Develop a Management
Style that Embodies Consistency,
Respect and Caring Linda Kasarjian
"Developing your classroom
management style is a process. It can take
years. You cannot expect to have it on the
first day of school. Management styles can
be very different yet all be very effective. My advice
is to observe other teachers and adopt what you think
will work best for you. For me, it's an exciting
mystery or puzzle when I experiment to see what will
work with each new class."
Develop Routines
- Let the children know what you expect of them
Begin the school
year letting the children know exactly what is expected
of them. This requires painstaking training in
routines. Introduce each routine and spend however
long it takes to get it right.
Practice
and Model Routines
Routines are practiced,
modeled and role played until they are down pat. As
a result, students fall right into them and can get
down to work without much delay. This will set the
tone for what the teacher expects throughout the year.
Taking Ownership
- Developing Critical Thinking
Consistency, clear
expectations and routines are the greatest source of
comfort for children. Construct rules and procedures
together. When the students take ownership for some
of the routines, they are more likely to respond quickly
and stick to them with fewer reminders. [and
that requires me to have a framework and goals set
beforehand]
For example
...(in a lower grade classroom)
Line spots, desk
spots, and rug spots can be chosen by the children. The
criteria for choosing these spots are: who would you
work best with, who is better to play in the yard with,
but not to sit next to during work time?
This process requires
the children to reflect on how well they know themselves. It
is a challenge for many, but that is the point. This
will allow the teacher to run a classroom full of routine
and order at the same have the ability to constantly
ask children to look towards themselves to make decisions
and to help one another. The goal is to develop
responsible children who can think critically for themselves.