Where Are We Going, and How Do We Get There? Jonathan Nycz Hughes Elementary Marshall Public Schools

Why investigate a classroom routine? Question: How do I get all 21 fourth graders in the class to line up more quickly and quietly when transitioning from our classroom to another area? School is a socializing force, instilling new behaviors and reinforcing existing behaviors How do students learn these behaviors? Is it important to learn these behaviors? Have I identified a problem, or have I defined a set of behaviors so as to create a problem?

The students

Round 1 I recorded the length of time for students to line up (straight, facing forward, not talking) before stepping out of room Calculated the daily means and created a line graph of mean by day Data collection, analysis, and reflection/theorizing occurred in three rounds The analysis of the data, and my thinking about the analyses, provided new objectives and methods for each successive round

Round 1 I was expecting it to take a similar amount of time every time but I was surprised to see much more variation across five days

Round 2 I continued to record the length of time for students to line up What was happening (i.e. behavior, choices, actions) to explain the times? Video +calculated daily mean +noted students not meeting criteria and coded for similarities and differences of students and behavior over time I didn’t want to come up with an intervention; I needed to know more I began to realize more layers/complexity to whether we are meeting the criteria or not

Round 2

Round 3 Conversations with students: “It takes us forever.” “We end up talking a lot.” “We get too loud and we can’t follow directions.” “We get to talk to people who aren’t friends.” “Sometimes things are in the way.” Round 3 #conversations with the class re: thoughts about lining #reviewed video and then conversation again #took notes re: what they suggested and coded differences in desire to watch video #compared similarity of responses after video and responses before #compared similarity of students’ observations to my observations I see the significance of talking to students b/c they have insights and observations that I don’t have. Involving them in the conversations invests them in what we are doing.

Conclusions My perceptions of the situation were as much a part of the problem as student behavior Progress is not necessarily a linear process Even without an explicit intervention, standardization effected a change- consistency is key! Next steps: Record, review, and discuss State descriptions of our goals using more explicit language Allow time for talk about the classroom culture and routines

References Allen, J. D. (1986). Classroom Management: Students' Perspectives, Goals, and Strategies. American Educational Research Journal, 23, 437-459. Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Sawyer, B. E. (2004). Primary-Grade Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Attitudes toward Teaching, and Discipline and Teaching Practice Priorities in Relation to the "Responsive Classroom" Approach. The Elementary School Journal, 104, 321- 341. Wong, H.K., & Wong, R. T. The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher. Singapore: 2009.

Acknowledgments Mrs. Marie Dennis Dr. Kyle Shanton And especially the students!

Questions/Comments ?