Marva Collins Class Management

“Don’t try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makers the poor student good and the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too, have failed.” – Marva Collins Classroom management is looked at very differently by some teachers. As the Misconceptions and Goals of Classroom Management article points out, you could ask different teachers what they thought classroom management was and get different answers. Among some of the most common answers, though, are ones like control, order, and discipline.

These are not accurate representations of effective classroom management. Classroom management can be taken many different ways.

I believe classroom management is different in every classroom you step into. There are many different things to take into consideration when planning a classroom management strategy. Personal theories and beliefs will play a part of every management plan created. The safety of the children in the classroom environment plays a big roll. How we as teachers teach and handle ourselves is also a large part of classroom management.

Teachers have to be able to step back and reflect on their plan with an unbiased view.

I believe that classroom management is not as effective as it could be. Each teacher will have their own different theories, but I wouldn’t base a successful classroom management plan on if it was quiet or I had control. I feel a successful classroom management plan happens when each child you are teaching, is learning at their full capability. There is nothing stopping them from reaching their potential.

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I, personally, really liked the three-tiered model mentioned in the article Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach. The three-tiered model gave you the flexibility of being able to make it your own and implement it in different situations.

For me, and effective classroom management strategies involves not only looking at the class as a whole but looking at myself as a teacher. What can I do better to help the future of the world reach their potential? Also, I feel like looking at the individual students too. I have seen many teachers talk about a ‘bad class’ and even typing that makes me feel wrong. There isn’t a bad class, there may be a couple kids acting up/out. How we as teachers deal with that in accordance to our management strategies plans determines the success of us and our students. You have to believe in yourself and your students. I feel if each kid is positively steered in the right direction, they can climb mountains.

The safety of the learning environment is a top priority. If Jenny has anxiety and Billy keeps getting up and walking close to her, she is not going to be learning or paying attention to what she is doing at her full ability. If a child feels unsafe because a classmate has shown violent tendencies, that is when a teacher uses their management plan on how to help this student. We, as teachers, cannot look a one student being the ‘villain’ and one being the damsel in distress. If we can find the root of the problem, we can stop it. If we just yell and scream at the ‘villain’, and don’t look below the surface, we could never face the real problem. Most behavior issues start with something the child craves or doesn’t get.

If we yell and scream every time something goes wrong, our students will not feel safe in our classroom, and will not feel comfortable asking us for help, which in turn, hurts their chances of learning. I had a teacher in elementary who would scream at us and threated to hang us by our toes. I never asked questions in class because I was terrified of her. I was always on edge. We need our students to feel comfortable with us; this is why I believe in positive reinforcement when it is able to work. I want Billy to know that even though he got out of his seat and roamed around, and didn’t get praise this class, that he can still come to me for help with school or personal issues. If we as teachers provide a safe/focused/positive classroom environment, then we can hold a bond with our students and help them through life.

I will be teaching high schoolers. I want to have positive reinforcement strategies. Even though token economics would not work (at least not where I am from), I feel like a similar version could be implemented. I want my class to be very discussion and question based. I will be teaching history. I plan to have everyone’s name in a hat or bag or some version of randomization, and ask questions every class, and call on whoever I draw out. If they get the question right, they may get some little trinket relating to the lesson. For example, if we are talking about the Civil War, and they answer a question right, they may get a miniature little plastic soldier. This reinforces the behavior of paying attention to the lesson, and being actively involved, because even though its small, it’s an incentive.

If I face big problems other than not paying attention and clowning around, I would like to try to keep from removing the student from the classroom. If it gets to a point where I can’t, I plan to take my student into the hallway and talk to them. I feel one of the biggest parts of classroom management at a high school level is treating your students with respect. They are getting close to being in the world on their own, and if I don’t treat them as such, I will not get respect or progress from them. At the end of the day, not every classroom plan will work. Some may even blow up in my face.

I understand that part of being a good teacher is being able to look back and reflect on my plan and what I could do differently. Nobody is perfect, and if there is a way to make my plans better, I should take it. I make mistakes just like everyone else, and part of being an educator who succeeds, is being able to admit that, and asking for help if you need it. Constructive criticism from other teachers, or even parents when their kid is the one who is stumping you, can really help. Advice from people who have been here before, even if it’s virtually over Skype, like mentioned in the article, Can You Skype Me Now? Developing Teachers’ Classroom Management Practices Through Virtual Coaching, can be a big asset to a classroom management strategy.

No set-in stone classroom management plan can be implemented, because every class is different. You have to be able to look back at your day and ask yourself how you could’ve handled this situation differently or helped this more effectively. We as teachers make mistakes and get antsy and have bad days, just as our students. We have to reflect and not let a bad day turn into a bad week. Scrap the whole plan if it didn’t work and start over the next day. Keep trying until you find something that benefits and works for everyone.

In conclusion, I feel classroom management is a big topic that doesn’t get enough attention. There are so many factors in it, like your personal beliefs and theories, the safety of the learning environment, how teachers handle themselves, and being able to reflect on mistakes/victories of things that worked for you students. Classroom management strategies are a small part of a college career, but they are a big part of how effective you can be as a teacher and how successful you can help make your students.