Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program

Mentoring Matters: Establishing a Supportive Culture for Learning Classroom Management, part 2

Learning Outcomes

Mentors will be able to:Talk about the importance of classroom management—in particular, “mental set” and “withitness”—and help beginning teachers understand and learn these skills.Understand the relationship between positive teacher-student relationships, student behavior, and student achievementConsider ways to help a beginning teacher reflect on the extent to which he or she creates a community of learners, in which students are motivated to learnTalk with colleagues in confidence about successes and challenges of mentoring a beginning teacher

Agenda

Review/Learn– Review four components of classroom management; think about the

value of an appropriate “mental set.”

Sharing – Think about positive teacher-student relationships and what they look

like.

Learning – Classroom management, part 2: research about teacher-student

relationships and teacher mental set; strategies to accomplish these

Committing– What ideas can I use? What have I learned? What will I use with my

mentee?

Three Major Roles of Effective Teachers (Marzano)

1. Selecting effective and appropriate instructional

strategies

2. Designing curriculum with appropriate pacing and

sequence

3. Managing the classroom to promoteefficient and effective learning

Marzano’s Meta-Analysis

Reported in Classroom Management that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher.

Included the findings from more than 100 different studies

Addressed four general components of classroom management, each of which has a positive relationship to student engagement and student achievement.

Four Components of Classroom Management (Marzano)

Rules and procedures

Disciplinary interventions

Teacher-student relationships

Mental set

Summary of Marzano Findings

“Students in classes where effective management techniques are employed have achievement scores that are 20 percentile points higher than students in classes where effective management techniques are not employed.”Students in these classes have a 23 percent higher engagement rate. Marzano, p. 10

Appropriate Mental Set

Of Marzano’s four components, mental set has the largest effect on student behavior, engagement, and achievement.

Mental Set = Frame of Mind

The Mental Set of Effective Classroom Managers

Incorporates two Constructs:

1. Withitness (with-it-ness)

2. Emotional Objectivity

What is the “Mental Set” of Effective Teachers?

They are “mindful” of what’s happening. – They pay attention– They don’t get absorbed in what they’re doing to

the exclusion of what’s going on around them– They stay tuned in to the students

“Mindfulness involves a heightened sense of situational awareness and a conscious control over one’s thoughts and behavior relative to that situation.” (Marzano, CMTW, p. 65)

Withitness

Kounin discovered the difference between effective and ineffective teachers was “not in how they handled the disruptive behavior of students, but in the disposition of the teacher to quickly and accurately identify problem behavior or potential problem behavior and to act on it immediately.” Marzano, p. 66-67

Techniques of “With-it” Teachers

Position themselves to be able to see all students…and move around the classroom, getting to all sections

Periodically scan the classroom

Pay attention to potential problems

Make eye contact

If eye contact doesn’t work, move closerIf moving closer doesn’t work, say something privately to the student --Marzano, p. 70

“With-it” Teachers Forecast Problems

What might go wrong?

Anticipate problems—particularly with special needs students

To Learn With-it-ness, Observe Master Teachers

Teachers develop withitness over time—it’s a subtle and situational quality

Another Component of the Mental Set of Effective Teachers

Emotional Objectivity = reacting to student misbehavior in a calm, unemotional, objective fashion—not personalizing student behavior

More typical human reaction to disobedience is to feel hurt or angry; this undermines classroom management

Consciously Reframe—Look for Reasons Why

Don’t personalize student misbehavior

Monitor One’s Own Thoughts

Mentally review students before class each day—particularly the potential problemsTry to imagine these “problem” students engaging in positive behaviorKeep positive expectations in mind when interacting with these students

Take Care of One’s Self!

Address One’s Own Emotional State

“…it is critical for you not to carry anger, resentment, and other hostile feelings once a discipline situation is over. If you are angry with a student from an incident that happened the day before, you might enter a power struggle just to flex your muscles and show who is boss. Don’t. Start fresh each day.” --Curwin and Mendler cited in Marzano, p. 74

Strategies to Enhance Emotional Objectivity

Guided imagery

Deep breathing

Maintaining a sense of humor

Laughter—going to movies or watching t.v. shows that one finds funny

Treating oneself to a reward on especially hard days

Emotional Objectivity

Rate your beginning teacher on the extent to which he is able to stay objective when dealing with problem students.What feedback would you like to give him about this? – Remember, to be effective, praise should be specific,

contingent, believable, and varied. How might you phrase the feedback?

– Corrective feedback sometimes is more effective as the result of self-assessment and reflection. What questions might you pose to your beginning teacher on this topic?

How Well is Your Mentee Taking Care of Himself?

Find a partner with whom to talk.

What evidence do you have that the beginning teacher with whom you work is taking care of herself…or failing to do so? (Remember the typical emotional phases of beginning teachers. See your Mentor Manual.)

How could you help? Could you find time to do “deep breathing” together? Or go to a funny movie together?

Alabama Quality Teaching Standards

Standard 2: Teaching and Learning

– Organization and Management of Learning

– Using Instructional Strategies to Engage Learners

– Assessment of Learning

Standard 2: Teaching and Learning

Organization and Management of Learning2.1 Designs a classroom organization and management

system built upon sound, age-appropriate expectations and research-based strategies for promoting positive behavior

2.2 Creates a climate that promotes fairness and respect

2.3 Creates a safe, orderly, and stimulating learning environment that nurtures motivation and engagement of learners

What Does It Mean To You?

Imagine a classroom with a climate of fairness and respect…that is safe, orderly and stimulating…and that nurtures student motivation and engagement (2.2 and 2.3)

In such a classroom, what would the teacher be doing? What would students be doing? What would it feel like? Sound like? Look like?

Is this classroom more like…

A beach?

A garden?A forest?

A lake?

Teacher-Student Relationships: The Keystone for Effective Classroom

Management

Study of over 10,000 adolescents found that “positive connections” to parents and teachers was the strongest factor to protect teens from destructive and risky behavior.

by Resnick et al. (1997)

Teacher-Student Relationships: The Keystone for Effective Classroom

Management“When students feel connected at school, they are less likely to engage in violence, drugs, alcohol, sex, or other harmful behaviors.”

(Vitto, page 8)

Teacher-Student Relationships: The Keystone for Effective Classroom

Management

Resnick also found that positive relationships with teachers was more important than– class size, amount of teacher training,

classroom rules, school policy

…in protecting students from destructive behaviors.

Teacher-student Relationship

“The teacher-student relationship is easily lost in a confusing web of rules, limits, and required objectives.”

Rogers and Frieberg (1994, p. 33)

What Do Students Say About Teachers To Whom They Feel Connected?

“She listens to me”

“He thinks I’m important”

“She talks with me”

“Learning is fun with him”

Vitto, page 65

In a study of high school students,

“…84 percent said that disciplinary problems that occurred could have been avoided by better teacher-student relationships.”

Marzano citing Sheets, p. 42

Positive Relationship

A balance of firmness, fairness, and friendship --Vitto

Firmness

Consistent: predictable outcomes to behavior; same consequence to the same misbehavior; monitor for follow-through

Assertive: back up words with actions

Clear expectations: students have been clearly taught what is expected

Fairness

Impartial…not favoring some students over others

No assumptions of wrongdoing (based on past behavior without getting facts)

Respect and fair treatment to all

Friendliness

Speak calmly

Do not take misbehavior personally

Show interest in the student

Be courteous and respectful

Have a sense of humor

Demonstrate care and concern for students

Relationship Barriers and Builders

BarriersMaking assumptionsRescuing/explainingDirecting/tellingCriticizing “Should-isms”

BuildersQuestioning; being openExploringEncouraging/InvitingCelebratingRespecting

Adapted from Vitto, pp. 67-70

2 Defining Dimensions of Teacher-Student Relationships

Dominance

vs.

Submission

Cooperation

vs.

Opposition

Dominance vs. Submission

High dominance — “characterized by clarity of purpose and strong guidance”—both academic and behavioral

Marzano, p. 42

High submission — “characterized by lack of clarity and purpose” p. 43

Cooperation vs. Opposition

High cooperation — characterized by “concern for the needs and opinions of others and a desire to function as a member of a team” Marzano, p. 43

High opposition — “characterized by active antagonism toward others and a desire to thwart their goals and desires” p. 43

High Dominance

High Submission

High Opposition

High Cooperation

Optimal Teacher-Student

Relationship

New Teachers

…often exhibit “highly cooperative” behaviors, but are not good at “dominant” behavior since they have not been in leadership positions

Over time (6-10 years), they become competent in dominant behaviors; but they also become less cooperative

“Teachers appear to decline in cooperative behavior and increase in oppositional behavior, a change that negatively affects student attitudes.”

(Wubbels et al., 1999, p.166)

How might you present this information to your beginning teachers to prompt reflection and self-awareness?

Positive Climate for Learning

Encourages students to be excited about their learning

Challenges students

Provides safety for exploration and risk-taking

Supports students and facilitates their supporting one another

Demonstrates respect of differences in learners

Promote Positive Climate

“Speak courteously and calmly…

“Share information…

“Use positive statements as often as possible….

“Establish a feeling of community.”Evertson, p. 63

Ratio of Positive to Negative Interactions

Data collection related to relationships: record rates of positive and negative teacher-student interactions. (Recommend 3-5 positives for each negative.)

“A teacher can inadvertently increase negative behavior by paying attention to students more when they are misbehaving than when they are behaving appropriately.” Vitto, p. 63

Praise

Contingent

Specific

Sincere

Varied

Positive Attention Other Than Praise

Referring to student answers or comments—later in the day or the weekShowing interest in student comments, e.g.,– Can you tell me more?– Can you give an example?– Show me how you came up with that answer.– That’s a creative answer. Can you tell me how

you thought of that?

Creating Community

“In saying that a classroom … is a ‘community,’ then, I mean that it is a place in which students feel cared about and are encouraged to care about each other. They experience a sense of being valued and respected; the children matter to one another and to the teacher. They have come to think in the plural: they feel connected to each other; they are part of an ‘us.’ And, as a result of all this, they feel safe in their classes, not only physically, but emotionally.” --Kohn, p. 101

“To say that a classroom is a community…is to say that it is a place where

“care and trust are emphasized above restrictions and threats, where unity and pride (of accomplishment and in purpose) replace winning and losing, and where each person is asked, helped, and inspired to live up to such ideals and values as kindness, fairness and responsibility. [Such] a classroom community seeks to meet each student’s need to feel competent, connected to others, and autonomous.”

(From the Child Development Project cited by Kohn, p. 102)

Building a Community

Ask the students. – “It’s really important to me that you feel free to

say things, to come up with ideas that may sound weird, to make mistakes—and not to be afraid that other people are going to laugh at you. What do you think we can do to make sure that happens?” Kohn, p. 111

Building a Community

Relationship with AdultsSample behaviors that let students know they are respected and cared about– Remembering details about a student’s life– “Knowing my sister’s name”– Writing notes to students– Visiting their homes– Holding private conversations– Asking students what they think—and listening to the

answers

Building a Community

Relationship between and among Students

Interdependence and cooperation– Respect for different points of view– Listening to what others say; reflecting back

what they hear– Learning about one another– Understanding and accepting how others feel

Building a Community

Students’ relationship to the what and how of their learning– Class meetings can be context for generation of

questions to pursue in the next unit of study.

– Cooperative learning processes help build positive relationships between different groups of students.

– Real-life, everyday problems serve to connect students to the curriculum.

Reflections on Classroom Climate

All of us can improve our classroom climate.

Suggest your beginning teacher complete the self-assessment.

Model reflection by completing this self-assessment for your own classroom—or for your relationship with your mentee.

Share the results together.

Committing

Think back over what we have reviewed during this session, related to Mental Set and Positive Teacher-Student Relationship.In your Mentor Manual, look at Chart 9, which presents ideas about topics of interest/need related to the school calendar.– On what do you want to focus with your beginning

teacher? – What do you want to accomplish in the next week?

Month? – How will you keep the administration and other

teaching staff involved and informed?

Commitment Circle

ReferencesCotton, Kathleen. Schoolwide and Classroom Discipline. School Improvement Research Series, #9. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Lab. (Available www.nwrel.orgt/scpd/sirs/5/cu9.htmlEvertson, Carolyn M. and Emmer, Edmund T. Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers. Eighth edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 2009Kohn, Alfie. Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 1996.Marzano, Robert J. Classroom Management that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 2003.Resnick, M., Bearman, P., Blum, R., Bauman, K., Harris, K., Jones, R., et al. Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the national longitudinal study on adolescent health. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 823-832.Rogers, C. and and Frieberg, H. J. Freedom to Learn (3rd ed.) New York: Merrill. 1994.Sprick, Randy, Knight, Jim, Reinke, Wendy, and McKale, Tricia. Coaching Classroom Management: Strategies and Tools for Administrators and Coaches. Eugene, OR: Pacific Northwest Publishing. 2006.Vitto, John M. Relationsip-Driven Classroom Management: strategies that Promote student Motivation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 2003.