MANAGING TEACHING AND LEARNING

Pr.BENHADDOUCHE

What is Classroom Management?

• It’s effective discipline
• It’s being prepared for class
• It’s motivating your students
• It’s providing a safe, comfortable learning environment
• It’s building your students’ self esteem
• It’s being creative and imaginative in daily lessons
WHY? Differences in:
 Teaching Styles
 Personality/Attitudes
 Student population
 Not all management strategies are effective for every
teacher
 Try different strategies to see if they work for you
Why is Classroom Management Important
 Satisfaction and enjoyment in teaching are dependent upon
leading students to cooperate
 Classroom management issues are of highest concern for
beginning teachers
 Classroom management and effective instruction are key in
ensuring student success and learning
YOU SET THE TONE
• Set the tone for everything…behavior, procedures, grades, work
ethic, attitude…everything!!
• Teach students to manage their own behavior
• Students LEARN to be on-task and engaged in the learning
activities you have planned for them
“It is more natural to be off-task than on!”
• Teach, teach, and re-teach routine classroom procedures
• Model/provide exemplars for excellence in student work and
attitudes
• Be fair, firm and consistent.
• They can spot inconsistencies
• Students may not enjoy consequences of inappropriate
behavior but they will respect your decisions if they know
that you are fair and apply discipline/consequences fairly
THINK POSITIVE
• Build a positive, PROFESSIONAL rapport with students
• Establish a positive classroom environment…greet students at
the door everyday with a smile
• Model the positive behaviors and attitude you desire in your
students
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
• Planning engaging, purposeful lessons is one of the best recipes
for a smooth, orderly classroom
• Over plan your lessons to minimize down time which is every
teacher’s worst enemy
 • Plan lessons that address multiple learning styles and allow all
students to experience success
BE PREPARED!
• Be organized
• Be on time
• Be prepared for changes to your even the “best laid plans”
• Have a plan B
• Have a plan C
• Anticipate possible problems in your lessons and activities
DEVELOP EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR CUES
• Focus attention on entire class
• Silence can be effective
• Use softer voice so students really have to listen to what you’re
saying
Transition vs Allocated Time
• Allocated time: the time periods you intend for your students to
be engaged in learning activities
• Transition time: time periods that exist between times allocated
for learning activities
• Examples
• Getting students assembled and attentive
• Assigning reading and directing to begin
• Getting students’ attention away from reading and
preparing for class discussion
Transition vs Allocated Time
 The Goal:
 Increase the variety of learning activities but decrease
transition time.
 Student engagement and on-task behaviors are dependent on
how smoothly and efficiently teachers move from one learning
activity to another
KEEP IT SIMPLE
• Make classroom rules simple
• Keep classroom procedures simple
• Give clear and simple instructions during classroom activities
• Remember that even adults can only process 3-4 instructions at
a time effectively!
CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENT
• Make sure all students can see and hear clearly (and you can
see them clearly)
• Arrangement is determined by learning activity (lecture, class
discussion, small group work, etc.)
• Allow room and easy access for proximity control
• Think through class procedures and learning activities and
arrange the room in the best possible way
WITH-IT-NESS
• Withitness refers to a teacher’s awareness of what is going on
in the classroom
A teacher has “with-it-ness” if:
 discipline problems occur, the teacher consistently takes action
to suppress the misbehavior of exactly those students who
instigated the problem
 two discipline problems arise concurrently, the teacher deals
with the most serious first
 The teacher decisively handles instances of off-task behavior
before the behaviors either get out of hand or are modeled by
others
 When handling misbehavior – make sure all students learn what
is unacceptable about that behavior
 Getting angry or stressed does not reduce future misbehavior
 Deal with misbehavior without disrupting the learning activity
PROXIMITY AND BODY LANGUAGE
 Eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, physical proximity to
students, and the way you carry yourself will communicate that
you are in calm control of the class and mean to be taken
seriously.
 Be free to roam
 Avoid turning back to class
USING HUMOR
• Use humor when appropriate
• Be able to have fun
• NEVER use sarcasm
• Sarcasm puts students on the defensive and damages your
relationship
EVERY PERFORMER NEEDS A STAGE
• Confrontation gives students a “stage” to perform
• Avoid power struggles…no one wins
• Give students a dignified way to get out of a bad situation
• Address behavior issues in private whenever possible
IT IS NOT PERSONAL
• Students / Kids make poor choices…that is what they do!
• Students / Kids misbehave…that is their job!
• Students / Kids test boundaries and limits…it is a natural part of
growing up!
• Kids don’t always do what we want them to…no matter how
much they like us!
• DON’T TAKE IT PERSONNALY!!
Functions of Behavior
 Every behavior has a function
 Four primary reasons for disruptive behavior in the classroom
 Power
 Revenge
 Attention
 Want to be left alone (i.e., disinterest or feelings of
inadequacy)
  Many misbehaviors exhibited by students are responses to a
behavior exhibited by the teacher
 Do not tolerate undesirable behaviors no matter what the
excuse is
 Understanding why a person exhibits a behavior is no reason to
tolerate it
 Understanding the function of a behavior will help in knowing
how to deal with that behavior
Dealing with off-task behaviors
 Remain focused and calm; organize thoughts
 Either respond decisively or ignore it all together
 Control the time and place for dealing with off-task behavior
 Provide students with dignified ways to terminate off-task
behaviors
 Make specific references to behaviors, do not make it a
personal attack
 Remember that continuing with classroom instruction is always
the main priority!!
 Avoid playing detective
 Utilize alternative lesson plans
 Utilize the help of colleagues
Power Seeking Behavior
• Power-seeking students attempt to provoke teachers into a
struggle of wills
• In most cases, the teacher should direct attention to other
members of the class
Attention Seeking Behavior
• Attention-seeking students prefer being punished, admonished,
or criticized to being ignored
• Give attention to this student when he or she is on-task and
cooperating
• “Catch them being good!” – and let them know you caught
them
Behavior: Rambling -- wandering around and off the subject. Using
far-fetched examples or analogies.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
o Refocus attention by restating relevant point.
o Direct questions to group that is back on the subject
o Use visual aids, begin to write on board, turn on overhead
projector.
o Say: "Would you summarize your main point please?" or "Are
you asking...?"
Behavior: Sharpshooting –
trying to shoot you down or trip you up
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
❑ Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect to the
question the group or the individual who asked it.
❑ Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience.
❑ Ignore the behavior.
❑ Speak to the student in private…take the stage away
❑ KNOW YOUR CONTENT!!
Behavior: Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent,
combative behavior.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
❑ Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear to
depersonalize it.
❑ Respond to fear, not hostility.
❑ Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check.
❑ Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said.
❑ Move closer to the hostile person, maintain eye contact.
❑ Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the
confrontation.

Behavior: Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent,

combative behavior
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
o Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or
she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes
undermine his or her own position.
o Ignore behavior.
o Talk to him or her privately during a break.
o As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the
good of the group.
Behavior: Griping -- maybe legitimate complaining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
❑ Point out that we can't change policy here.
❑ Validate his/her point.
❑ Indicate you'll discuss the problem with the participant
privately.
❑ Indicate time pressure.
Behavior: Side Conversations -- may be related to subject or
personal. Distracts group members and you.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
o Don't embarrass talkers.
o Ask their opinion on topic being discussed.
o Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas.
o Casually move toward those talking.
o Make eye contact with them.
o Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question
so that the new discussion is near the talkers.
o As a last resort, stop and wait.