1. Effective Classroom Management: Rules and Procedures
Mark Benthall
2007

2. The most important factor that affects student learning is classroom management.
How you manage the classroom is the primary determinant of how well your students will learn.
In a study that reviewed 11,000 pieces of research that spanned 50 years, three researchers determined that there are 28 factors that influence student learning and they ranked them in order of importance…

3. The first day of school is the most important day of the school year.
Effective classroom management practices must begin as soon as your kids walk through the door on the first day of school.
At the beginning of the school year there is usually a honeymoon period. Kids are smart… they know if they cut up too soon the teacher will get strict right away. They like to lure you into a sense of false security and gradually start boundary testing. If your rules and procedures aren’t in place you find your control of the class slipping away little by little until it’s too late!

4. The three main characteristics of master teachers:
#1- They have good classroom management skills
#2- They teach for lesson mastery
#3- They practice positive expectations
The study ranked classroom management skills #1. Without good classroom management skills, you won’t be able to teach them anything.

5. What is classroom management?
Classroom management refers to all of the things a teacher does to organize students, space, time, and materials so that lessons can happen and learning can take place.
Note that it’s not just managing kids… it’s managing yourself also! If you get your kids all ready to learn and you can’t find your materials. While you’re going from place to place in the room looking for them, the kids will naturally start to talk and possibly cut up. You loose your momentum and then it’s hard to get them ready to learn again.

6. You MANAGE a classroom, you don’t discipline a classroom.
Managing a class is a much bigger concept than disciplining a class.
Part of managing a class is to teach the students how to discipline themselves.
Self-discipline is ONE of the many things you will teach the kids all year long.
Remember the goal of not great classroom management, but great teaching is to teach kids how to discipline themselves. Then you have prepared them to be productive members of society.

7. The Characteristics of a Well-Managed Classroom
The students are deeply involved with their work
Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful
There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or disruption
The climate of the classroom is work-oriented, but relaxed and pleasant
I’ve known teachers who were really into classroom management. It’s hard to fully achieve those 4 characteristics. Guess where most teachers who have a reputation for being a great classroom manager fall short? The very last one… it’s hard to have great classroom management AND a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Tell about Deb.

8. A well-managed classroom is a task-oriented and predictable environment.
Students know what is expected of them and how to succeed.
The teacher AND the students know what to do and what is supposed to happen in the classroom.
When the kids walk in the door you need an activity for them. Something fast to get their brains (and not their mouths) going. There are TONS of books out there on 5 minute activities. If kids walk in the door and wait for you to start them on something then that is wasted time… plus when you get that parent in the door or that fellow teacher to ask you a question, the kids are in the room with no direction and that’s when you get 99% of your behavior problems.

9. The Effective Teacher Works on having a well-managed classroom
Trains students to know what they need to do
Has students working on tasks right away
Has a classroom with little confusion or wasted time.

10. A successful teacher is ready!
The work is ready.
The assignments, materials, board work, etc. are ready when the bell rings.
The room is ready.
The desks are straight, room is clean, and things look organized.
The teacher is ready.
The teacher is excited about teaching and has positive expectations that everyone will succeed.
Have your classroom ready every single day… especially the first days of school.
Readiness is a primary determinate of teacher effectiveness… and in all other fields, too. If you work for an advertising company and on the day you’re supposed to make a presentation for a big client, you’re not ready… you’ll probably get fired.

11. Have your room ready.
Your room needs to look like you are ready to work.
Have your desks arranged so that all kids can see the boards. Never have a kid sitting with his back to you when you are teaching.
Have one or two EXTRA desks so you can move kids who need to be separated.
See your custodians for the extra desks. Get to know them… they will be a big help to you all year long. You don’t want to be in the middle of a lesson and have to stop teaching to switch desks. You want to quickly say, “Joe, please sit in the empty desk for the remainder of the class. Later you and Joe can decide if the move needs to be permanent. Sometimes a desk that is directly next to the teacher’s desk is a good idea.

12. Have your walls ready. Have a place to show student work.
Have routines posted.
Have your rules posted.
Have schedule of class periods.
Have a designated area where you can post assignments, rubrics and examples.

13. Have yourself ready: Win the parents over before misbehavior begins.
Make a phone call to each parent telling them how pleased you are that their child is in your class.
Have a letter to send home on the first day of school that further introduces yourself and tell the class and the parents some of the exciting things you will be doing this year.
What? You don’t know what exciting things you’ll be doing? THEN FIND SOME THINGS AHEAD OF TIME!!! Some things your grade level may be doing together. Find out ahead of time. Other things you need to think up. Find a way to do some extra exciting things during the school year and advertise it before school begins.
Trick or treat. Paper airplane contest. Egg drop. Class newspaper. Writing songs. Starting a business.

14. Be ready to greet the kids.
How you introduce yourself that first day goes a long way toward how much respect and success you will have all year long.
Stand at the door and welcome each kid.
Have a smile on your face and act genuinely happy to meet them.
It’s nice to have a big welcome sign above the door.

15. How To Make Your First Request Effective
Smile!
Welcome each student at the door, making sure they belong in your class.
Tell the students as they walk through the door whether the seating is assigned or open.
Follow this with, “When you sit down you will find an activity on your desk. I think you will enjoy doing it. Please begin working on it right away.”

16. Your first request will be ineffective…
if you do not welcome the students.
if you reassign seats after everyone has taken a seat.
if you grumble or complain about anything!
if you have not given the kids an assignment and they just sit there while you register the class.

17. The 3 most important student behaviors that must be taught the first days of school are these:
Procedures
Routines
Rules
Discipline
During the first two weeks of school, it’s more important to teach rules, procedures, and routines than it is to teach lessons. A lot of new teachers are anxious to teach lessons and jump right in before the rules, procedures, and routines are in place. Consequently, when disruptive behavior occurs, they discipline… often without a plan. If you do not have a plan, you are planning to fail!

18. A procedure is a method or process for how things are to be done in the classroom.

19. Do not confuse procedures with discipline
Do not confuse procedures with discipline. There are two major differences:
1- Discipline: Concerns how children behave.
Procedures: Concern how things are done.
2- Discipline: Has penalties and rewards.
Procedures: Have NO penalties and rewards.
A student is generally not penalized for not following a procedure nor is he rewarded if a procedure is followed.

20. The Problem is Not Discipline
The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline, it’s the lack of procedures and routines.
Your attention to procedures and routines will determine whether you have a classroom that is chaotic or one that is smooth running.

21. The main reasons students do not follow procedures:
1- The teacher has not thought out what happens in the classroom.
2- The students have not been trained to follow the procedures.
3- The teacher doesn’t spend enough time managing the classroom.

22. Why Procedure are Important
Students must know from the very beginning how they are expected to behave and work in the classroom.
Discipline dictates how they are to behave.
Procedure and routines dictate how they are to work.
1st grade whole brain learning
8th grade whole brain learning

23. Why Procedures are Important
Since a procedure is how you want something done, it is the responsibility of the teacher to have procedures clearly stated.
A routine is what the student does automatically without prompting or supervision.
A routine becomes a habit, practice, or custom for the student.

24. Why Procedure are Important
Classroom procedures are statements of student expectations necessary to participate successfully in classroom activities, to learn, and to function effectively in the school environment.
Classroom procedure allow many activities to take place efficiently during the school day, often several at the same time.

25. Why Procedure are Important
Classroom procedures allow activities to take place with a minimum of wasted time and confusion.
Classroom procedures increase on-task time and greatly reduce classroom disruptions.
They tell a student how things operate in the classroom, thus reducing discipline problems.

26. Students Accept and Want Procedures
Effective teachers manage with procedures. Every time the teacher wants something done there must be a procedure or a set of procedures.
You will need procedures for taking roll, checking papers, what to do with finished work, moving from task to task, quieting the class, cleaning up etc

27. Three-Step Approach to Teaching Procedures
Explain- State, explain, model and demonstrate the procedure.
Rehearse- Rehearse and practice the procedure with teacher supervision.
Reinforce- Re-teach, rehearse, practice, and reinforce the procedure until it becomes a habit or routine.

28. Procedure for Quickly Getting the Class Quiet: Give Me Five
Procedure for Quickly Getting the Class Quiet: If You Hear my Voice clap
Procedure for Quickly Getting the Class Quiet: Give Me Five
Procedure for Quickly Getting the Class Quiet: Oh class, Oh yes
Procedure for Non-interruption of quiet time
Eyes on the speaker
2. Quiet
3. Be still
4. Hands free (put things down)
5. Listen

29. You need rules. Rules are expectations of student behavior.
Try and state them POSITIVELY.
Rules immediately create a work-oriented atmosphere.
Rules create a strong expectation about the things that are important to you.
Don’t have, “ Do not talk while I’m talking.” That is stating the rule in a negative way. Instead have, “Listen quietly when the teacher is talking.” Don’t have, “Don’t call out.” Instead have, “Raise you hand and wait to be called on.” “Come to class on time and have all your materials and assignments ready,” instead of “Don’t be late to class and don’t forget your materials and assignments.”
Sometimes you may have to state the rule negatively if that’s the best way, but try for positive statements if you can.”
“No gum, candy, or food in class” beats “Have nothing in your mouth during class.” That eliminates the future stand up comedians… “Joe, do you have gum in your mouth?” “Uh, no Mrs. Smith. I have it in my ear. Nothing in the rules about gum in the ear.”
Tell about 7th grade Spanish… “I don’t hear you coughing.”

30. Rules are either general or specific.
General rules offer greater range and flexibility…
…but you have to explain them.
Specific rules are to the point and clearly state the expected behavior…
…but you can’t have too many.
Maintain proper hall behavior can cover walking in lines, don’t run, keep your hands off the wall, be quiet as you go past other classes, and a host of other rules, but you must explain each one.

31. Examples of rules: Follow directions the first time they are given.
Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak.
Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
Stay in your seat unless you have permission to get up.
Some rules are tough to enforce. Be careful about rules that will ALWAYS have kids asking you permission for something. You will NEVER get anything done while they are quietly working. Once I’m finished with my lesson, I allow kids to get up to throw things away, sharpen pencils, and go to the restroom… one at a time. Have a big wooden restroom block (too big to be flushed down the toilet… trust me on this) that kids can get from a specific location. If the bathroom pass is missing then kids need to wait until whoever is in the bathroom returns. A word of WARNING: (Next Slide)

32. Why Only 3 to 5?
Ever notice how groups of numbers on credit cards, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc. are always written in groups of 3 to 5?
People remember things better when they are in small groups.
Choose the most important 3 to 5 rules for you.
You can have others, but only post the most important rules. Remember you can change your posted rules when you need to.

33. Discipline Plans Have Consequences
Rules are used to set limits.
Limits tell a student how far they can go.
You will always have students pushing the limits or boundary testing.
Students need to know that breaking the rules will have consequences.

34. Consequences can be negative or positive.
Positive consequences (Rewards that result when people abide by the rules.)
Extra recess.
Extra free time.
Game day.
Lunch bunch.
Trick-or-Treat in May!!!
Show DVD…

35. Student Behavior: Turning in a sloppy paper.
Logical Consequence:
Rewrites the paper.
Illogical Consequence:
Teacher gives the student a zero and refuses to allow the child to redo the paper.

36. Student behavior: Walks in noisily.
Logical Consequence:
Student walks in again.
Illogical Consequence:
Student signs name in conduct record, student given lunch detention, etc.
Don’t make a big deal out of minor violations. If the kid walks in noisy everyday then you may need to do something else, but don’t forget positive reinforcement when you see him doing what you want him to do.

37. Consequences: Conduct record
First offense: student’s name entered in conduct record.
Second offense: student’s name entered in conduct record and loses point.
Third offense: Conduct record, after school detention and note or home to parents.
Fourth offense: Conduct record and office referral.
At the end of the 6 or 9 week grading period, the number of entries result in the student’s conduct grade. In my class no more than two per nine weeks will result in an E conduct. This year I have 11 out of 23 that have E conduct for each of the grading periods. Don’t forget to buy back marks in the conduct record when kids show improvement. It gives them something to work for instead of making everything punitive.

38. Be careful with your consequences!
Explain the consequences ahead of time whenever you introduce a rule.
Choose consequences that are uncomfortable for the student.
Tell the student that the consequence was the result of his or her CHOICE.
When delivering the consequence, encourage the student to use appropriate behavior in the future.

39. If you need to step into the hall to talk, always ask the student these 4 questions:
1- What did you do wrong?
2- What is wrong with wrong with ______ ?
3- What will you do next time?
4- If you ____________ next time what will happen?
2- Restate the problem behavior.
4- Restate the desired behavior.
Studies show these 4 questions work with kids from pre-school to Grade 12… also works on many husbands.

40. Many of the ideas in this presentation came from Harry Wong’s The First Days of School