FIVE WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR CLASSROOM

Disalin dari nota yang diedarkan kepada guru-guru di sekolah saya. (SK Sungai Amang, Kapit, Sarawak)

It is no secret.

A super successful Teacher is a good classroom manager who teacher procedures and routines and discipline. Procedures and routines refers to the myriad of things a students is to do and discipline refers to students behavior. According to the research and development center for Teacher Education at the University to Texas, there are five ways to manage an effective classroom.

1.    CLEARLY DEFINE CLASSROOM PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES.

Effective teacher teach procedures and have students learn routines. A procedure is what a teacher wants the student to do and a routine is what a student winds up doing automatically. Well established procedures help eliminate wasted time. For instance, have a routine for entering the classroom, taking roll, recording grades, collecting lunch money, etc. If not, large amounts of time will be wasted on these task instead of on learning.

2.    TEACH STUDENTS CLASSROOM PROCEDURES AND ROUTINE.

Effective teachers spend a good deal of time the first weeks of the school year introducing, teaching, modeling and practicing procedures until they become routine. Each day (Yes – each day) review daily schedules and procedures for assignments, lunch and recess breaks, forming lines, when to sharpen pencils, when to raise hands…

Develop a signal to let students know it is time to begin and stay on a lesson. Some techniques include : using a bell, flashing a light, holding up a hand, placing a finger to the lips or displaying a sign that either says, “My Time” or “Your Time”. When they see “My Time” they are to be quiet because that is the teacher’s time to instruct. When they see “Your Time,” they are to begin work on their lesson.

Do not begin the year yelling and screaming for the class to come to order. Develop a procedure to get their attention or to get to work. Drill this procedure into the class from the very first moment until it becomes a routine.

Do not expect students to learn all the procedures in on day, especially elementary students. Procedures must be modeled, monitored, taught and re-taught.

To quiet a class calmly in seconds, read page 184, the First Days of school or watch part 4, The Effective Teacher.

3.    MONITOR STUDENT BEHAVIOR.

Be aware of who is listening, understanding, participating, or misbehaving. Stand where you can see all of the students at all times. Scan the classroom regularly. Let students know that you are aware of what is going on at all times.

4.    HANDLE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR PROMPTLY AND CONSISTENTLY.

Constantly monitor to detect inappropriate discipline behavior and inconsistency with procedures. Catch misbehavior when it first occurs, when it is easiest to correct. Then deal with the misbehavior calmly, quickly, and without disrupting the flow of the lesson.

Some ways of dealing with inappropriate behavior include :

• Give the student “The Stare.”
• Remind the student of the correct rule or procedure.
• Ask the student to repeat the correct rule or procedure.
•   Tell the student to stop the rule violation.
• Tell the student to stop the rule violation and attach a consequence.

A complete description of the above procedure can be found on Tape #3 of How You Can be A Super Successful Teacher and in Chapter 18, 19 and 20 of The First Days Of School.

5.    PLAN AHEAD.

Effective teacher not only can have students complete assignments but can teach for mastery, too. Have a clear idea of what is to be taught and how it is to be taught. Assignment must be posted daily and in a consistent location. Students must have a set of Study Guidelines which tells them exactly what they are expected to learn. This prevents students from asking “What are we supposed to study”.

The use of Study Guidelines with objectives increases student completion of assignment and the use of criterion-referenced tests increases students achievement. Teach your students how to take criterion-referenced tests. Using criterion-referenced tests prevents students from asking, “What will the test cover?” and develops students who know what they are responsible to learn and master.