Classroom Management: "Misbehaviour" in the Classroom

"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”....

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Classroom+management&biw=992&bih=661&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIrbHK46-zyAIVSG0eCh35-AfC&dpr=1#tbm=isch&q=Positive+Classroom+management&imgrc=zoJHIy4Y7p1IJM%3A

... 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.

Going Beyond The Curriculum

I want to become a teacher because I had excellent teachers who seemed to love their jobs, their students and their work. I want to enjoy my work while helping our youth discover the world the way my teachers helped me discover mine. I formed a vision and an understanding of the world mainly through my teachers’ guidance, who continued to build a house full of windows around me, and every once in a while I would find the window and open it. I remember the excitement I always felt when the light would suddenly turn on and I would have a moment, an epiphany of understanding, and then a whole new direction would become available to me, the window would open.  My teachers, the best ones, were always able to step outside of the curriculum and find creative ways for us to succeed, and with success came the learning. As teachers (in the making), our main goal should be to provide opportunities for our students to succeed every day, to provide the tools and motivation for learning. With this blog I hope to shine some light on how important it is for teachers to get to know and understand their individual students on a level that allows for creativity and flexibility and together, teacher and student, can discover how to open the window to knowledge and understanding. 

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn"

- Benjamin Franklin

It has been argued by many that the most effective and safest method of teaching is to follow a well laid out plan, a proven formula, a linear curriculum. I have found that a good plan still needs a good teacher, and a good teacher provides opportunity for individual creativity and the freedom of critical thinking. Like Benjamin Franklin, I have come to realize that to achieve this goal, it is up to the teachers to create opportunity. If we provide a safe environment where a student feels comfortable enough to explore, without judgement, without failure, then we will have started students on a path to success.

As demonstrated in the video above, teachers make one of the largest, if not THE largest impact in our lives. Teachers have the power to help make us into the people that we strive to be. Education is not only about testing and grades. As stated by Drake, Reid and Kolohon, it is about teaching our students everyday life skills, they need to be taught persistence, curiosity, self-control, and consciousness if we want to make a difference in their lives (Drake et al., 2014).

https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/ejdTQD5rqKaYvw/building-community-in-the-classroom

Students are diverse and it is our job to meet their needs on every level, academically, socially and emotionally. Students come with multiple strengths and abilities and it us up to us to be able to create a classroom culture that builds on those strengths in order to have the best learning experience possible (Hittie, 2000). Like the image illustrates above, COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT and it is up to us future educators to be aware of this ourselves and to provide our students with the knowledge that there is so much more beyond the curriculum.

Thanks so much for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the importance of a caring teacher. Please feel free to comment below! :)

Resources

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom  assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner.

Franklin, B. (2013). Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Hittie, M. (2000). Building community in the classroom. International Education Summit, Detroit, Michigan.