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Effective
Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary
Wong
January 2005
The First
Ten Days of School
You’re almost to the hump of the school year and
you still have discipline problems in your classroom. Over 80
percent of what teachers consider to be discipline problems have nothing to do
with discipline.
The
number one problem in the classroom is not discipline;
it is the lack of procedures and routines.
A vast majority of the behavior problems
in the classroom are caused by the failure of students to follow procedures and
routines. The behavior problems
result from the lack of procedures that govern how the classroom is organized
for work. So, instead of working, the students do things they should not
be doing, but it’s not their fault. There are no procedures outlining how
things are to be done in the classroom.
To
eliminate or reduce the number of discipline problems,
it is necessary to have
an organized classroom management plan.
Two of the chatboards on teachers.net are
“classroom discipline” and “classroom management.” Many of the items posted
under classroom management have nothing to do with management; they are about
discipline problems.
To review the difference between discipline and
classroom management, please read Chapters 11 and 20 in The First Days
of School and “The Problem Is Not Discipline.” (http://teachers.net/gazette/SEP00/wong.html)
Of course, behavior problems do occur no matter how organized you have
your classroom. It’s a fact of life. However, your
effectiveness as a teacher will be based on how well you manage a classroom
with procedures and routines, not on how well you discipline your class.
Nonetheless, you will still need a discipline plan
as part of your greater classroom management plan. Considering the great
diversity of students, with differing skills, languages, cultures, and needs,
and the different personalities of teachers, your choice of a plan will be a
personal one.
Discipline plans fall along a
continuum. You may feel
comfortable with a plan where the teacher is strongly in charge or one where
the student is in charge. To see this continuum, refer to page 142 in The
First Days of School.
The Self-Manager Discipline Plan
It may suit your style to use a discipline plan
where there is a mutual sharing of responsibility for the classroom.
Jane Slovenske, who teaches fifth grade in
Arizona, uses a “self-manager plan” in which students are taught to be
responsible for managing their own behavior.
The class discusses a list of appropriate
behaviors and standards that relate to responsible behavior, appropriate
treatment of others, and prompt work completion to the best of their
ability. Once the list of behaviors is agreed upon, the students are presented
with a “self-manager application” to use as a self-evaluation of their
behaviors and standards.
When students are able to manage all of the items
on the application, they fill in the form and take it home for parental
review. When parents are in agreement with their child’s self-evaluation,
it is to be signed and returned to school.
Jane must then agree with the student’s
self-evaluation. They discuss any differences of opinion and come to an
agreement. Jane Slovenske says that this rarely happens, as most
students, with input from their parents, are honest about self-evaluating their
performance.
Students rated as “almost always” in each category
become Self-Managers and qualify to wear a badge that says, “I’m a
SELF-MANAGER.” A picture of such a student can be seen on page 167 in The
First Days of School, (3rd ed.).
Staff and students recognize and acknowledge
Self-Managers by the badges they wear.
More information on the Self-Manager Discipline
Plan can be found on page 163 in The First Days of School,
(3rd ed.).
To Manage Is to Organize
Jane Slovenske’s success as a teacher—she is a
National Board certified teacher—goes way beyond her discipline plan. Her
success can be traced to how she manages her classroom right from the first day
of school.
There is nothing that will take kids into
orbit faster than to suspect that a teacher is disorganized. Classrooms are disorganized, because some teachers do not
have a classroom management plan. The result is a chaotic classroom.
When there is no organization, a teacher will
resort to disciplining students to maintain control of the students, which is
why so many teachers write on the chatboard, wanting to know “what to do with
some kid.” You don’t do things to people; you teach people to be responsible.
Structuring a Well-Managed Classroom
A
well-managed classroom has a set of procedures and routines
that structure the classroom for learning.
Procedures and routines are used to
organize the classroom so that the myriad of activities that take place in a
classroom function smoothly and stress-free. Procedures allow a wide variety of activities to
take place during the school day, often simultaneously, with a minimum of
confusion and wasted time. If there are no procedures, much time is
wasted organizing and explaining each activity, even for recurring
activities. The lack of procedures also leads to students’ acquiring
undesirable work habits and behaviors that are subsequently hard to correct.
Students readily accept the idea of having
a uniform set of classroom procedures because it simplifies their task of
succeeding in school.
It’s All in How You Begin
Jane Slovenske’s success with her students begins
on the very first day of school. She spends the first ten days of school
teaching and reinforcing those behaviors and standards her students will need
to succeed in her classroom. In addition to the academic instruction,
these are the procedures Jane Slovenske teaches on the first ten days of
school:
Day 1
TEACH:
Removing
from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Arrangement of everything in student’s desk.
Classroom number for each student to identify personal cubby.
Organizing binders using dividers.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Procedures for attendance and lunch count.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Where to sit at lunch and five people to each side of table.
Handshake or enthusiastic high five with eye contact to greet teacher each
morning before entering the classroom.
Procedures for handing in work.
Procedures for handing out papers.
Procedures for using supplies in team crates.
Procedures for asking a question.
Fire drill procedures.
Lining up for specials and dismissal.
Signal for quiet and focus on teacher.
Procedures for water bottles and healthy snacks.
School rules.
Day
2
TEACH:
Checking
projection system for morning procedures.
Procedures for using classroom computers.
REINFORCE:
Handshake
or enthusiastic high five with eye contact to greet teacher each morning before
entering the classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Arrangement of everything in student’s desk.
Classroom number for each student to identify personal cubby and include on all
papers handed in.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Procedures for attendance and lunch count.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Procedures for handing in work.
Procedures for handing out papers.
Procedures for using supplies in team crates.
Lining up for specials and dismissal.
Signal for quiet and focus on teacher.
Day
3
TEACH:
Handing
in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Emergency procedures if teacher is hurt or ill.
How to complete classroom jobs.
Self-manager rubric.
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Procedures for attendance and lunch count procedures.
Procedures for using classroom computers.
School rules.
Day
4
TEACH:
Computer
lab procedures.
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Procedures for attendance and lunch count procedures.
Procedures for using classroom computers.
School rules.
Fire drill procedures.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Emergency procedures if teacher is hurt or ill.
How to complete classroom jobs.
Day
5
TEACH:
Procedures
in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions worksheet.
Procedures for using math Versatiles.
Procedures when assigned work is completed.
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Self-manager rubric.
Day
6
TEACH:
Procedures
for checking spelling words.
Procedures for lockdown drill.
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Self-manager rubric.
Procedures in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions
worksheet.
Procedures for using math Versatiles.
Procedures when assigned work is completed.
Day
7
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Self-manager rubric.
Procedures in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions
worksheet.
Procedures for checking spelling words.
Procedures for handing out papers.
Using supplies from team crates.
Emergency procedures if teacher is hurt or ill.
Day
8
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Five people to each side of lunch table.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Procedures in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions
worksheet.
Procedures for checking spelling words.
Procedures for lockdown drill.
Computer lab procedures.
Day
9
TEACH:
Procedures
for participating in a class meeting including giving compliments and taking
turns speaking without raising your hand.
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Procedures in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions
worksheet.
Day
10
REINFORCE:
Enthusiasm,
eye contact when greeting teacher as entering classroom.
Removing from backpacks everything needed for the day.
Checking projection system for morning procedures.
Heading on every paper handed in.
Using an agenda to record assignments.
Appropriate time to sharpen a pencil, get a drink, ask to use restroom, or go
to cubby.
Lining up alphabetically if buying lunch.
Handing in assignments, as well as notes and forms for teacher.
Procedures in completing classroom jobs according to job descriptions
worksheet.
Procedures for participating in a class meeting including giving compliments
and taking turns speaking without raising your hand.
But,
It’s January
So, why
are we sharing Jane Slovenke’s first ten days of school with you now in
January? There are three reasons:
1.
Notice Jane TAUGHT the procedures. She did not tell the
students. She demonstrated, the students practiced, and the concepts were
reviewed and REINFORCED. Too often, teachers equate
“telling” or “showing” with teaching. Just as you teach the letters of
the alphabet, how to hit a baseball, or solving binomial equations, procedures
are taught—just like any curriculum.
2.
After reading Jane’s list, you may recognize an area of your classroom
management plan you’ve neglected. Her listing is comprehensive; leaving
little if anything to chance. So should your plan be likewise. Use
Jane’s plan to fill in the gaps for your plan.
3.
You may be facing a new semester or you could be on a year-around
schedule. This is a perfect time to start fresh or tweaking what you
already have in place.
Jane’s
classroom management plan incorporates her discipline plan. Your plan for
addressing disruptions in the classroom should be part of your comprehensive
classroom management plan.
If you
don’t have a system in place, use one of the plans detailed in Chapter 19 of The
First Days of School. Modify it to suit your style and
classroom situation. You must have a plan in place so that your students
know what to expect if problems occur in the classroom.
The
Beauty of Teaching
It
doesn’t need to be January 1st to start anew. Each day is a fresh, new
day for you and your students. If your classroom is not humming like a
well oiled machine, look through Jane Slovenske’s list for insights into
repairing the problem. Ask a colleague for insights into your dilemma;
ask your administrator for assistance. Each day is filled with valuable
moments for learning opportunities. Don’t waste another day waiting for
next year when tomorrow is all you need.
As you
venture into 2005, may your learning opportunities be many and may the light of
learning sparkle in the eyes of all of your students.
Harry & Rosemary Wong products: http://harrywong.com/product/
Email Harry Wong: [email protected]
Gazette Articles by Harry & Rosemary Wong:
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through the latest posts from the Classroom Management Chatboard...
Credit
Taken from:
Teachers.net. (2005). Effective Teaching by Harry Wong http://teachers.net/wong/JAN05/