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Welcome to Skills
for Educators! ReCAPP's educator skill for September 2001 is:
Classroom
Management to Promote Learning
by
Steve Bean, ETR Associates
As "guest
presenters," educators from community-based health organizations,
clinics or health departments often find classroom management
challenging. For many, it is so challenging that they avoid
managing classroom behavior altogether. Instead, they take shelter
under the protective wing of the regular teacher, letting that person
handle any and all behavior issues.
This article
is intended to provide some skills and approaches to classroom management
for the health educator who is currently "warming up" for
a new year of teaching in someone else’s classroom. It includes
the following sections:
| A Definition
of Classroom Management |
The term
"classroom management" is often used to refer to behavior modification
or discipline only — and for good reason. Classroom management,
on its surface, is primarily about establishing guidelines for behavior
and making sure that those guidelines are followed. But most educators
are not interested in good behavior just for behavior’s sake. Good
behavior is important for creating an environment where student learning
will take place.
Good behavior
is a necessary condition for learning, but by itself, it is not sufficient.
When an educator begins to go beyond performing behavior modification
to include strategies
that promote learning, that educator begins to practice true "classroom
management." This broader
concept of classroom management includes, among other things:
- how we arrange classroom space
- how
we present our "teaching self" in that space, and
- how we expect students to demonstrate that they have learned what
we wanted them to learn.
Combined
with behavior modification practices, these concepts suggest a definition
for the broader view of classroom management:
"A
system for structuring physical space and delivering instruction
that manages behavior with the overall goal of promoting student
learning in the classroom."
The rest of this article describes strategies that educators
visiting other teachers' classrooms can use to implement their own classroom
management in this broader sense.
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Avoiding
the "Substitute Syndrome"
As a guest
in someone else's classroom, a visiting educator is immediately
subjected to "Substitute Syndrome." You are, in effect,
a substitute teacher with all the advantages and liabilities of
that role. Among your advantages is the fact that you are a new
face and represent a "change
of pace" from the regular classroom routine. Also, you are most
likely presenting on a topic that will not only be fresh but will be
perceived by many students as being important — or at least relevant —
to their lives outside of school.
Unfortunately,
the disadvantages of being a guest presenter often outweigh the advantages.
These disadvantages include:
- no established rapport with the students;
- limited background information about the students (including who
will and will not try to take advantage of you);
- limited knowledge of school-wide or classroom rules and systems;
and
- little or no ability to make sure students face consequences for inappropriate
behavior.
At the point
where disadvantages outweigh advantages, many guest presenters rely on
the regular classroom teacher to offset the effects of "Substitute
Syndrome," depending on the teacher to handle all behavior issues. This is not the best strategy. In the classroom culture,
there is a direct connection between respect and credibility. In other
words, if students respect the educator, they are more likely to also
pay attention to what the educator is teaching them. You have to earn respect when you abdicate being in charge of your own classroom, resulting in the loss of a large part of
the students' belief in your credibility as a teacher. If you lose credibility,
the students will learn less from you, sometimes substantially less.
Developing
a Management Plan
The host
teacher is the ultimate authority in the classroom and an important
ally. However, instead of relying on the host teacher entirely, establish
and assert your own authority. Begin by developing your own classroom
management plan. Your management plan should be general and flexible
enough to accommodate the slight differences you will encounter as
you visit different schools. The resources
listed at the end of this column can help guide you in developing
this plan.
Once you
have developed a plan, have a discussion, by phone or in person, with
the teacher or teachers in whose classes you will be presenting. You have
three objectives during this discussion:
- To learn about existing classroom management in the school and in
the particular teacher’s classroom.
Ask questions such as:
- What
is the seating arrangement?
- Do
students call that teacher by his or her first name or do they
use Mr/Mrs and last name?
- Do
students need a pass to go to the bathroom or elsewhere?
- Is
there an official form for passes or will any piece of paper
do?
- What
is the bathroom policy?
- Does
the class take breaks?
- What
are students allowed to do during breaks?
- What is an acceptable level of noise during free time?
- How does that teacher deal with students talking out of turn or
engaging in side talk during instruction?
- How severe does the teacher consider different infractions to
be?
- How does the teacher make the students accountable for learning
from a presentation?
- What are the class or school policies about "gadgets" like cell
phones, PDAs, laptops, iPods, etc.?
- State your preferences for how to manage the classroom during your
presentation.
Present your management plan to the teacher, adjusting it to
match the most important parts of existing management practices. Be assertive
about wanting to be the primary manager of the classroom during your presentation.
Respect what is important to that teacher when it comes to management,
but don’t compromise the integrity of your plan.
- Discuss with the host teacher the ways that he or she can support
your management during the presentation.
Present your guidelines for when you would want the teacher to step
into a management role and find out if the teacher is comfortable
holding off until that point. You should aim for being able to handle
side talk and other common disruptions on your own. On the other end
of the behavioral spectrum, no educator should handle a physical
fight alone.
Be sure
that your definition of a "management issue" and the host
teacher’s are similar. For example, a female student who gets
upset during a rape awareness talk may be seen as disruptive by
the teacher, while to you, her comments and reactions are entirely
appropriate given the topic.
While this
management discussion with a host teacher is an extra time investment,
it does not have to take long. You can find out everything you need
to know in 10 to 15 minutes. Also, teachers are used to talking about
classroom management, so you will probably not have to spend time
justifying the discussion.
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| Making Learning
Authentic |
As stated
earlier, the ability of the students to see an educator as a valuable
source of learning is dependent on the respect they have for that educator.
As a guest presenter, you can earn students’ respect by showing them,
from the outset, that you have "come to the table" with some
serious and valuable learning in mind. Accomplishing this task involves
at least two strategies, which are:
- show students that you respect them as learners, and
- hold students accountable for their learning in as "authentic"
a way as possible.
Respect Students as Learners
- Share Your Rationale
Start showing students the respect you have for them as learners by
sharing the rationale behind what you want to teach them. You can share
this information as a part of the oral presentation, by summarizing
the rationale in writing on the board or on a handout, or both.
Note:
By using two or more formats (e.g. oral and handout), you increase
your access to different ways students are able to receive information. |
If time allows, take an informal survey of how important the
students think your topic is, based on their understanding of your rationale.
You could also ask the students if they agree with your rationale. Challenge
them to propose their own explanations for why it is important for them
to learn the information or skills you are presenting.
- Believe Your Rationale
No matter what, be confident about the reasons why you think the students
should learn your material. (If you find you don’t have genuine
confidence in your rationale, it's time to reassess your topic!)
However, it's important that you set clear limits on the discussion.
Inviting the students to evaluate the rationale behind what they learn
does not mean they must be completely convinced before you can proceed.
In fact, some students will take your invitation as an opportunity
to test your resolve to teach. These students will argue as long as
they can to see how long you will justify yourself and how long they
can delay your lesson. Respond to this behavior by setting clear limits.
This is your way of expecting the same basic respect you have just
offered them.
Hold Students Accountable for their Own Learning
- Establish Clear Learning Objectives
Hold students accountable by making your learning objectives clear.
Make sure you know what it is that you want students to be able to
do after you have taught them and share those objectives with them.
Couch the objectives in measurable terms. For example, "Students
will be able to identify the four body fluids that transmit
the HIV virus."
Also, consider students’ differing ability levels and create a
range within which they will demonstrate their learning. For example,
"Students will identify 1-3 abusive behaviors that are
often seen in domestic violence situations."
Finally, when sharing objectives, use language that students will understand.
Avoid jargon such as: "Students will actualize behavioral alteration
through participation in a theatrical improvisation."
- Assess
Student Learning
If time allows, require students to
produce something concrete that demonstrates what they have learned.
For example, "Act out a skit in which a counselor teaches her client
about the four body fluids that transmit the HIV virus." Holding students
accountable for learning by asking for a concrete product is a critical
element of classroom management. Students respect us more as educators
if we expect them to demonstrate what they’ve learned.
- Ask
for "Authentic" Demonstrations of Learning
Students lose respect for us as educators if they think the learning
we demand of them is irrelevant to their lives or has no value
in terms of practical skills. Therefore, educators should strive for
for students to demonstrate learning in ways that that are as
authentic as possible. Authentic means that the product has
an application in the "real world" outside the classroom
and matches the way that someone would utilize the information or
skill you're trying to teach.
Much of what students are typically asked to do is inauthentic. For example, worksheets are the default product required of students by most guest
presenters. They are a time honored assignment for facts-based presentations,
but consider this: when was the last time you had to complete a worksheet
to demonstrate the knowledge you need to do your job?
Those who teach interpersonal skills have long recognized the need for
authentic demonstrations of learning. Having students participate in roleplays, or small
group practice, is a way of increasing the authenticity with which students practice or demonstrate having learned a skill. Strive for this level of authenticity
in the products you ask of students.
Giving an STD prevention presentation? Consider having students write
letters to people they think need to know more about STDs — like
friends, parents, or girlfriends or boyfriends. Doing pregnancy prevention?
Create a web search that will enhance students' understanding of the
prevalence of pregnancy in their age group. Get creative! Many students
who balk at yet another worksheet or quiz will jump at the chance to
script a scene or draw a comic strip that demonstrates their grasp
of skills or knowledge-based content.
Using these
strategies may not seem like classroom management. But remember, the
ultimate goal of classroom management is to promote student learning.
In that context, expecting an authentic product means you take the learning
seriously, which communicates to students that you take them
seriously. Both lead to mutual respect and engagement which, in turn,
lead to good behavior.
Note:
By using two or more formats (e.g. oral and handout), you increase
your access to different ways students are able to receive information. |
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| Using Movement
and Proximity to Modify Behavior |
In theater,
references are made to "the fourth wall." This phrase refers
to the physical and experiential separation between actors and audience
that comes from the architectural design of a typical theater. Actors
and audience are separated by the height of the stage, the frame around
it, and the space between it and the seats.
Some "theater
people" have developed techniques for breaking down this fourth wall
because they feel it creates a separation that keeps the audience
from having the fullest possible theater experience. Examples of such
techniques include seating actors in the audience, having actors enter
or exit the stage through the audience, or designing theaters without
any sort of inherent spatial separation between audience and stage.
Traditional
classrooms contain their own type of "fourth wall," or separation
between teacher and students. Regardless of whether desks are arranged
in rows or groups, they are usually oriented towards a black- or dry-erase
board. Somewhere near the board and away from the students is the teacher’s
desk. Even if the teacher’s desk is among the students’ desks,
the differences in its size, height and structure set it off, thereby
creating both physical and psychological separations. Similarly, a podium,
though useful for holding notes, introduces a barrier into the space between
teacher and student.
Eliminating
Spatial Separation
Eliminating
spatial separation between an educator and students is essential to
good classroom management. Spatial separation removes students from
the learning process and increases the impact of any distractions.
Spatial separation also creates a sense of distance between students
and the real effects of their behavior. When there is spatial separation,
there is also emotional distance. It is easier for students to heckle,
talk to neighbors, roughhouse, or otherwise behave inappropriately
when the educator is "far away." The educator seems less like a real
person who deserves respect and attention when there is spatial separation.
- Using Movement to Eliminate Separation
Movement
is an effective classroom management technique to eliminate spatial
separation. To use it, simply move to different locations in the room
during instruction. By moving about the room, you break down that "fourth
wall" of separation and convey to students the sense that learning
(as well as behavior modification!) is all around them. There
is no separation. Therefore, the emotional distance that leads to
disrespectful and disruptive behavior is also minimized. Furthermore,
if you have to approach a student for behavior management, your movement
will be less surprising than if you had spent the entire time at
the front of the room and therefore be less likely to heighten
the overall tension in the classroom.
Moving
around the room can be a challenge for many educators because it casts
them adrift from instructional tools like notes, blackboards and handouts.
As a guest presenter, you can solve this problem by placing your instructional
tools in several locations in the room instead of concentrating them
all in one place (that place usually being a traditional "teacher
spot" in the room like a teacher’s desk or the blackboard).
You can
take this strategy one step further by entrusting your different educational
materials to various students around the room. You then have a natural
reason to gravitate to various positions in the room. You can even incorporate
student participation into this technique. For example, it will seem
perfectly natural for you to go over to students who are holding your
handouts to ask them to begin passing the handouts around the room.
Be aware
that your movement is a powerful form of body language that sets a subliminal
tone for your instruction. Jittery motions, constant pacing, or following
the same route over and over can undermine the benefits of movement.
Practice making your movement around the room natural and fluid. Place
yourself at different locations, and then do some instruction from each
location.
- Using
Proximity
Proximity
— or placing yourself inside the personal space of a disruptive
student — is another, very powerful way of using movement to
break down the "fourth wall" and manage student behavior.
Once you have noticed a student being repeatedly disruptive, calmly
walk over, stand next to that student, and simply continue instruction
from that spot. By doing so, you are sending the message that you
see the student's inappropriate behavior and you want it to
stop.
If the
student continues to be disruptive, increase the proximity. Put your
hand on the back of the chair, or if appropriate, place it gently on
the student's shoulder. If this approach does not stop the disruptive
behavior, then you will have to speak to the student.
Proximity is an effective behavior management technique because
you can tell disruptive students that you want them to change their behavior
without making a big public issue out of it or even interrupting the lesson.
Students are more likely to comply because minimizing the confrontation
allows them to back down without losing face in front of their peers.
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| Applying
Conflict Resolution-Based Discipline |
In order
to maintain a positive learning environment for students as a group,
I recommend educators use a technique I call "Conflict Resolution-Based"
(CRB) discipline. The technique of CRB discipline is taken directly
from conflict resolution. Like
most good classroom management techniques, CRB discipline takes
a little more time in the short run, but because it can effectively
prevent disruptive behavior from continuing or escalating, it can
save time in the long run.
Using a
Five -Part Script for CRB Discipline
Conflict
resolution-based
discipline follows a five-part script. To address student misbehavior:
- Name the behavior;
- Describe
the effects of the behavior using a non-blaming "I-statement;"
- If necessary,
explain why the behavior makes you feel the way you do;
- Make
a request for a change in the behavior; and
- Negotiate another outcome. Obtain a specific
response to the request as necessary.
Example
of Conflict Resolution-Based Discipline
The best
way to illustrate the CRB discipline technique is by example. Imagine
a common occurrence: a student talks to "Pat" — a friend
at the next desk — each time you begin a portion of the presentation.
Assuming that you have already used Proximity
silently and it had no effect, you need to take the next step. You should
go over and squat down by the student's desk in a spot where you can
still talk to him or her.
Note:
Squatting avoids subjecting students to the unnecessary intimidation
of being addressed by someone looming over them. Later, if the situation
escalates and more authority is required, the educator can move to
a standing position, thereby increasing his/her authority. For guest
presenters, the escalation of the incident will probably be the point
where the classroom teacher needs to get involved. |
To make
the interaction as private as possible, use a voice that is firm but quiet.
Note:
See Proximity for more on the advantages
of keeping discipline private. |
Addressing
this situation with conflict resolution-based discipline follows the
five-part script and looks something like this:
"When
you talk to Pat while I’m talking, I feel frustrated because I find
it hard to concentrate on my presentation. I would appreciate it if you
would stop. Will you do that for me?"
The technique
is effective for many reasons:
- It minimizes
student denial. When you accurately describe a behavior without
blaming, a student has a lot less incentive or a lot less
room to deny doing it.
- Using an "I-statement," which addresses the behavior without
blaming the student, avoids sending the message that the
student is
"bad."
- By using an "I-statement," you are expressing what you
feel. This is a powerful position because no one else can tell you
what you do or do not feel.
- Making
a request for a change in behavior, instead of giving an order,
is empowering for the student. It gives the student the power
to choose between continuing the inappropriate behavior
or resolving a conflict in a mutually respectful way.
- Even
the most disruptive student has internalized some positive norms
about "doing
favors" for people. These internalized messages
reinforce the behavior modification imbedded in making a request for
a behavior change.
- Asking
for a specific response to the
request requires that the student commit to changing or not changing
inappropriate behavior. By answering "yes" to
the question
"Can you do that for me?" the student enters into a verbal
contract. Intrinsically, the student knows that talking
again, after explicitly agreeing not to, will be a violation of that
contract.
- Obtaining
a specific response to the
request also leaves room for negotiation. If the student states
that he or she cannot honor the educator’s request, then
the educator can suggest or solicit a counterproposal for addressing
the situation.
Note:
Negotiation is a good way to prove that there is mutual respect,
but set reasonable limits about what you're willing — and
not willing — to compromise, and don't let students waste
valuable class time trying to see what you'll let them wrangle
from a negotiation. Make the time window for negotiations "short
and sweet." |
Defending
Other Students
A subtle
variation on the conflict resolution-based discipline technique is
to use it to address behavior that is affecting other students or their
learning environment. Using conflict resolution-based communication on behalf of others
is more difficult, and it reduces the power of the "I-statement," but
it is still effective.
An example
of a common scenario is when a student plays off your topic to make a
rude or insulting comment about another student:
Educator:
"So, next we’re going to do a roleplay that shows how a teen might
handle a peer pressuring her to do drugs. I need two volunteers…
Juan, ok, great, why don’t you be Student One… Oh, wait, I’m
sorry, Student One is female…"
Carl:
"That’s okay. Juan’s such a fag, he can do it!" (Students
laugh)
Handling
this situation using conflict resolution-based discipline would look
something like:
"Carl,
when you called Juan a fag, I felt offended because it was insulting to
a member of the class. I’d feel better if you would apologize to
Juan and then agree to follow the groundrule for our discussion that says
'No put downs.’ Will you do that for me?"
Handling
Deflections
Using conflict
resolution-based discipline, in the above situation, is less powerful
because you are essentially speaking for someone else, which weakens
your position. Carl is apt to say that he was "just kidding" or
claim that "Juan
knows I was just kidding" or dismiss his comment by stating, "We
call Juan a fag all the time; he doesn’t care."
These deflections
are difficult to handle when an educator doesn’t want to put the
victim — in this case Juan — in the awkward position of having
to choose between backing the teacher and siding against his peers. An
educator can guide the deflections back towards the behavior by asserting:
"While that might be true, what I want you to hear is that
I feel offended by the comment."
In this
case, sticking to an "I-statement" is still powerful because:
- The
student has to come to terms with the educator’s
feelings about the issue.
- The technique still focuses on the specific behavior instead of the
personality or worth of the student who exhibited the behavior.
- The technique still implies a belief and confidence that the student
can control his or her behavior.
- The technique still leaves the student the option to negotiate.
In addition
to its effectiveness as a way to manage classroom behavior, CRB discipline
has an added benefit. By modeling strategies that students can use
to resolve their own conflicts, the educator is indirectly teaching
students an important interpersonal skill.
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For both
full-time classroom teachers and guest educators, perfecting classroom
management skills after a long summer break is a lot like learning
tennis. In both cases, two rules apply: don’t try to master too
much at once, and don’t overexert yourself at your first practice.
Pick one or two techniques to start with and practice them until they
come naturally. Once you have a couple under your belt, add a few more,
and then a few more until, eventually, you have a full complement of
techniques that together make up a comprehensive management plan.
The classroom
management techniques highlighted in this column were selected on the
basis of how they complement one another and how they support a management
approach that maximizes the goal of promoting student learning. There
are many other classroom management techniques not discussed here which
are also useful parts of a comprehensive plan. These include:
- Using stillness and vocal pauses to regain attention.
- Changing voice patterns to regain or maintain attention.
- Redirecting students to the presentation or reading.
- Making seating assignments that maximize behavior management.
- Using "time-outs."
- Identifying
and using peer leaders to support classroom management.
- Equalizing attention among students to increase engagement.
- Using a cooperative approach to teacher-directed questions.
For more
information on these techniques, investigate the titles listed in the
resources section below.
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Internet
Resources
- I recommend going to www.teachercreated.com.
This site has almost three dozen links to classroom management resources
on the web. Some particularly good links from this site include:
- If you would like to access a chat room and discuss classroom management
with other educators, visit: www.teachervoices.com
Books
Recommended by Teachers
- Cooperative Learning
by Spencer Kagen
Kagen Cooperative Learning (1994)
- Beyond Discipline
by Alfie Kohn
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (1996)
- Keys to the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to the First Month of
School
by Carrol Moran (editor)
Corwin Press (2000)
- The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher
by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong
Harry K. Wong Publishing (1998)
Classroom
"Democracy"
- Democracy in Small Groups
by John Gastil
New Society Publishers (1993)
Author's
Influences
- Other
People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
by Lisa D. Delpit
New Press (1996)
- Deschooling Our Lives
by Matt Hern (editor)
New Society Publishers (1996)
- I Won't Learn From You! The Role of Assent in Learning
by Herbert Kohl
Milkweed Editions (1991)
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|
About
this month's guest author:
Steve
Bean, M.A., is the manager of the Program Development Unit of ETR
Associates’ Training Department. His unit is currently implementing
Cultures & Communities, a violence prevention program,
and the Young Women’s Leadership Alliance, a girls'
leadership project. He has spent nine years teaching and developing
experiential education programs in areas such as outdoor adventure-learning,
environmental education, conflict resolution, dating violence prevention
and service learning. Before joining ETR Associates, he was a full-time
teacher for The Delta School, a charter high school for severely
at-risk students.
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