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Classroom Management Chatboard

token economy

by ph

Jan 29, 2013

I recently started using a token economy (fake money) system with a group of fifth graders in one of my gifted classes. I have decided that I don't really think it's worth the trouble; however, some students are really into this. I've only been using it for about 5 weeks, but I want to end it. I need ideas for what to use in its place - these stude...See More

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Cash them out and call it quits Announce that the Fake Money thing isn't working, and let them know that on February Whatever, you're going out of business.

If they're chatty and lazy, grade them accordingly. Do-nothing kids deserve F's, gifted or not. And in a gifted class, only the most stellar work deserves an A.

Bribe, beg and wheedle intelligent kids to do ...See More

Feb 5, 2013

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I am so stressed I need MEDICATION!!!!

by Cry everyday

Feb 4, 2013

Warning.... this is a vent!!!! I have been teaching school for 15 years, and this has been the worst year of my teaching career! I switched to a new system due to budget cuts. Little did I know, I was given the grand ole' cart for a classroom. Yep, I am a floater. As we all know, classroom management is so much more than discipline. It is about pro...See More

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Carla L On 2/12/13, Jack wrote: > Hi Cry Everyday, > > That's a tough situation, but I think a little planning can go > a long way. Try having an activity ready to go right when you > arrive that you can have them do while you get the powerpoint > set up. My coworker uses "quick writes", 5-10 minute writing > responses, usually to revi...See MoreOn 2/12/13, Jack wrote: > Hi Cry Everyday, > > That's a tough situation, but I think a little planning can go > a long way. Try having an activity ready to go right when you > arrive that you can have them do while you get the powerpoint > set up. My coworker uses "quick writes", 5-10 minute writing > responses, usually to review something they've recently > learned or to get them to say what they think they know about > that day's topic. Have that be your routine, so the students > know what you expect them to do from the minute they walk in > the door - with you :). > > Is there a way to integrate their methods for turning work in > to your cart? Maybe you can find some organizers that would > hang off of the cart or that open up away from the cart. You > can work finding supplies on your cart into your routine - > although I can see that changing depending on what grade > level you teach. > > Hope this helps! > Hi Cry- Yikes! Sure sounds like you are in a difficult situation, I am so sorry to hear that. Venting sometimes is the first step to at least feeling a little better at the moment, I know it helps me. I like Jack's idea of having a task the students can do independently for the first 10-15 minutes of class. It might take one long evening after school (because I am sure that you do not have much time during the day with 6 classes), but maybe put together a good months worth of activities that they can do independently and something they expect each day so they are familiar with it and can do it on their own. I have people do current events with a form that they have to write up a few facts, chores around the classroom, a book club with questions, etc. Good luck and I sure hope things get better for you! Carla

> Best, > > Jack > > > On 2/04/13, Cry everyday wrote: >> Warning.... this is a vent!!!! >> I have been teaching school for 15 years, and this has been >> the worst year of my teaching career! I switched to a new >> system due to budget cuts. Little did I know, I was given >> the grand ole' cart for a classroom. Yep, I am a floater. >> As we all know, classroom management is so much more than >> discipline. It is about procedures as well. As a floater, >> one can not have procedures!!!!!! >> I switch classes 6 times per day and generally walk in the >> class with my students. As a result of this, no bell >> ringers are on the board and I need at least 10 min. to >> pull up ppt. etc. It is so hard to have good classroom >> management skills when there is nowhere for students to >> turn in their papers, find supplies etc....Likewise, with >> all the "students need to be in groups" student behavior is >> awful!!!! In addition, I do not have space that I can call >> my own. Teaching was my life. Now, I hate every minute of >> my job. I am depressed and really feel I need medication >> just to cope. >> The really bad part....... I will not be getting a room for >> at least 2-3 more years. Any advice?

Feb 13, 2013

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Sarah H (UW Stout) Hi "Cry Every Day", I'm sorry to hear of your current situation. It can be very frustrating when you feel powerless. Is there any way to find ways to take advantage of the sitauation? Are there new techniques you can "try out" that can help you determine more ways to best manage an unruly group? This can be a great way to test it out! It sounds lik...See More

Feb 15, 2013

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Rewards/Consequences

by AmyBundy

Feb 6, 2013

What have some of you found to be the best rewards and consequences for high school students?

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Remedial Civility Training By Thomas H. Benton

by pixie

Feb 6, 2013

To those of you who have experienced the most challenging of behavior problems, the following excerpt from an article "Remedial Civility Training," by Thomas Benton, from The Chronicle of Higher Education, may reassure you that you are not alone, and that the behavior is not your fault. If you have not been subjected to this behavior, consider your...See MoreTo those of you who have experienced the most challenging of behavior problems, the following excerpt from an article "Remedial Civility Training," by Thomas Benton, from The Chronicle of Higher Education, may reassure you that you are not alone, and that the behavior is not your fault. If you have not been subjected to this behavior, consider yourself fortunate. Benton writes:

"I am sometimes sent to observe new high-school teachers and am usually shocked by what I see. Those teachers -- bright, idealistic, hopeful -- are sometimes treated with such open rudeness that it seems as if they have become objects of ritual abuse -- scapegoats for undisciplined adolescent rage. It doesn't surprise me that attrition rates for teachers are so high: teaching requires a kind of moral strength that few possess without many years of training.

For all my grumbling, I lead a charmed life compared to the average high-school teacher. And I feel deeply sorry that some of our graduates are sent into what is little better than what I would expect to see in a prison: students who mumble lewd, racist, and homophobic remarks about the teacher and other students; who furtively destroy school property; and who engage in petty acts of violence and intimidation just outside of the teacher's field of vision. Perhaps teachers pretend not to see most of what happens because they have come to believe there is nothing they can do about it -- and students play at forcing their reactions, stepping repeatedly to the edge of open defiance.

What is it like for students to spend a dozen years in such places? What does it do to children's sense of curiosity to learn that any expression of shared interest with a teacher will subject them to verbal and physical abuse?

Like prisoners, they learn that the safest thing to do is keep your head down and not attract attention. Currying favor with teachers will only get you into trouble: the adults will not protect you; they will pretend not to see when someone hits you; they will pretend not to hear when someone calls you an obscene name. They will not be there after school when the other kids come after you. Better to cultivate the support of your peers by signifying your contempt for the institution in which you are all trapped."

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Rewards and Consequences in 1st grade

by ali8423

Feb 6, 2013

What are the best rewards and consequences for students in the 1st grade?

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Devin M. - Stout Working with young children i found the best consequences for them is to offer to take away from their free time outside or the fun activities in the classroom. My students really fall into line when they know that if they don't behave they will lose 5 minutes of their fun time. I first tried holding them out of the activity they were doing but stu...See More

Feb 14, 2013

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Jack I think the best rewards are the small ones that kids can earn frequently - this goes back to the idea of positive reinforcement. Studies show that if you give a child (earned) praise often in pointing out things that they are doing right or that are an expectation for the classroom, this really helps build new skills and behavior because the child...See More

Feb 17, 2013

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Maybe a little too comfortable....

by Carla L.

Feb 13, 2013

Hello all- I am in need of some advice.....I teach in a very small program for students who are 18-21 years old with various disabilities. We only have about 17 students in the entire school. We have about 3 structured lessons per day, and the rest of the day is filled with community outings, classes at the tech. college, driver's education, job sh...See More

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BEMIE On 2/14/13, Fiorella Velarde, Boca Raton, Fl wrote: > > Hi Carla: > > I was just writing about a related topic on my blog. I read in a > wonderful book, which I recommend to all of you, Setting > expectations for Children's Behavior, that whenever you prompt > children to do something, it will be beneficial to give them two >...See MoreOn 2/14/13, Fiorella Velarde, Boca Raton, Fl wrote: > > Hi Carla: > > I was just writing about a related topic on my blog. I read in a > wonderful book, which I recommend to all of you, Setting > expectations for Children's Behavior, that whenever you prompt > children to do something, it will be beneficial to give them two > choices. You get to pick the choices so at the end it doesn't > matter what they do first because you will get them to do what > you want out of your two choices. I practiced this with my own > daughter and I can tell you that she feels more in control but > complies at the same time. > > My other suggestion is to get used to say things more than once. > Let's picture for instance when many time we as adults are > submerged in a given activity and we have to be told several > times to let go. It could be an engaging lecture, the middle of > an idea, o simply abandoning the TV to sit at the table for > dinner. I guess that I am trying to say that we all need our > time for transitions but traditional discipline has somehow make > us believe that children should ( and must) respond at first > time. > > Just a thought... > > Fiorella > > > On 2/14/13, Jack wrote: >> Hi Carla, >> >> I don't think that having expectations for your students will >> change their comfort level in your class - at least, it >> shouldn't! You might try having a discussion with your >> students about the importance of being on time and work with >> them to craft a system that they agree to. While there are >> lots of ways to positively reinforce being on time, students >> will also work to avoid being inconvenienced. Maybe with them >> you can agree on an inconvenience like extra homework, or >> making up the cumulative time they have missed or cost you at >> the end of the week (a study hall, some sort of duty, an >> extra assignment). You might also try the vocational approach >> - I assume part of your job is to prepare these kids to hold >> down a job at some point, you might have a discussion about >> professionalism and outline being on time as a way to >> practice it. >> >> Hope this helps! >> >> Best, >> >> Jack >> >> >> On 2/13/13, Carla L. wrote: >>> Hello all- I am in need of some advice.....I teach in a >>> very small program for students who are 18-21 years old >>> with various disabilities. We only have about 17 students >>> in the entire school. We have about 3 structured lessons >>> per day, and the rest of the day is filled with community >>> outings, classes at the tech. college, driver's education, >>> job shadows, jobs, etc.....The school is run very "family" >>> like, which is wonderful in one way because the students >>> are SO comfortable with who they are when they are in our >>> school, however.....they are also SO comfortable that they >>> do not always remember that they are still in a school and >>> when it is time for the structured lesson, it is not really >>> a choice and they are still expected to be on time. They >>> are aware of the lesson times as they are the same every >>> day and posted on a daily schedule. It has become habit for >>> the students to wait until I tell them it is time to come >>> to the lesson, where they all look at me and continue doing >>> their own thing, until I tell them again....and >>> again.....and they start to trickle over. I have tried >>> several techniques, such as positive praise for the >>> students who do come right away.......PLEASE, I am looking >>> for suggestions to help them follow the schedule without >>> having to ask them several times. I do not want to loose >>> the comfort level they feel with us, but I also need them >>> to understand there are expectations and they need to be >>> followed. Thanks for the advise! >>> >>> Carla L

Hi Carla,

First let me commend you on the work you've done to help students feel so comfortable! That in and of itself is an accomplishment. Now of course you want to move them back toward center so that they are operating in a balanced manner. May I suggest some non-verbal prompts? For example, when you attend a theater performance and the intermission is almost over, theater staff will sound a series of chimes and them dim lights slightly. This is usually sufficient to get patrons disengaged from their conversations in the foyer and back to their seats in the auditorium. For those who do not notice the chimes or see the lights, they will certainly see other patrons moving back toward the auditorium and they'll follow suit. Perhaps something similar may be used in your classroom after an explanation of the new protocol. Perhaps you could play a certain short piece of music, sound a tiny gong, or even stand at the head of the class with your hand raised. Students who see you will have been directed that the raised hand is a signal that their attention is needed and that they should raise their hand. One by one as students notice, they will stop talking and will raise their hands which will in turn help other students do so. In a few short moments the entire class will have quieted down and you will not have had to say a word. What do you think?

BEMIE

Feb 16, 2013

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Sarah H (UW Stout) Hi Carla, It sounds like the students are more comfortable in knowing they can get away with doing what they're doing. I think that having a frank discussion with the class over this issue could be beneficial. Re-establishing ground rules that seem to have gone to the wayside a bit. Its always nice to have a reminder of how things should be - as lo...See More

Feb 16, 2013

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Motivating Adult Learners

by Toni

Feb 14, 2013

Hi All, I would love to hear your thoughts on motivating busy adults to take part in company-offered training and/or returning to school to further education and enhance skills. The company I work for has only 3% of the employee population participating in tuition reimbursement.

What are your thoughts? Thanks! Toni

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Maybe they're too busy just doing their jobs Try giving them five or ten days off per year, with full pay, to participate in all this extra stuff.

Also, nobody likes fluff courses. Make sure all the courses you offer lead to university credit, and can be used toward some kind of advanced degree.

On 2/14/13, Toni wrote: > Hi All, > I would love to hear your thoughts on ...See More

Feb 19, 2013

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Sara On 2/14/13, Toni wrote: > Hi All, > I would love to hear your thoughts on motivating busy > adults to take part in company-offered training and/or > returning to school to further education and enhance > skills. The company I work for has only 3% of the employee > population participating in tuition reimbursement. > > What a...See More

Feb 21, 2013

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Fake Participation & Managing a Classroom

by Sarah H (UW Stout)

Feb 15, 2013

In taking a look at some articles/resources about helping me determine if my students are really paying attention. I came across many sites that are geared toward providing tips for students on how to fake participation! The term was coined “fauxipation.” I was a little appauled – but awareness of these techniques can help us better manage a ...See More

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Carla L. On 2/15/13, Sarah H (UW Stout) wrote: > In taking a look at some articles/resources about helping > me determine if my students are really paying attention. I > came across many sites that are geared toward providing > tips for students on how to fake participation! The term > was coined “fauxipation.” I was a little appauled –...See MoreOn 2/15/13, Sarah H (UW Stout) wrote: > In taking a look at some articles/resources about helping > me determine if my students are really paying attention. I > came across many sites that are geared toward providing > tips for students on how to fake participation! The term > was coined “fauxipation.” I was a little appauled – but > awareness of these techniques can help us better manage a > classroom! One of the tips was to raise your hand just > when the teacher calls on another student so that the > teacher sees that you’re “trying” to particpate. I’m not > sure that I would have picked up on that! > > Does anyone have any “fauxipation” that they have picked up > on that can help me better determine if my students are > engaged or if they are just faking it? > > Any feedback/tips are greatly appreciated! > > Sarah H

Sarah- Wow!! Interesting post! I guess I am not surprised that students do this, but it didn't really dawn on me that they are doing it either. It seems like it is just as much work to come up with techniques to fake participation as it is to actually participate. I will have to watch my students more closely to see if this is happening in my classroom as well. I have noticed that when my students are required to participate in something, such as ask at least one question to the guest speaker, the one's that I feel like should be the most interested in the speaker or most engaged, go to our "stock pile" questions and ask something like "do you have any family?" or "what was your first job".....which are a few of our "go-to" questions if they cannot think of something......when that is the student that I might expect to be far more engaged and ask a more specific question about what the speaker is actually talking about. But....other than that, I didn't really realize students did that....time to watch them a little more carefully! Oh- one thing I have noticed.....a lot of my students, no matter their cognitive level, have learned that if they go to the bathroom they can get out of a lesson because a teacher is not going to invade their privacy- but I don't think that is a new strategy. But it drives me CRAZY~ Good luck and I hope I see more posts on this one so I know what to look out for in my own classroom too!

Carla

Feb 16, 2013

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NEW Tool for helping with morning routines in the classroom!

by Microhardxce

Mar 3, 2013

Hi there everyone. About a year or so ago I started working on a program for classroom smartboards that help take attendance. Since then I figured, if I can take attendance with it, I might as well add some other features. Since then I have added tools to help with classroom management such, a tool to help describe the weather, and a tool for group...See More

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Management

by Jessica

Mar 15, 2013

I am in school for Early Childhood Education and classroom management is a huge part of the curriculum. Teachers can teach us how to write beautiful and perfect lesson plans but if a teacher has no management skills then that lesson plan will not be worth much. If a classroom is out of control a teacher will not have much a chance to teach all of t...See More

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AkomaTeach Hi Jessica,

Great post! Balance is key, I agree. Too much attention paid to unwanted classroom behavior undermines the students in the classroom who try hard to stay on task. I'm also interested in classroom management and its relationship to diverse teaching styles. I think it's intriguing to see how much differently a classroom of studen...See MoreHi Jessica,

Great post! Balance is key, I agree. Too much attention paid to unwanted classroom behavior undermines the students in the classroom who try hard to stay on task. I'm also interested in classroom management and its relationship to diverse teaching styles. I think it's intriguing to see how much differently a classroom of students behaves when they see and interact with different teachers. In my opinion, a growing number of teachers are adopting teaching styles that are much too lax and casual. In fact, schools in general have become much too casual and its affecting the way students interact with teachers. Roles played by students and teachers in the classroom are becoming less and less defined and clearly understood. I've had students from other classes talking to me as though I was another student, which has to be corrected. I go into some teachers' classrooms and teachers are talking to students casually, using the most popular loose terms of the day, like, "Yeah whatever and what up dude, etc." To me, this is not the type of relationship that we want to have with students, because it invites problems in the classroom. One minute, you're the teacher who wants to talk to a kid like he's your peer. The next minute, you want to get all serious, like a teacher, with the student when it's time to do math. This inconsistent behavior and teaching representation sends mix signals to students. More teachers, I believe, should seriously question what type of relationship do they want to have with their students and what type of relationship is best for learning (in the long run). As teachers, we must remember that we are NOT competing in a popularity contest to see which teacher can get the most kids to like us. Be a teacher, consistently, and stop trying be these kids best friends is my advice. Then, maybe we wouldn't see as many classroom management issues, bullying, and a loss of precious academic time wasted on constantly arguing with and disciplining students.

Apr 4, 2013

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AkomaTeach Great advice, but if you're in the middle of a lesson, opening up a line of questions to find out what a student desires is just not ideal. There are other students in the class who need your attention and they are waiting for you to finish instruction. Once you give one distraction too much attention, here come the other students thinking they can...See More

Apr 4, 2013

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