Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 11/In the News
Classroom Management Practices: In the News
Author: Heather Combs
Learning Targets
⢠The reader should be able to identify what accounts for a disciplinary deficit.
⢠The reader should be able to recognize effective technology used for classroom management.
⢠The reader should understand analogies when comparing war and how to control the classroom.
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Table of Contents |
Introduction
The news constantly informs us of current events that happen instantly. Since the introduction of the world wide web and cell phones, people have instant access to news every second. We rely heavily on news presentations or articles to be accurate and reliable as possible. However, sometimes news stations or sites have bias embedded within themselves. We as readers/listeners need to recognize bias and learn how to discard of it. Overall news that is delivered is helpful, insightful, and most of the time justified. It is what most of us wake up to in the morning and how we learn of life changing events. Everyday we are related to news, either by telling it, posting it, or reading it. Fortunatly for educators we have access to other teachers postings, comments, or suggestions that enable us to become better at our profession. One of the greatest assets that we must possess is to have our classrooms in order. Today's technology allows us to manage our classroom easier while the suggestions of other educators enables us to have control. I was once told that if you don't have control over your classroom then you don't have a chance as an educator.
Disciplinary Deficit
Recently an excelling high school senior stated that classroom management needed to be improved in his school. This statement received high reguard from a retired high school teacher who was shocked at the boys opinion. He pondered the thought of why classroom management was not getting enough attention. He came up with several reasons ranging from parental disipline to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Here are some statements he made concerning his reasons, "The partnerships that used to exist between teachers and parents are fast becoming a fading memory." "Ironically, when school discipline is weakened to accommodate state and federal No Child Left Behind goals, students ultimately pay a great price for our acquiescence." (Udel, 2009). These are two powerful statements that are total opposite of each other. One concerns parents while the other concerns state/federal guidelines. He also touched on the fact that elminating consequences is a problem for classroom management as well. If their aren't any consequences then why not break the rules? Even though he sounded dishearted about the situation he still felt as though many educators are working hard to eliminate classroom disruptions and that not all classes have these problems. (Udel, 2009)
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"There are impressive accomplishments taking place in our schools and there are many devoted and creative teachers, staff and students working together to make them happen. Certainly not all classes are marred by interruptions. However, we should have the wisdom to listen to our students when they tell us that there is a problem and the courage to act in their support." Edward Udel |
War & Court
Some educators may describe their classroom management practices as stern and compare them to other classrooms but I discovered two educators who had completely different terms. The first educator explained that she conducted court sessions in her classroom. One day every other week different students, who act as lawyers,defendants, and jury members, go to court. These court sessions were designed to have students monitor their own behaviors. It mocked the "three strikes your out" policy whereas the third appearance in court lost your role. The teacher stated the following, "With roles, came the expectation of being above disruptive behavior." (Artiles, 2009) The second educator compared his class to war. His cheif belief was that you must have your students on your side. He said that if you have 28 out of 30 students under control then you will not have discipline troubles.(Genghis, 2004) He also suggested having students fill out questionares at the beginning of school so you can get to know them. He said you can use this to your advantage in many different ways. These are two very different ways of implementing classroom control, but seem to work well for the teacher.
| Teaching is a great job if you can do two things: 1) Teach the students to be kind and polite. 2) Manage the paperwork.
CANI: Constant And Never-ending Improvement (Genghis, 2004) |
Technology
Technology allows us to access more information from farther distances around the world. In most of todays classrooms you will find computers, smartboards, and other electronic devices that aid in different types of learning. Recently a community college in Oklahoma integrated Moodle(an online classroom management system, like blackboard) into the classroom. The Learning Resource Center director, Katherine Combs, stated "This system keeps students and instructors connected, so that if a student struggling with the material and the instructor is unavailable, he or she can connect with other students and/or additional resources from home." (Harper, 2009) LanSchool is a classroom management software provider that allows teachers to randomly select a student and start classes in seconds, not minutes. (Business Wire, 2009) The educator that mentioned war earlier in the article said that technology such as a camcorder, thermostat, and bull horn work effienctly to get your classroom under control. (Genghis, 2004)This jsut proves that there are many things that you can use in your classroom that would aid in management and control.
Quiz
1. Which answer indicates a reason for a disciplinary deficit?
A. Bullying
B. Consulor conversations
C. Parental discipline
D. Sexual maturity
2. Why did one educator compare his classroom management skills to war?
A. He said you need to be prepared.
B. He said you need to have students on your side.
C. He said it was a constant fight everyday.
D. He said it was a violent atmosphere.
3. Johnny has only appeared in court twice. At the last court hearing the jugde (the teacher) ruled that he was not guilty. How many more times can Johnny be found gulity before he loses his role privelges?
A. one
B. two
C. three
D. zero
4. Mrs. Combs has trouble communicating with her students and constantly complains about losing assignments when students hand them in. Which software system would aid Mrs. Combs in her deliema?
A. LanSchool
B. Moodle
C. Perfect Teach
D. Zoomba
Answer Key
1.C
2.B
3.B
4.B
References
Retrived June 7, 2009 from A to Z teacher stuff. Official site website: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/4169.shtml
Retrived June 7, 2009 from A to Z teacher stuff. Ofiicial site website: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/1712.shtml
Retrived June 3, 2009 from PRLog. Officical site website: http://www.prlog.org/10243820-community-care-college-integrates-moddle-as-classroom-management-tool
Retrived June 3, 2009 from Businesswire: Offical site website: http://money.aol.com/article/lanschool-v73-sets-the-standard-for-11/498173?icid=sphere_searchsphere_news
Udel, Edward (2009, June). Facing a Discipline Deficit. The Berkshire Eagle.
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