One thing that I have not been truly great at, being completely honest, is classroom management. It probably stems from the fact that I teach Grade 11 and 12 and am only 23 years old, not much older than the students themselves. Fortunately, the longer that I teach the more I become more comfortable taking control of my classroom and laying down expectations and having consequences for when these expectations are not met.
The more I teach and the more students that are placed in front of me, the more challenges I have faced with having not so great (I wouldn't say poor) classroom management strategies. Each new student brings forth a new challenge and a need for a new classroom management technique, or strategy. Each student is different, thus needing a different strategy. This is what I found the hardest, classroom management techniques were constantly changing from class to class and from student to student. Not every technique worked with every student.
I know the material, I know how to teach in a variety of ways and differentiate instruction, and I know how to engage the students. This is what I learned in teacher's college. What I didn't learn in teachers college is discipline, like how to deal with the kid who argues with everything that you say, or how to eliminate calling out in the middle of a discussion or lesson, or how to regain a students focus once off track. These things are expected to be common knowledge, and experiences that you learn from when you make a mistake. To me, this was not common knowledge. I am not sure if I am alone or not, but the discipline side of classroom management was never my strong suit. I never wanted to embarrass a student or get upset with a student, I wanted them to feel comfortable within my class and not feel threatened by my authority. I have since learned that there are better ways to do this, rather than disregarding discipline all together.
Luckily for me, there are a number of resources available to give me information on a variety of situations, and how to manage my classroom as an authority figure. Edutopia has put together a resource booklet containing Ten Tips for Classroom Management. This resource is great because it provides tips and explains how to incorporate these strategies within your classroom and gives you a variety of ways to ensure each tip is met in a way that is manageable to you.
The tips include:
1. Build Community
2. Design a Safe, Well-Managed and Friendly Classroom Environment
3. Include students in creating rules, norms, routines, and consequences
4. Create a variety of communication channels
5. Always be calm, fair, and consistent
6. Know the students you teach
7. Address Conflict quickly and wisely
8. Integrate positive classroom rituals
9. Keep it real
10. Partner with parents and guardians
I think I was too busy with #2 and #9 and less concerned with #7, that made me almost regret the field that I had chosen. Each day seemed like a struggle because conflict was not dealt with soon enough that each day got harder and harder and harder. Students began to realize that I was not going to discipline them right away so they began to goof around, misbehave, and lack respect for me as their teacher and in turn led to chaos. Since reading his resource I know that my classroom management has improved and I am glad that I am in the field that I am in, I enjoy it more and more everyday - I am now a respected teacher, rather than a disrespected friend.
Classroom management becomes easier with each year of teaching that passes by. Teacher's college and other resources will give tips on how to achieve it, and it is only when you are face to face with all the different students that you really see the meaning of classroom management. Each age group brings different issues and scenarios in the classroom, and exposure to the different grades absolutely will help. I was surprised that even after 16 years of teaching, I realized I still did not have all under control. I came across one student this year that I had absolutely no idea how to manage and, above all, with his parents agreeing with his behaviour.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to explain, but it does become easier with experience. Like you, I'm young- I'm 25, and I often find that I'm not much older than the students I'm teaching. When I was in my first year, colleagues would tell me that my perspective would change, and I thought they were wrong...I thought my perspective was just fine. I'm nearing the end of my third year, and they were right- I see things differently now. I'm not nearly as concerned if the students like me. I look at them more holistically and can see a whole situation better, instead of worrying about one or two bad days. It gets easier- perspectives change.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to explain, but it does become easier with experience. Like you, I'm young- I'm 25, and I often find that I'm not much older than the students I'm teaching. When I was in my first year, colleagues would tell me that my perspective would change, and I thought they were wrong...I thought my perspective was just fine. I'm nearing the end of my third year, and they were right- I see things differently now. I'm not nearly as concerned if the students like me. I look at them more holistically and can see a whole situation better, instead of worrying about one or two bad days. It gets easier- perspectives change.
ReplyDeleteSome tips I caught onto for classroom management during my practicum include the following. Raising your voice to get the student’s attention does not quite work. I learned that the hard way. If you raise your voice, the student will raise their voice above yours to be heard. So if we want students to talk at a normal, pleasant volume, we must do the same. My associate teacher was big on speaking only when the students are quiet and ready. Just wait, and wait, and wait some more until all the students are quiet. The students actually help out with this one too. They’d tell their peers “Ssshhh, she’s trying to talk,” “come on,” “seriously, stop talking”, and “guys, be quiet.” Using eye contact, raising one hand until all their hands are up, and using the lights when transitioning from one activity to another, are all good ways of getting attention. Addressing issues quickly is important to avoid other problems building up. Addressing issues wisely involves stepping away from other students to avoid disrupting the lesson and entire class. A great place to do this is the doorway, to keep an eye on the other students. Lastly, it’s better to run out of time than run short on a lesson. Furthermore, it’s better to over plan, than under plan. If the lesson is boring, there will be a lot of chit chat. If your lesson has engaging activities, with hands-on learning, students will be on task.
ReplyDeleteLike all of you, I find classroom management the hardest part of teaching. I've been teaching for 8 years now, and still find it very tough. I know my first years teaching, I used to just let students sit where they pleased. No seating plan. Quickly I realized how much easier you can command a room when you arrange students to sit where you can lessen the distraction.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like the point you made about disciplining right away, before chaos ensues. I used to think that you could reason with a student. A little bit of, "Were trying to get this done, could you not disrupt", did not work at all. It worked for a minute..maybe two, but in the end, it got worse, and other students would see this, and be able to join in without fear of immediate discipline.
I think in the end, the teacher can still be liked by the students, but you have to be fair. Fairness is the key to hopefully having classroom management and students who still enjoy being in the classroom.
I still have a long way to go before I achieve good classroom management, but each year it does get better, and hopefully before I retire, I just might get it.
Thanks for the 10 tips. I will try to integrate those into my classroom.