Get Your Students Hired
Class expectations are detailed on the class sylabus which is listed on the student portal. I remind students of specific requirements as the class moves forward.e.g.due dates of home work, papers, practical exams. The only exceptions are granted to students with excused (documented)events or illness. There are also guides for missing work & making up work. Effects of students actions of lack of taking action.
Bruce, the more you can guide your students towards an environment of self-regulation the better overall results you will experience not only in classroom management but in student outcomes. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
I found that the controller is not the best approach but rather the guide was a better option to make the class room run smoothly. Helping the students in decisions for proper class room behavior and learning was a better option.
Recently, I have tried to become more organized in the way that I plan each classes daily lesson. I recognize now that I am more of a Buddy and need to work more on being a Guide. Focusing more on classroom management and student achievement will help me accomplish this.
Andre, well stated. Set the stage early of the behavior you want students to follow and then lead by example. What happens in other classrooms is the domain of that particular instructor. What happens in YOUR classroom is our expectation to set and manage.
James Jackson
Ruth, try to think of this in a different way. What rules are enforced by one employer may not be the same rules by another. The common ground here is every situation is different and students need to learn early that what may be acceptable in one situation may not be in another. By asking questions and reading the policies and regulations of any environment is really the only true way of knowing acceptable from unacceptable behavior. One size rarely fits all and the sooner students learn this reality the more prepared they will be for the real world. Nothing wrong with having this conversation with your students. Each instructor know the rules and policies that are best for their classroom, the takeaway for students is learning the rules of each environment they are interacting is the best approach to success.
James Jackson
Maurice, have you been able to take anything away from this class that you feel will assist you in your own classroom management? Does following your school rules provide you with all the tools you need to have control over your classroom? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Jennifer, your post provides two interesting key topics. (1) Preparation is a key element to student success. The more we can provide to students so they can gain better insight into what will be taking place the more prepared students can become. (2) The focus on lectures is still way to high within higher education. The research on teaching and learning has brought forward the importance of engagement and student involvement. Lecturing is no longer the "best practice" approach. What are some ways you can begin exploring some of the more modern methods of student engagement and student involvement to assist students in learning the lessons in your lesson plans? Thanks for anything you can share and I am also interested in what others have to say about the topic of lecturing versus other methods of information delivery.
James Jackson
One tool that I have implemented is handing out an outline of my lectures when we start a new chapter. I have found that this really helps them stay focused It helps them see how much material we need to cover in that lecture and it also shows how many lectures are in that chapter. That way the students can predict when the next tests will be and what they are expected to know by that time. It also helps me to stay on track if the lecture ever gets diverted, I can see where we were and jump right back on track!
In the past i read alot of books and listen to my supervisors for constructive criticism. And now what im doing is following the rules of the school!
I totally agree to that, i also have the same experience. But we have to stick on to the rules which we have put forward in the first day. When ever I have turned a little it resulted in confusion.
I have been teaching young adults for over ten years. My style has been adapting and changing for the entire time. It depends on the "chemistry" of each class how actual outcomes can be measured. Some classes require tight boundaries, while others can be handled more loosely. What I have done in the past is to let each group know the operating parameters of the course and let them know that penalties will be administered for violations. In the future I am going to try to stick more closely to the guide type of instructor, perhaps improved performance and fewer behavior issues will be the payoff.
I've found that setting a firm, yet polite tone on the first day of class has been most effective...but consistency is critical to this. You must follow the guidelines you set forth.
Kelly, great topic and a good message for more novice instructors. As a subject matter expert you have a great deal of value to your students and through experience and effort the most novice of instructor can grow to become a true educator. The difference between an instructor and an educator is an educator knows when to leave the lesson plan behind because their students are ready to take their learning to the next level. The lesson plan is achieved but additional skills are also transferred in the process.
James Jackson
I am still learning about classroom management. I have seen that with adult learners, you have to all be on the same page when it comes to the rules. In a perfect world this would happen, unfortunately behavior that is acceptable in one classroom and not in another makes it very difficult with the adult student
Ruth E
I don't take things personally. That was one of the most challenging aspects of teaching for me. Over the past few years I have seen my coping skills grow and keep a big picture mindset.
Joey, great point concerning taking care of any concerns promptly. The longer a situation lingers the more likely it can grow and grow to a level that may be out of your individual control. Taking care of concerns promptly, fairly, and consistently is key to good classroom management.
James Jackson
Some of the things that I have done to improve my classroom management are have a clear understanding of the course outline for that day or even the weeks ahead. Further improvements that I can make are making sure to take care of any problems as soon as they arise and not letting them get out of control.
David, great post and greatly appreciate the affirmation. What are some of the things you do in your day one that you feel has the most impact on students and best sets the tone for the remainder of the class duration? I am sure other readers will find your comments useful so thanks in advance for any information you can provide.
James Jackson
This course was very informative in regards to classroom management. I found that it is important to set the tone day one and establish that students are to respect each other and the teacher in order to maintain a positive environment. I stress the point that the class is not about myself but is about them learning information that will help them professionally. I also say that disrupting the class is only detrimental to them because they will miss important information. From this course I learned that it is important to adress misbehavior immediately and to contact student individually and have them meet you after class. I found that if you speak to student individually it is an effective means of managing the class.