You can "chime in" here on any issue related to classroom management? Possible topics:
1) further thoughts on the Mari-beth vs Mr Jones exercise
2) thought on the 3 lists of classroom rules passed out at end of class (Feel free to critique Mr. Buxton's "Hear Ye! Hear ye!" that he used for 2 decades with mid-level students.)
3) explanation of excellent or awful classroom management you've experienced in the past
4) analysis of Mr Buxton's classroom management style in Intro to Am Ed
5) etc
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ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I can accept the majority of the rules from the "Hear Ye! Hear Ye!" hand out. However, there was a few that I felt were a little too strict for my taste. For instance, under the "Lateness" policies, I feel that The rule about lateness to class (#1) was too harsh. I feel that only one warning for semester is not taking into account students who may have a class on the other side of the building proceeding the class period. Such students might have difficulties getting to class on time all the time. I can recount more than a few instances from my high school experience where my classes were very far apart from each other in the school building. For some classes, I would have to physically run to class in order to make it on time. I believe that as long as the student is not consistently late by more than three or so minutes, lateness can be allowed. I don't really have an issue with a student being 30 seconds late, and as long as they aren't a distraction, there isn't a problem.
ReplyDeleteUnder the "Assorted Admonitions" section, I feel that the food an drink policy is much too strict. I feel that as long as the student is neat with their food and it isn't a distraction to their work, eating food is acceptable. I can see restrictions being made as it becomes a problem (i.e. students are routinely leaving their garbage on the floor or desk/ making a mess when they eat), but out right abolishing food and drink from the classroom seems premature. I think that students should be allowed to have a drinks like coffee or tea in class, and water should always be accepted.
I also have an issue with the bathroom policy (also under the "Assorted Admonitions" section). I think that students should be allowed to use the bathroom if necessary. Of course, it would be ideal for students to go before class starts, but if you have to go, you have to go. Only allowing a single emergency pass seems harsh to me.
Other than my few concerns, I agreed with the majority of the policies. All in all, I would employ a lot of these rules in my own classroom.
Thanks for your critique Katie!In regard to your responses: 1) If a student were to tell me that they come from far away in the building, I would probably accomodate them if: (a) they are not stopping at their locker first (b) if it truly is too far away
Delete2) Regarding food and drink: See what you think after 5 years of teaching
3) Re the Lav - I have to admit that when a girl said they HAD TO GO, the policy went out the window. In fact, very few students went to the lav during my class - I'll show you proof
Again, thanks for the critique!
One of the many differences between Mr. Jones and Maribeth's classroom management styles was the name choice. Mr. Jones preferred to be called Mr. Jones and no other variation of the name. However, Maribeth allowed her students to call her by her first name. Mr. Jones wants to remain professional while Maribeth wants to make sure that her students are comfortable with her. I have many different points of view and perspectives on this matter. I personally believe that many students have different opinions on what they want to call their teachers. I personally have had teachers who say that we can either call them both Mrs. Smith or Susan. Many of my classmates chose to call her Mrs. Smith. I personally feel more comfortable calling my teachers as well. There are many arguments on how you identify your teachers. One of the popular arguments for calling teachers by their first name, is the idea that it could possibly make the students too comfortable with them and mistake their relationship as another one of the student's friendships with classmates. People believe that the name would simply make the students walk all over them and give them a lack of respect. I simply disagree with this statement entirely. Even though I like to call my professors by their last name following Mr. or Mrs., that does not mean there is anything wrong with calling teachers by their first name. Its up to the student. Just because you call your teacher by their first name does not mean they are going to treat you like an everyday friend or walk all over them. The only possible way for students to walk all over their teachers is if the teachers themselves let them. If the teachers have rules and guidelines to how they manage their classrooms then the students will remain in line and not make misinterpretations of their student-teacher relationships. Even if students get the wrong idea by calling them by their first name, then they will be able to recognize this misinterpretation by their classroom experiences with the teacher. There are a lot other factors that play into how a student perceives a teacher. One of the least concerns for teachers should by their name. One of my past math teachers tried to be everyone's friend and his classroom fell apart. Students would take in class, they would not do the homework, and they just didn't respect him at all. It was not that he wasn't a nice guy, he just showed favoritism and his classroom management style was not the best. The name of a teacher is not the only thing that dictates the environment of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea that distinguishes Mr. Jones classroom from Maribeth's is the idea of food in the classroom. I believed strongly in favoring Maribeth's idea of allowing food in the classroom. Many kids throughout my high school years and college years have no time sometimes to eat three meals a day. If I was a teacher I would recognize how important it is for my students health to eat. It helps inside and outside of the classroom. Students will be able to focus on learning in the class and not get distracted by their stomaches rumbling because they have not eaten at all. People like Mr. Jones needs to realize that health trumps over learning any day. Students who don't eat suffer negative side affects that harm their ability to function in the classroom. Eating is crucial to learning. However, I do agree with Mr. Jones on certain aspects. I understand that eating in the classroom can either be a distraction for the student or the teacher instructing the lesson. If students are more focused on what they are eating rather than what the teacher is saying, then it is a problem. If students are able to multi-task then eating or drinks should be allowed. T Every teacher should allow small snacks or drinks to make sure that their students are eating and able to function and maintain their good health. If it was distracting me then I would deal with it because I know that their health depends on it.
Freshmen and Sophs called me Mr Buxton
DeleteSeniors called me Buxton, and for a period of 5 years, they called me "Battleship"
Regarding food in the class, see my comment to Katie
After our class debate on classroom management, I've decided that as a teacher I want to set a precedent based on respect with my "Rules of the Classroom". Having represented the Mr. Jones side of the debate, which stressed discipline and attention to detail, I think that is important to clearly express your expectations of the students. However, I would approach my classroom policy on terms of respect, rather than as a set of strict rules. I believe that in order for teachers to have a good relationship with their students there has to be mutual respect. For example, instead of having a specific rule on lateness, I would discuss how it is disrespectful to me as the teacher and to the class to cause a distraction by entering the classroom late. However, it is also disrespectful for me as a teacher to be late for class and waste my students’ time. While I believe that respect-based rules create the best classroom environment, I do believe that there must be consequences for students who do not respect their teachers and classmates, which is why I believe in setting a precedent of being strict. One aspect that I differ with Mr. Jones on is the use of detention as a punishment. I think that if students are constantly getting detention, it becomes part of their routine and is no longer a punishment. Additionally if a student in repetitively breaking a rule, it is probably a bigger issue that cannot be solved by assigning him/her detention. This returns to my idea of building relationships on respect. If a student never completes his/her homework because they have too many out-of-school responsibilities, I will do my best to understand that and come up with a plan on how that student can keep up in class. My belief on respect-based policies I have derived directly from my high school’s honor code. Our honor code set all school policies and nowhere did we have a book of rules. If you were thought to have violated the honor code, you would present to the Honor council, a peer and teacher group, on what and why the violation occurred. If it was a more severe offense took place, the dean of students and parents would be involved. I think that because we had an honor code that was not undermined by specific rules, I felt more a part of the community.
ReplyDeleteIndeed respect is the bottom line. Depending on the group, you may indeed need to hold them very accountable to command their respect or compliance.
DeleteI treated my senior Honors students the way I treat you Salvitos!
I found the Classroom Management lesson and associated activity incredibly interesting. For me, I greatly enjoyed seeing which of my classmates were Marybeth or Mr. Jones. After participating in the discussion, I realized I have some opinions that align with Marybeth and some that align with Mr. Jones even though the Jones outweighed the Marybeth. Thinking about going into my first year of student teaching in a few years and of my first years as an educator, I think it will be important to draw a line between myself and my students due to closeness in age. Some students, seniors in particular, may treat me with a lack of respect due to my minimal experience and my young age. I believe it is this sentiment that leads me to agree more with Mr. Jones. When I first begin teaching, I plan on having my students call me Mr. C…. I understand why some teachers opt to have students call them by their first names but I think something as simple as your name that students address you with can separate that teacher and student role. As a teacher, I want to be close with my students but I want there to be a core foundation of respect like CH mentioned. If there is a lack of respect, I do not think many things will be accomplished. It was great to see how passionate my classmates were on such a variety of topics ranging from classroom rules to whether male educators should wear ties. After reading some of the rules passed out at the end of class, I easily identified some that I agreed with and others that I do not. It would take too long and it is unnecessary for me to list what I want to be my classroom rules, but I think I will have a blend of the two and will add more over time and with greater experience. In my high school, I had quite a few teachers that lacked classroom management skills completely. This made it very difficult to learn from them but I made it through the year. It is crazy to think how drastically little things can affect someone’s education. Finally, I believe Mr. Buxton has a very interesting classroom management style in our Intro to American Education class. Being Salve students, we are pretty awesome, and have a great amount of respect for Mr. Buxton and we hardly have issues that I notice. I think for our college class, Mr. Buxton has a very appropriate approach to classroom management. One piece of our class that I dislike and do not agree with completely is the grading system. Though I may not understand it one hundred percent, I think the system is too subjective for my liking. I think it is incredibly difficult to grade something like reflections or the thoughtfulness of questions without a rubric or tool for students to understand what to include to get a good grade. I think as a teacher, I would grade these types of assignments on a completed or not completed basis. I do however love to see different ways how teachers run their classrooms and Mr. Buxton’s grading style is definitely something that is unique to him and I am thankful for that. As the semester goes on I am learning more about what to expect on these subjective assignments and I am getting used to the system.
ReplyDeleteMy URI Poly Sci courses are graded much differently. There are no reflective logs. There is a greater degree of objective testing on a body of knowledge, partly in text, and partly in power points.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that this course lends itself to objective assessments. At some point, we'll deal with the Pros and Cons of rubrics.