Get your own Free Home Page
Classroom management is both an art and a science. It takes years of practice and experience to develop your own personal style of classroom management. In fact, let me rephrase that, your management style grows and develops with you. Every year, every new experience with kids provides you with "more tools for your toolbox", if you are willing to reflect, learn and grow.
On this page I will share some of the things I have observed and learned during my teaching. Most of this is my opinion, based on what I have discovered works for me. Some of it, I think is common sense. None of it comes lock, stock and barrel from a commercial program, but there are elements of programs that I have meshed into my own style.
Establishing a predictable routine is probably the most important management tool there is. If the kids know what to expect and when things happen and they are ready, you have a lot less "down time" and less opportunity for trouble. I make this a priority from day one and let the kids know what they should expect and what I expect. The beginning of school is devoted to establishing those classroom routines that will allow this efficiency and consistency all year long. By the end of the first quarter, I consider a child doing fine if they have learned the classroom parameters and are operating within the system and they have learned "something" new academically, not necessarily all that has been covered (this just shows me that there probably is not a learning problem of any kind). It takes time and energy to get used to the classroom, so I prefer their intellectual energy to be used in this way at first. As the year progresses the academics will come as the kids participate in class learning activities and interact with one another.
It seems rather simplistic, but sometimes, I don't think we tell kids exactly what we expect and then we wonder why they don't do what we want. I find that when I get on a child's eye level and look him/her right in the eye and express very specifically what is expected, most of them do it.
I believe in using logical consequences. If a child runs in the hall, I send him/her back to walk or if it is habitual, he/she spends part of recess practicing. If he/she is interrupting the group he/she has to sit in time out until ready to join us. If he/she writes on the desk, he/she cleans it off at recess. If he/she doesn't finish work, he/she does it at recess. If he/she does something mean to another child he/she makes a verbal or written apology.....if he/she tears something up in class, he/she fixes it (to the best of ability). If he/she is misusing classroom resources, he/she is "grounded" from using them, etc. This works wonders with most kids because the consequence is directly tied to the misbehavior. Very few "repeat offenders". It is important that you distance yourself from the consequence. I usually say something like, "It's too bad, you decided to hit so and so. How do you think it made him feel? What can you do about it?" It isnt long before the children can come up with reasonable plans. If they can't I help them. I give them suggestions and let them pick what they think will solve the problem.
On the posititve side, I use lots of specific verbal compliments and let the kids know how much I appreciate their helpfulness or kindness or neat work or attentiveness or whatever it is that I like. I ask them questions about what they are doing and encourage them to tell me more about it. I hug the kids and pat them on the back and point out to them how much they are growing and learning....for most kids, this means the world to them. We build a classroom community where the children are encouraged to take responsibilty for making our classroom a pleasant place, solving problems and taking care of our materials. If a child finds an item on the floor at this point in the year, he/she will pick it up and put it away. If I see something and I ask a child to take care of it, he/she doesn't tell me that he/she didnt leave it there, he/she takes care of it. It takes a while to get to this point, but that is what I want kids who take responsibility because it is the right thing to do, not because I am going to give them something for it.
Very, very occasionally I use big extrinsic rewards. Usually it is for something that the whole class has done that is above and beyond the call of duty. Like for extra good behavior if we have visitors, I might pull out our bubbles or sidewalk chalk and give them time to enjoy it...or let them have a little extra recess or something that they really like. I do give the kids a stamp with a crayola marker on the hand each day for not breaking rules all day long. This serves as communication to the parents (if they look for the stamp) as well as a reward for the child. I have mixed feelings about this because I don't want the kids doing what they are supposed to just to get a stamp, but it works and all day long is a long time for a five or six year old to maintain the self control required in a school setting.
All this put together, the predictability and routine, the classroom community and development of personal and group responsibility, the logical consequences, and positive compliments and support of student growth, combine to creating a workable classroom environment where learning can take place.
Back to Full Day Kindergarten Page
© 1997 againes@netins.net
Get your own Free Home Page