Planned Activities for Building Relationships Table 8.1 Planned Activities for Building Relationships Activity Description Eating lunch with students Particularly at the elementary level, teachers can schedule times to visit informally with individual students over lunch. Arranging interviews Students interview teachers to learn more about them as individuals. Sending letters and notes to students Letters of introduction and positive notes to individual students help build relationships. Using a suggestion box Teachers can show their interest in student ideas by having a suggestion box where students can anonymously share their thoughts. Participating in school and community events Events such as carnivals, musical and dramatic productions, sporting events, and debates are opportunities for teachers to relate to students outside the classroom. Getting involved in playground time At the elementary level, teachers can spend some enjoyable time with students on the playground. Sending birthday cards Knowing student birthdays and sending a card is a good way to build relationships. Source: Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating Communities of Support and Solving Problems, by V. Jones and L. Jones, 2001. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Technology to Communicate with Parents Table 8.2 Using Technology to Communicate with Parents Communication Tool Description Electronic mail For the growing number of parents who have computers and Internet access, sending a quick e-mail message is a very convenient and easy way to communicate with parents. Video/audiotapes Many parents can’t come visit the classroom as often as they would like, but would still like to see/hear what is going on there. Making a video/audio tape of classroom activities that can be then checked out by parents can help keep them involved. Websites Many schools and some teachers now have their own websites that parents can use to access a great deal of information about school/classroom activities. Technology options have made this a relatively easy option for schools and teachers to consider using. Homework hotline Hardware and software are now available that allow individual teachers to record a daily message for parents and students regarding homework for the next day. Parents can call the school and find out what assignments are due and details regarding their completion. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Instructional Strategies Influencing Student Achievement Table 8.3 Instructional Strategies Influencing Student Achievement Category Description Identifying similarities and differences Effective teachers help students identify similarities and differences. Researchers have found these mental operations to be basic to human thought. Summarizing and note taking Effective teachers explicitly teach students how to summarize the information being learned and strategies for effective note taking. Reinforcing effort Good teachers help students understand the importance of effort and guide them in seeing its impact on the individual performance. Homework and practice The assignment of an appropriate amount of homework (increasing with age) and opportunities to practice new and developing skills are necessary for effective learning. (continued) Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Instructional Strategies Influencing Student Achievement (continued) Table 8.3 Instructional Strategies Influencing Student Achievement (continued) Category Description Nonlinguistic representations Good teachers help students generate mental pictures and provide graphic representations of the information being learned. Goal setting and providing feedback Effective teachers establish a direction for learning and give students feedback about how well they are doing. Generating and testing hypotheses Good teachers help students apply knowledge by guiding them in generating and testing hypotheses. Activating prior knowledge Teachers need to help students remember and use what they already know through the use of cues or hints, effective questioning strategies, and advanced organizers. Source: Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, by R. Marzano, D. Pickering, and J. Pollack, 2001, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rubric for Fourth-Grade Science Experiment Figure 8.1 Rubric for Fourth-Grade Science Experiment 4 3 2 1 Content Is there a clear description of the science content learned? Process Was the scientific process followed as described in class? Written Description Is the report easy to read? Does it have clear sentences, good spelling, and appropriate grammar? Points Earned Key: 4 = excellent; 3 = good; 2 = needs improvement; 1 = unacceptable; 0 = no judgment possible. Comments: Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Table 8.4 Models of Instruction Model Description Example(s) Behavioral systems model Students learn as they modify behavior in response to environmental feedback. Direct instruction Mastery learning Personal model Each individual must take responsibility for his or her own learning while striving to reach full potential. Nondirective teaching Information processing model Students make sense of their world as they are assisted in organizing the information around them. Constructivist education Social model Students learn as they interact with peers and teachers in learning communities. Cooperative learning Source: Models of Teaching, 6th ed., by B. Joyce and M. Weil, Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Components of Effective Management and Discipline Table 8.5 Components of Effective Management and Discipline Component Description Understanding current research and theory Research and theory have grown extensively over the last several decades and are useful for understanding and responding to both positive and negative student behaviors. Recognizing and responding to students’ personal and psychological needs Teachers who are aware of unmet student needs can provide understanding, assistance, and/or resources that in turn help eliminate problem behaviors. Developing strong teacher-student and peer relationships When teachers work to create classrooms that are “caring communities,” learning is enhanced and problem behaviors diminish. (continued) Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Components of Effective Management and Discipline (continued) Table 8.5 Components of Effective Management and Discipline (continued) Component Description Implementing effective instructional strategies When students are engaged in quality educational experiences, they are less likely to misbehave. Using proven classroom organization and management skills The physical organization of the classroom indirectly tells students a great deal about teacher expectations. When combined with effective management of classroom routines, student misbehavior declines. Dealing effectively with inappropriate student behavior Because of the characteristics of individual students and each unique situation, teachers need a variety of strategies to deal with misbehaving students. Source: Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating Communities of Support and Solving Problems, by V. Jones and L. Jones, 2001. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing Classroom Rules T-84 Table 8.6 Developing Classroom Rules Guideline Description Keep the list short. Four to six rules are all that are necessary. Too many rules make the list difficult to remember and create unwanted feeling of rigidity. Makes rules broad in focus. Rules should identify broad categories of behavior that you expect in the classroom, rather than specific ones. Listing all your behavioral expectations is both difficult and unnecessary. State rules positively. Rather than saying, “don’t hurt others,” it is more appropriate to state your rules more positively: “Treat each other with respect.” Positive rules tell students what to do, rather than what not to do. (continued) Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing Classroom Rules (continued) Table 8.6 Developing Classroom Rules (continued) Guideline Description Identify rules the first day of class. Rather than waiting for problems to present themselves, expectations should be clarified the first day of school. Develop rules consistent with your school/district. Make sure that the rules are in agreement with written policies of the school and district in which you teach. Create rules that apply to you as well. Classroom rules are meant primarily for students but should also apply to you as the teacher. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Management Strategies Table 8.7 Management Strategies Type Strategy Description Preventing misbehavior Withitness Overlapping Dealing with small misbehaviors before they escalate into bigger ones by recognizing and dealing quickly with them Addressing two or more events at the same time rather than dropping one and focusing entirely on the other Managing movement Momentum Smoothness Speeding up and slowing down the rate of instruction to maintain the right pace for learning Staying focused rather than wandering through instruction, which can confuse and frustrate many students Maintaining group focus Group alerting Encouraging accountability High participation formats Making sure that students in the group are paying attention to, and are ready to engage in, the discussion and interactions Letting students know that their participation will be noticed and evaluated in some manner Finding ways to keep students actively involved even when they are not responding directly to a teacher’s questions Source: Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms, by J. Kounin, 1970, New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Discipline Options Table 8.8 Option Key Elements Glasser’s problem-solving approach Teacher-guided problem-solving approach Teacher effectiveness training I-message “No lose” method of problem solving Dreikurs’ approach Importance of social acceptance Natural consequences Logical consequences Behavior modification Positive reinforcement Punishment Ignoring Henniger The Teaching Experience: An Introduction to Reflective Practice Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.