Managing Pupil Behavior (Without Ripping Off Faces)

BACKGROUND  2 preconceived notions for teachers concentrate primarily on student behavior: 1.Good teaching is not possible when there are discipline issues Not substantiated with evidence 2.A Well behaved classroom is an effective classroom Society places value on normative behaviors and expect teachers to model that in the classroom

INTRODUCTION  Effective teaching and behavior management are precursors to each other Bi-directional causality  Important to note that good behavior does not guarantee that learning is taking place

Behavior Management Skills 8 Behavior Management Cues 1.Avoids Engrossment 2.Waits for Attention 3.Responds to Auditory Cues 4.Avoids Over dwelling 5.Takes Prompt Corrective Action 6.Uses Active, Purposeful Circulation with selective Pauses 7.Uses Full Range Visual Scanning 8.Uses Alerting Cues

Avoids Engrossment  Engrossment  No more than 2-3 minutes on one student or small group  Engrossment allows the rest of the class to get off track  It defeats the purpose of behavior management

Waits for Attention  Attention of class  Teacher needs to wait for attention of whole class  Effective teacher waits until students are paying attention before speaking  Teachers move ahead because  Concern for moving lesson along  Students can get the rest form friends  Fosters student responsibility

Responds to Auditory Cues Can identify Innocent Sounds  Coughing, sneezing, wind, rain, etc.  Can Identify True Auditory Cues  Whispering, moving desks, tapping, dropping things.  Intentional sounds  Impact on Classroom Management  Use cues to anticipate problems before they get out of hand.  gives the teacher an extra set of eyes  Response  teacher will identify the problem and decide what course of action to take, if any.  Less effective managers do not respond appropriately to the cues.

Avoids Over dwelling this means that they will not spend too much time with correctional behaviour.  The ineffective teacher;  Keeps an erratic flow in regular class and correction.  Has students that tune them out when they begin their long-winded talking.  Does not notice students getting sidetracked, even if it is obvious.  Gets so far behind the students that they can’t recover.  Nags

Takes Prompt Corrective Action  In response to a cue the teacher could:  ignore the cue and risk escalation  look at the student in a way that stops the offending behaviour  stop and speak to the offending student  Students not looking at the teacher or disrupting the class during teacher focused activities require timely corrective action

Prompt Action (cont.)  Effective managers respond to cues and stop the offending behaviour immediately  Promptly note the student who is demonstrating the unacceptable behaviour  Avoids the picking on me syndrome  Ineffective managers  ignore or don’t respond to the offending behaviour  hope the offending behaviour will stop without action being required.

Uses Active, Purposeful Circulation with selective Pauses  Circulation is more than just walking around  It is monitoring the classroom Monitoring progress of students Monitor class situation  Anticipate problem, don’t merely react to them  Why circulate  Monitor class  Speak and motivate privately  Ensure visibility (think prison warden)  Stop misconduct before it develops (be visible)  Circulating alls for proximity and eye contact This can stop nonconformity to expected behaviour.

Circulation (cont.)  Effective managers circulate and interact with class  Ineffective managers  Don’t circulate during transitional activities  Park at a desk or window and appear idle

Uses Full Range Visual Scanning  The technique of monitoring the class.  Visual scanning can be used in at least five different types of classroom situations 1.teacher is circulation around the room 2.teacher scans faces during presentations to monitor comprehension 3.when working with a student or group teacher lifts head and scans rest of class 4.can be used if teacher has to remain seated 5.most used way to monitor the class when a visitor is in the classroom

Uses Alerting Cues  Avoid thrusting  Thrusting is when you add in extra or missed information  Instead, use alerting cues  Get their attention first, then add information once you know you are being heard The cue itself has no substantial information

Let’s See If you Can Manage This! (Without Getting Your Face Ripped Off)