ClassMan2011

Sir Ken Robinson asks the good questions that aren't be asked in education. Our education model has become so systematic with little good reasoning behind it. We've created a box for thinking, can we get out of it? Even if you don't watch the whole 11:40 minutes, you'll still get something out of this clip. The good news is: some of these changes that are needed can be done in the classroom. It can start with us.

This article speaks to all of the components that we talk about in class: environment, expectations, motivational climate, and maintaining a learning environment. It gives great strategies on how to keep your classroom running smooth.

This article talks about what they are doing in California to help new teachers with classroom management. Schools will pay for a supply teacher for the day while the new teacher observes a veteran teacher in the classroom. The best piece of advice that the article gives is a quote from a student. Take a quick read to find out what she says....

This video is the other part of the story (part two of the video posted under engaging students of today) on using technology to engage our students when we teach. As teachers we need to be life long learners and implementing technology is part of that. Using technology in the classroom will engage our students and hopefully result in fewer classroom disruptions that require management strategies!

As new teachers we spend lots of time worrying about practicing good classroom management strategies but if we focus more energy on teaching using what is important to students in this digital age we might not have as many classroom issues to deal with. This short video reminds us to be aware of how we are teaching our students not just what we are teaching them. If our first thought is always, "is this genuinely engaging for my students,or could I make it more relevant to them" I think we will all become better teachers.

This site has a section (General) aimed at the student teacher (including a quiz on classroom management styles) as well as full timers. There are numerous sections detailing help for teachers in the social studies which include, besides the obvious sections on history and geographry, sections on critical thinking, student questioning, games et cetera. The subsections are quite good (under History for example there is an article: "A Relevant Approach to History (At Risk Leaners)" that outlines a lesson on time for students having a hard time grasping that concept. All of the lesson plan ideas and articles as downloadable as MS Word docs for easy retrieval off of the site.

In a time where we are seeing such an increase in diagnosis and a highly integrated classroom, it is important for teachers to be prepared to manage ASD behaviours within the classroom. This article provides instructional management strategies, ideas on how to prepare the student, comprehension strategies and ideas on preparing the student for transitional periods. A must read in todays classroom environment.

One teacher shares several accounts of dealing with difficult situations, sharing the effective and ineffective. There is a 'cheesy' video at the end - however, it is an interesting read and a good perspective from another teacher's experiences.

Beware of the honeymoon period! This article is a reminder about the importance of being proactive in the classroom. Instead of coming up with a bunch on incentive/reward programs, create a classroom packed with interesting instruction that will curb time to distraction. Keep them interested and they will not need to amuse themselves!

This is a game that any teacher can use to improve the behaviour of his/her students. It's a point system and the students compete against the students.

Behavior contracts, rules and good ol' affirmation are the key points in this page. A music classroom is a unique place in that it can get very noisy very quickly, and so an established classroom routine and set of rules are essential to the smooth running of a music classroom. Somewhat lengthy, but the ideas presented are applicable in virtually any classroom.

Beth Lewis outlines her ideas around class meetings and community circles. Practical, useful and definitely applicable to multiple grade levels. Try it out if you want to work on character development or building community in your classroom.

How to get your students on board with how you want your classroom run. The checklist is a list of things that you should cover in the first day (e.g. washroom policy) and addition procedures, routines, and strategies.

This is a good resource for new teachers to consult for typical behavior situations teachers face on a daily basis. It provides a small scenario with a few tips on how to best deal with the issues at hand. Each point offers a different method, given that all students have differing reactions to different classroom management techniques. All these ideas are authentic situations posted by teachers on how to manage some of the most common behavioral challenges in the classroom.

Great strategies for specific classroom management problems. Going into an associate teacher's classroom you do not get the chance to develop classroom culture. This site shows many tips for dealing with different behavioral problems in the classroom you may encounter as a student teacher in your final practicum. The one for a student constantly calling out came in really handy for me already! An important idea we have learned in class is represented here too : "Be sure the child understands that it is not he/she who is unacceptable, but rather the behavior."

Another short set of high school classroom management techniques. This author outlines some elements affecting older students' lives that do not as often pertain to primary, junior and intermediate students. Building on these, the article emphasizes good connections with students, and positive environments, suggests use of humour in class, but recommends sticking to private praise and discipline.

For those considering moving up to high school at some point in time, here are six basic classroom management strategies that are still appropriate with older children. 1) Over plan each day 2) Start on time 3) Start the year or semester off strict 4) Let them know what to expect each day 5) Mix it up a little 6) Move to the noise Each of these is elaborated on by the author who says of himself, "I am by nature not a strong disciplinarian and like to be relaxed and fun with my class....I have however, over the years been able to find ways to combine my somewhat easygoing personality with some constant classroom rules and ideas to maintain a good learning atmosphere." Isn't that the balance so many of us need?

The following video includes very helpful suggestions on classroom management. These suggestions include: creating structure in the classroom, what to do if interrupted during a lesson, and the importance of promoting student independence and responsibility.

Have you been wondering what the best classroom layout will be, either for your third placement or next year? This site explains the different seating plans that you could use and some reasons why or why not to use them. This will help with your assignment for EU 499 as well as preparing for interviews!

A helpful article that links off to a number of useful topics such as classroom management, teaching tips and the like specifically oriented towards the new substitute teacher - useful for our immediate futures!

Just because this is so great I'm putting it up here for all of you! Part 5 focuses on providing strong routines to help prevent classroom management issues.