"An effective teacher manages a classroom,
An ineffective teacher disciplines a classroom"
Harry Wong
One of my concerns about teaching is how I will handle classroom misbehaviour when it happens. Despite my dreams of a perfect classroom with perfect students and perfect lesson plans going perfectly well, I realize that reality is otherwise. There will be days when our imperfections shine through, my students’ and my own. However, I have decided not to call these “bad days” when they happen. I have decided to call them “opportunities”. Opportunities to overcome difficulties, opportunities to guide, opportunities to resolve, opportunities to succeed. In order to seize these “opportunities” I know I have to be prepared. I can’t just “react” because a reaction is subject to emotion and our emotions can get the best of us. It is much better to plan for these “bad days” and to expect “misbehaviour”....
... and in doing so I can turn a negative reaction into a positive opportunity for the student, for me and for the classroom.
In one of my classes, EDUC 8P19, we focus on the importance of classroom management and specifically analyze what is called, The C.A.L.M Model. By definition, this model is a flexible, hierarchal model for examining and managing challenges that may effect the classroom environment (Levin, Nolan, Kerr, Elliott, Bajovic, 2013, p.19). It was created in order to guide teachers when encountering misbehaviour in the classroom. It reminds teachers to remember not to act rationally towards the misbehaviour. It helps to keep a positive and healthy learning environment not only for the other students but also for the one misbehaving. It allows the teacher to CONSIDER how serious the misbehaviour is, whether or not the behaviour is disruptive, and then ACT upon it accordingly, in a way that makes sense and will make a positive future impact. It also helps remind the teacher that it is important to be able to LESSEN the situation in a way that sustains a positive learning environment and in turn enables the teacher to effectively MANAGE the class as a whole.
As stated in a reading for this course, EDUC 4P19, it is important for the teacher to share an understanding of the expectations in the classroom (Drake et al., ,p. 28). While this is true, I believe it is the way the expectations are communicated that makes a difference. Like the image above, the students need to know that the teacher wants to support them and collaborate with them. Using The C.A.L.M Model allows the teacher to show that he or she has enough respect for the student to allow them to have a chance. By acting rationally and say, kicking a student out of the classroom right away, you aren't allowing the student to have a chance and in turn could end up with a negative future impact for the students behaviour and learning opportunity in the classroom.
Now, in relation to The C.A.L.M Model, i'd like to tell you a short story, one that I will never forget. My friend’s father was a high school teacher fresh out of Lakehead University’s teacher’s college, substituting in for a maternity leave. The students were strangers to him and he was a stranger to them. He was ready to start the class but there was one individual who would not settle in, would not be seated and was being disruptive. He asked once, then asked again, and then a third time but the student was defiant and remained standing and would not return to his seat. So, the teacher smiled and asked the rest of the class to wait quietly while he had a word with the student outside the classroom. At first the student was reluctant to step outside but with a trusting smile and a calm demeanor and a nod, the teacher got the student to step outside of the room with him. He closed the door. The student was ready for a tongue lashing or expecting to be reprimanded or even threatened. Instead, the teacher said, “ I don’t know what is wrong today but something is bothering you and I want you to know that I am a good listener and I can help you. Then he handed the student a pack of Mentos (mints) and said, “Here, take these, they taste good and they calm me down. I have one whenever I am upset.” The teacher added, “You don’t have to tell me what is wrong, it is up to you, but I have heard really good things about you and I am looking forward to our time together. Now, when we go back in the classroom I want to pretend that I was upset with you and when people ask you can say, “…you don’t want to piss that teacher off”, and he winked and the student smiled and said, “Cool”…and back in they went. This may not be a perfect example but I have always thought that my friends father treated this as an opportunity instead of reacting negatively, simply calling it a bad day.
The key is to remember that every student is different, every day is different and every circumstance is different. I won’t always have the best solutions but I know if I remember to treat misbehavior as an “opportunity” it will put me in the right place, on the right path of thinking, to better manage the situation for everyone.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on The C.A.L.M Model and it's effect on managing behaviours in the classroom. Feel free to comment, Thanks :)
Victoria
References
Levin, J., & Nolan, J. F. (2013). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model. Pearson Higher Ed.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner.
Victoria, I thought that this was a very thought provoking blog! I really liked your point of view on 'bad days.' What I liked about this point, is that instead of choosing to let bad days get the worst of a teacher, they can actually become positive experiences. As teachers we can turn bad days, into opportunities! This point has really resonated with me, and I hope I remember this when I begin teaching. Also, this point provides a great example of a teacher having a growth mindset. For a teacher with a fixed mindset, they would treat bad days as a write off, and not see the opportunities that can arise from a bad day. However, for a teacher with a growth mindset, they would see opportunity in bad days, and take advantage of these days for the better.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked how you finished your blog response with a personal story. This was a great way to wrap up your response, because it helped to strengthen the point you were trying to make throughout the blog, and it brought clarity to what your blog was about. This was a great technique, and I encourage you to use it more often!
To offer some constructive criticism, I thought it would have been great if you expanded more on the CALM model. I thought that you did a good job of explaining it, but I was still left with some questions concerning the model. For example, while I was reading your blog you made it seem like the CALM model always works flawlessly. What happens when a student continues to act out, even when the CALM model is being implemented? Are there any downsides to the CALM model? Answering those questions in your blog would have been helpful, because rarely does a technique work perfectly.
Overall, I honestly enjoyed this blog. It was well written, and gave me a new perspective on how to deal with 'bad days.'
Good job.
Victoria, I thought you had great insights into the battle that can be classroom management. You developed the idea of the bad days very well. I enjoyed your dethroning of what are sometimes referred to as the bad days, replacing this term with opportunity. As educators, we are provided with many opportunities and teaching moments where not only can we better ourselves as educators, but we can make our students better learners. Recognizing that by a mindset of seeing these situations as opportunities over "bad days" can go along way, much like the growth mindset.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed how you took the CALM idea from our other course and implemented it into your idea of dealing with classroom management situations. From a pure formatting standpoint, I like how you made each of the words stand out when describing the CALM model. Further you asked many thought provoking questions which made me think past just reading your blog.
Mostly, I enjoyed how this perspective of opportunities in the classroom motivated me to seeing certain situations this way, rather than as having a "bad day". I think one of the best resources as a prospective teacher is other prospective teachers, so it was great to find motivation in your post this week.
Your post this week was much improved in the connection between the reader, your personal stories and the content. I think looking forward it is important to recognize all sides of the classroom management story. How will the CALM model be helpful for teachers and for students? What if a student doesn't respond the way you would like even if the CALM model is implemented? Answering these questions can further your prospective into classroom management and how to deal with those opportunities in the classroom.
Great post this week! I really enjoyed reading your blog again. I can't wait to read your next post!
Victoria, good job on this blog! It is written well about the idea and concept of classroom management: misbehaviour in the classroom. I like how you continued the metaphorical terms and concepts within your blog. For example, I like your introduction paragraph that discusses that bad days are not meant to be bad but days that are filled with opportunities to be filled, to overcome and to succeed, which I found very interesting. This blog is written clearly with the utilization of personal thoughts such as the example of your father’s friend who dealt with a student who at first was uncommunicative and avoiding in any possible way but later willing to open up to his teacher, in which he considered this bad day to be an opportunity for him to lend a student a helping hand.
ReplyDeleteYou also included the notion of the CALM Model from a different education course, 8P19. Your inclusion of the content from another class is successful as it allows your blog to be richer with detailed examples from your personal points of view and relevant examples. I really enjoyed your concluding paragraph because it gets the readers to think and to reflect back on the concept while probing their own critical thinking. For example, you discuss that every student is different, every day is different and every circumstance is different, therefore, as future educators we must learn to be patient with every student and to give them every possible chance in exercising their own understandings into their educational learning. A suggestion I would like to give you is that you can add some questions to allow the readers to probe their own critical thinking and maybe even yours such as ‘Do you think that there is a different approach as to how teachers use the CALM Model for students who have educational needs or disabilities?’ Overall, good work and I looking forward to reading your third blog!