Key Elements_cover 8/7/03 4:51 PM Page 1 Education $25. Key Elements of Classroom Management The KeyElements of Classroom Management Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and Instructional Strategies All teachers know that a well-managed classroom is the cornerstone of a strong instructional program, but many are uncertain where they should focus their energies. In The Key Elements of Classroom Management, three veteran teachers show how teachers can make real improvements in their classroom by concentrating on basic skills in three critical areas: Key • Managing Time and Space. Joyce McLeod shares techniques to help K–12 teachers arrange the classroom, organize schedules, pace the year’s curriculum, and manage administrative tasks.
The • Managing Student Behavior. Jan Fisher focuses on preventing Elements conflicts and disruptions by teaching students responsibility, self-management, and problem-solving and decision-making skills. McLeod Fisher Hoover • Managing Instructional Strategies. Ginny Hoover describes various research-based instructional methods, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each.
VISIT US ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: http://www.org The authors combine insights gleaned from extensive experience with step-by-step discussions of practical strategies. Any teacher who has struggled with the day-to-day challenges of the classroom of Classroom Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Alexandria, Virginia USA will find an abundance of proven techniques for creating an orderly, caring, and efficient environment that supports successful teaching and learning. Management Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and Instructional Strategies Joyce McLeod Jan Fisher Ginny Hoover Joyce McLeod Jan Fisher Ginny Hoover Key Elements - Title Page 8/7/03 4:34 PM Page 1 The Key Elements of Classroom Management Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and Instructional Strategies Joyce McLeod Jan Fisher Ginny Hoover Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Alexandria,Virginia USA Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 1703 N. • Alexandria,VA 22311-1714 USA Telephone: 800-933-2723 or 703-578-9600 • Fax: 703-575-5400 Web site: http://www.org • E-mail: member@ascd.
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In your message, please specify the Web link, the book title, and the page number on which the link appears.95): netLibrary ISBN 087120-866-0 • ebrary ISBN 0-87120-939-X Retail PDF ISBN 1-4166-0125-2 Quality Paperback: ISBN: 0-87120-787-7 ASCD Product No.95 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (for paperback book) McLeod, Joyce, 1940– The key elements of classroom management : Managing time and space, student behavior, and instructional strategies / Joyce McLeod, Jan Fisher, and Ginny Hoover. Includes bibliographical references and index. Fisher, Jan, 1930- II. Hoover, Ginny, 1946- III.102'4—dc21 2003012528 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The Key Elements of Classroom Management Preface .v Section One: Time and Classroom Space By Joyce McLeod .1 Managing Time and Classroom Space .3 Chapter 1: Setting Up the Classroom .5 Chapter 2: Managing Instructional Time .20 Chapter 3: Managing Administrative Tasks, Transitions, and Interruptions .34 Chapter 4: Managing Teacher Time .44 Section Two: Student Behavior By Jan Fisher .59 Exchanging Control for Influence .61 Chapter 5: Classroom Climate .62 Chapter 6: Establishing Standards, Rules, and Procedures .74 Chapter 7: Teaching Standards, Rules, and Procedures .94 Chapter 9: The Backup System .109 Section Three: Instructional Strategies By Ginny Hoover .123 Implementing Effective Instructional Strategies .125 Chapter 10: Whole-Class Strategies .127 Chapter 11: Small-Group Strategies .146 Chapter 12: Working in Pairs .164 Chapter 13: Working As an Individual .188 About the Authors .194 Preface How can we judge the worth of society? If the children and youth of a nation are afforded the opportunity to develop their capacities to the fullest, if they are given the knowledge to understand the world and the wisdom to change it, then the prospects for the future are bright.
—Urie Bronfenbrenner (1970) Bronfenbrenner’s quote underscores the critical role teachers play in affecting the future of our nation. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide the instructional program and classroom environment that allow each child to develop his or her capacities to the fullest. Yet, in today’s classrooms, teachers are frustrated that the strategies that may have worked for them in the past are not working now. Statements like these seem to echo throughout the teaching profession: • “If only I had more time!” • “I can’t fit another table, desk, or chair in this classroom!” • “Teach? You’ve got to be kidding! I spend all my time trying to control the kids!” • “My students just didn’t get what I taught yesterday.
What am I going to do today?” If you have made these statements once or twice, know that you are not alone! Too many times classroom management issues overwhelm both new and experi- enced teachers. Yet, a well-organized and efficiently managed classroom is the essential foundation upon which to build a solid instructional program and a cli- mate of mutual respect and caring between students and teachers. In fact, an analysis of research done over the last 50 years clearly shows that the teacher’s classroom management abilities have more of an effect on student learning than any other category analyzed (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1993–1994). V VI The Key Elements of Classroom Management The basic role of the teacher is to be the instructional leader.
In order to fulfill that role, the teacher must deal with the social, intellectual, and physical structure of the classroom. Classroom life involves planning the curriculum; organizing rou- tine procedures; gathering resources; arranging the environment to maximize effi- ciency, monitoring student progress; and anticipating, preventing, and solving problems. Perhaps it is time to take a fresh look at classroom management. In analyzing the work of the teacher, these three key elements stand out as critical components of a well-managed classroom: • Efficient use of time and classroom space • Implementation of strategies that influence students to make good choices, rather than ones that attempt to control student behavior • Wise choice and effective implementation of instructional strategies In discussing the book’s organization and content, the authors became convinced that a book organized around these three key elements allows us to share strategies and pose solutions to some of the most perplexing classroom management prob- lems.
For example, student misbehavior may, in many instances, result from the lack of space in which to work rather than from a deeply rooted behavior problem. So by focusing on setting up the classroom to anticipate students’ space needs, problem behaviors may be prevented. Taking a proactive approach to building relationships between the teacher and students, among students, and between the teacher and parents ensures that stu- dents participate in a learning community based on mutual respect and caring. Students who have a role in building a positive classroom environment are much more likely to assume responsibility for their own behavior and become good role models for others.
Evaluating instructional strategies and matching them to the students’ academic needs and learning styles increase the likelihood of higher student achievement. Students whose learning needs are being met are likely to feel competent and a part of the classroom community and, therefore, much less likely to exhibit behav- ior problems. So the theme of this book is that good classroom management strate- gies increase student achievement and prevent both learning problems and behavior problems (which are usually related). Our goal is to present strategies that make the teacher’s work easier and allow more time to focus on the instructional program rather than on routine management issues and individual behavior problems.
The contents of the book are ordered to align with the flow of the teacher’s work. In Section 1, we present strategies and ideas for setting up the classroom, deciding how instructional time will be scheduled, determining routine classroom VI Preface VII procedures, organizing materials for easy access, and making good use of teacher time. In Section 2, we present strategies for developing relationships with each stu- dent so that the atmosphere of “teacher in control” is changed to one in which stu- dents make choices and accept responsibility for those choices. In Section 3, we discuss research-based instructional strategies, identifying their advantages and dis- advantages and relating them to use in whole-class, small group, partner, or indi- vidual settings.
Because each chapter is designed to address a critical issue within the key ele- ments of classroom management, readers can elect to read the book as a whole or use it as a desk reference or as a guide for professional development. It is our hope that our book helps you in your day-to-day quest to provide an effectively man- aged classroom. SECTION ONE Time and Classroom Space Joyce McLeod 1 SECTION ONE Managing Time and Classroom Space The efficient use of time is an important variable in helping students achieve learn- ing goals and making the classroom a pleasant place for teachers and students. Unfortunately, how you spend your time is all too often determined by state or district mandates, school policy, and rigid daily school schedules.
Instructional strategies must be planned to fit into fixed time frames, where it is the clock—and not your assessment of whether students need more time on a topic—that dictates the beginning and end of a lesson. The present emphasis on standards and high-stakes assessment also affects how time is allocated in the school day. Most standards-based curricula are rigorous courses of study that, in most instances, specify achievement of many more objec- tives than can be taught to an appropriate depth. This results in teachers spending their days reviewing material that students have not yet fully mastered while simultaneously being pressured to move on to other objectives.
Many students are not even ready for the mandated grade-level curriculum when they enter the class- room, so instructional time has to be stretched like a rubber band to teach all stu- dents so that they can be successful on the high-stakes test. Other variables that affect your use of time include noninstructional routine procedures, transitions between activities or classes, and schoolwide interruptions. But time is not the only issue; classroom space affects your instructional program directly as well. Teachers try to make every inch of classroom space count in order to have a rich and inviting classroom environment because they know that the richness of stu- dents’ experiences are enhanced or diminished by their surroundings.
The organi- zation of space also affects the way students behave and move around the classroom, as well as how much attention they pay to instruction. A high-quality instructional program, then, requires efficient use of time and space. It necessitates a classroom rich in accessible, well-organized materials and inviting spaces where students can work alone, in groups, and with you.