How
effectively do you feel you discuss and implement the rules of the classroom
with your students?After reading and
reflecting on the secrets of this chapter, what changes do you foresee making
when you have a classroom of your own?
Classroom management seems to be pretty well-developed in my co-op’s classroom. She uses a money system called the “Eagle bucks”. She rewards and takes away using the “Eagle bucks”. She charges for extra bathroom ($10) or drink ($5) breaks, as well as, new pencils ($5). This system is great for those select children who try to take advantage of the bathroom or drinking fountain. Also, if she catches someone making a rude comment or snide remark to another student, she makes the student who made the comment pay the student who it was said to.
This system is also good for teaching/ learning money. When the “bank” is low, she has students come up to her desk and exchange for higher bills. She also keeps a “bank account” for her students that she keeps track of every 3 months and whatever is in their account they can use it to purchase a movie and snack day or she holds an auction of items. I love her system. It seems to work wonderfully. I have implemented this system and set of rules since I walked into her classroom.
The changes that I would like to make in my own classroom are to distinguish between the rules and the procedures. This section of the book is the one that definitely caught my eye. I have never thought about separating the two before but that is definitely something that I would like to implement. Procedures are things that are expected of the student but shouldn't warrant an extreme consequence if it is not properly done unless the student has failed many attempts at correcting the problem. A rule is something that should not be broken at all and should result in consistent and immediate consequences.
I love the idea of having classroom money to help regulate behavior. My 5th grade teacher used a similar classroom management style when I was in school, and as far as I can remember we hardly ever had behavior problems all year long. I think what I like most about using the money is that it has potential for both positive and negative reinforcement. By that I mean that the students understand that money can be taken away just as easily as it is earned, so they are more motivated to act responsibly if they want to earn their rewards faster and more frequently.
In the Kindergarten Classroom that I am in now they have a stop light behavior management. The students start on green every day and they receive 3 warnings before they move to yellow and three more before they move to red. Unless the act is out of control for instance hitting, kicking, ect. They will move right to red. Once they have moved to yellow and red the students lose some or all of their center time at the end of the day. Also if the students go to red they get a stop light note sent home to the parents. One thing that my co-op does do that I really like is she sends home notes when the students are on green light too. And even yellow light. This way the students’ parents are not just hearing bad things about their children. They are also getting good news as well. A negative to this classroom management is that some students could care less weather they are on red or yellow or if they get moved. They were unthreatened by being put in yellow or red. They continue with the bad behavior as if they were not warned or even told not to do so. In my future classroom I will have clear objectives stated and the students will always know what is expected of them. As the book states the most effective teachers have few rules and many procedures and I will hopefully be establishing this in my classroom. Also the students will take ownership of the behavior and the consequences will be consistent. I will avoid being a screamer I feel like this is not effective what so ever. Eventually the students will just zone you out.
I really like how you described the teacher that just screams. I don't think it is effective and students learn to ignore that teacher. Students should know as soom as the teacher walks in the classroom what they should be doing. The teacher that I am working with has amazing classroom managment skills. As soon as she walks into the classroom, the students are in their seats and quiet down. Her presence is an authority figure yet they love her as a teacher and respect her. I think being consistant in your classroom procedures and rules is the key. Students know what to expect and how to behave or their will be consequences.
The third grade classroom that I am in now has amazing classroom management. These students know their routines and rules like the back of their hands and they will even correct me sometimes when I forget an order we do something or if I mess up. This classroom also has a green, yellow, and red visor system that works very similar to the stop light. The rules and guidelines is listed above the visors and on the visors is the consequence they must suffer if their stick is moved. This classroom runs very smoothly and the students seem to have a very good honor system. One of the other things in the classroom that I am impressed with is her decision to not have a designated bathroom time. One of the management techniques for routines is to allow the students two bathroom breaks a day, one in the am and one in the afternoon, which they may choose to sign out with and use at their discretion. I think I would take many of the techniques that my current Co-Op uses and implement them into my future classroom. The way the students know to come in, start their morning work, lay out their homework, and begin the day is a flawless movement and i think shows a great level of respect between the students and the teacher. The procedures that this classroom has is are very well practiced and executed. I would love to have a classroom that runs that smoothly.
our classrooms sound identical and yeah I would do the same thing as my Co-op is doing. Although everything is posted on the board for the students and they know what to do right as they come into the classroom.
When I was in the classroom, we had one overarching rule, respect. We discussed respecting ourselves, respecting the other students in the room, and respecting the teacher. If you think about it, this one concept really covers every aspect of the classroom. An example of this is the instruction I provided to my students. I always tried to make sure I was planned and organized. In this respect, I was respecting my students and their time. If I would have been unprepared and getting materials out while they were waiting, I would not be showing that I respected or valued their time. This is just one of many, many examples.
I absolutely love the classroom that I am in. Students are so well behaved for the most part and the times that the teacher feels like they are not listening or students are talking I don't see as the big deal if they are doing their work and discussing with their peers about the work they are doing. Teacher doesn't allow the students to talk at all and I am coming up with group/paired activities for the students to do so that way they have that outlet as well. I know the teacher worked hard at the beginning of the year to set the rules and worked a lot with students to get into a routine and follow the rules. If students knwo the expectations the teacher has about the classroom and them and is consistent the students are more likely to follow it. I taught in child care settings and summer camps for over 10 years and any time that I could I involved my students to be a part of that rule making and the more they were involved the more they were responsible to follow those rules that they came up with.
Teaching in a class with only 15 students, I generally do not have a lot of issues with student behavior. However, one thing I learned from this chapter is that every class needs consistent consequences when rules are broken, and similarly there needs to be regularly practiced strategy for dealing with procedural errors. Because I rarely encounter either of these issues, I feel like my strategy for responding to them is somewhat inconsistent and I realize that needs to change. I have noticed that students often protest when I do have to punish them, and now that I think about it, this is probably because the consequences make them face are sometimes inconsistent. If a more predictable consequence followed the misbehavior every time, I think my classroom management plan could become more effective.
Also, after reading this chapter I realize that I often confuse ‘rules’ with ‘procedures.’ I know I am probably just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to this, but I can’t say it was a concept I had really considered before reading this book. I really like the strategy the author presented about having students practice correct procedures rather than punishing them with a negative consequence when procedures are not followed correctly. I know of one or two students who like to talk out during lessons that I might need to try this strategy with in the coming weeks.
I did realize the same thing about rules and procedures. I did not know this until I read the chapter but it makes so much sense. I think that students should be shown the correct way to behave. We should not expect each student to know how to behave properly. Like anything else, I think that we should teach the students what we expect from them .
It is hard to realize if you are missing something when it's not something you need to deal with every day. I wish I only had 15 students, but I have 30!! It definitely increases the amount of behaviors in the classroom when there are that many students! I am in agreement about the rules and procedures. Definitely something that I haven't realized before and a much better way to handle things!
Brennan, You are so right! We should teach the students what we expect from them. I want to be the teacher that models good behavior and reinforces it with a positive rewards system. I have noticed that negative consequences have negative outcomes during my placement. I want the students in my classroom to respect me, not fear me.
I love the students that I am teaching right now. They are respectful and for the most part, pay attention to the lesson. There are only six simple rules in the classroom that I am in now. 1. Be self responsible, 2. Always raise hands, 3. Be polite and use manners, 4. Be respectful to others, 5. Use good listening skills, and 6. Complete all work on time. I think these are simple yet effective rules. I am still working on getting students to turn their homework in on time. I have started to enforce the homework policy for myself and it seems to be working. They work on a three strickes your out plan. When a student does not turn in their homework, they must fill out a slip that states why and then they come down for recess to finish it. If they fill out three of these slips, its an automatic call home. I encourage students to raise their hand when they have something to share. I will not call on them if their hand is not raised or I remind them that I'm looking for students raising their hands. I have also been working on have the rest of the class listen what other students are talking. This creates respect in the classroom. One of the things that I need to work on is keepin the consequences the same for all the students. They all should be held accountable. I have noticed that turning off the lights and counting backwards from 5 gets the students attention. I have also learned that you need to plan out the procedure very specifically. How will students get their books, how will they hand in their papers, how will they work in groups? Planning everything out step by step helps students to know exactly what they are supposed to be doing and the class will go smoother.
One attention-getting strategy my co-op uses is Freeze! She says freeze, holds up her hand and counts back from 5 but only says 5 and 3. Once, she gets to 1, everyone should be "frozen" with eyes on her, hands empty, and ears ready for the next direction. If they aren't, they pay, literally. ;) With Eagle Bucks, of course! (Mentioned this in my post) It works great.
Anna, I agree! I will not call on students unless their hand is raised. I am constantly reminding the first grade students, "Be respectful friends, not rude!" I feel that respect works both ways. I want students to respect me because I respect them too. Also, I never want students to fear me. The classroom should be a safe place built on respect.
I am currently teaching twenty-one first graders. Classroom management is a necessary tool in order for a classroom to run smoothly (or a little smoother anyway). The classroom management tool that is currently in place is a behavioral color chart: (green is good; yellow is 5 minutes off of recess; orange is 8 minutes off of recess; and pink there is no turning back and a note goes home to a guardian. The students haven't had recess since I have been there; so, I am not certain as to how effective this is in the classroom. I have noticed that the behavioral chart creates great anxiety. I currently implemented a positive puff fish bowl. Any time during the day that I witness positive behavior than a positive puff goes into the fish bowl. Once the bowl is full, then the students will get a reward. They are almost to the top! Hurray!
I completely agree with you on pointing out the positive behaviors. I also point out good behaviors (like how your sitting) and most of the students will quickly move to sit like that. I think if there is a chart in the room than it should work both positive and negative, well behaved students should not be punished because of the few bad ones. What is the goal of the good students to continue behaving if there is no reward.
In my Kindergarten classroom, I have 27 little ones and my coop had classroom management tool that needed more to it. When the students were doing something that they shouldn't of been (continuous talking, inappropriate activity, misbehaving, etc) they would have to move their dog to the doghouse. Unfortunately some students would be in the dog house at 9am and then they were free to continue the behavior. I slowly introduced the concept of the behavior chart and my coop eager to allow me to change and try something new. The first day of the chart we had 3 students in the "Super Star" top section. For incentive for the students I gave out a pencil, sticker and small piece of candy. The following day we had 9 super stars. This technique has been effective for the last week and half because there is room for improvement and room for demotion. Also my coop stated if students reached super star 6 out of 10 times they would get McD's and eat with the teachers during lunch. I also use a classwide "growing pot" somewhat similiar to Christy's idea except I do take them out if majority of the class is misbehaving. It also allows students to check other students behaviors and at this age students want the acceptance of peers. They are working in a positive to manner with each other to reach the goal. Our classroom management I believe is good because it is placing responsiblity on the students for their own actions.
Classroom management seems to be pretty well-developed in my co-op’s classroom. She uses a money system called the “Eagle bucks”. She rewards and takes away using the “Eagle bucks”. She charges for extra bathroom ($10) or drink ($5) breaks, as well as, new pencils ($5). This system is great for those select children who try to take advantage of the bathroom or drinking fountain. Also, if she catches someone making a rude comment or snide remark to another student, she makes the student who made the comment pay the student who it was said to.
ReplyDeleteThis system is also good for teaching/ learning money. When the “bank” is low, she has students come up to her desk and exchange for higher bills. She also keeps a “bank account” for her students that she keeps track of every 3 months and whatever is in their account they can use it to purchase a movie and snack day or she holds an auction of items. I love her system. It seems to work wonderfully. I have implemented this system and set of rules since I walked into her classroom.
The changes that I would like to make in my own classroom are to distinguish between the rules and the procedures. This section of the book is the one that definitely caught my eye. I have never thought about separating the two before but that is definitely something that I would like to implement. Procedures are things that are expected of the student but shouldn't warrant an extreme consequence if it is not properly done unless the student has failed many attempts at correcting the problem. A rule is something that should not be broken at all and should result in consistent and immediate consequences.
I love the idea of having classroom money to help regulate behavior. My 5th grade teacher used a similar classroom management style when I was in school, and as far as I can remember we hardly ever had behavior problems all year long. I think what I like most about using the money is that it has potential for both positive and negative reinforcement. By that I mean that the students understand that money can be taken away just as easily as it is earned, so they are more motivated to act responsibly if they want to earn their rewards faster and more frequently.
DeleteIn the Kindergarten Classroom that I am in now they have a stop light behavior management. The students start on green every day and they receive 3 warnings before they move to yellow and three more before they move to red. Unless the act is out of control for instance hitting, kicking, ect. They will move right to red. Once they have moved to yellow and red the students lose some or all of their center time at the end of the day. Also if the students go to red they get a stop light note sent home to the parents. One thing that my co-op does do that I really like is she sends home notes when the students are on green light too. And even yellow light. This way the students’ parents are not just hearing bad things about their children. They are also getting good news as well. A negative to this classroom management is that some students could care less weather they are on red or yellow or if they get moved. They were unthreatened by being put in yellow or red. They continue with the bad behavior as if they were not warned or even told not to do so.
ReplyDeleteIn my future classroom I will have clear objectives stated and the students will always know what is expected of them. As the book states the most effective teachers have few rules and many procedures and I will hopefully be establishing this in my classroom. Also the students will take ownership of the behavior and the consequences will be consistent. I will avoid being a screamer I feel like this is not effective what so ever. Eventually the students will just zone you out.
I really like how you described the teacher that just screams. I don't think it is effective and students learn to ignore that teacher. Students should know as soom as the teacher walks in the classroom what they should be doing.
DeleteThe teacher that I am working with has amazing classroom managment skills. As soon as she walks into the classroom, the students are in their seats and quiet down. Her presence is an authority figure yet they love her as a teacher and respect her. I think being consistant in your classroom procedures and rules is the key. Students know what to expect and how to behave or their will be consequences.
The third grade classroom that I am in now has amazing classroom management. These students know their routines and rules like the back of their hands and they will even correct me sometimes when I forget an order we do something or if I mess up. This classroom also has a green, yellow, and red visor system that works very similar to the stop light. The rules and guidelines is listed above the visors and on the visors is the consequence they must suffer if their stick is moved. This classroom runs very smoothly and the students seem to have a very good honor system. One of the other things in the classroom that I am impressed with is her decision to not have a designated bathroom time. One of the management techniques for routines is to allow the students two bathroom breaks a day, one in the am and one in the afternoon, which they may choose to sign out with and use at their discretion.
ReplyDeleteI think I would take many of the techniques that my current Co-Op uses and implement them into my future classroom. The way the students know to come in, start their morning work, lay out their homework, and begin the day is a flawless movement and i think shows a great level of respect between the students and the teacher. The procedures that this classroom has is are very well practiced and executed. I would love to have a classroom that runs that smoothly.
our classrooms sound identical and yeah I would do the same thing as my Co-op is doing. Although everything is posted on the board for the students and they know what to do right as they come into the classroom.
DeleteWhen I was in the classroom, we had one overarching rule, respect. We discussed respecting ourselves, respecting the other students in the room, and respecting the teacher. If you think about it, this one concept really covers every aspect of the classroom. An example of this is the instruction I provided to my students. I always tried to make sure I was planned and organized. In this respect, I was respecting my students and their time. If I would have been unprepared and getting materials out while they were waiting, I would not be showing that I respected or valued their time. This is just one of many, many examples.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the classroom that I am in. Students are so well behaved for the most part and the times that the teacher feels like they are not listening or students are talking I don't see as the big deal if they are doing their work and discussing with their peers about the work they are doing. Teacher doesn't allow the students to talk at all and I am coming up with group/paired activities for the students to do so that way they have that outlet as well. I know the teacher worked hard at the beginning of the year to set the rules and worked a lot with students to get into a routine and follow the rules. If students knwo the expectations the teacher has about the classroom and them and is consistent the students are more likely to follow it. I taught in child care settings and summer camps for over 10 years and any time that I could I involved my students to be a part of that rule making and the more they were involved the more they were responsible to follow those rules that they came up with.
ReplyDeleteTeaching in a class with only 15 students, I generally do not have a lot of issues with student behavior. However, one thing I learned from this chapter is that every class needs consistent consequences when rules are broken, and similarly there needs to be regularly practiced strategy for dealing with procedural errors. Because I rarely encounter either of these issues, I feel like my strategy for responding to them is somewhat inconsistent and I realize that needs to change. I have noticed that students often protest when I do have to punish them, and now that I think about it, this is probably because the consequences make them face are sometimes inconsistent. If a more predictable consequence followed the misbehavior every time, I think my classroom management plan could become more effective.
ReplyDeleteAlso, after reading this chapter I realize that I often confuse ‘rules’ with ‘procedures.’ I know I am probably just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to this, but I can’t say it was a concept I had really considered before reading this book. I really like the strategy the author presented about having students practice correct procedures rather than punishing them with a negative consequence when procedures are not followed correctly. I know of one or two students who like to talk out during lessons that I might need to try this strategy with in the coming weeks.
I did realize the same thing about rules and procedures. I did not know this until I read the chapter but it makes so much sense. I think that students should be shown the correct way to behave. We should not expect each student to know how to behave properly. Like anything else, I think that we should teach the students what we expect from them .
DeleteIt is hard to realize if you are missing something when it's not something you need to deal with every day. I wish I only had 15 students, but I have 30!! It definitely increases the amount of behaviors in the classroom when there are that many students! I am in agreement about the rules and procedures. Definitely something that I haven't realized before and a much better way to handle things!
DeleteBrennan, You are so right! We should teach the students what we expect from them. I want to be the teacher that models good behavior and reinforces it with a positive rewards system. I have noticed that negative consequences have negative outcomes during my placement. I want the students in my classroom to respect me, not fear me.
DeleteI love the students that I am teaching right now. They are respectful and for the most part, pay attention to the lesson. There are only six simple rules in the classroom that I am in now. 1. Be self responsible, 2. Always raise hands, 3. Be polite and use manners, 4. Be respectful to others, 5. Use good listening skills, and 6. Complete all work on time. I think these are simple yet effective rules. I am still working on getting students to turn their homework in on time. I have started to enforce the homework policy for myself and it seems to be working. They work on a three strickes your out plan. When a student does not turn in their homework, they must fill out a slip that states why and then they come down for recess to finish it. If they fill out three of these slips, its an automatic call home.
ReplyDeleteI encourage students to raise their hand when they have something to share. I will not call on them if their hand is not raised or I remind them that I'm looking for students raising their hands. I have also been working on have the rest of the class listen what other students are talking. This creates respect in the classroom. One of the things that I need to work on is keepin the consequences the same for all the students. They all should be held accountable. I have noticed that turning off the lights and counting backwards from 5 gets the students attention. I have also learned that you need to plan out the procedure very specifically. How will students get their books, how will they hand in their papers, how will they work in groups? Planning everything out step by step helps students to know exactly what they are supposed to be doing and the class will go smoother.
One attention-getting strategy my co-op uses is Freeze! She says freeze, holds up her hand and counts back from 5 but only says 5 and 3. Once, she gets to 1, everyone should be "frozen" with eyes on her, hands empty, and ears ready for the next direction. If they aren't, they pay, literally. ;) With Eagle Bucks, of course! (Mentioned this in my post) It works great.
DeleteAnna, I agree! I will not call on students unless their hand is raised. I am constantly reminding the first grade students, "Be respectful friends, not rude!" I feel that respect works both ways. I want students to respect me because I respect them too. Also, I never want students to fear me. The classroom should be a safe place built on respect.
DeleteI am currently teaching twenty-one first graders. Classroom management is a necessary tool in order for a classroom to run smoothly (or a little smoother anyway). The classroom management tool that is currently in place is a behavioral color chart: (green is good; yellow is 5 minutes off of recess; orange is 8 minutes off of recess; and pink there is no turning back and a note goes home to a guardian. The students haven't had recess since I have been there; so, I am not certain as to how effective this is in the classroom. I have noticed that the behavioral chart creates great anxiety. I currently implemented a positive puff fish bowl. Any time during the day that I witness positive behavior than a positive puff goes into the fish bowl. Once the bowl is full, then the students will get a reward. They are almost to the top! Hurray!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on pointing out the positive behaviors. I also point out good behaviors (like how your sitting) and most of the students will quickly move to sit like that. I think if there is a chart in the room than it should work both positive and negative, well behaved students should not be punished because of the few bad ones. What is the goal of the good students to continue behaving if there is no reward.
DeleteIn my Kindergarten classroom, I have 27 little ones and my coop had classroom management tool that needed more to it. When the students were doing something that they shouldn't of been (continuous talking, inappropriate activity, misbehaving, etc) they would have to move their dog to the doghouse. Unfortunately some students would be in the dog house at 9am and then they were free to continue the behavior. I slowly introduced the concept of the behavior chart and my coop eager to allow me to change and try something new. The first day of the chart we had 3 students in the "Super Star" top section. For incentive for the students I gave out a pencil, sticker and small piece of candy. The following day we had 9 super stars. This technique has been effective for the last week and half because there is room for improvement and room for demotion. Also my coop stated if students reached super star 6 out of 10 times they would get McD's and eat with the teachers during lunch. I also use a classwide "growing pot" somewhat similiar to Christy's idea except I do take them out if majority of the class is misbehaving. It also allows students to check other students behaviors and at this age students want the acceptance of peers. They are working in a positive to manner with each other to reach the goal. Our classroom management I believe is good because it is placing responsiblity on the students for their own actions.
ReplyDelete