Classroom Management.

There was a situation with a table of third grade girls. Ms.S and I were both at different tables. One student came over to me and said she needed me, while Ms.S shortly followed. One of these girls, “Jane” has been known to have behavioral problems, and seems to be on the autistic spectrum. I had witnessed before this student getting frustrated and angry, as well as the other students getting frustrated with her. In this particular incident, the main issue seemed to be the word, “Stupid.” The group of girls gave an impression that they were called stupid by “Jane”, and Ms.S jumped to this conclusion. So “Jane” was immediately sent to the buddy seat to work alone. Then, Ms.S asked the remaining group of girls to explain what had happened. They explained that “Jane” was calling her work and the art project stupid. Ms. S then decided she would let “Jane” come sit back at the table, while the girls were still telling me she made it sound like they were stupid. Jane was brought back to the table and I told the other girls to just focus on their own work now.

I thought the situation was handled fairly well. I think when something like that happens; the kids do need to be separated. However, one student should not be already assumed to be in a punishment over the others as “Jane” was. The kids should be separated in order to determine what happened when you as a teacher were not there. After that, a decision should be made. I think this decision should be explained to the two parties separately and as a whole. This way to each group you can what needs to be corrected, then tell them all to move forward with their attitudes and projects.

Elementary school kids seem to need a large amount of direct classroom management. They need lists on the walls of general concepts or expectations, with daily procedures on the board to refer to. Verbal directions are frequently repeated such as:

•       “Only questions during instructions." Or, "Is this a question or a story?"
•       “No shouting out, we raise our hands."
•       “We only wash our hands when I say it is clean up time.”

It seems teachers can let the students be more independent with age.

I think what I have learned most about keeping expectations fair for all students across the board is to have them laid out clearly from the beginning. Otherwise when a problem occurs, you are faced with a student and/or parent saying, “I didn’t know that.” And it is my job as a teacher to keep expectations in place for all students throughout the year. This would include a list of expectations in the classroom and beginning “syllabus” (if applicable to the grade level) regarding classroom behavior and assessment points such as attitude and time management. While informally, the expectations for the level and creativity of the work produced would be shown from previous student examples hanging in the room.

If an expectation is not being met, I believe in warnings. I think it becomes the teacher’s decision to handle the warning in front of the class or in private. If it is a small correction that happens frequently amongst other students, addressing it in front of the class would serve as a proper public warning. If the issue is more severe, or uncommon, (especially for the particular student), sometimes it is best to talk to the student privately. I think in these one on one discussions students are more likely to explain the reasons behind their behavior, and be more likely to correct it. If behavioral problems are consistent, I think a plan should be made for an individual student of what the consequences for their actions will be if they continue.  For the class as a whole, I think informal reminders can be given frequently, and use selective language effectively. We can give reminders such as:

•       “We’re all artists sharing this common studio and we need to make sure we’re keeping it organized and clean for everyone to work efficiently.”
•       “Artists make bold and brave choices when showing work that’s very personal to them and as viewers we appreciate and respect that even if we don’t always agree.”

And the only way to keep warnings affective is if we follow through with the consequences that are supposed to be there, for every student, every time. I have witnessed this with junior high students many times. Our warnings as instructors become useless when students believe no consequence will follow. These consequences would be set according to grade level and the school policy. Typically, they involve a removal from the group setting, followed by a loss of a privilege, completed with involvement of administration.

The classroom should be as organized as possible, which feels like it will be no problem for me to personally set up. There should be room for supply storage, student storage, and work to be displayed. I think group storage and specific jobs for kids works well with younger students, while again older students are more independent at managing their own supplies and tasks. The classes should also understand the need for organization, and help keep it that way. Schedules are also a significant tool for students. A longitudinal schedule for a project should be given to the students, as well as daily goals to accomplish for the day. This helps keep things organized, students focused and on time, as well as the lesson plan’s allotted schedule.