middle school. I think setting goals for your students is very important. It can provide your kids with direction and purpose. I might not use the mark system because it could take up a lot of time doing that, but I would consider doing something close to it.
One classroom management skill that my teachers always did was something called a "marble party". This was a rewards system in the class. All of my teachers in grades k-5 did this. We would have two jars in the classroom. One of the jars was full of marbles and the other one was empty. When the class would have a good day, or do somethign worth rewarding, the teacher would place a few marbles from the full jar into the empty jar. When all of the marbles went from the full jar into the empty one, your class received a "marble party". When you are in elementary school, this is very exciting. I thought it was cool how almost all of the teachers in my school used this so it was consistent amon all of the classrooms.
ReplyDeleteafter you earned a "marble party", your class voted on what you wanted to do for it. Soem of the ideas was usually pajama day with a movie and popcorn, or having Mcdonalds for lunch or something along those lines. I would use this technique if I taught K through 2nd grade, but not if I taught any grade older than that.
I can relate to what Kylie said about using the clapping technique to get student’s attentions. I distinctly remember the teacher using this technique when I was in elementary school. Like she said, it always seemed to be a pretty effective technique. Once the students heard the teacher clapping, they would become quiet so they could hear the pattern and then repeat it. This is a technique that I, as well, would use in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteIt’s kind of funny because one of my teachers here at UNI uses this clapping technique. Bark Bakker, who teaches Health for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, uses this technique to get our attention when we are working with partners or small groups. Even though it may seem silly for college students, it is still effective in getting our attention and quieting us down. She not only uses this to get our attention, but also to teach us that this is a valuable management technique that is good to use in the classroom.
One type of classroom management we did in my elementary school was creating our own classroom rules. We would each brainstorm ideas on what we thought would be appropriate classroom behaviors. After we all created a list, we would discuss our ideas as a group. The teacher would help us decide what would be appropriate for our classroom. I think that this technique worked because we created it and were held responsible for our actions. If we were off task or were not behaving correctly the teacher would remind us of the rules and it was usually the only reminder we needed.
ReplyDeleteI am sure I will use this in my classroom as one type of management. I think that there should be ideas given from the teacher and the students. I also will be making adjustments depending on the grade level I will be working with.
To what Lindsey said I really think that could be a good way to break the ice to the school setting and have them realize the importance of appropriate classroom behavior. Although I am not sure if I would want all of it to relay on a rewards system. I want my students to develop appropriate behavior and want to have a healthy learning environment. I agree with only continuing this through the first years of school.
ReplyDeleteLindsey:
ReplyDeleteThe classroom management technique you talked about reminded me of one we did in upper elementary. It was called the "cyclone credit." Although you received marbles for good behavior, we had to fill out a cyclone slip for bad behavior. The similarities, however, are that we also got a party. We would have a cyclone credit party every quarter. You could only fill out a certain amount of cyclone slips in order to be able to participate in the party. This was a very good management skill for those students who really wanted to participate in the party, however, there were always those couple who didn't seem to care. I do, overall, think these kind of reward systems are very beneficial in a classroom and help greatly with management!
Another classroom management strategy I have seen in the classroom is using a stop light. There are three paper plates- one green, one yellow, and one red. Every student has his/her name on a clothespin and starts the day out on the green. When he/she misbehaves or breaks a rule, he/she will have to go move his/her clothespin to yellow. This is a warning. When the student misbehaves again, he/she will have to move his/her clothespin to red and then consequences will take place.
ReplyDeleteI saw this management strategy take place in a kindergarten classroom. Some students took the moving of the clothespin very seriously while others, it didn't seem to phase them. I would probably implement this strategy in the lower elementary classroom also.
The first strategy I think of isn't much of a strategy at. When you misbehaved you received one warning after that your name was written on the board. I know this seems like such a small thing, but it was awful. We even switched classes for math class so other people saw it too.
ReplyDeleteIt was embarrassing to have everyone see that you were misbehaving. As a student I hated this technique. I think it was based on embarrassing the student into compliance.
As a teacher I would not use this technique. I think there are many different ways to manage the noise levels in your classroom.
Natalie:
ReplyDeleteI like the stoplight strategy also. I think lower elementary is a good grade level for it. I think having them move it allows them to take responsibility over their own actions. I think this is still kind of an embarrassing thing for kids because everyone can see where they are on the light, but I think depending on where the light is located its better.
Caitlin:
ReplyDeleteThe specific strategy you discussed is a seemingly increasingly popular one. For my Level 1 Field Experience, I was in a first grade class. There were several times that the students would sit on the "learning carpet" at the front of the room. The teacher used this carpet for reading, spelling, and social studies. When the students sat on this carpet, it was common for them to become restless. They would move around and play with their neighbor. The teacher then came up with the idea of letting the students choose their own rules for "listening time on the listening carpet." The students chose rules like, "sit criss-cross applesauce, keep hands and feet to yourselves, and listen quietly to the speaker." Whenever the students would get distracted and stop following the rules, the teacher simply reminded the students to follow the rules they created themselves. This was all the students needed as a reminder and they were back to listening.
A management strategy that a teacher used with me when I was in elementary school was that as a class we got to make classroom rules. We got to say what we wanted the rules to be as long as they were reasonable. The teacher wrote down what we said, and after we finished she hung it by the door where we could all see it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this strategy because it gave us the since that we had some control, and that the teacher wasn't just going to tell us what to do.
This is definitely something that I would do with students when I got my own classroom. I don't just want to sit up in front of the class and tell them what they need to do and not do, I want them to tell me what they think they should do and not do. I think this would work well with all elementary grades. I'm glad that I had a teacher do this to me. It helped us follow the rules better, because we made them
As an elementary school student I can remember my first grade teacher using a clapping technique as well. If the class was rowdy and loud during a particular part of the day, the teacher would say "Clap once if you can hear my voice." If you heard her voice you would clap once. She would then say, "Clap TWICE if you can hear my voice." The students would then clap if they heard her voice once again. She would have the students clap 3 times. Which was usually when she had the attention of all students.
ReplyDeleteBeing a student that was very shy and didn't speak much during class or school, I feel that this was a very good way for the students to redirect their focus. I was one of the students who would be clapping the first or second time. While others needed time for that last clap.
As a teacher, I feel that this technique could be useful in the classroom. It gives the students a chance to calmly collect themselves and redirect their focus to the teacher. I think it can also be beneficial for the teacher. He or she does not have to yell over the students, which in turn could makes the classroom loud and also sends a message that it is okay to yell. I think other techniques like this are a good tool in the classroom. Having sound ques for the students to follow makes for smoother and more quite transitions.
Chelsea, I think the idea of using math with the reward is awesome. We had a reward when I was little and it worked well with us. We got to put magnets that had positive sayings on them on our desks. If we got so many in one week we got something as a reward. I think the money, and math idea is really cool though. The kids would still be learning to get their reward. This is an idea I will think about using when I have my own classroom. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteLacy:
ReplyDeleteI really like how you mentioned a classroom management technique that is so unrecognized. When i think about classroom management I think of a tecnique used to calm or control the classroom. Althogh raising hands is on, it does not come to mind right away because I feel like it is a given. As a student now we have the nonverbal skills to know when it is okay to speak and when it is not. As students in elementary school, they might not have that skill down yet. Raising hands is a good technique to use beacuse it lets the children know exactly when it is appropriate to talk and give answers or opinions!
I remember teachers using the embarrassment technique. If a student was talking, texting, or not paying attention the teachers would always call them out on it in front of the whole class. This worked on me. I was so scared to turn around to talk to my friends. Every second of pause I thought that the teacher was waiting for me to notice they had stopped class because of me. I think this is an effective strategy to use for some students, but not all. Some students misbehave for attention, and calling them out on it only reinforces that. I will use the embarrassment technique in my classroom, but I also need to figure out alternative and supplemental management strategies.
ReplyDeleteIn Elementary I can distinctly remember my teacher using the “quiet hand.” It was her way of controlling the classroom if the volume was too high or else to get the students attention. Throughout the day she would raise her hand if she wanted eyes and ears on her and say “five” and show five on her hand. Then without saying the rest of the numbers she would slowly countdown to zero and at that point we the student should have our voices off, with eyes and ears on her.
ReplyDeleteAs a student I really liked this strategy because I could sense my teacher was in control of the classroom, but didn’t use her voice to manage the students. She had a lot of respect from the class because of the climate she created. It was a useful strategy because it could be used in any situation and all the students knew what is meant. This management allowed for the day to run smoothly since everyone knew what the “quiet hand” meant.
When I become a teacher I do plan on trying this technique as well. It may depend on the type of class I have but I feel as if it can be useful. I want my students to be able to respect me in that when I need their attention they give it to me, and when they need me to listen to them I will return the favor. I want to create a classroom adequate for learning and convey a message of respect for one another.