Debunking Those Pesky Classroom Myths by Ben Johnson

We have all heard the following classroom myths: If you want discipline to go well, don’t smile until Christmas, and, if you want to have good classroom management, never turn your back to the students.

On campuses across the country you can hear such myths and others repeated over and over again. They demonstrate an attitude of pessimism that does not belong in American schools.

So, let’s tackle some of those misnomers from the teachers’ lounge:

• Don’t smile until Christmas. Harry Wong says to start the school year with a celebration and that the very first days of school set the tone for the rest of the year. I learned this to be true. The worst thing to do the first day of school is to go over the rules, ad infinitum. The very first day of school, I wanted my students to be able to tell their parents that they learned something useful. Students are all quiet and subdued the first day of school anyway. Minimal discipline is often necessary. We can go over the rules later the first week. Why not give the students a reason to want to stay in your class and learn the very first day? In her book, If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They’ll Eat the Students, Neila A. Connors says, “Don’t ever stop playing and laughing, and that day without laughter is also a day not fully lived. There is so much to smile about in our business; and we know that we don’t stop playing because we grow old -- we grow old because we stop playing.”
• Never turn your back to the students. Building trust is the first thing a teacher should do beginning a school year. How do you build trust? According to Flip Flippen, founder of Capturing Kids’ Hearts, trust is built by getting to know the students a bit, and letting them get to know you. He maintains that in order to build a high performance learning team, commitments must be made and kept alive. In the course of instruction and learning, the students have to know that the teacher cares enough about them to pull them back to the commitment that was made the first week of class when they stray out of line and the students can also do the same with the teacher.
• Teachers know best. We teachers should know best, but that is not the point. The point is that students know best also, after all, they know when a lesson goes well and when it flops. They know when the teacher is prepared and when the teacher is shooting from the hip. They are an untapped resource for professional development. Getting feedback from students has made me a better teacher. I learn from the perspective of the student and the students appreciate the opportunity to share. They might not be able to tell me how to fix the problem, but knowing there is a problem is more than half the battle.
• Students aren’t interested in learning. They just want to have fun. I asked my daughter, Mercedes, about this and she said that students are not necessarily averse to working hard, they just don’t appreciate work that is too hard, or above their skill or confidence level. It is not that students won’t do homework, it’s just not a priority in their lives. How does a teacher make homework a priority in their lives? Simple. Give a reason to do the homework that motivates them. Grades, and other threats, do little to motivate students. Rewards and bribery are temporary measures that work, but ultimately are not enough for the long term. The best way to motivate students to do homework is to make it an extension of exciting and engaging learning that begins in the classroom.
• Students hate school. Students don’t hate school, they hate what happens in the classrooms at school. In his book, Why Don’t Students Like School, cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham explains that the way students learn is not the way most teachers teach. He gives examples of how teachers expect drilled, isolated facts and figures to stick in the student’s brain. Ask a student what he had for dinner last night, or even better, ask him the plot and the story line of the movie he watched in the theaters last week. Without rehearsal or repetition, he will be able to tell you. We simply need to align our teaching better to how students really learn and they will feel success and remember what we taught them. My favorite quote from his book? “Memory is the residue of thought.”
Perhaps the biggest myth of all is: I believe every student can learn. You will find this noncommittal statement in nearly every school mission statement from Texas to Alaska, but it avoids the acceptance of responsibility. It should read, “I believe every student will learn in my class.” The great challenge and fun of being a teacher is making that happen.
Life in schools is hard enough but a great teacher can make all the difference. Thanks for being teachers and debunking all of those myths.
• http://www.edutopia.org/blog/debunking-classroom-myths-ben-johnson

How to Develop Positive Classroom Management by: Evantheia Schibsted

A recent report found that educators believe that the secret to effective discipline is proactively building relationships, not reacting punitively to student misbehavior. In surveys with 300 New York City public school teachers that included an open-ended question about the largest threat to school safety, the most common response was a lack of cohesive culture and positive relationships between staff and students. (Download a PDF of the report, "Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights.")

Additional key findings highlighted teachers' belief in positive approaches that emphasize social and emotional learning over punitive discipline:

• Most teachers feel that educators can address even major threats to safety, such as gangs, fights, and student conflict, only by building positive relationships within the school.
• Less than 45 percent of teachers said that suspensions are effective, while 80 percent said that classroom-management training, conflict resolution, guidance counseling, and mediation are effective for improving discipline.

But how do busy and often undersupported teachers go about building strong relationships with students and developing positive methods of conflict resolution? In the interest of igniting a dialog about what works in classroom management, we’ve gathered the following discipline tips from educators.

As with any series of principles for a complex topic, though, this is only a starting point. The end point, to the degree it can be reached at all, lies in your classrooms. We know that even strategies that work don't work all the time, and sometimes it feels like nothing works at all.

So now we want to hear from you. Let us know what you've tried that's worked, and when and how; what you've learned; and what you're still learning. Together, we can build a vision for a peaceful and effective 21st-century classroom.

Here are some tips for starters:

Agree on Classroom Rules at the Beginning of the Year

Taking time out for this simple step can prevent a lot of misery in the long term. Experienced educators suggest engaging students actively in the process of determining a set of class rules. Taking this preventative measure creates a positive climate from the start.

Check in with Students at the Start of Class

Even three minutes can make a difference. You can do this by asking questions, such as, "What do you want to get out of class today?" Teachers can weigh in with their goals for class, too.

"This is a chance for the teacher, while still maintaining control of a classroom, to share with students at their level," says Liz Sullivan, coauthor of the "Teachers Talk" report and education program director at the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative. "Have each kid give a short answer. It's a way to communicate with them. Making them feel like a part of the process sets a positive tone."

Be Consistent About Expectations

This can be the biggest challenge for individuals to address, but it's important to keep in mind that school staff should work together as much as possible to foster consistency in expectations, and discipline methods, throughout the school.

"Sometimes, staff inadvertently set up gaps,” explains Nancy Franklin, a veteran educator with more than a decade of classroom experience who now provides training and support for the Los Angeles Unified School District's Positive Behavior Support policy. "Students may think, 'If I go to this teacher, I get this answer, but if I go to the principal, I get another answer.' It's like a kid who gets different answers from Mom and Dad."

Reinforce Appropriate Behavior

"When you are in a classroom with a teacher who reinforces positive behavior, kids calm down," says Franklin. "Think four positives to any corrective feedback."

Franklin argues that correcting students is the weakest way of teaching rules. "It's not about 'Gotcha -- you did it the wrong way; here's the right way,'" she says. "Students need to be able to trust you and feel safe. That enables them to experience emotional health and flourish."

Maintain Student Dignity

When corrections are necessary, experts suggest handling situations quietly and calmly. Don't make a big deal in front of the whole class.

"An approach to discipline that is respectful of human rights and maintains student dignity leads to a school that is inherently safe," says former teacher Sally Lee, coauthor of "Teachers Talk" and executive director of the New York City organization Teachers Unite. "A school in which students and teachers don't feel safe creates a fearful environment. And where there is a fearful environment, there are low expectations for discipline."

Be Neutral, Not Accusatory

When problems arise, don't ask, for example, "“Why did you take Sally's pencil?" This apporach often provokes defensive comebacks such as, "She was mean to me." Instead, ask what happened, opening the way for students to tell their story. Follow up with questions such as "How do you think that made Sally feel?"

Look for the Cause

It's a good idea to notice when students act out, educators advise. Does it happen only when the child is doing math or reading? Identifying when problems occur may help you recognize the reason.

Similarly, it's helpful to figure out what the underlying problem is. "If it's a skill deficit, a kid doesn't know how to behave," says Joseph Ryan, a special education researcher at Clemson University who has worked in schools for disabled children. "If it's a performance deficit, the kid knows what to do but needs motivation."

Establish a Fairness Committee

"Often, a person who is acting out wants to make amends for what they've done,” says Josh Heisler, a teacher at New York City's Vanguard High School. "They won't feel right until they fix the problem."

Heisler's school set up a fairness committee of teachers and students that promotes a restorative approach, rather than a punitive one, to righting wrongs: Instead of directing offenders to the principal's office or threatening suspensions, teachers let them tell their side of the story to the committee and, hopefully, make amends. When the committee convenes, it asks students questions ranging from "What happened?" and "Who else has been affected?" to "What do you need to do now to repair the harm?"

http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-management-relationships-strategies-tips

My Classroom Management Plan

Classroom management sets apart the good teachers from the bad. Yes, a teacher can know his/her content backwards and forwards, but without a good classroom management plan, a teacher will never succeed. Good classroom management allows a teacher to thoroughly explore all of his/her options. My classroom management plan is centered upon student empowerment with a hint of authority and respect on my part.

My classroom’s appearance is something I am very excited about. I believe that a classroom should feel comfortable, like a home, but also be structured enough to conduct class. In the perfect room, I would have my class shaped into a semi-circle so class discussion is easier. I believe that discussion is particularly important in an English classroom. If the students can see each other, they might be more inclined to talk freely. In my ideal classroom, I would have all the up-to-date technology I could find. I would love a Smartboard and several in-class computers. I think these resources would greatly affect an English classroom because students could then do more research for themselves. I would also have a classroom library to promote independent reading. In my classroom library, I will have books from every genre for students to choose from. I want my students to feel free to use the classroom library liberally so I would love to have comfortable seating, such as couches, and ample lighting. I plan on setting aside one day every week or every other week to do outside reading with my class. I think Lit Circles would be a great way to incorporate outside reading in the class in a structured way while still giving students the power to chose their own books. I also believe in rewarding students for doing extra work.

I hope to be able to give students the opportunity for any available extra credit. I believe that students that read outside the classroom should be rewarded. I hope to provide each student the opportunity for ample extra credit, if they decide to do outside work. While I think outside reading is very important, I will not punish those students that don’t do extra reading since it is extra.

Another way I would promote extra credit and good behavior is through my bathroom policy. I know what you’re thinking, bathroom extra credit? Yes! I plan on giving out a very limited number of bathroom passes to each student, possibly 3-4 each month. The extra credit comes in for students that have left over bathroom passes at the end of the month. This will promote time in class because the students that want to just get out of class will only be able to leave a limited number of times and those that want to stay will be rewarded. I believe in rewards for good behavior. I plan rewarding my students with the extra credit I have mentioned before but also with material incentives. I know I’m going to be teaching secondary students but I believe that everyone would like a sticker on a good grade or a treat out of the treasure box for spectacular work.

I haven’t really thought much about an attendance policy. Part of me thinks I need to work with each individual student. I believe that students are individuals and I cannot measure each student by the same measuring stick. The other part of me, the lazy part, says that it would be a lot easier to have a generic makeup work policy for the entire class. This would provide students to know exactly what I expect, no exceptions. So, where do I stand on it? I’m not sure. I want to view students individually but I also want there to be no questions about my policies. I will apply this same strategy to tardies. I know I can’t judge students differently but I can judge the situations differently. I will instill a policy that allows me to decide on a case-to-case basis what the consequences will be.

Classroom rules should not be negative. I believe that if you tell students what you do not want them to do, they’ll do it. In my future classroom, I will present my students with positive guidelines such as “always be on time” and “always be respectful”. Like I said before, I believe in student empowerment and I do not want students to feel as if they can’t do anything in my classroom. Of course, it is an extremely important aspect of classroom management to command respect of your students, but I want my students to find my class fun also. I think that a lot of teachers get stuck in rules and can’t find their way back. I want to provide rules for my classroom that they can abide by without feeling imprisoned.

I believe the issues of classwork and homework coincide. I do not believe in assigning students new material for homework. Why are we expecting a textbook or parents to do our job of teaching when the students leave our classroom? I believe that homework should strictly be guides that help our students better understand the material I, as the teacher, have already taught them and shouldn’t be a necessity every night. Therefore, my classwork will be centered around teaching. You may think this is obvious but I believe many teachers use outside materials to teach. I love outside resources, don’t get me wrong, but I think they should be used as help, not as a substitute for face-to-face teaching. I am open to any method of teaching. I have never taught a class before so I am not sure what would work best for me. I am sure my first year will be greatly filled with trial and error. I hope to learn how best to teach my students and roll with that. I believe that teaching should be centered on learning; learning better teaching techniques and skills, and therefore, helping my students to become the best learners they can be.