麻豆传媒入口

In the 1950s, psychologists Jacob Kounin and Paul Gump discovered a curious side effect of discipline: If a student was being disruptive and the teacher responded with strict disciplinary measures, the student might stop鈥攂ut other students would start exhibiting the same misbehavior. Kounin and Gump called this the 鈥�,鈥� and it demonstrated that efforts to control a classroom can backfire.

鈥淭he teacher who is interested in controlling ripple effects can generally do so best by giving clear instructions to the child rather than by exerting pressure on him,鈥� Kounin and Gump wrote.

Decades later, classroom management is still a thorny issue for teachers. Nearly half of new teachers report that they feel 鈥渘ot at all prepared鈥� or 鈥渙nly somewhat prepared鈥� to handle disruptive students, in part because the average teacher training program devotes just eight hours to the topic, according to a from the National Council on Teacher Quality. This lack of training comes with a cost, as teachers report losing on average to behavioral disruptions every week, which comes out to roughly three weeks over the course of a year.

Recent research confirms what Kounin and Gump discovered decades ago. A found that while negative attention鈥攔eprimands like 鈥淪top chitchatting!鈥濃�攎ay temporarily stop misbehavior, students eventually became more likely to engage in disruptive behavior. Students in the study felt disengaged, had difficulty concentrating, and weren鈥檛 able to effectively regulate their thoughts and emotions鈥攁 vicious cycle that 鈥渁ctually amplifies students鈥� inappropriate behavior,鈥� the study authors explain.

8 Proactive Classroom Management Strategies

Instead of handling disruptions after they鈥檝e happened, it can be more effective to set up conditions in which they are less likely to occur. Here are eight classroom strategies that teachers have shared with 麻豆传媒入口, .

1. Greet students at the door: At Van Ness Elementary School in Washington, DC, Falon Turner starts the day by giving each of her students a high-five, handshake, or hug. 鈥淒uring that time, I鈥檓 just trying to connect with them鈥�. It鈥檚 kind of like a pulse check to see where they are,鈥� she says.

In a study published last year, greeting students at the door helped teachers set a positive tone for the rest of the day, boosting academic engagement by 20 percentage points while reducing disruptive behavior by 9 percentage points鈥攁dding roughly an hour of engagement over the course of the school day.

2. Establish, maintain, and restore relationships: Building relationships with students through strategies like greeting them at the door聽is a good start. It鈥檚 also necessary to maintain them over the course of the school year, and to repair them when conflicts arise. 鈥淭he stronger the relationship and the better we understand our students, the more knowledge and goodwill we have to draw on when the going gets tough,鈥� writes Marieke van Woerkom, a restorative practices coach at the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility in New York.

Strategies for聽establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships鈥攕uch as regular check-ins, and focusing on solutions instead of problems鈥攃an reduce disruptions by up to 75 percent.

3. Use reminders and cues: 鈥淣ovelty鈥攕uch as the sound of a wind chime or rain stick鈥攃aptures young students鈥櫬燼ttention鈥� writes Todd Finley, a former English teacher and current professor of English education, who suggests using聽these techniques to quiet a noisy class.

For older students, give plenty of warning if you need them to follow instructions. Reminders and cues are helpful ways to encourage students to follow instructions without being overtly controlling or forceful. For example, if you can anticipate a disruption鈥攕uch as students getting out of their seats if they finish an assignment early鈥攇ive a short reminder of what they should do instead.

Reminders are commonly verbal, but can also be visual (flicking the lights to signal that it鈥檚 time to be quiet), auditory (ringing a small bell to let students know they should pay attention to the teacher), or physical (using a hand signal to let students know to get back in their seats).

4. Optimize classroom seating: When students choose their own seats, they鈥檙e than when seats are assigned. After all, they鈥檒l probably pick seats next to their friends and spend more time chatting.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean choice is always聽bad. Giving students a sense of ownership in the room, paired with clear expectations for behavior, can have surprisingly positive effects. A welcoming space can reduce anxiety and boost academic performance. Emily Polak, a ninth-grade teacher in Madison, Alabama, gave her room a cozier feel by adding a couch, a loveseat, rugs, a coffee table, and posters. Her students decide where to sit鈥攂ut if they can鈥檛 get their work done, they get moved back to a desk. 鈥淒iscipline issues have significantly decreased. My students seem to feel more relaxed and more motivated in a setting that honors their choices,鈥� Polak says.

5. Give behavior-specific praise: It may seem counterintuitive, but can be more effective than punishing or disciplining students. Instead of focusing on specific students, offer praise for the behavior you want to reinforce. For example, tell students, 鈥淓xcellent work getting to your seats quickly.鈥�

It鈥檚 also helpful to avoid using the word 诲辞苍鈥檛, suggests Alyssa Nucaro, a sixth-grade English teacher in Memphis. Students are more likely to listen to instructions that include clear reasons.

6. Set clear expectations: Instead of just displaying rules for behavior, have a discussion with your students about why those rules matter. Bobby Shaddox, a seventh-grade social studies teacher in Portland, Maine, works with his students to create a list of norms鈥攚ords such as inclusive, focused, and considerate鈥攖o build a sense of community. 鈥淚t helps us own the behavior in the classroom,鈥� Shaddox says. 鈥淚nstead of a top-down list of rules that a teacher gives a class, these are words that we generated together. These are words that we believe in.鈥�

7. Actively supervise: 鈥淧resence is crucial to maintaining classroom management and to effective delivery of instruction, and it鈥檚 a skill we can develop with effort,鈥� explains Sol Henik, a high school teacher in Pleasant Hill, California. Although it鈥檚 tempting to sit at your desk and grade papers, that鈥檚 also an invitation to your students to get distracted. Be active: Move around the room, check in on student progress, and ask questions. It鈥檚 not about policing your students, but about interacting with them.

A found that a teacher鈥檚 nonverbal cues鈥攕uch as smiling and making eye contact鈥攃an 鈥渞educe physical and/or psychological distance鈥� with their students, boosting students鈥� positive feelings toward the teacher and the course material while improving behavior.

8. Be consistent in applying rules: Early in Kelly Wickham Hurst鈥檚 career as an administrator in a public high school, she was asked to discipline a black student for violating the school dress code by wearing sagging jeans. As they walked down the hallway, he pointed out other boys鈥攁ll white鈥攚ho were also wearing sagging pants. 鈥淎re you gonna get him, too, or is it just me?鈥� he asked. School and classroom expectations, rules, and routines should be followed and applied fairly to all students. Don鈥檛 single out certain students鈥攊t鈥檚 the behavior you should be focused on, not the student. Correct errors when you see them and provide additional instruction or reteaching when misbehavior occurs.