An effective teacher has clear rules and procedures, has taught them to the students and students begin working on an assignment immediately. Managing a full classroom of multiple behaviors and personalities can be challenging but teachers who teach rules and procedures are the most successful (Wong and Wong, 2005).
Teachers should be consistent with their consequences. Consequences can be positive or negative. There is clear evidence that the teacher who models a calm and positive demeanor will positively affect his or her students’ behavior. Behavior in the classroom can be dealt with in a harsh way or managed using positive behavior modeled by the teacher. Research has proven that positive verbal feedback or even a simple nod from a teacher can make a positive impact on the classroom behavior (Good and Brophy, 2003).
Modeling the behaviors of a positive individual will be especially important for teaching students how to be in control of emotions in a group setting. The students come from different cultures and family scenarios that affect how each of them expresses emotions to other people. Some families have an affectionate and loud approach in groups and some are quiet. Teachers can introduce the concept of using a quiet voice when appropriate and also speak up and be heard when appropriate (Marzano, 2007).
When I begin managing my own classroom I will be sure to teach the rules and procedures, as well as review them whenever they need to be relearned. At the beginning of the year, the whole class will relearn the rules when one or more students display behaviors that are not in alignment with the classroom rules and this will encourage the whole class to help monitor peer behavior.
There will be times when a student makes the decision to break the rules and cause a disturbance in the class. Consequences for breaking the rules will be decided on by the class and the students will already know what they will have to do to make the action right.
Consequences will vary depending on the severity of the disruption. A gentle reminder as a warning and a look of concern may resolve a problem. If a student defaces or breaks property which belongs to the school or another student he or she will need to right the wrong. Parents will be notified and overcorrection may be used as a discipline. Young students should understand if they have caused anyone sadness or broken something. My tone would remain caring and concerned. Parents would be contacted.
Teachers should not feel bad that they are following through with consequences that were understood by the entire class. The intervention while the student is young is vital so that he or she does not miss the steps and have to experience the consequences as an older child or adult with more severe punishment. A caring heart and concern for the student should guide the teacher to correct the student's behavior.
Consequences will vary depending on the severity of the disruption. A gentle reminder as a warning and a look of concern may resolve a problem. If a student defaces or breaks property which belongs to the school or another student he or she will need to right the wrong. Parents will be notified and overcorrection may be used as a discipline. Young students should understand if they have caused anyone sadness or broken something. My tone would remain caring and concerned. Parents would be contacted.
Teachers should not feel bad that they are following through with consequences that were understood by the entire class. The intervention while the student is young is vital so that he or she does not miss the steps and have to experience the consequences as an older child or adult with more severe punishment. A caring heart and concern for the student should guide the teacher to correct the student's behavior.
The process that I will use in my classroom follows the flow of this flowchart. I will make an effort to notice positive and negative behaviors when they occur. I will recognize students who are obeying the rules and procedures verbally or with a positive facial expression or signal. Positive emails to parents will go out weekly unless something very exceptional happens. Very positive behavior would grant a phone call or email the day of the occurrence.
If the student resumes positive behavior after a gentle reminder I will be sure to recognize the acceptable behavior while the student is displaying it. If the behavior does not get resolved with a gentle reminder the entire class will take a pause and review the rules together. If the student continues to break the rules he or she will receive a verbal warning, and parents or guardian will be contacted by email or phone call. If this resolves the problem the student will receive verbal recognition of the resolved behavior. If the problem persists after an email or calls to the parents the principal or counselor and parents will be brought in to help resolve as a group.
As an example, a student knows the classroom rules about not taking other people's property. Sue has taken Tori's pencil and broken it in half as a joke but Tori is not happy. In this case, I would probably bring both students aside to talk about what occurred. When Tori explains that Sue thought breaking her pencil was funny I would first try to come to an agreement about replacing the broken property. We would all take five minutes to review the rules about not taking or destroying the property of others. An email would go to Sue's parent or guardian about replacing a pencil for Sue and apologize. When Sue resolved the problem she would receive positive reinforcement from me.
As an example, a student knows the classroom rules about not taking other people's property. Sue has taken Tori's pencil and broken it in half as a joke but Tori is not happy. In this case, I would probably bring both students aside to talk about what occurred. When Tori explains that Sue thought breaking her pencil was funny I would first try to come to an agreement about replacing the broken property. We would all take five minutes to review the rules about not taking or destroying the property of others. An email would go to Sue's parent or guardian about replacing a pencil for Sue and apologize. When Sue resolved the problem she would receive positive reinforcement from me.
When I was in the second grade there was a boy named Ronny who had serious behavior problems. Many times I heard the teacher say bias and mean statements about Ronny. The principal would bring him to the office and paddle him. Ronny eventually went to prison and even with wonderful parents who tried. I refuse to think bias or say negative statements about any student because of disruptive behavior. Every child deserves an even hand at life and to receive the help he or she needs when a problem arises.
Conclusions:
I will study my own rules, processes, and flowchart to assess my own behavior for positive and negative consequences. I will maintain a behavioral checklist for the class and be sure to follow through with circumstances for behaviors. These behaviors are not only for the classroom but they form the foundation of citizens who will cooperate and work with each other in communities, families and at work.
References:
Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. E. (2003). Looking in classrooms (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn &
Bacon
Marzano, Robert J. (2007, The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective
instruction / Robert J. Marzano.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references, ISBN 978-1-4166-0571-3
Wong, Harry K, and Wong, Rosemary T. (2005) How To Be An Effective Teacher,
The First Days of School, Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. ISBN: 0-9629360-6-5
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