Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

Applying classroom rules and procedures

By: Christian Bousquet

Handling classroom behavior can be difficult because we must decide when to reward students who are following the rules and procedures and when to deal with students who aren't. We must also decide how to handle both kind of students. As an educator we want our students to enjoy learning however they must also follow rules and procedures. I believe it is the constant struggle between being an enjoyable teacher but maintaining the respect the students have for your rules. This post will review recommendations and examples of how to handle students who are following the rules and those who aren't. 

Students who are following the rules and procedures should be rewarded for such. I don't believe that punishment is the only effective tool to keep a class well behaved. Positive reinforcement is a crucial part of enforcing class rules and procedures. Positive reinforcement really encourages students to be respectful of the rules and procedures. I believe it is important to try and acknowledge them constantly, even if it is just a simple comment like "nice job". Most importantly it is important to acknowledge students who are following the rules and encouraging others to do the same or are doing it in a way that enhances the lesson. Also I am a firm believer in awarding the whole class for participating in following the rules. I think a beneficial way I would implement this strategy is doing an end of the semester party. If the class a whole is able to get 80 percent of the good behavior points I would keep track off the whole year then they should get rewarded with a fun activity. I would possibly implement a pizza and movie party. Another recommendation I have for students who exhibit positive qualities are informing the parents. I think having the parents involved in their children's education is a important stimulant for positive reinforcement, that of course depends on the parents choice to compliment the student. I would like to make a phone call and let the parents know how well their children are doing, if calling is not a good choice for the parents I would send an email or note home. 

Of course it is a much more enjoyable aspect to handle students who are following the rules but as professionals we must also deal with students who are not following expected guidelines. I think most importantly we must establish that these are our classrooms and students must respect that. If all the students are misbehaving I would implement interacting with the whole class. I would personally stop class to explain that it is a mutual respect between us, I don't interrupt their presentations or class discussions so they should not interrupt my lessons. I really think that is the only appropriate way to handle students misbehaving publicly, as a group. For individuals I believe that an effective management technique is discussing the problems with the students first before doing disciplinary actions. One video I watched last week about teaching showed a teacher who discussed how hard school can be and how he remembers it with a student he had in detention. Then he proceeded to play board games with him and interact with the student. This is the ideal approach before making the student fix books and meet with counselors. Finally involving parent would be my final approach. I think just like positive reinforcement it is important that parents are involved, the collaboration of students, teacher, and parents to fix the problem can help. I would again call or email the parents about the issues, I might even call them in if the problems are so extreme. 

In conclusion I do believe we must be firm in the rules and procedures to show the students that these are our classrooms. However positive reinforcement and positive interactions for misbehaving students should always be the deterrents to students following the rules. I do want my students to respect me but also to enjoy what they are learning and how they learn it. 

3 Teaching Styles

I recently watched 3 different videos that focused on 3 different teaching styles. Video 1 was a video about roller coasters and physics. Video 2 showed a brief insight into 3rd grade math in China. And Video 3 focuses on Whole Brain Teaching. Below I critique all 3 on how effective they are both academically and behaviorally along with discussing the norms and procedures. Then I proceed to give a very brief overall thought process on them. Finally after all 3 video analysis I will discuss which method I would try to use for secondary students in social science courses. 

Video 1:

Academic: I believe that the lesson on physics, science. Math, and social sciences are incorporated in a very relatable and student-centered project. I thought the project can appear to be very difficult, however the teacher set up this project for the students to succeed. I think that this shows the high academic expectations that she had for her students. Incorporating all of these subjects, groups, and different stages exhibit this theory. 

Behavioral: I think trusting these students to collaborate their own work into the group section shows a high standard for behavioral expectations. These students must find a way to all contribute to their project and do it in a proper and polite manner. Also the fact that they must look at and modify their work when it fails shows strong behavioral expectations. To be able to look at your own work and try to fix it without getting upset is not only a great life trait but takes mental toughness at that age. 

Norms and Procedures: One procedure I noticed was the use of a fake monetary system in order to purchase materials for the roller coaster. I thought this was an interesting and helpful technique. Nice to see a teacher incorporate real life experiences. The norms were having different jobs for the students in the group which showed good teamwork. Also the use of each group having a representative discuss the how the project went.

Overall I think it was a very good lesson and an interesting one to see. 

Video 2:

Academic: After watching the video and reading the article on Chinese math curriculum's I believe they exemplify a high academic standard. One for the fact that they start at such a young age. The use of math in such early years is putting a lot of pressure on these students to succeed from such a young age. Also the fact that they on average dedicate 15 hours to math alone shows a high academic standard.

Behavioral: Again I think that the implementation of math in such a early stage of school contributes to the ability to be held to a higher standard behaviorally. I believe having such a high standard academically from both the parents and the teachers enhances the behavioral standards for these students.

Norms and Procedures: In the video we can see the teacher saying something and the students either repeating it or something that I assume follows what she says. They know they have to follow what the teacher is doing and I am guessing it’s a norm well established.

Overall I thought it was much more difficult to understand what was going on in this video. I also think the article didn’t do the class structure justice.

Video 3:

Academic: I believe the video, though it might be short, shows the expectations set academically for the students. How they were almost trained to respond to phrases and hand movements showed that the teacher wants them to pay attention to detail. Also I got the vibe of student-centered learning while they were pairing up and reading together.

Behavioral: Again I believe the use of hand signals and phrases shows a strive for behavioral excellence. These students seems to understand that they must show great behavior within the class. You can clearly tell that the teacher has high expectations and is very encouraging to hers students, she reaffirmed her belief in their abilities.

Procedures and Norms: Obviously the procedures and norms are the fact that students are expected to follow teachers orders and communicate accordingly. The procedures have already been described with hand and vocal gestures to get students to pay attention. I believe these are helpful for the norms because they get the students involved in a fun and relatable manner.

Overall I thought that this was a very interesting video and the teacher and student cohesiveness was very apparent. This clear strategy contributes to the academic and behavioral excellence shown in the video.

Final Thoughts:
I think personally for my student-centered learning ideals I would try to incorporate aspects of video 1 and video 3. I really enjoyed how each student had to rely on each other for the project. I also enjoyed how the teacher incorporated multiple subjects in her lesson along with life lessons. I would try to expand my students mind they way she did. I also liked how video 3 showed how well behaved the students were because she used hand signals along with her lessons. Also how they paired up and read together, a very student-centered approach. I think that a combination of incorporating different subjects into my material along with student interaction and learning would be beneficial for high school students. Especially considering the fact that part of a social science curriculum deals with human interaction, using these traits in the classroom theoretically makes sense. 

A Positive Classroom Climate

Creating a Positive Climate for the Classroom: 

Dealing with bullying and enhancing learning

By: Christian Bousquet

5/3/2016

One important aspect of the classroom is to make sure students are comfortable when they are in school. I still remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. I had not one clue what to expect, it was kids from two other middle schools I have never seen before. Would they like me? Would I fit in? Am I going to be an outcast? My mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts and worries. For other students they might not just have those thoughts but other factors that can cause a student to worry such as; family issues, economic status, bullying. That is why as educators it is important to create a positive classroom climate so students can feel welcome. I think there are two major factors in this process; developing positive relationships with students and addressing bullying. Throughout this post pertaining to those two factors we will discuss strategies that we must implement.

Classroom set up and structure
The way a classroom is in appearance and how it is structured can greatly affect a school. Classrooms should be a place in which students not only feel welcomed, but that the set up shows a caring environment and is student-centered. One aspect I have studied and discussed since starting this program was classrooms that are set up for student-centered learning. The best example I have seen of this is my AVID class set up. We had two big tables put together for desks in which there were eight of us and we had discussions constantly. This is the exact example they discuss in the article Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. Another strategy that will enhance positive classroom climate is creating student jobs. These jobs can be something as minimal as passing out materials or something as important as a peacemaker to deal with bullying. They have the ability to move up with good outcomes, also teaching real world experience. It creates trust and accountability for the students and their class.

Speaking up and responding to prejudice, bias and stereotypes
We must show leadership through example as educators. To do this we must be leaders against issues of bullying, slurs, and stereotypes. This not only pertains to students and parents but also colleagues that might have these tendencies. Teachers that choose to fight against discrimination and exclusion support safe space for diverse members of the group. One strategy that I would like to implement is always being on top of intervention of bullying. In the article Anti-bias education it states that only 14 percent of teachers intervene in bullying in the class while 4 percent deal with it outside of class. However dealing with bullying should be a number one priority, it makes students feel comfortable learning. I also believe having visual symbols like "hate free zone posters" and "no one is illegal" are important to show the commitment to a safe class. A safe and positive class only helps students, the opposite hinders.

Social and emotional safety
The most important aspect of the classroom that not only creates a positive classroom climate but also addresses bullying is social and emotional safety. In the Anti-bias journal they state the research shows that students need to feel both physically and emotionally safe in order to learn. Some important components of this notion are as follow; active teaching of social-emotional skills, bullying prevention and intervention, meaningful conflict resolution. Along with other aspects similar to this we need to focus on these techniques in order to achieve success in the classroom with safety. Some very basic strategies that we see implemented already are classroom contracts. I remember signing these in high school and even college. They simply state the expectations and regulations for class upfront. They will set agreements such as respecting other classmates opinions and differences, even stating put downs are never alright. I think this is an effective method because you are being clear with students of what to expect and what not to. One other strategy that I actually participated in when I was in school was mix it up day at lunch. It is essentially a program that is voluntary by the students in which students are encouraged to share a meal with people they might not have before during lunch. I thought it was terrific way to create tolerance through example, highly recommend. However it is completely up to the students on how well they respond.

Conclusion
These are some of the most important aspects I saw in creating a positive classroom climate and to deal with bullying. I think they are the most crucial aspects because they all seem to revolve around the students. The student centered learning methods that are associated with classroom set up enhances the classrooms notion they have the right to learn in a way helpful to them. The jobs are another notion of unity between the classroom and the students, also it is helpful for dealing with bullying if you have a student that acts as a conflict manager. Making sure you fight against prejudice and bias as a teacher is very important to a positive class, it is leadership through example. By stating your points to colleagues who might not be against said beliefs it shows your students it is a honorable concept to be against bullying. Finally social and emotional safety is just important because students learn better when they are safe. Classroom contracts and mix it up day are a great way to create a positive environment and to avoid bullying. Bullying is going to be an issue in any school but trying to fight against it is key, fighting bullying not helps the students who are bullied but teaches all students respect for your peers throughout their life.