When I envision my perfect classroom, I picture every child dutifully working in a group, asking questions to one another, writing down questions, reading, etc. This scene is not always the norm, so what does a teacher do when students are off task and when norms or rules are broken? A mix of positive praise (reinforcement) and a consequence (punishment) for desired and undesired behaviors are said to be the most effective in increasing wanted behavior. My classroom would include both.
When students are hard at work I will make sure to reinforce what I see by naming the specific behaviors I see. This could be simply putting pencils away during a transition or quiety sitting in a lesson line. I would further emphasize and praise how these behaviors help us uphold our classroom norm of “being productive”, which means the more you do get yourselves ready for a lesson then more material we learn. I would make sure my praise is for specific behavior that is tied to students’ academic or social achievement, not purely for teacher recognition. This caveat is important because research shows that providing incentives or reinforcers for behaviors students are already espousing can lead to a decrease of these behaviors. Ensuring students know why these behaviors are helpful to their personal and community learning, might counteract the negative effects. Consequences for undesired behavior or breaking classroom norms would be consistent and immediate. If in a lesson, any distraction would be an immediate trip to “take a break”- a chair near the lesson area where a student can reflect and self-regulate and rejoin the group when ready. If the undesired behavior persists (i.e. continued talking during taking a break), the student would be sent to a “buddy room”- another teacher’s classroom- for deeper reflection and a second opportunity for self-regulation. The student then returns to the class when they feel they are ready to engage in the lesson. All this is couched positively, so that student recognize that disengagement is normal, but we must be proactive in reengaging in our learning. If a student breaks a norm involving another student or incomplete work, a series of “logical consequences” would begin. These may be seen as negative consequences by the student because it would force them to fix the problem created. An example could be finishing work before moving on to the next activity, which may lead to completing work at home or using a student’s free time to complete the work. If arguing with a peer, it would mean using a strategy to solve the issue or making the situation right- not just an apology. If the argument led to physical aggression it would also involve a communication home. The following a flow chart of my consequences.
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AuthorDon't judge me for these blog entries. I find these topics important, but teaching and going to school is hard. Archives
February 2018
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