Module 4 Unit 2 Activity 2: Modifying Classroom Management Strategies
Report requirements
- Video Annotation with recommendations to improve classroom management
- Discuss ideas and suggestions for improvement with the cohort in the Discussion Forum
Grade: completed
Annotation for video 1
Time - 00:20
Annotation
Mr. T storms into the room without any greeting, which is a mistake according to research by Cook, Fiat and Larson (2018). Cook and colleagues found that positive greetings are a low cost high yield classroom management strategy that produces significant improvements in academic engaged time and reductions in classroom behavior.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 00:21
Annotation
My method of greeting the students is completely different. When I arrive I loudly and energetically greet the class with a "Good morning everybody!!" and a smile. It puts both me and the students in a good mood and makes me seem approachable and friendly. I also greet students with a friendly tone as they arrive.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 00:22
Annotation
Cook, C. R., Fiat, A., Larson, M., Daikos, C., Slemrod, T., Holland, E. A., … Renshaw, T. (2018). Positive Greetings at the Door: Evaluation of a Low-Cost, High-Yield Proactive Classroom Management Strategy. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 20(3), 149–159.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 00:27
Annotation
I know this feeling, it can be difficult to give a student your full attention when you are trying to get ready for this class. Yes, the solution is to give the student your full attention, but for many teachers we are already overworked, every extra thing we do adds to the amount of overtime we need to put in. It is about at what point you draw that line. For myself, I know that, if this can be addressed after class, I would respectfully ask the student, in a warm tone, if we can talk about it after class. This is important as teachers need to focus on getting things set up as this will affect all the students. In many situations we need to put the group first. Unless there it is a special circumstance, the needs of individual students can be met after we have met the needs of the group.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 00:34
Annotation
There is a lack of eye contact here as he talks to the student, he is more occupied by his computer. McDonald (2017) Emphasizes the importance of eye contact other non verbal forms of communication [MacDonald, E. (2017). Setting the Tone [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald027.shtml]. This leads the student to feel like he does not respect her and as a result the issue escalates and she begins to speak more loudly and aggressively.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 01:04
Annotation
Only after the student shouts the teacher begins to respect her and meet her with eye contact. This de-escalates the situation temporarily but the student still seems annoyed and eventually the class as a whole seems to be disrupted as a result. The teacher should have tried to take her seriously from the start or dealt with the matter respectfully after class rather than before class. This could have also been done in private so as not to get the class involved. He should also try model respectful behavior so that the students can learn from him. Hopkins (2015) has many tips on ways to deal with situations like this (e.g. hallway conferences, respect, etc.). Here is another article on the importance of modelling: https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/charney/charney003b.shtml
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 01:29
Annotation
As Hopkins (2015) suggests, Mr. T. uses a countdown for behavior. This certainly has advantages as it helps students transition into class.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 02:15
Annotation
The student at the front of the class wearing their bag is a distraction, but they seem to be carrying out some sort of procedure. The behavior is automatic and it is silent, but to an observer it is very difficult to understand what is going on and why the teacher is not acknowledging it. However, efficient routines make it easier for students to learn and achieve more (Shalaway, 2018).
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 02:21
Annotation
For me, I think would be standing at the front of the class when asking questions, so I can see everyone raising their hands. I will try to make sure that people do not shout out their answers as I want to give everyone a chance to contribute and I also want to choose weaker students and people who don't have their hands up as much as possible. If those students make a mistake I will thank them for their answer, and then I can ask one of the students with their hands up to help them out a little bit and improve on their answer.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 02:30
Annotation
I do like that he is praising the students and using their names, this will help to build a relationship, show respect and reward the students. Cooper, Haney, Krieg and Brownell found that there are many benefits for students to perceive that there instructor knows their names, yet only 20% of students feel that their instructor knows their names in high enrollment classes.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 02:39
Annotation
Cooper KM, Haney B, Krieg A, Brownell SE. What's in a Name? The Importance of Students Perceiving That an Instructor Knows Their Names in a High-Enrollment Biology Classroom. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2017;16(1):ar8. doi:10.1187/cbe.16-08-0265
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 03:25
Annotation
Continuing on the issue of the late students, Educationworld (n.d.) seems to suggest that it is important to name the expectations in class, such as his expectation that his students should be on time. Also, behaviorism shows that reinforcement and punishment are most effective when they are immediate, this creates the strongest association. This is something he should deal with as soon as he can, if he doesn't have an automatic punishment, he should implement one.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 03:38
Annotation
Here another student is late, instead of punishing the student he is acting like a friend, "Hey man, what's up, we were just finishing up". McDonald (2017) emphasizes the importance of keeping a certain level of professional distance, you can be friendly, but not a friend. Furthermore, here he can be respectful but he does not need to be friendly. There may be other issues at play however, are these students at high risk of dropping out? Why are there so few students? Is he simply trying to reward the few students that make the effort to come in instead of dropping out. The expectations are very low. Higher expectations are generally associated with better performance (http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/nqt-special-what-do-high-expectations-actually-look-like/), is this school's situation an exception to that rule or are his low expectations contributing to a severe problem. Unless there are special circumstances, he needs to address this problem.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 03:51
Annotation
I know that most teachers have a collection of pencils like this, and it is something I need to do. This year, I have had so many of my pencils disappear that sometimes I have to ask students for a pencil instead :(. Usually I try to put stickers on my belongings, but things with stickers went missing too. It is a new problem for me, also disinfectant spray (which can be expensive), I don't know where or why they are disappearing yet. This highlights the importance of preparation on the part of teachers. You need to be over prepared, you need to have that collection of pencils available and you need a procedure to make sure that the students know how to make use of them. You need to understand that sometimes these things will go missing, and you need to put measures in place to reduce this and also to prepare for it.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 03:55
Annotation
Is he giving students pencils? It is good that he has pencils ready, but he should have a procedure for this that doesn't involve him having to do it. The student doesn't even say thank you, which is something he should have a procedure for.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 04:25
Annotation
Walking around and checking the students work is good, as it flagging the time, this is an example of counting down (Hopkins, 2015). The class is also quiet and involved in their work.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 04:36
Annotation
Students raising their hands and waiting for permission to speak, a good classroom management technique. It helps maintain order and control.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 05:14
Annotation
The teacher just accepted an answer from someone who shouted without putting up their hand. This could cause his system to collapse. He needs to respectfully address this, perhaps by thanking the student for their contribution, and then either reminding them or warning them that next time he wants them to put their hand up or else there would be some consequence. Research shows the importance of rewarding or punishing behavior appropriately (Leaf, 1969).
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 05:26
Annotation
Now it is a free for all, it is happening again and students are shouting out answers because by not being consistent and, in fact, rewarding this problem behavior he has taught the students that it is acceptable to speak without raising their hands.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 06:17
Annotation
Here, he does not make it easy for students to answer his question. Students do not even know what kind of response he wants or if it is a rhetorical question. If he had wanted a response he should have said "raise your hand if..." If he feels it is something that is a given or obvious and he just needs to fact check, he should make it easier by asking the inverse (e.g. hands up who has NEVER had that happen to them) or else students will not bother.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 06:23
Annotation
here again, he is encouraging a student who did not put up their hand. Risky strategy. He needs to reminder her, this is not her first time, it has become a habit. His rewarding of this behavior has taught her that it is not necessary to put up her hand anymore. The other students will model her behavior and everything will eventually fall apart and he will probably get frustrated and blame the class without realizing that he brought it upon himself.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 06:50
Annotation
The girl with the green hair just interrupted the other student. He can address this respectfully, he appreciates her effort and she can contribute but she must raise her hand if she wants to add to the conversation, the students must respect each other, the class environment and the teacher.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 07:04
Annotation
Is that another late student? It needs to be addressed.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 07:09
Annotation
By just handing her the paper, he is showing the class that her tardiness is acceptable. He should stop teaching and address the matter. It is more important than the subject matter he is teaching. Behavior is just as important if not more important than content. He has very low expectations with regards punctuality.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 07:16
Annotation
Their last day is Wednesday, at the end of the year things can be more difficult. With this in mind, things aren't actually going that badly.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 07:32
Annotation
The behavior of raising hands is not completely extinct. No one is doing it. Everyone is speaking over each other, and he is not even writing down their ideas.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 07:48
Annotation
This seems a little disrespectful, also, buggy is in the dictionary and has several definitions, including the following: " insane, strange, eccentric or stupid" but even outside this definition, it is used in other domains, such as programming. Regardless of whether she was right or wrong, he didn't need to embarrass her this much, the wager was not necessary. As Hopkins (2015) points out, teachers should respect their students. Furthermore, the students will model his behavior and talk like this to him and each other, too (Modeling Procedures, n.d.).
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 09:08
Annotation
Here he is calling on specific students, but other students are answering. The students are on task, but basic manners are missing. He just needs to remind the other students to put up their hands. He can do so politely, even praising their enthusiasm, but directing them towards the appropriate behavior. I can understand that this situation is complicated by the fact that he is facing away from them as he writes. However, a student could be writing/typing for him. Also, do the students really need to be writing down the content from the projector, or can the notes just be sent to group later?
Instructor's Feedback
This is a good recommendation for Mr. T.
Time - 09:16
Annotation
I do like seeing that the students all have their books open and they are writing down content onto their worksheets. Posture is bad however, and the papers are at an angle. As a result of this, their handwriting will be messier and the will develop poor siting habits. He should encourage students to put the paper at the correct angle and to rearrange the placement of their books and worksheets.
Instructor's Feedback
Really good recommendation!
Time - 09:26
Annotation
For me, I would definitely be encouraging students to put up their hands quietly. Tell the students that you are going to take the answer from someone putting up their hand quietly, and praise the student who does so so as to model the appropriate behavior to the class. E.g. "Maria, I really like how you raised your hand quietly, Sometimes we tend to shout out answers without doing that because we really just want our idea to get heard and we can't wait to put it out there, but by raising our hands we show respect for one another and we help maintain a sense of order and turn taking so that everyone gets a chance." That would be my approach for students in this age range, for elementary, of course I use simpler and more language and a more excited tone, but the message is similar.
Instructor's Feedback
Time - 09:27
Annotation
Again, you can see students shouting out answers instead of raising their hands and he is rewarding them. Although some people were raising their hands at the start of the class, everyone now understands that it is not necessary and that people who shout get heard first and acknowledged by the teacher. He needs to be more consistent.
Instructor's Feedback
Consistency is key in any classroom!