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Classroom Management Chatboard

students won't follow procedures

by Brachhus

Nov 9, 2011

My students have the same procedure every day: come into class, get out their notebooks, and do the assignment on the board. Usually it's questions in their text as that's something I don't have to explain or go over ahead of time. Yet EVERY DAY I'm still saying, "get out your notebooks and get to work."

When the tardy bell rings, at leas...See More

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Middle School Teacher I have one class out of four where the students still, at this late date in the year, do not follow the procedure. It is not all the students in the class, but many of them. I tried just waiting patiently and looking at the Do Now, then looking at the student. Other students would catch on and tell the off task student what I was waiting for. I als...See More

May 25, 2012

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Life-loing learner As others have stated, what works for one teacher may or may not work for another due to the fact that we are all wonderfully different personalities with wonderfully different ideas of what classroom management is and how we go about establishing it in our classrooms and maintaining it once it is in place. I too have an opening assignment, which I...See MoreAs others have stated, what works for one teacher may or may not work for another due to the fact that we are all wonderfully different personalities with wonderfully different ideas of what classroom management is and how we go about establishing it in our classrooms and maintaining it once it is in place. I too have an opening assignment, which I call "Welcome Work". I chose this name because it is the most inviting to the students, and they are more likely to respond to a welcoming environment than to a seemingly more cold one such as a classroom in which they walk in and see a "Do Now", which I used to call my opening activity. The way I found out that helping my students to get to work right away could even be achieved by changing the name of the opening assignment was from a student. This student approached me at my desk on her way out of class one day, and she told me that I seemed to be frustrated that there was an opening activity posted, and the students in general wouldn't get to work on it right away. She suggested changing the name of the assignment because "Do Now" was militant in nature and told the kids that a dictator was in the classroom, and I was bossing them around already as they walked in the door, and I hadn't even said a word yet. When I suggested calling it "Welcome Work", she said that was a good idea because the first word I said to them would be "welcome". It's more inviting and doesn't demand that they get to work or do the work. It asks them to do so, and more students actually began doing it than before. This conversation sparked an idea with me. I decided that, beginning the next class period, I would also have a "Welcome Work" assignment posted for myself, and I told the students that I wouldn't ask them to do anything that I wasn't willing to do myself, and it would even be cool if they could give the teacher some "Welcome Work" assignments; therefore, their Welcome Work for the day was to write their top five welcome work activities that the teacher could do that week, and 100% of them did the assignment. The next class period, two Welcome Work assignments were posted on the board, one for the class and one for me, and it was one of the opening assignments that one of the students had suggested. I gave the students and myself 5 minutes to do the assignment, and I always quickly took the roll first, them did the assignment. We would then go over the assignments briefly, starting with mine, and the students graded me on my effort first. Then, we reviewed theirs, or I took it up for grading. Either way, the students were accountable for each "Welcome Work" assignment. They were worth 100 test grade, 50 points for completing theirs each day and submitting it for my review, and 50 points for proper critique of my completing welcome work assignments. Each student started with 100, and, every time they chose not to do their own assignment or didn't pay attention to mine, they lost 2 points per assignment. This procedure got about 90 percent of the students to work. Those 10% that did not respond even to that, I decided to make them classroom helpers and grade them on their willingness to do the job without reminders. For instance, one person was my file 13 manager. This student would take the trashcan around the room and pick up and dispose of any trash. One student was the pencil pusher, the one who sharpened all the pencils in the can for students to be able to use as theirs became dull or broken, another student changed the date to get it current where the agenda was posted. Another student place empty file folders on student desks for a student who had been absent, and their assignments were placed in their folders that day, and another student filed them for safekeeping after the class had ended. I had to make some of the students' welcome work another assignment entirely, and my justification was that the point of the welcome work was get students in the classroom quickly and quickly on task in a productive way. Isn't maintaining our classroom also serving that purpose? Finally, there was an additional consequence for not following procedure. For every 3 times that a student didn't do his or her welcome work activity, the student spent one day with me at lunch having silent lunch. If the student wasn't with me for lunch, my colleagues knew about my procedure, and I emailed them each day asking for those students who were serving duty to report to me for silent lunch, and it worked great. After about 1 or 2 times of sitting in front of the teacher at a table by themselves, not allowed to speak a word without adding an extra day of silent lunch, with their back toward their socializing classmates, miraculously, welcome work was welcomed! This worked for me, and I hope you can glean some good ideas from it. My advice is to modify welcome work to think outside the box for those that just have to be moving around the classroom and doing something else productive, hold the students accountable for their actions or lack thereof with grading penalties for the work or lack thereof or with silent lunch and/or no social time for lack of following procedure. Hit them where it hurts, so to speak, which is taking away their social time, the main reason that most students like to be in school. Good luck!

On 12/17/11, Zodea with some thoughts wrote: > Someone tell me if my thinking makes any sense here. > > As a teacher, do I really want to give up control of my > classroom to my students? My first thought is "no, I want to > be the one in charge". > > If that is how I feel deep down inside myself, do I really want > the students to be totally autonomous at the beginning of > class? I suspect the reason why my students wait for me to say > "Let's get to work" is because no matter what I think I want > them to do, every day I subconsciously reinforce the idea of > "Let's wait for the teacher to tell us to get to work." > > I suspect if I had a situation where I could not be depended on > being in the classroom to start the class, I would set up > procedures differently. (Like if you're a traveling teacher or > something) > > As I reflect, I think I want to be needed in my own classroom. > If that means that I'm the one to get the class started and on > track before I take roll and hand back papers, then that is > what I teach them when we go over procedures. Maybe If I gave > up that control and actually taught the procedures in a way > that assumed I was not going to help them get started every > day, then it might work. > > I do not see anything wrong with walking into the classroom > those first weeks of school and if the students aren't doing it > the right way to have them all go back out into the hallway and > "practice" getting it right. I could stand and greet them at > the doorway, give any directions they need to get started and > then not enter the room until after the bell rang. Maybe if I > actually taught the procedures the way I visualize them, then > they would work. However, if I'm honest with myself I don't > teach them that way... and what I get is what I get.

Jun 22, 2012

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Getting ready for next semester - check off list

by marjoryt

Nov 25, 2011

You should be planning spring semester NOW! Begin with these items: 1) 2012 calendar 2) 2012 school calendar showing the holidays 3) are there school testing days or festivities to be added 4) major projects or school trips 5) personal days you'll have to be out (medical, business) 6) events that will take priority (around here it's Spring Fling) <...See More

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Leaving students alone in a classroom

by Catherine

Nov 29, 2011

With tight budgets and employee cuts, it seems that our high school students are being left alone in the computer lab to complete online classwork. Is it legal to leave secondary students alone in a classroom? Where can I find guidance on this? Thank you!

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marjoryt Here's the legal description, which reflects what I learned during my grad school ed. leadership classes.

From my own experience in the alternative school, we NEVER, EVER left students alone, and that included letting them go in a bathroom independently. That meant, yes, I went in the boys' bathroom with my high school boys. It was that o...See More

Nov 30, 2011

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Need Help

by Struggling

Dec 1, 2011

Hello, I have been a teacher for 10 years, but have recently moved down to a much lower grade than I have taught in the past. My students do not have the attention span that I am used to dealing with. As a result, I 'lose' them frequently. I KNOW it is MY fault. My kids are good kids, but I am getting frustrated with them because they just 'wander'...See More

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Sara On 12/01/11, Struggling wrote:

Shorten the lessons. Find a different guide if you need to but clearly the teacher's guide you have isn't working for your students. Take a day - get a sub - and go and observe in a colleague's room - there's NO shame in that. You need to find your rhythm with your new age group and good help might be in the...See MoreOn 12/01/11, Struggling wrote:

Shorten the lessons. Find a different guide if you need to but clearly the teacher's guide you have isn't working for your students. Take a day - get a sub - and go and observe in a colleague's room - there's NO shame in that. You need to find your rhythm with your new age group and good help might be in the very next classroom. Have you any building colleagues - especially colleagues in the same grade who could help? I switched grades several times and each time I needed to find my new mark.

Transitions are hard for young ones - I let mine talk while lining up and I silence them only as we leave the room. Silence is unnatural and I don't expect it from them. I tell them you can talk so long as it does not interfere with the task at hand and that task now is - lining up - let's be safe, always, but let's see how quickly we can line up.

There are tricks to getting young ones to be silent - you can be be scary and scare them into silence but that's not my approach. Exaggerated faces can be helpful - you can put a look on your face that almost commands but certainly reminds them of the need for silence. Practice it in the mirror (I'm not kidding) Raised eyebrows suggest an expectation, your head turned slightly to the side...

You're not a bad teacher, you're a new teacher... a rookie in your grade. I feel absolutely great that I can say I've taught about ... 6 different grades and became good at all of them - some of us never leave our grade! But it takes some time and a strong ego and likely - getting rid of that teacher's guide that isn't working for you or them.

Look up and zip up" is one - when I say that, I'm not a happy camper so I don't use it often but I'll use 'look up and zip up' for strong moments that Need them to be silent and they're not being so.

Good luck - this will work out for you - any teacher that feels as badly as you do is a teacher who really cares and any teacher who cares as much as you clearly do will find their way to the things they need to do differently to be a good teacher in a new grade.

> Hello, > I have been a teacher for 10 years, but have recently moved > down to a much lower grade than I have taught in the past. > My students do not have the attention span that I am used > to dealing with. As a result, I 'lose' them frequently. I > KNOW it is MY fault. My kids are good kids, but I am > getting frustrated with them because they just 'wander' and > start having conversations in the middle of my lessons. I > am following the lessons the way the teacher guide has > them, but they are too long and too diffcult to hold the > kids' attention. Today, teaching a math lesson, I DIED - > they were trying (well, most of them were anyway), and > finally one girl said "I'm Bored!" and a boy asked "Can we > be done now?" Oh, they were done all right. So was I. I > was really sad when I left, because I know I am a good > teacher, but I am not doing a very good job right now. > Also, I am having some serious problems managing them. It > seems whenever we have a transition, they all burst out and > talk and completely forget to follow the direction I gave > them. With older kids, I simply wrote the direction on the > board and timed them, and gave points to the fastest team > to be ready - and it worked like a charm. These kids - > they just don't buy into that. (they are 1st and 2nd > grade). When we line up, they talk, and talk and talk. I > wind up sending everyone back to their seats several times > to try lining up "the right way" - eventually that works, > but we are losing so much time. I know these kids are > smart and good students, and I could get them so far ifI > could just figure out what MY issues are with management. > I take the 100% responsibility for what is going on in my > room - they are not bad kids. But I sure feel like a bad > teacher right now! :(

Dec 3, 2011

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Nancy Berg On 12/01/11, Struggling wrote: > Hello, > I have been a teacher for 10 years, but have recently moved > down to a much lower grade than I have taught in the past. > My students do not have the attention span that I am used > to dealing with. As a result, I 'lose' them frequently. I > KNOW it is MY fault. My kids are good kids, but...See MoreOn 12/01/11, Struggling wrote: > Hello, > I have been a teacher for 10 years, but have recently moved > down to a much lower grade than I have taught in the past. > My students do not have the attention span that I am used > to dealing with. As a result, I 'lose' them frequently. I > KNOW it is MY fault. My kids are good kids, but I am > getting frustrated with them because they just 'wander' and > start having conversations in the middle of my lessons. I > am following the lessons the way the teacher guide has > them, but they are too long and too diffcult to hold the > kids' attention. Today, teaching a math lesson, I DIED - > they were trying (well, most of them were anyway), and > finally one girl said "I'm Bored!" and a boy asked "Can we > be done now?" Oh, they were done all right. So was I. I > was really sad when I left, because I know I am a good > teacher, but I am not doing a very good job right now. > Also, I am having some serious problems managing them. It > seems whenever we have a transition, they all burst out and > talk and completely forget to follow the direction I gave > them. With older kids, I simply wrote the direction on the > board and timed them, and gave points to the fastest team > to be ready - and it worked like a charm. These kids - > they just don't buy into that. (they are 1st and 2nd > grade). When we line up, they talk, and talk and talk. I > wind up sending everyone back to their seats several times > to try lining up "the right way" - eventually that works, > but we are losing so much time. I know these kids are > smart and good students, and I could get them so far ifI > could just figure out what MY issues are with management. > I take the 100% responsibility for what is going on in my > room - they are not bad kids. But I sure feel like a bad > teacher right now! :(

It must be very difficult and frustrating to feel the way you are. It is a tought transition and so often teachers who are moved from one grade to another are not provided with the support necessary to make a smooth transition. The first piece of advice I can give you is find a colleague that has experience in the second grade and ask them for effective strategies. This person needs to be someone that you trust. Younger students need immediate gratification in order to buy into it. There are several strategies that you can try. One is choose a word such as POPCORN. Ask the students to choose a reward for specific expectations that they create. For example, sitting in their seats when the bell rings, work out in a timely manner, lining up appropriately etc. For each expectation met, write one letter of the word popcorn on the board. When they have all of the letters on the board written give them a reward such as popcorn. Students also love stickers at this age.. Put them on their work, or the cover of a folder, notebook etc. They pride themselves in doing the right thing. Perhaps assigning students to a variety of jobs each day. These students should be chosen based on following all of the class expectations. They usually fight to be the teacher's assistant. Good luck!

Mar 8, 2012

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WKhAlBakmdKVZVFoteM

by Bettie

Dec 13, 2011

Hey, good to find somenoe who agrees with me. GMTA.

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Head start child behavioral problem HELP!

by angela

Dec 17, 2011

I have a child in my class that does not listen at all. This child will not sit at carpet, gets in front of the other children so they can not see. The child wants to be chased around the classroom and will run when you are trying to get something away or talk. At center time the child does not stay at one center for longer than 5 minutes if that. ...See More

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Leah Good advice. > Are the parents able to get the child to settle down at the dinner table? Does the child > hit, kick, scratch and bite at home?

You need much more information about what happens at home. Who lives in her home? What negative behaviors does she exhibit there? What happens then? The following guidelines could be very help...See More

Dec 23, 2011

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AM Sounds to me like a 3-4 year old who needs to be outside running and swinging and playing and developing as a 3-4 year old should. There is plenty of time to sit still.

Dec 30, 2011

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The Truth About Gangs

by Joseph Rinaldo

Dec 27, 2011

Called "a must-read for every school teacher in America, and certainly for every coach" by Amazon reviewer Linda Hawley, Hazardous Choices tells the story of Darnell Jackson, a young African-American man living in a gang- infested area of Chicago. To save his life, he joins a gang and is forced to do things he abhors. When an opportunity to escape ...See More

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Transition from Poor MGMT After Break?

by t

Dec 27, 2011

I started teaching a class of 12 girls in a juvenile detention facility almost a month ago. In retrospect, my classroom management has been poor. In addition to more structure, I need to give the students more interesting and challenging assignments. Otherwise, boredom sets in...and side-talk and so-on.

On Monday (Jan 2nd), I plan on revie...See More

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t Thank you so much for your prompt response!

You were right about how they are savvy and have no patience for traditional teacher jargon. I have been serving the same population in a much different capacity for 4 years.

I neglected to mention that the class is a certification prep course for MS Office and graphic design. Their last...See MoreThank you so much for your prompt response!

You were right about how they are savvy and have no patience for traditional teacher jargon. I have been serving the same population in a much different capacity for 4 years.

I neglected to mention that the class is a certification prep course for MS Office and graphic design. Their last projects were a travel brochure and greeting card. Next, I want them to create a survey (movies, music etc.) and then take it.

Most of them have taken the course, which adds to their impatience. Although they require step-by-step instructions for most tasks and they have never been exposed to how instructions are phrased on the actual certification exam - "Find all occurrences of the text "expert" and replace it with "qualified."

My individual meetings would be less focused on the "we" pep talk than surveying how they learn best and what each of us needs to do to accommodate their learning style, disability, etc.

Putting the goals aside, I read the various articles on procedures and considered explaining appropriate behavior during the different parts of class.

THOUGHTS?

On 12/28/11, Sara wrote: > On 12/27/11, t wrote: >> I started teaching a class of 12 girls in a juvenile >> detention facility almost a month ago. In retrospect, my >> classroom management has been poor. In addition to more >> structure, I need to give the students more interesting and >> challenging assignments. Otherwise, boredom sets in...and >> side-talk and so-on. > > More interesting and challenging assignments sounds like a very > good idea - that takes energy, time and creativity. > > I'd also say - take the approach that school fills their time > while in detention. These girls have shattered lives - > traditional school curriculum will roll off their backs. > > And so will the individual discussions I think though I'm sorry > to say that. These girls are very savvy and very jaded - they > won't believe or trust in the 'we' that you're going to put > forth to them. > > I'd put them on a writing project or projects. Get them to > write plays that tell the truth of life today. You might even > be able to market pieces written by girls in juvenile detention > - you could easily get publishers to at least read what they write. > > Or have them write their memoirs after you teach them what a > memoir is. I'd suggest watching Freedom Writers to get some > ideas. Contact the Freedom Writers Foundation for their help. > > Let the girls write to authors out there who will surely respond. > > Slam Poetry / Spoken Word poetry also comes to mind - you can > youtube dozens of performances. Slam and rap doesn't have to be > obscene or violent. Let them write their poetry and perform it. > > Most traditional school curriculum doesn't leave room for > students to be themselves, to express themselves. I think you > gave yourself your own best advice when you said you need to > give them more interesting assignments. Give them something > that values them - most school curriculum values information > but doesn't value students. You don't need better management - > you need mo' bettah curriculum. > > Reviewing the goals of the class etc. will just sound like more > of the same to these girls. Watch Freedom Writers - it's an > interesting film based on the teaching approach of a teacher in > a very urban school. > > Let the girls watch it too. > > >> >> On Monday (Jan 2nd), I plan on reviewing the goals of the >> class, including why they should care about those goals, and >> discuss how class will be restructured to accomplish those >> goals. >> >> Next week I also plan on meeting the students individually >> to discuss what WE (as in the student & I) need to do to >> succeed. >> >> Any advice on getting a class adjusted to better class >> management?

Dec 28, 2011

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Sara On 12/28/11, t wrote: > Thank you so much for your prompt response!

Well, I'm all for being somewhat deliberate at times. The idea that it's rude to talk when someone else is speaking is cultural and by no means a commonly understood custom or commonly accepted behavior.

I would market such things to them as rather another cert...See MoreOn 12/28/11, t wrote: > Thank you so much for your prompt response!

Well, I'm all for being somewhat deliberate at times. The idea that it's rude to talk when someone else is speaking is cultural and by no means a commonly understood custom or commonly accepted behavior.

I would market such things to them as rather another certification of sorts - it's well and good to become certified in MS Office and graphic design but there's Much More to the work environment than those skills - valuable though they be.

How do you conduct yourself in the work environment? Not by talking when someone else is talking. You will have to do some listening in the work environment even when it's boring.

We can't equate school and work - too many teachers do - and there are fundamental differences like - you can quit your job and you get paid to do it - the latter is a powerful incentive. You don't get paid to go to school.

So you can't say 100% of the time that your classroom would be a 'work environment' - that would be too much and too tedious - but I'd think you can be very deliberate in teaching them what is proper behavior in the work environment - conflict resolution, brainstorming, working in teams, recognizing strengths and delegating tasks accordingly and affirmation - affirming the good work of others and being affirmed by your colleagues.

Create your own 'certification process and exam for that - write it up and you could market it...

"Let's shift into 'work environment' mode, girls, to listen to this. "Now let's shift back to collegial mode - nice work as great workers in 'work environment'!"

> > You were right about how they are savvy and have no patience for > traditional teacher jargon. I have been serving the same > population in a much different capacity for 4 years. > > I neglected to mention that the class is a certification prep > course for MS Office and graphic design. Their last projects were > a travel brochure and greeting card. Next, I want them to create > a survey (movies, music etc.) and then take it. > > Most of them have taken the course, which adds to their > impatience. Although they require step-by-step instructions for > most tasks and they have never been exposed to how instructions > are phrased on the actual certification exam - "Find all > occurrences of the text "expert" and replace it with "qualified." > > My individual meetings would be less focused on the "we" pep talk > than surveying how they learn best and what each of us needs to do > to accommodate their learning style, disability, etc. > > Putting the goals aside, I read the various articles on procedures > and considered explaining appropriate behavior during the > different parts of class. > > THOUGHTS? > > On 12/28/11, Sara wrote: >> On 12/27/11, t wrote: >>> I started teaching a class of 12 girls in a juvenile >>> detention facility almost a month ago. In retrospect, my >>> classroom management has been poor. In addition to more >>> structure, I need to give the students more interesting and >>> challenging assignments. Otherwise, boredom sets in...and >>> side-talk and so-on. >> >> More interesting and challenging assignments sounds like a very >> good idea - that takes energy, time and creativity. >> >> I'd also say - take the approach that school fills their time >> while in detention. These girls have shattered lives - >> traditional school curriculum will roll off their backs. >> >> And so will the individual discussions I think though I'm sorry >> to say that. These girls are very savvy and very jaded - they >> won't believe or trust in the 'we' that you're going to put >> forth to them. >> >> I'd put them on a writing project or projects. Get them to >> write plays that tell the truth of life today. You might even >> be able to market pieces written by girls in juvenile detention >> - you could easily get publishers to at least read what they write. >> >> Or have them write their memoirs after you teach them what a >> memoir is. I'd suggest watching Freedom Writers to get some >> ideas. Contact the Freedom Writers Foundation for their help. >> >> Let the girls write to authors out there who will surely respond. >> >> Slam Poetry / Spoken Word poetry also comes to mind - you can >> youtube dozens of performances. Slam and rap doesn't have to be >> obscene or violent. Let them write their poetry and perform it. >> >> Most traditional school curriculum doesn't leave room for >> students to be themselves, to express themselves. I think you >> gave yourself your own best advice when you said you need to >> give them more interesting assignments. Give them something >> that values them - most school curriculum values information >> but doesn't value students. You don't need better management - >> you need mo' bettah curriculum. >> >> Reviewing the goals of the class etc. will just sound like more >> of the same to these girls. Watch Freedom Writers - it's an >> interesting film based on the teaching approach of a teacher in >> a very urban school. >> >> Let the girls watch it too. >> >> >>> >>> On Monday (Jan 2nd), I plan on reviewing the goals of the >>> class, including why they should care about those goals, and >>> discuss how class will be restructured to accomplish those >>> goals. >>> >>> Next week I also plan on meeting the students individually >>> to discuss what WE (as in the student & I) need to do to >>> succeed. >>> >>> Any advice on getting a class adjusted to better class >>> management?

Dec 28, 2011

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Is it down to teacher confidence?

by Rob

Jan 13, 2012

I hope this gets to you all in time. I saw a post here somewhere from a teacher having difficulty dealing with behaviour/discipline problems and I believe in many cases it comes down to a lack of teacher confidence - confidence to take the action that will make a difference.

In many schools teachers feel unable to make big decisions so the...See More

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Sara On 1/13/12, Rob wrote: > > I hope this gets to you all in time. I saw a post here > somewhere from a teacher having difficulty dealing with > behaviour/discipline problems and I believe in many cases it > comes down to a lack of teacher confidence - confidence to > take the action that will make a difference. > > In many sch...See More

Jan 16, 2012

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Students engaged in technology and classroom management

by Melanie

Jan 19, 2012

Any good ideas on how to teach a lesson and manage a classroom properly while having the students use technology during the lesson(such as laptops, ipads, etc.)and have them avoid distractions like Facebook or games?

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