Chapter+15

Some teachers prefer to use a school wide adopted classroom management plan, while others like to use their own classroom management strategies. Either way, you must examine ways to develop effective human relations skills, build a sense of classroom community, teach self-discipline and cooperation, and communicate and collaborate with parents. Students have many differences: developmental, cultural, gender and social class, so you must understand and plan for these differences. Working in a real classroom requires working with live human beings. To be an effective teacher you must learn to have good human relations skills. The golden rule to follow is to treat students as you would like to be treated. “The point of classroom should be to ensure a productive environment in which children are challenged, respected and able to grow”, remember this when a student is having a bad day, try to be more understanding of them. It’s important to have the right classroom atmosphere. If feelings of success, joy, and humor are present, there is usually a shared sense of what is important, a shared sense of caring and concern, and a shared commitment to help students learn. When teachers create a caring classroom culture, students can be taught how to behave and to treat others with respect and dignity. In addition to creating a positive classroom culture, effective classroom managers also create a sense of **classroom community**. In a genuine school community, people should feel an attachment to the community and a sense of duty to work toward the welfare of the school community as well as the community at large. Having a positive sense of community in the classroom will provide teachers and students the opportunities to express opinions listen to others with empathy, and support others in a non-threatening situation. It also helps to eliminate student cliques and other sources of conflict. You will need to decide whether you will have classroom rules for your students. You will also need to decide whether they will be posted before the students arrive on the first day of school or if you will introduce them sometime later, after school has started. The book suggests teachers need to develop their own rules for the beginning of school, at least until the students can be involved in making rules or until they learn self-discipline. Basic rules that are necessary for the welfare of all students should be posted and discussed the first day of school and, if necessary, taught during the first several days of school. You must also consider the consequences when rules are broken. Will you use rewards for when rules are followed or a check-mark system when rules are broken? Will you use a hierarchy of response or will you examine the misbehavior before identifying the consequence? These are all questions to ask yourself before the first day of school. As a teacher you will encounter infractions of classroom rules. The trick is to decide whether to ignore minor offense or to address them the moment they occur. Some teachers ignore minor offenses and emphasize positive behavior, in hopes that the minor offense will become less and less and the positive behavior will increase. However, ignoring negative behavior does not mean ignoring serious misbehaviors. When a student makes a serious misbehavior, especially one that can cause injury to another student, the teacher must address it at that moment. Teachers should also not ignore misbehavior that can become contagious or disruptive to the learning process. The hardest part is knowing when to ignore and when to promptly address. Teachers learn through practice and in knowing their class. Most teachers deal with students who demonstrate off-task behaviors, on a daily basis. Off-task behaviors are a significant problem for many educators and keeping students on-task can be time consuming and challenging. One simple idea for dealing with off-task students is a simple change of classroom setting. You could also: -Adapt lessons to learners’ interest and talents -Do more direct teaching -Provide work at the learners’ levels -Provide work at the appropriate instructional pace, so learners don’t get bored When putting your personal management plan together you should also consider personal questions, such as ones that would be relevant for the students and the grades you plan to teach. A good management plan requires review, evaluation, and modification throughout the year and throughout your career as a professional educator.
 * Chapter 15 Applying a Management Philosophy in Your Classroom **
 * Applying Your Classroom Management System: **
 * Personalizing your Classroom Management System: **
 * Developing Human Relations Skills: **
 * Building the Right Climate: **
 * Creating a Sense of Community: **
 * Selecting Classroom Rules: **
 * Emphasizing, Ignoring, and Addressing Issues: **
 * Addressing Off-Task and Disruptive Behaviors: **
 * Putting Your Management Plan Together: **