Transcript Classroom Management Skills

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
SKILLS
Dr. Walid Hawana
Annur Islamic School
Schenectady, New York
1-22-10
Classroom Management
It is a term used by teachers to
describe the process of ensuring that
classroom lessons run smoothly
despite disruptive behavior by
students.
The term also implies the prevention
of disruptive behavior.
Eight Skills
Skill # 1
Teach students your expectations
Skill # 2
Get and keep students on task
Skill # 3
Maintain a high rate of positive
teacher/student interaction
Skill # 4
Respond non-coersively (without force) to
inappropriate significant behavior
Skill # 5
Maintain a high rate of risk-free student
response opportunities
Skill # 6
Serve problem-behavior students in the
primary learning environment
 Skill # 7
Avoid Being Trapped in:
1. Criticism: finding fault
2. Sarcasm: making fun of a student
through ridicule
3. Threats: warning students of some
hostile action by the teacher
4. Questioning: asking students to
explain why they misbehave
5. Logic: trying to reason with
students in an attempt to improve
behavior
6. Arguing: trying to convince students
that the teacher is right, student
wrong
7. Force: meaning to punish, shout,
etc. to make students behave
8. Despair: portraying a sense of
hopelessness
Skill # 8
Manage student behavior
professionally & “scientifically"
Good CM
 High level of student involvement
 Clear student expectations
 Little or no wasted time/no confusion
 Work oriented with pleasant climate
Teachers (1)
 Effective Teacher: Students are
quietly working & teacher is
supervising
 Ineffective Teacher: Teacher is
working while students are not
engaged
Teachers (2)
 Students know that assignments &
tests are based on objectives
 Teacher says: “Read chapter 3 and
know the materials”
 Teacher say: “I will give you a test
covering everything in chapter 3”
Teachers (3)
 Teacher has a discipline plan
 Teacher starts class immediately
 Teacher has assignments posted
 Teacher makes up rules & punishes
according to mood
 Teacher takes rolls & dallies
 Students ask for assignments
repeatedly
Teachers (4)
 Teacher invested time in practicing the
classroom procedures to become routines
 Teacher knows how to bring the class to
attention
 Teacher knows how to praise & motivate
student
 Teacher doesn’t rehearse
procedures
 Teacher flicks the light switch or
yells
 Teacher uses generalized praise or
none at all
Good CM Steps & Procedures
 1. Get off to a good start
 The first "honeymoon" encounter
between the teacher & the students is
when they formulate their impression
of the teacher. Students sit quietly,
raise their hands to respond & are
generally well behaved. The teacher is
just thinking that this is an ideal class &
may relax their alertness.
 2. Learning School Policies
 Prior to meeting the class for the
first time, the teacher should
become familiar with school policies
concerning acceptable student
behavior & disciplinary procedures.
 3. Establishing Rules
 Establish a set of classroom rules to
guide the behavior of students at
once. Discuss the rationale of these
with students to ensure they
understand & see the need for each
rule. Keep the list of rules short.
The rules must often involve: paying
attention, respect for others, noise,
completion of assignments, etc.
 4. Over-planning Lessons
 "Over-plan" the lessons for the first
week or two. It is important for the
teacher to impress students from
the outset that he or she is
organized & that he/she is confident
of their ability to get through the
syllabus.

 5. Learning Names
 Devise a seating arrangement
whereby students' names are quickly
learned. Calling a student by his/her
name early in the year gives the
student an increased sense of well
being. It also gives the teacher
greater control of situations:
“Ahmad stop talking and finish your
work" is more effective than "Let us
stop talking and finish our work".
Back to Basics
1) Students who perceive that you care
about them will perform academically
better, are less likely to have
behavior problems, and are more
likely to be motivated.
2) Keep your classroom management
plan simple.
3) Build a caring, trusting relationship
with your students, by taking
interest in who they are and what
they like, & by listening to them.
4) When positive relationships are in
place it is much easier to resolve
problems & maintain a good working
relationship.
5) Stand near your classroom door to
greet students using their first
names. This way you show you are
personally welcoming students to
class: a short but meaningful
interaction that tells students that
they are a part of your class, & you
are glad to see them.
6) Initiate activities & unique
experiences in your classroom that
build traditions & routine.
7) Everything you do in the classroom tone of voice, facial expression, body
movements, and stance - sends a
message to students. When you call
a student by first name, respond with
a "please" and "thank you," or greet
students with a smile, you send a
positive message that this is a
friendly, inviting environment.
8) Cluttered rooms can cause students
to trip or become frustrated. You
need to rearrange the room or
provide students with a space for
their possessions.
9) Be proactive by arranging the tables
or desks with enough space for
students to walk easily & freely.
10) Place yourself in an area where you
can see & reach all students. You
need to be able to make eye contact
with all of students as a form of
communication, & be able to reach
all students quickly if they need help
or need to be disciplined.
11) Locate your desk outside of the
main teaching area. Effective
teachers don't teach from behind
their desk.
12) State rules positively to show
students how to behave instead of
how not to behave. Negative
statements indicates that students
are doing something wrong.
13) Keep the number of rules short.
Teachers & students won't be able to
remember more than five rules. If
no one can remember the rules, how
can they follow the rules?
14) Hold students accountable for
their behavior with consistent
consequences. If you are not
consistent, you lose your credibility &
students will try to "beat the
system".
15) Involve students in establishing
rules. Students who are involved in
making the rules are less likely to
violate them because of their
ownership.
16) Make a list of procedures before
school begins that you need to
explain, demonstrate, & practice.
Plan how & when you will introduce
each procedure. Examples of
procedures include:
 • How to enter the room
 • How to leave the class
 • How & where to get supplies
 • Where to put completed
assignments, etc.
17) Insisting students be on time for
class. If a period is forty minutes
of prime instructional time, every
minute does count. Students
arriving late cause disrupts in the
flow of the lessons.
18) Your classroom consist of actors &
actresses: A drama queen who thinks
every moment is a crisis, or the class
clown who will try to draw attention.
Don't feed personalities. Focus on
their strengths, & deal with any
disruptive behavior.
19. Designate an area where you can
confer with students about their
behavior outside of the main
instruction area. To respond to
misbehavior, take the student to this
are a to minimize disruption.
 20) "I hear & I forget"
"I see & I remember"
"I do & I understand"
Building Positive Relationship
 Greet every child at the door by




name
Have a conversation over snack
Home visits
Listen to a child's ideas & stories &
be appreciative
Send positive notes home
 Praise & encouragement
 Share information about yourself &
find something in common with the
child
 Go to an extracurricular activity with
the child
 Acknowledge a child's for
accomplishing tasks
 Tell a child how much they were
missed when they miss a day of
school
 Shake a bad mood before entering
the classroom. Snapping at the
students is not the best way to begin
your day or a class.
 Respect is mutual.
If you are
interacting with a students by name,
taking interest in what they do, &
staying calm through difficult
situations, you are demonstrating
respect.
 Learn ways to build trusting
relationships between school,
community, & families. Trust takes
time & credibility.
 Don't bad mouth students to other
teachers. Realize that you are a
professional. No matter how
frustrated you are, try to solve the
problems without demeaning a
student.
MORE TIPS FOR
SUCCESSFUL CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT
Dr. Walid Hawana
Annur Islamic School
Schenectady, New York
1) Never smile before the first quarter ends
2) Prepare your class rules ahead of time
but engage students to finalize them
3) Fairness is the key
4) Deal with disruption with as little
interruption as possible
5) Avoid confrontation in front of students
6) Say your expectations to students &
repeat them before activities
7) Over plan to cut on class free time
8) Be consistent or you will lose students’
respect
9) Write rules that are understandable, so
check for comprehension!
10) Be positive – (self-fulfilling prophecy)