Week+2

 Classroom Management M arch 9, 2009 **
 * __ Week Two: __

Amber is PURPLE
Nicole is PINK **
 * Luke is BLUE


  =STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT =

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Today's lecture covered several major ideas; classroom rights, kinds of responsibility(personal and communal), four types of students (viewed from a classroom management perspective) and kinds of power (that could be exercised by a teacher to manage a child/children/a class). ======

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The lecture was summed up for me by a statement which Ray Lewis made mid way through the lecture: 'The challenge is to make people responsible rather than obedient' (09-03-09). In my view, this is the ideal that teachers ought to carry with them into their classrooms. Classroom management through the encouragement of taking on responsibility for ones actions rather than classroom disicpline for things that go wrong seems to me a more positive and pre-emptive approach. Taking on responsibility implies caring. Being responsible for 'myself' and 'my' actions equals taking pride in and care for what 'I' do. But we want it to go further than that in a classroom. We also want the children to care about the group, and importantly, each individual within the groups' right to achieve their full classroom rights: the ability to learn and to be safe. We must teach the children that responsibility extends beyond what is good for the self and must extend to include others. ======

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I think that these ideas are key to being able to achieve good classroom management skills for we don't only want children to do the right thing (be obedient), but we want them to __care__ about doing the right things. We want them to have some investment into the class culture and atmsophere to encourage them to engage positively with school life and their learning enviroment, something which I believe is achievable through the teaching and building of the values of responsibility. ======

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Building a culture of responsibilty and a classroom in which peoples classroom rights are protected will require work - team work, trust building exercises, circle time class discussions for example - but the benefits will be well worth the effort. Children will feel valued and the teacher will have a stronger base for referential power, which, according to French and Raven (to be referenced) is one of the powers that a teacher has which has a greater potential to influence student behaviour. Having good teacher-student relationships can be used to motivate those children who need a higher level of management within school/class. Developing a communal sense of resonsibility may also mean that a child's peers will have a greater possibility of motivating them too, should they sometimes need it. ======


<span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 70%; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Wow, that was a lot to think about Mathew! I too noted down the statement Ray Lewis made about making the student responsible, not obediant. However, it's all very well and good to say this, and it's exactly what is needed, but how as teachers, do we do that? I'm finding we keep being told things we want the child to do, or ways we want them to behave and to respect us, but apart from modelling the right behaviour ourselves, I don't know how to shape children this way!!! It's really worrying. He can I have a class and teach them to be responsible rather than obedient. It's stressing me out. <span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; color: rgb(0,128,0); font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> One of the surprising things that Ray Lewis said was that a type 'D' child (one who cannot be managed in the classroom no matter how hard you try!) should not be given punishments. What do you think of this? I'll tackle this more later...

<span style="display: block; font-size: 80%; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">We discussed this a little in the tute today... And I can see where he is coming from. My undergrad was a Psych degree, and I'm sure Luke can back me up on this, but we were always told that punishment gets you no where. Only through positive reinforcement will you actually be able to change a behaviour. From that, I guess that punishing a child, is just giving them what they are striving for: attention. So theoretically, by ignoring their bad behaviour (so stopping the attention they are getting and want), but rewarding them for good behaviour, you should see a decrease in the bad, and an increase in the good. But then, how do you justify to the kids why you aren't telling "Justin" off for his bad behaviour, when the others get told off for the same thing?? And what can you do for the really good students who do the right behaviour, but don't get rewarded for it like Justin does? You just can't do these things... <span style="display: block; font-size: 70%; color: rgb(255,0,53); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(255,0,53); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> From what Amber has said I can understand the concept that positive reinforcement would bring to the classroom but at the same time I also question not punishing a student as fair. One of the questions we came up with in our tutorial presentation was regarding "JUSTICE". How do you create justice if you don't punish everyone for the same misbehaviour?! Having not taught in a classroom before I also question whether not punishing a student would actually work because I would imagine by not telling them off and repremanding the misbehaviour they would be a massive distraction to the other children in the classroom. So can you justify letting them distract other students and possibly cause a safety issue?! Is there a better way? I think that if we can instill a sense of responsibility in our students surely that is a giant leap into controlling a classroom. As Matt said "we want them to CARE about doing the right thing." If the classroom rules and punishment is set up as a group - teachers and students as one - do you think this will aide in encouraging responsibility of their actions and the actions of their peers?

<span style="display: block; font-size: 131.04%; color: rgb(0,128,0); font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Children have a very keen sense of natural 'justice'. If someone does something that does not fit with the class charter then it is only fair that they are punished for it! However, something that I have learned is that you can't apply the same rules to all children; there must be a limit to this though and this should centre around people being safe. If the children are safe and their learning is not being hindered, then it is Ok to let some behaviour pass. Interestingly, if you discuss differences with the children in a positive way then they can understand and appreciate the need to be dealt with as individuals... 'Child D' is a difficult case - they often require a lot of management within the classroom and often require intervention from outside of class or even school (e.g. such as the educational pyschologist or a social worker). I agree that 'child D' needs something other than punishment most of the time, but oftentimes it is hard to know what to do that is right, and will move the child on. This child will push your boundaries and may even get under your skin, but it is important to remain constant and positive with them. I think that organising a 'chill out' space within the classroom can be helpful - a space where the child can go to reflect on their behaviour whilst giving the teacher time to centre themselves before dealing with whatever behaviour had caused the child to enter the 'chill out' space in the first place. Also important is making sure that systems are set up within the school should something go wrong and the child need to be removed from the classroom. At the end of the day there are two things which I think remain true for me about classroom management that can be applied to all children. Firstly, you must celebrate positive behaviour in order to encourage it and see it flourish wihtin the classroom. Secondly, should someone behave poorly, you need to seperate the child from their actions. What they did may have been bad, but the child is still the child and still learning. What they did might be bad, but them does not make them so. -Mathew =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);">Again I am so impressed with the discussion so far. = =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);">Firstly Mathew, teaching our students to be responsible I believe is one of the most important ideas I have picked up on so far this week. I believe that if you can create an environment where the student is responsible for their actions this will have an effect on the other students. I believe a responsible student will inevitabley demand respect from the teacher. This will then demand respect from the other students. Another one of the major ideas I have found to be needed in a classroom is respect. We want the student to respect his/her teachers and classmates. Respect I think can be found through showing high levels of responsiblity. Responsibility for themselves but also their peers learning and behaviour. = =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);">Amber. I totally agree with the idea the punishment does not help in changing ones behaviour. Positive Reinforcement is the ideal way to do this. Though we are raised with the same questions as before. Where is the sense of 'justice' in this. Some students positive reinforcement is not through the teachers giving them something special its through the attention they get from the other students from acting out. = =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);">How do we combat this? How do you think we can work with the students who love the attention they get for being the 'class clown'? I know this is the case with some students. They do not get the right attention at home so they look for it anyway possible, which could be acting out at school. = =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);">Could we try and deter them from misbehaving by not giving them any attention and when they do behave and actively participate give them some extra attention? It all comes back to justice though... Matt made a very valid point that kids are very aware and especially aware when it comes to justice in the classroom. = =<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0,0,255);"> = <span style="color: #8300ff; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;">I forgot about the response they get from other children when misbehaving can act a positive reinforcer... That's tricky.... how do we combat that? <span style="font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 130%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But can you afford to not give them attention if they are constantly harrassing another student?! Wouldn't it just be so much easier if kids came to school with respect already instilled in them!! I do like the idea of positive reinforcement though, so maybe it could be done privately between the student and the teacher. I can't remember who mentioned it (may have been in one of the lectures) but there was the suggestion of an individual scorecard of sorts that when students had earned a certain amount of good behaviour points they were entitled to a reward. I think this way you can use positive reinforcement and still have a sense of justice in the classroom. <span style="font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">

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====<span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; color: rgb(0,128,0); font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255,160,0); text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(255,160,0); text-align: center;">WHY WOULD TEACHERS CHOOSE TO USE FORMS OF POWER THEY KNOW DON'T WORK PRODUCTIVELY? ==== ====<span style="display: block; font-size: 130%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(255,160,0); text-align: center;">WHY WOULD TEACHERS NOT USE FORMS OF POWER THEY KNOW WILL WORK? ====

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<span style="display: block; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: rgb(0,128,0); font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">These questions are questions which came out of Ray Lewis' study and are things that he is going to try an investigate further through his reseach. We could only make instinctual guesses at reasons for these two findings. Are these questions then important for us to discuss? What do you think? <span style="display: block; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> I guess the only reason teachers would use a form of power that know won't work is because it's natural, and in the moment, it might be the only way they can think of to deal with the situation. It might be very hard to keep your cool and try and make the child see that 'you like __them__, just not the behaviour they are showing', when they have been hitting and kicking a poor little kid. It would take a lot of patience, and I can guess that sometimes a teachers patience might run thin..... <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">** Amber you raise a point which makes me a little nervous. It is so important we show the child we like them, even when they are behaving terribly. I think this is where you can draw the line between a good teacher and not so good teacher. I remember on so many occasions when I would misbehave and just get my head chewed off by my teacher, get sent to the principal, then get it chewed off more. I inevitabley resented my teacher and would misbehave more. This did not work. Again I go back to my male teacher of year 5. I remember once I wrote a swear word on the computer in computer training. He caught me and punished me for writing the word. After the class he had a chat to me and we had a laugh. He asked me about my plans for the weekend etc. I still remember feeling so guilty for letting my 'friend' down. It is only now I realise when we discuss this how important it is to ensure the student knows its not them, it is their behaviour we are punishing. After this instance I don't think I wanted to ever misbehave again because I liked this teacher so much. ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">It sounds like that teacher created a great relationship with you Luke. Perhaps that is the key to a successfull working classroom, a realtionship with your students. If they feel bad that they have done something wrong that is fantastic because it means they have learnt the difference between right and wrong. <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">It would be great if they could also identify that they were failing themselves if they used the wrong type of behaviours too. <span style="display: block; font-size: 80%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">

=<span style="background-color: rgb(255,160,0);"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 156%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(255,160,0); text-align: center;">FURTHER READING =

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(255,0,53); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the article about Dreikur's theory (Reference later) the number one key point is to fight our first impulses to punish. This relates to what we were saying about not punishing a D student. The article talks about having the approach of encouraging the student and making them aware of mistaken goals they may have. Dreikur's theory also mentions that talking to the student about their behaviour should be conducted privately. On one hand I can see why it would be suggested to fight your first impulse as you could act rashly and not take in the whole situation and all the components that make up the situation may not be properly evaluated. On the other hand, sometimes a reaction needs to be immediate to ensure the safety and justice of a classroom. Dreikur's theory emphasises the need for us as teachers to express a liking for even the worst student. It stems from the idea in the lecture that the student has been labeled 'trouble' and so can not see any other way than to behave in a troubling manner. If we can somehow reverse this and make the student understand that the trouble is their behaviour and not them as a person, then perhaps the toubling behaviour can be stamped out. <span style="color: rgb(255,0,53);"> <span style="color: rgb(0,128,0);">**'Essential Motivation in the Classroom'** //Ian Gilbert// 2002 RouteledgeFalmer This book is a guide for teachers who want to know how to motivate children and how children can learn to motivate themselves. Gilbert reviews theories of teaching, learning and thinking and identifies 'seven keys' of motivation. This book offers useful, practical advice for changing or __establishing the culture of your classroom__, improving the effectiveness of the teaching that takes place.

<span style="color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I really liked the article about Dreikurs theory, and got a lot out of it. It went through what was spoken about in the lecture; to ensure you let the child know you like them, and a suitable discussion you could have with a misbehaving child. Telling them you know why they are misbehaving and that there's nothing they could do that would make you not like them, however, I think that challenging a child to that could be asking for trouble.... <span style="font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I think it could be asking for trouble too, but the point is as teachers we are tougher and will not break their stance on liking them. I think that they would get tired before we gave up on them and that makes a world of difference for the student. <span style="color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">

==<span style="background-color: rgb(255,160,0);"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 156%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(255,160,0); text-align: center;">FURTHER LINKS/OTHER RESOURCES == =<span style="display: block; font-size: 156%; color: rgb(0,128,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;"> =

[|K-3 Teacher Resources]<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(255,0,53); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Now I know the following link is from American curriculum but I still thought it was helpfull for ideas about classroom discipline. It is actually a forum where teachers can post classroom discipline techniques and there are some interesting ideas up. I particularly like the idea of sending a postcard to the students of a class at the beginning of the year to introduce the teacher and how much you are looking forward to meeting each student. It seems to build a relationship and respect without even meeting the students.

<span style="font-size: 80%; color: rgb(131,0,255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Yes, my little cousin got a letter from her teacher when she was starting prep, and she was just so excited. I think it's a fantastic idea and could work for the older kids too. I plan to use it when I'm a teacher.

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: #ff0035; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I'll be implementing something like this too, providing the school I am employed at allows it. It just makes them so excited about school rather than the anxiety a lot of students (and parents) experience.

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