Classroom Management
“A term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students." - Wikipedia Quote
School Management
As a school with 561 Kindergarten students, it can be hard to manage so many young ones! Every single day starts off with the children assembling in the meeting room in which they sing songs and dance along until everyone has arrived for the day. This is generally where they say the pledge of allegiance and also say their pledge for the school.
Children are instructed to be in their lines for their classroom, which immediately manages where students should be going, creating a routine. After their morning routine, they are instructed to walk in a single-file line to their classrooms upstairs. As they are doing this, every child follows the rules of the hall, walking quietly and facing forward. It is because of this set of rules that students do not get out of hand and into trouble.
By providing a routine for the entire school to follow every morning and afternoon, children automatically know what to do and where to go at certain times without even having to be instructed. Following a routine is a great way to save time and energy when it comes to young students.
Children are instructed to be in their lines for their classroom, which immediately manages where students should be going, creating a routine. After their morning routine, they are instructed to walk in a single-file line to their classrooms upstairs. As they are doing this, every child follows the rules of the hall, walking quietly and facing forward. It is because of this set of rules that students do not get out of hand and into trouble.
By providing a routine for the entire school to follow every morning and afternoon, children automatically know what to do and where to go at certain times without even having to be instructed. Following a routine is a great way to save time and energy when it comes to young students.
Individual Classrooms
Teachers: The attitudes of the teachers affect how the classroom runs a great deal. For the teachers that can be more easily pushed-over, students may run the classroom. It is noted that the teachers that have a strong backbone are able to keep their students under control while the others may struggle. It is also very important that the teacher find interest in what they are teaching and make it fun for the kids so that they continue to have an interest in learning new material.
Routine: Throughout our four classrooms, we noticed a variety of strategies that teachers used to keep their classrooms running smoothly. More than anything, both the teachers and the school used routines. Once the children were in the classroom, they knew that they had to unpack in a timely manner and be seated on their spots on the rug. Towards the end of class, there is a snack-time. Students have the opportunity to snack and socialize or even draw/color/read depending on the day of the week. Rules and routines must be very clear and simple so that young students are able to understand and remember what is expected of them. If a student is wrong when answering a question, teachers will provide them with the correct answer and why before moving on to the next problem. They give strong feedback so that students can know where their mistakes are coming from.
Instruction supports behavior and classroom management throughout every lesson. The teacher will first, tell the children what they will be doing and provide examples of how it will be done. As the lesson goes on, teachers will be instructing students on where to go or what to be working on at that exact moment. This will keep all of the students at a good pace so that all of the activities will be completed on time.
School rules also apply while in the classroom: Being respectful to other children and property, no running, ect. but each teacher has the chance to provide their own set of rules for their classroom. Many teachers have a rule poster board hanging in their classroom that children can refer to at any time. Some of these rules may include but are not limited to: Raise you hand, use inside voices, no talking while the teacher or speaker is talking.
Routine: Throughout our four classrooms, we noticed a variety of strategies that teachers used to keep their classrooms running smoothly. More than anything, both the teachers and the school used routines. Once the children were in the classroom, they knew that they had to unpack in a timely manner and be seated on their spots on the rug. Towards the end of class, there is a snack-time. Students have the opportunity to snack and socialize or even draw/color/read depending on the day of the week. Rules and routines must be very clear and simple so that young students are able to understand and remember what is expected of them. If a student is wrong when answering a question, teachers will provide them with the correct answer and why before moving on to the next problem. They give strong feedback so that students can know where their mistakes are coming from.
Instruction supports behavior and classroom management throughout every lesson. The teacher will first, tell the children what they will be doing and provide examples of how it will be done. As the lesson goes on, teachers will be instructing students on where to go or what to be working on at that exact moment. This will keep all of the students at a good pace so that all of the activities will be completed on time.
School rules also apply while in the classroom: Being respectful to other children and property, no running, ect. but each teacher has the chance to provide their own set of rules for their classroom. Many teachers have a rule poster board hanging in their classroom that children can refer to at any time. Some of these rules may include but are not limited to: Raise you hand, use inside voices, no talking while the teacher or speaker is talking.
Other strategies are included but not limited to...
Rewards:
Classroom Arrangements |
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Because these are kindergarten classrooms, children are almost always seated in groupings. At their desks, a group of students ranging from 4-8 students will be seated at rectangular or circular tables. On the rug, students have their assigned "color square" that they know to always go to. When they are seated at the rug, they sit in rows, facing the teacher. The seats at the rug stay the same but the table seats change on a daily basis. This allows children to interact and get to know every student instead of being grouped with the same people every day. This also gives the classroom plenty of floor space for children to move around and do group activities.
Storage and supplies are all along the back and side of the rooms so that they are out of the way. This allows the children to stay on task, with only their most-used items on the center of the desk, including: Pencils, Crayons, and scissors. A large word wall is also included in the layout, generally either on the side or at the front of the classroom so that the children can refer to this at any time as well for their most commonly-used words. The teacher's desk is out of the way but easily accessible to students so that they feel comfortable approaching the teacher while providing some privacy.
Storage and supplies are all along the back and side of the rooms so that they are out of the way. This allows the children to stay on task, with only their most-used items on the center of the desk, including: Pencils, Crayons, and scissors. A large word wall is also included in the layout, generally either on the side or at the front of the classroom so that the children can refer to this at any time as well for their most commonly-used words. The teacher's desk is out of the way but easily accessible to students so that they feel comfortable approaching the teacher while providing some privacy.
Technology!
At the Upper Darby Kindergarten Center, all children have the opportunity to come in contact with different technologies for furthering their learning. Every classroom has its own interactive Smartboard, which students and teachers both use throughout many different lessons. Classrooms are also provided with a computer and an IPad so that students can take turns getting one-on-one time playing interactive educational games. Projectors are also provided in every classroom so that it is easy to show the class something on the teachers computer or on the internet. It is technologies like these that make information so attainable for the young minds of our country!
As future teachers...
We would like to work on a few things when it comes to classroom management. We would like to find ways to manage our classrooms without bribing or punishing the children. We do not want learning to become a negative experience, so by providing children with more rewards when they are doing the right thing, we think that we could make behaving well a fun thing! We would make small rewards more easily attainable or try to turn the negatives into positives. For example, treat snack-time as a privilege. They could 'earn' their snack-time for the day by behaving well. This would be an easily attainable reward for each student. Rewards that could be harder to get could be the Kuala Coins or the stars to the show-and-tell party. We want our students to have fun while learning as much as the possibly can!
Resources
Halloran, K. (2011, November 14). Top 10 Classroom Management Tips for Teachers - AmpliVox Sound Systems
Blog. AmpliVox Sound Systems Blog. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from http://blog.ampli.com/2011/11/classroom- managment-tips-for-teachers.html
Top 10 Proven Classroom Management Tips for Teachers - YouTube. (2011, November
28). YouTube. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XUTdaQIdKI
Blog. AmpliVox Sound Systems Blog. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from http://blog.ampli.com/2011/11/classroom- managment-tips-for-teachers.html
Top 10 Proven Classroom Management Tips for Teachers - YouTube. (2011, November
28). YouTube. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XUTdaQIdKI