Skip to main content

Post 7 - Effective Classroom Management


Description

The effective classroom is one in which the students are working on “well-structured activities that engage their interests, who are highly motivated to learn, and who are working on tasks that are challenging yet within their capabilities rarely pose any serious management problems” (Slavin, 2014, pp.272).

Analysis

Effective classroom management is one of the key components in an effective classroom (Slavin, 2014, pp.272).  Teachers who exemplify good classroom management use class time well, create an atmosphere that is engaging and promotes and allows students to explore their curiosity.  Good management focuses more on establishing routines and praising on-task behavior rather than punishing undesired actions.  Punishment can lead to resentment and missed classroom opportunities, which in turn might promote more negative behavior (Slavin, 2014, pp.282).  Effective teachers also maximize their “engaged time,” the time spent productively working.  Ineffective teachers waste class time by not having routines or clear instructions.  Their students are lost and lose interest quickly.
Students are with a teacher for a given amount of time, known as “allotted time.”  Teachers who value this limited resource do well to form their lessons with the maximum level of efficiency.  Efficient teachers utilize any available time.  Slavin (2014) gave the example of a third grade teacher who used an unfortunate instance of the library being locked to review math problems with her students, rather than simply allowing them to wait quietly (pp.274).  Parkview, along with other schools, emphasizes the “Bell-to-Bell” strategy of trying to transform every moment of allotted time into engaged time, because time wasting can escalate quickly if uncontrolled.

Response

Having clear classroom policy, that are intentionally taught and consistently referenced, establishes a routine that students can feel comfortable with.  When students understand the expectations inside the classroom, they can focus more on the tasks at hand, rather than what to do next.  Writing the daily schedule on the board and having procedures for sharping pencils can eliminate time waste by empowering students to solve their own dilemmas, rather than waiting on the teacher to answer their questions. 
I want to create a classroom where students are the masters of their learning fates.  By forming a space where they know what they will experience when they walk through my door, I am easing their minds of anxiety and increasing their potential for engagement.  Classroom rules will be clearly written and discussed, starting activities will be on the board every day, and student-centered lessons will keep them engaged and eliminate most disciplinary problems.


References

Slavin, R.E. (2015). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. (11th ed.). Boston, MA. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 6 - Differentiation in the Classroom

Description Students with different ability levels are better served working alongside their peers, rather than in separate classes.   Peer tutoring and cooperative learning has been shown to benefit both the higher and lower ability students. Analysis Slavin (2015) notes that there are four major components of an effective lesson: quality instruction, appropriate level of instruction, high incentives, and quality use of time (pp.216).   No matter the ability level, if the balance between these four components is skewed then the lesson will be less than optimally effective.     Students are diverse in their personalities, interests and their academic abilities.   There are multiple ways of addressing the issue of mixed abilities inside a school.   Course tracking, between-class ability grouping, and within-class ability grouping are all used in some form or fashion in modern schools.   “Untracking” has also become popular.   When unt...
Post a Comment
Read more

Post 4 - Direct Instruction in the Classroom

Description Direct Instruction is a blueprint for an effective lesson plan.  It focuses on clearly stating learning expectations, reviewing prior skills, teaching new material, and finally, reinforcing the newly introduced information. Analysis Slavin (2015) states that lesson that use Direct Instruction (DI), “transmit information directly to students, structuring class time to reach a clearly defined set of objectives” (pp.162).  The lesson has seven basic parts: 1.       Orienting students towards the upcoming lesson and clearly stating learning objectives 2.       Reviewing prior skills and knowledge needed that day 3.       Introducing the new information 4.       Ask searching questions to test the level of understanding 5.       Have the students do independent work to test their acquisition of knowledge 6.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more