7: Classroom Management, Slavin (Ch. 11)
Description:
In order to create an effective learning environment, teachers must understand the behaviors of students and how to help them make choices that will lead to the success of all students. Classroom management practices should grow out of a mutual respect between the students and the teacher. The most essential aspect of classroom management is effective instruction that engages students in meaningful, relevant activities that are well organized, developmentally appropriate, and creative (Slavin, 2018). An effective teacher knows how to address minor negative behaviors in a way that does not escalate the situation and maintains the structure of the lesson. This often involves simple nonverbal cues such as proximity or eye contact (Slavin, 2018). Praising and reinforcing the desired behaviors rather than drawing attention to negative behaviors will support a positive learning environment (Slavin, 2018). There are times when more serious behaviors must be addressed. Teachers should have a clear behavior plan that includes consequences and is explained to students at the beginning of the school year. It is best to have few classroom rules, and when applying consequences, teachers should use the smallest and simplest intervention that will work to curb behavior (Slavin, 2018). The goal is to create a space that is warm and supportive for all students.
Analysis:
Having a well prepared lesson that includes opportunities for student participation and engagement can help to decrease classroom management issues. Unstructured or wasted time invites students to cause distractions and disrupt the learning environment. It is wise to be over-prepared, having considered every possible contingency, organizing all materials beforehand, and structuring the lesson around well-established routines. A more student-centered classroom will have different classroom management expectations because students may be moving around more or be noisier. Having clearly defined rules and routines that are explained and reinforced with students early in the year can prevent discipline problems (Slavin, 2018). This type of instruction will also require active teacher monitoring and supervision.
While a well-organized and thoughtful lesson that actively involves students can facilitate good classroom management, it is less effective with (particularly older) students who may have negative feelings about school in general and have a stronger inclination to resist authority or disrupt the learning environment. Factors such as: “departmentalization, tracking, and class promotion” in addition to “patterns of learned helplessness or academic failure” can contribute to these behaviors (Slavin, 2018 p. 278). Students who approach school in this way require additional support and relationship in order to reestablish a connection to and positive feeling about the school environment.
There are many things that teachers can do to prevent severely disruptive behaviors. Having a clean, organized, and welcoming classroom is one of those. Cross, Thompson, & Erceg (2014) recognize that “creating a spirit in an entire school that is friendly, inviting, and comfortable also reduces motivations to misbehave” (cited in Slavin, 2018). Above all, working to get to know each student individually and build a trusting relationship with him/her will reduce serious behavior problems. This will also give the teacher insight into underlying factors for misbehavior and negative attitudes toward school. Another preventative measure is focusing on and praising the behaviors you want to increase. If a student’s behavior is a result of attention-seeking, this may encourage positive choices (Slavin, 2018).
When it becomes necessary for the teacher to address serious misbehavior, teachers should be very careful about how they apply reinforcers and punishers. Often, simply removing the student from the situation for a period of time (time-out) can remove the reinforcement and encouragement from peers (Slavin, 2018). This works at all grade levels. When punishment must be applied, it should follow a previously established code of conduct that has been provided to the students (and the family) at the start of the school year. It should be equitably and judiciously enforced. Empty or vague threats are detrimental to a consistent discipline plan. Teachers should be reflective about how they apply discipline in their classrooms, since it is well established that “Black students continue to be disciplined at school at disproportionate rates when compared to their peers” and “Students with disabilities also continue to be disciplined at higher rates” (Blad & Mitchell, 2018). The U.S. Department of Education (2015-16) found that discipline of Black students is more likely to lead to arrest in schools (cited in Blad & Mitchell, 2018). Teachers’ implicit bias can cause them to evaluate behavior or administer punishment unfairly.
Whenever possible, it is preferable to address behavior concerns by prevention or reinforcement of positive behaviors; however, I have concerns about Slavin’s “group contingency” approach (2018 p. 284) in which rewards based on positive behavior are applied to the class as a whole. I have seen this backfire in a couple of ways. 1) If students are determined to undermine the learning environment, they may intentionally sabotage the efforts of the class, and 2) this can lead to conflict between students when they feel that one person (or a small group) is keeping them from a reward. Slavin’s idea of aiming for a certain percentage of students exhibiting the desired behavior rather than every person may be more successful, but I still think there are more effective approaches (Slavin, 2018 p. 289). The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) approach is very common in schools today and can be effective when the strategies are adopted by the whole school community. It is less effective when individual teachers apply the principles randomly.
Ultimately, the most effective classroom management strategies will be developed through an understanding of the individual students, what experiences have shaped their school experience, and what motivates them to make successful decisions. Classroom teachers have a responsibility to build positive relationships with students and design their classroom management strategies with the students’ best interest at heart.
Reflection:
I’m going to fall back on my favorite mantra for this chapter: “It doesn’t matter how much you love your content; you can’t be a successful high school teacher if you don’t like teenagers.” I’ve faced some very challenging behaviors in my 15 years at my current school. At times I was at a loss for how to address the issues because an interesting and engaging lesson wasn’t the solution. I appreciated that Slavin (2018) recognized several contributing factors such as poverty, delinquency, truancy, and academic failure. Recognizing and acknowledging these underlying factors has been transformative in my approach to discipline. Many students will have no motivation to adhere to classroom rules and procedures until they feel that a mutual respect has been established with the teacher, and this takes time and patience. An overly authoritative approach will have the opposite effect.
No matter how much understanding and compassion you have for a child’s previous school experience or environmental trauma, learning is still the goal. So, some rules and procedures are necessary. I believe they should be few, only the things that are absolutely necessary to manage the classroom, and the teacher must be totally consistent and fair in how they are administered. High School students do not want to be treated like “little kids”. I admired Dr. Bell’s extremely organized classroom (2015). It is clear that she has structures in place with the intent to maximize instructional time. But to be honest, I found it a little overwhelming. I have found that if I try to implement too many organizational routines, I am not able to maintain any of them very well. As soon as one or two pieces of the puzzle get off track, I become stressed out, and my students become frustrated and stop even trying to comply. In addition, my students just do not operate in a quiet, organized and compliant manner. Unexpected things are happening constantly, and you have to be flexible and able to adapt quickly. I have had more success with a few simple routines that I can maintain calmly and consistently. Staying calm is very important. Heightened emotion is a trigger for students that a battle is about to ensue, and they will win at all costs. Our school has been implementing the PBIS model for several years now, and while we have seen some success, I think we could increase its impact if we followed a more widespread and consistent implementation described here: “A continuum of PBIS for all students within a school is implemented in all areas of the environment (classrooms, hallways, restrooms, and busses)” (PBIS, 2014).
Another approach to discipline that I believe has the potential to positively impact our school culture is Restorative Justice. Rather than a traditional approach to misbehavior, which simply administers a punishment, Restorative Justice “allows schools to create individualized solutions that are manageable for the offending students to fulfill, allow victims to receive closure, and repair the harm caused by the misbehavior” (Watchel, 2011 cited in Payne & Welch, 2016 p.3). Restorative Justice prioritizes the school community and seeks to restore the relationship between all parties involved. I have a lot of hope for this approach because traditional consequences are not effective “punishers” that will curb behavior (Slavin, 2018) for our students. Students who want to skip class because they feel insecure in the learning environment are not deterred by the threat of a day spent in ISS. Restorative Justice requires restitution and relationship and protects the instructional time in the classroom.
We are brand new to the implementation of Restorative Justice, and it is not simply a new form of behavior modification. It is a philosophical change that requires a “paradigm shift” at every level of the education system (Payne & Welch, 2016). These practices are not only applied to serious behavior infractions; this approach can be used for student to student disputes, and we have even held “restorative circles” to address misunderstandings among faculty members. My hope is that as students and teachers begin to appreciate their impact on each other and the school environment, our school climate and culture will also improve. In addition, this approach will address the inherent disparities in how discipline is administered in most American schools.
References
Blad, E. & Mitchell, C. (May, 2018). Black Students Bear Uneven Brunt of Discipline, Data
Show. Education Week.
Brown, J. (2015, April 8). dr bell classroom [video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME-_PU0mE8Y&feature=youtu.be
Payne, A.A. & Welch, Kelly (2016). Restorative Justice in Schools: The Influence of Race on
Restorative Discipline. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Villanova
University.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.917.6827&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: A Multi-tiered Framework that Works for
Every Student. (2014). National Education Association.
https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB41A-Positive_Behavioral_Interventions-Final.pdf
Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12th ed.). Pearson
Education.
The Restorative Justice project sounds so interesting and research[-based. Please keep us posting on this in your work to come for this course. Your blog is so detailed and well written. Thanks for a job well done!
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