This week we are discussing how to be best prepared for a calm
and collected classroom environment. If you missed Part 1 be sure to
check it out here.
Next on the list
are two more successful methods for strong classroom management skills:
3.
Be consistent
Being consistent is by far my greatest struggle. Consistency is all encompassing in the classroom and most
difficult to implement when you are tired or the class is hectic.
Consistency is also deceiving because it can quickly irrupt into chaos in a
mere couple of days. I made a list
of areas where is it easy to slip up and be inconsistent:
- bathroom passes - I gave students
two passes per six weeks for the restroom or to go to their locker.
Instead of saying no, "I would say, do you have a pass?".
This put the ball in their court and they could decide it it was worth it.
- tardy students - Is the student
tardy when the bell rings? What if they are in the door but not in
their seat? Do they need to be completing the warm up to be on
time? Decide what works best for you, what you can reasonably manage
and provide consequences for, and then communicate that over and over and
over again.
- the last 2-3 minutes of class - As class is
wrapping up and students are beginning to pack up their belongings, what
is the expectation for their movement and talking? I would highly suggest that you communicate that you
dismiss not the bell. Now to be consistent in this is more
difficult. I found it to be extremely successful to begin by giving
them more than ample time to pack
up. Then, I would say that IF
everyone was packed up, quiet, and in their seats, ONCE the bell rang I
would dismiss them. If not, we would wait until those three
things were accomplished. After a week or two of them having plenty
of time, they will get in the routine and when a time crunch occurs, they
will be quick and ready to go.
- responding to the teacher - Will
you call on specific students? Will you say a specific phrase if you
want them to call out the answer? Will you acknowledge an answer
that is shouted out? As teachers we want to encourage class
participation and are excited that students know the answer, sometimes we
struggle to teach the practice of raising their hand.
4.
Issue a Consequence
As new teachers it is
difficult to have a consistent :) consequence. We want to offer grace, we
are busy, we can't find the detention slip, we have four other students asking
questions after class, or we are not aware of what the appropriate consequence
is.
First, I would suggest thoroughly
understanding the school policy on consequences. Some schools have a
behavior pyramid that needs to be
followed. If your school does not, I would highly suggest creating one
for your classroom. Decide how many warnings a student will receive
before there is a consequence, then communicate that to the students.
I would
also highly encourage you to contact parents as soon as you notice a pattern of
behavior. It is much better to be
proactive in parent communication than reactive. I would often say
something like, "I have noticed this is becoming a pattern and wanted to
address it with you while the consequences are still small".
Typically parents are grateful and appreciate you going out of your
way.
Whew, we will finish up this series tomorrow with Part 3...