Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

In an effort to help the classroom run smoothly and for the students to follow classroom rules and procedures, students need to know there are consequences for their actions. We often think of consequences as a negative, a punishment, but consequences can also be positive reinforcement. These types of consequences can be essential in helping the students follow classroom rules and procedures. 

Positive Consequences

In my opinion, positive reinforcement is one of the most important things a teacher can do. Students need all the support they can get and knowing their teacher is on their side and rooting for them can often make all the difference. If students know that their teacher is paying attention to all sides of their learning, it can be very motivating for each students. There are different ways a teacher can rewards students' good behavior. 

Non-Verbal Signs  

Teachers can communicate very succinctly and clearly with positive gestures. If a student answers a difficult question with a thoughtful answer, the teacher can give a thumbs up sign to show a job well done. Or, if a student was nervous about a class presentation, the teacher could give a high five after the presentation is done. Even a smile and a nod can go a long way when encouraging students. 

Simple Verbal Affirmation

A teacher can also use simple phrases to compliment a job well done. For example, if the class came back from recess in an orderly way and sat down right away ready to get back to work, the teacher could say how impressed she was with the way they came into class quietly and ready to work. 

Tangible Recognition

In addition to non-verbal and simple verbal affirmation, teachers can develop a system in their class to award students with prizes. Teachers could have a weekly behavior chart that is rewarded with a certificate or tokens that add up to a class party. With this type of method, students can participate in their behavior charts and are able to self-reflect on their own classroom behavior. 

Communication Home

Another way to encourage students is to send a note or email to the parents or guardians telling them what a good job their child is doing in class. A teacher can also call home to tell the parents or guardians. It can be because the student did an exceptionally good job on a certain assignment or project or it could be because the child has done consistently well in class and the teacher wants to show appreciation. Involving the parents or guardians in this type of positive reinforcement is a great way to acknowledge the student's behavior and include the family. 

When and How 

Like the teacher in the video above, a teacher can decide when and how often to give positive consequences to students. It may depend on the situation or activity or the rapport she has with her students. In my opinion, however, I think positive reinforcement is an important part of the daily exchange between a teacher and her students. And, we see this with the teacher in the video working positive reinforcement into her dialogues with her students. The more they are held in a positive light, the better they will try at succeeding.

Negative Consequences

In addition to positive consequences, or in some cases when they are not enough, teachers have to know what steps they will take to stop unwanted classroom behavior. It is best if a teacher has a strategy already in place that she can follow when things go wrong. 

Be With It

The best way to handle undesirable behavior in the classroom is for the teacher to be proactive. She needs to be constantly aware of what is going on in the classroom. The teacher should move around the room often to notice behavior and attitudes in the classroom. She needs to let the students know that she knows what is going on. In doing this, she can often stop a disagreement between students before it starts. 

Non-Verbal Signs 

Similar in recognizing positive behavior, teachers can use non-verbal gestures to show that she is not happy about a student's behavior. She can simple look at the student with a serious expression or look at him or her and shake her head to show disapproval. The teacher can also put a hand up to indicate stop or put her finger to her mouth to show the student to be quiet. 

Direct Consequences

If withitness or non-verbal signs don't work, the teacher can move to the next level and give the student a direct consequence for unwanted behavior. The student could have at time-out, be asked to leave the class for a minute or stay a few minutes at recess. There is also the the method of overcorrection as described by Marzano who gives the example on page 144 of The Art and Science of Teaching of "a student has ripped the pages of a book and is required to repair the pages of all books in the class." With this type of punishment, the student is asked to overcompensate for the damage he or she has done. A teacher might find this type of consequence a good lesson for the student. All of these direct consequences require the student to take a moment to pause and be removed from the situation. 

We can't expect our students to have the tools to help them calm down or deal with an upsetting situation for them. It is helpful, like the teach in the following video, to go through some calming down steps. This could dramatically help students deal with difficult situations and take a step back.

Communication Home

When direct consequences do not work, then the teacher can often contact the student's home to discuss the situation with the parents or guardian. Often involving the caretakers of the child will help solve any behavior issues. 

When and How

Similar to positive consequences, the teacher much decide the appropriate time for each level of negative consequence. I believe that much of the disruptive behavior in class could be avoided if the teacher first uses positive reinforcement as well as exhibits withitness. This proactive approach can help avoid much undesirable classroom behavior. But, again, it's the teacher's discretion when and how to move to the next level. For example, a student who damages school property would need more than a non-verbal gesture as a negative consequence, they would need a direct consequence. And, action should be taken as immediately as possible for the student to really understand the seriousness of their behavior. 

Intense Behavioral Issues

If a student is having a hard time following classroom rules and procedures and is continuously misbehaving or being disruptive and the previous positive and negative consequences have made no change, then the teacher needs to develop a behavior plan. Often, a behavior plan can involve other teachers or school administration and the parents. The teacher can break down the problem in to pieces to be dealt with little by little. She can move the student to another part of the classroom or close to her desk. She can also give him or her a behavior chart  that the student can use daily to track his or her classroom behavior. The student also may need to join a school group on anger management or bullying. Having a class buddy could also help the student follow the classroom rules and procedures. 

When and How

Again, it is the teacher's decision when to implement a behavior plan. After failed attempts at positive reinforcement along with failed attempts at negative consequences, the teacher must move to the next level and implement a plan. I would argue that the sooner the better so the class can move on and not continue to be disrupted by the student. 

Flowchart 

To help teachers have a clear idea of what they can do in the classroom and to remember the different steps of positive and negative consequences, a flowchart is a good visual to have on hand. 

We can see from the chart that positive reinforcement can happen at any time. And, it should happen as often as possible. It need not follow a step by step process, for example the teacher can go from non-verbal gestures to a call home to praise a student's behavior to his or her parents. However, with negative consequences, it is best to build up to stricter consequences, hoping that with each step, the student's behavior will correct itself. 

Summary

Overall, the best thing we can do as teachers is to give positive reinforcement to our students. Additionally, giving clear expectations and having a clear set of classroom rules and procedures available for all the see are both critical to helping students succeed in the class room behaviorally and academically. Knowing our students will help us know when to use positive or negative consequences. Each day in the classroom is different and we must be ready for all types of situations. Being open about expectations and consequences is a step in the right direction for applying classroom rules and procedures.


Sources

Marzano, R. J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for  

    Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Sources for Images (in order of appearance)

http://www.flowers.mps-al.org/?PageName=TeacherPage&Page=12&StaffID=177473

https://ithemes.com/purchase/thumbsup/

http://www.teachthis.com.au/products/view-category/link/Student-Awards/id/14/

http://www.slideshare.net/Zareen17/non-verbal-communication-in-organizations

http://www.ingredientsofoutliers.com/setting-up-your-classroom-for-success-proactive-classroom-management/

Sources for videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ml1tih5zSY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DQ4NBYX-EE

Creating High Performance Learning Environments

As teachers, we want our students to succeed. We know our behavior in the classroom affects how they learn, so we must be positive and consistent. Our classroom must be a safe place for all students. Students will thrive in the right environment. And, in the right environment, we can apply different teaching methods to help students do their best. I recently watched three videos of very different teaching techniques that I would like to share with you.

Video # 1: The Roller Coaster Project (video)


This video shows a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subject-based project. In the video we see 5th graders working in groups collaboratively. They are expressing their ideas, problem-sovling, creating and building. The teacher is seen moving from group to group interacting as necessary but it is clearly a student-centered project.

     Academic Expectations

It is clear throughout the different sequences of the project that the teacher has high expectations for her students. She is continuously engaging with them in dialogue or asking deep questions. Every step of the project has a specific purpose, for example, the students may not just take the elements they need to build their foam roller coaster models, they must purchase each piece with a set budget they have been given. The students not only stay on task, but they seem genuinely interested in the project. They transition from sequence to sequence with ease, moving from the chime to a four minute individual sketch to a group sketch and then on the the model simulator with no difficulties. I really like the role she takes in her classroom with her students and that she lets the students discover their project on their own in their groups.

     Behavior Expectations

We don't see in the video how the teacher has established behavior expectations with her class, but simply from seeing the way she acts in the classroom with them is very telling. She models the behavior she would like to see. She shows respect to all of her students by listening to them. She maintains eye contact and smiles a lot. She really lets them take the lead in their learning but we see her on the side accompanying them.

     Norms & Procedures

The norms and procedures for this project can be seen at norms. The norms revolve around tardiness, missed work, electronic devices and restroom procedures. The rules are very clearly stated and instill the seriousness of the project. In terms of daily procedures, the teacher has set up certain times and places in the classroom where the students know what is expected of them. For example, during chime, the students sit at one big table facing each other and one person from each group is in charge of sharing something with the rest of the class. All the students know what they are supposed to do.

Video #2: 3rd Grade Chinese Math Lesson (math)

In this video we see a teacher speaking in Chinese to her students who are repeating Chinese words back to her. They are chanting or saying words. With all the students sitting on the floor in front of the white board, it is an animated lesson and every student seems to be engaged in what is going on in the lesson.

     Academic Expectations

The teacher has established academic expectations through her interactions, both verbal and physical. She seems to be continuously talking, moving her hands and walking around. She expects the students to repeat the answers out loud. They follow her cues and sing or clap when they are supposed to. She seems to correct them or move on to other students when an answer is not correct. She expects her students to stay focuses on the lesson and participate in helping to find the correct answer. While it seemed like much of the learning was done by rote, the students did seem engaged and rote learning can be good with certain math concepts like multiplication.

     Behavior Expectations

In the video, we see the teacher correct unwanted behavior with hand gestures. For example, she puts her finger to her mouth when she wants it to be quiet. She expects them to listen when she is talking. She is the leader of the class and they are supposed to follow her lead.

     Norms & Procedures

Through her actions, the teacher has set up expectations. It seems that when the students are sitting on the floor in front of the white board, it is a time to listen, watch and repeat. Again, she does this with her verbal and physical interactions with the students.

Video #3: Whole Brain Teaching (WBT)

I had never heard of Whole Brain Teaching before and, in this video, we see a few short sequences of different techniques of this method. In one, we see the students repeating everything the teacher says. We also them repeating the class rules along with gestures. At one point when she asks them to turn to page 7 of their Geography book, they all repeat page 7 over and over until everyone is on the right page. There is also a "crazy professor" sequence when in pairs, one student reads the book while the other one mimes what they are saying. The last technique was speed reading. It seems that the basis of WBT repetition and movement.

     Academic Expectations

The academic expectations seem revolve around all students working at the same pace, which may allow slower students to keep up with higher-achieving students. The WBT method also keeps the students engaged because they always have to be ready to participate and repeat or respond verbally or in motion to what the teacher says. Personally, I didn't see in this short video how this method would really establish high academic expectations. Much of the repetition and movement seemed more distracting than challenging the students with deep questions and encouraging them to strive to do their best.

     Behavior Expectations

In repeating words and movement, all students are treated equally. They are expected to follow the teacher's lead. With all this repetition, the teacher is consistent in her classroom behavior and she models how the students are supposed to act.

     Norms & Procedures

In the video, the class repeats two of the class rules: students must be in their seat when the tardy bell rings and they must read each other with dignity and respect. These are rules that were most likely laid out at the beginning of the school year by the teacher. Additionally, with the WBT method, students know that they are to repeat what the teacher says or they have an automatic response to what she says.

Summary: In My Classroom

Watching these three very different videos really makes you reflect on what you already do in the classroom and what you could do to improve. Out of the three videos, I found the Roller Coaster project video the most inspiring. The students were not repeating, like in the other two videos, but they were collaborating and creating. They were explorers and inventors. It was great to see them working seamlessly together. These students were genuinely interested in their project and, although it was complex and with many different parts, they rose to the expectations set by the teacher. In the second and third videos, they students were not being creative or collaborating to produce work of their own. It seemed that these teachers' expectations were lower for their classes because they did not give freedom to their students to learn on their own.

Next year, I will be teaching in a special setting. I say special because it is not the traditional elementary school set-up. I will teach in an American-based program within an international school in France. Because the students spend around eighty percent of their school week in their French classes,  they are only in the American program for two half days a week -- one morning session and one afternoon session for a total of 6 hours per grade level per week. So, I will have three classes of three different grade levels. For example, I could teach Kindergarten, 2nd grade and 5th grade.  There are generally three types of students in this program: 1) those who come from American families and who are expatriates France, 2) those who come from French-American families with one parent from the U.S.A. and the other parent from France and 2) those who are French or another, usually European nationality, and who have lived in the U.S.A. for an extended period of time and speak English.

Because I will be teaching students from different cultures and backgrounds, I believe it is beneficial  for my students to be able to share who they are and where they come from with the rest of the class. This can be as simple as expressing their opinions during a group project or doing a group project on different cultures. For me, I think a project-based learning could work well in all elementary grade levels if the project was tailored to each specific grade level. I  think the more choices you give students as well as collaborative and student-driven opportunities, the more they will rise to meet high academic expectations. If they are empowered in their learning, then they will be interested and engaged. They will succeed.

In terms of more repetitive techniques,  I think they could also work in all elementary grade levels as adjust to each specific grade. But, in my opinion, these are not the techniques that will raise them up to meet my high academic expectations. The WBT method would be good for classroom management and using between transitions or to check that all students are paying attention. And, chants or songs, like seen with the Chinese math lesson could work as well in reviewing vocabulary or a specific topic with a class. But, again, I do not believe that these videos are the basis for creating high expectations in the classroom.

In the end, I can see myself taking something away from each video. I think as teachers we need to be adaptable and, in doing so, we need to vary our own teaching methods. Overall, though, we, as teachers, can never go wrong when it comes to empowering  our students with collaborative and project-based learning.

Sources

Chen, C. (2011). 3rd Grade Chinese Math Class. YouTube. From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?   v=h7LseF6Db5g

Mace, R. (ND). Roller Coaster Lab. Glogster. From: http://pilotrobertmace.edu.glogster.com/roller- coaster-lab/

Migdol, D. (2012). Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action. Teaching Channel. From: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

Shayne, R. (2011) Whole Brain Teaching. YouTube. From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

Sources for Images (in order displayed)

Quote: http://carloscody.tumblr.com/post/143423671218/distractions-come-to-rock-you-to-sleep-and-take

Rollercoaster: http://www.drawingnow.com/tutorials/118973/how-to-draw-a-roller-coaster-for-kids/

Math: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chilisapps.android.mathAttack

Follow Directions: http://gingersnapstreatsforteachers.blogspot.fr/2012/08/whole-brain-teaching-set-preview.html

American flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States

French Flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_France