Reflection Journal Entry #7

Description

            This weeks reading discussed the learning environment and the behavior that occurs in the classroom.  

Analysis

            Slavin (2015) opens the chapter by stating, “The most effective approach to classroom management is effective instruction” (p. 272).  If the students in a classroom are engaged in the lesson, behavior problems are cut tremendously.  Classroom management is closely related with how smoothly instruction will flow on a given day.  If students are misbehaving but the teacher deals with it in a non-verbal way or after the class period ends, instruction can continue and no time is lost.  However, as Slavin (2015) notes, “even a well-managed class is sure to contain individual students who will misbehave” (p. 272).  Given this truth, it is fundamental that a teacher know how to handle misbehavior in the classroom.

            Efficient use of time is important for a classroom to be successful.  If a teacher stops their class to publicly discipline a student for exhibiting bad behavior, all students are then off track, and it takes them longer to redirect their focus back to the lesson.  Additionally, starting a lesson late or ending early also digs into this time.  Some studies break down instructional time lost during the school day over a longer period of time.  While two minutes each day likely do not do much in terms of day-to-day instruction, these studies present time lost collectively, making it seem more drastic.  Still, as Slavin (2015) highlights, “Did a couple of minutes working… increase the students’ achievement?  Of course not.  But it probably did help to develop a perception that school is for learning, not for marking time” (p. 274).

Also concerning lost time, if a student is aware that their teacher does not start class exactly when the bell rings, they are not motivated to be in class on time because they know that they are not missing anything.  For this reason, planning engaging openers and closers is important; students are also less likely to try to get out of class when the lessons are engaging.  Concerning routine, if a teacher fails to establish a routine in their classroom, time can be lost having to explain steps that should have already been covered (Slavin, 2015, p. 275).

            The quality of a teacher’s classroom management could essentially make or break them, and it all starts on the first day of school.  Students need to know the expectations from the start to prevent issues on the back end.  Slavin (2015) says that more effective teachers “spend as many days as necessary carrying out their plan until students know how to line up, ask for help, and so on” (p. 278); therefore, it is important for a teacher to emphasize rules and routines until they are firmly set in the minds of students.  Establishing specific procedures in the beginning helps a classroom flow smoothly yearlong, and students also know how to be efficient with their time.  Establishing specific rules and their consequences in the beginning, too, helps students know how to stay out of trouble, following their teacher’s expectations and knowing what awaits them if they diverge.

In the case of misbehavior, Slavin (2015) states, “More-effective managers respond immediately to stop any misbehavior” (p. 278).  Naturally, discouraging misbehavior is important; not only does it tell the student committing the act that they have done something unacceptable, but other students in the classroom receive that message as well.  How to deal with misbehavior, however, varies.  Of course, in an ideal classroom, simply planning a good lesson would prevent students from getting off task and finding other (distracting) ways to entertain themselves (Slavin, 2015, p. 280).  But because teachers function in reality, not idealism, students do misbehave, and action must be taken.  One thing to keep in mind is that, “If you have not established your authority in the classroom, you are likely to spend too much time dealing with behavior problems or yelling at students to be instructionally effective” (Slavin, 2015, p. 280).  That is, for a teacher to maintain credibility and to run a classroom well, addressing misbehavior cannot come in the form of screaming at students.

  Instead, there are multiple ways to manage routine misbehavior, but it all depends on the environment that a teacher is in and the child with whom they are dealing.  For some students, a nonverbal cue can let them know that they need to stop whatever they are doing (Slavin, 2015, p. 281).  A sharp glance or a furrowing of eyebrows is all that some students need to know that their teacher is serious.  Additionally, this allows a teacher to continue their lesson but let the student know they need to make a better decision about their actions.  Other students feed off approval, so if a teacher starts complimenting their peers for doing what is right, they may quickly change what they are doing to get approval (Slavin, 2015, p. 281).  When none of these will work, verbal reminders and consequences come next.  Simply, some students need to explicitly be told not to misbehave.  While this can interrupt instruction, it eliminates any ambiguity and directly lets the student know to stop.  If it does not, then referring a student to the office may be necessary.  Sometimes, this may result in suspension; Slavin (2015) notes that “Suspension often exacerbates truancy problems, both because it makes students fall behind in their work and because it gives them experience with time out of school.  In-school suspension, detention, and other penalties are more effective” (p. 296).

Reflection

            Most of the time that I spend with my students during the first week of school is spent trying to connect with them and to form relationships that will help me manage my classroom for the rest of the time that my students are with me.  During the first week, I establish my class rules, and I inform students of the routines that I keep in place to help class function without any issues.  I also talk with my students, pulling from them their varied interests so that I know what to incorporate into class to keep things more engaging for them.  We do a little work, depending on how much they know when they come into the class, as I want everyone to start my class at the same level.  Most of the time during that first week, however, is spent getting to know my students and allowing them to get to know me.

            I also try to manage my time well; because I only have a limited number of minutes with each class every day, I need to make sure that I am making the most of the time.  Given my student population, special education students, I cannot guarantee that they will completely know how to do an assignment when they get home—or, for that matter, if their parents will know how to deal with math as it is presented in the regularly changing state standards.  Therefore, using class time wisely is key.  Because the first week is spent largely not on standards-based instruction but on other focus areas, the rest of the year has to have a strong emphasis on the material and making sure that my students know how to do what they need to do for each standard.  Many administrators emphasize the idea of bell-to-bell instruction; while this can be hard to do—especially given that students need to get comfortable in class at the beginning and pack up their belongings at the end—Slavin (2015) makes a good point with his example about simple warm-ups and closing activities.  A quick review of the day’s material might not actually help a student have an epiphany about a concept, but it reinforces the idea that, in my classroom, work will be done.

Teaching a special education small group class, I come across many of the same behavior problems each day.  Students who get frustrated with the material easily often want to misbehave to get out of some of the lesson or classwork.  Some students also misbehave to get the attention of their peers.  They feel that, if they can get other people off task as well, they have won over the classroom.  I do feel that, as a teacher, I need to work on dealing with behavior after class and not interrupting the lesson.  My current mindset is that, when I see something happening, I have to take action at that point.  Slavin (2015) even encourages this idea of immediately addressing misbehavior, but I feel that I need to be more efficient with the way that I handle situations in my classroom.  There is a fine line between interrupting the lesson and forgetting to meet with the student because of something that happened at the beginning of class.  I need to find the space in between.  Also, I do not like to give harsh punishments to my students, especially because I have connections with my students (having only around 10 every period) that some other teachers do not have.  Additionally, when a student is given a punishment that takes them out of my class, it can be especially detrimental due to their learning disabilities.  For that reason, I try to keep situations within the four walls of my classroom, but I also need to make sure that my students understand the severity of their actions if they have misbehaved.

References

Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.