Basic Teacher Characteristics / Actions (Kounin) Constructive Classroom Atmosphere Jae G. Orocay Feb. 24, 2010 EDFD 211 (2 nd sem )

 classroom Yes or No:  seating arrangement  principal  teacher  students

 day 1  class posts  curriculum  books  academic achievement

Classroom Management - refers to the activities that teachers perform to enhance academic learning time by making activities flow smoothly, so that students can remain actively involved without diverting time to nonproductive activities.

Summary of Research Findings: (Hardin, p.11)  Group behavior differ from individual behavior.  Effective classroom management starts with a careful planning for the school year and each school day.

 Effective classroom management prevents disruptions from occurring rather merely reacting to situations.  Effective teachers weave instructional and disciplinary strategies together.  Better managers provide instruction in classroom rules and procedures as part of the curriculum.

 Academic achievement and effective classroom management are tied together.  Effective classroom management enables the teachers to spend more time on instruction, resulting in greater academic gains for students.  Effective managers begin by identifying the goals of instruction.

Jones and Jones (1989) list five major factors or skill areas associated with effective classroom management: 1. Should be based on a solid understanding of current research and theory in classroom management and on students‘ personal and psychological needs.

2. Depends on establishing positive teacher-student and peer relationships that help meet students' basic psychological needs. 3. Involves using instructional methods that facilitate optimal learning by responding to the academic needs of individual students and the classroom group.

4. Involves using organizational and group management methods that maximize on-task student behavior. 5. Involves the ability to use a wide range of counseling and behavioral methods that involve students in examining and correcting their inappropriate behavior.

EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT BEGINS ON DAY 1 (Scarpaci, 2007) “The key to classroom management is to establish procedures on the first day, and reinforce them until they become accepted and established class routines.” procedures begin with the basics

Information the students want in Day 1 (Scarpaci, 2007):  Am I in the right classroom?  Where am I supposed to sit?

 What will I learn in this class ?  How will I be graded ?  What sort of person is the teacher?  How can I expect to be treated here?

Activities from a procedural point (Scarpaci):  Seat assignments  Introductions  Icebreaker activities  Establishment of classroom procedures

 Distribute and preview class textbook  Discuss classroom supplies available to students  Clarify expectations

Four Bs of Classroom Management (Dunton,1998)  Be organized  Be positive and brief with class rules  Be interested in your students  Be a believer

Basic Teacher Characteristics / Actions (Jacob Kounin)  educational psychologist 1970’s published books  1970’s published books “Teachers and Children” “Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms”

The Ripple Effect The "ripple effect" occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students.

Kounin’s Principles in Teachings: Teachers need to be attentive to all aspects of the classroom. Effective teachers keep students attentive and actively involved. Teachers should be able to attend to two activities at the same time. Activities should be enjoyable and challenging.

According to Kounin, a teacher can minimize misbehavior by: 1. Withitness - This is the teacher's ability to know what students are doing in the classroom at all times. It also includes nipping problems in the bud.

* Always be alert to sights and sounds in the classroom. * Arrange the seats so that students are always within eyesight. * Scan the room when working with individuals or small groups of students. When helping an individual make sure that you do not have your back to the rest of the class. * Briefly acknowledge misbehavior at first detection to let the class know that you know. So not let the misbehavior escalate before action is taken. The teacher should:

2. Overlapping - The teacher's ability to effectively handle two classroom events at the same time. When instructing one group, the teacher should be able to acknowledge difficulties that students outside of the group may be having so that instruction continues moving.

3. Smoothness - The teacher's ability to smoothly transition between learning activities. Teachers should: * Preplan the lesson. * Supplies for the class should always be pre-organized. * Once students are doing their work and engaged, do not distract them.

4. Momentum - The teacher's ability to have steady movement or pacing throughout a lesson. If a class has momentum, the teacher will: * Keep the lesson moving briskly. * Not over dwell on a minor or already understood concept. * Correct students without nagging and quickly return to the lesson. * Have students move from one activity to the next without being forced to wait for each other and each step in the transition.

5. Group Alerting - The teacher's ability to keep all students actively participating and to create suspense or interest.

Group alerting includes: * Calling on students at random by asking a question only after scanning the room to make sure students are paying attention. * Raising group interest by interspersing suspense between questions. * Having the entire class respond in unison. * Physically moving around the room and asking students to show what they have done. * Asking one student to respond and looking at others.

Great teachers have little external history to record. Their lives go over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams. They will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power; part of the necessary fabric men breathe. - The Emperor’s Club (2002 movie)