Effective Classroom Management
Course Outline
Course Description
This course is designed to assist teachers and administrators in public and private schools to develop skills to help them effectively manage the behavior problems that today's students bring to school. The ultimate aim or reason for this course is to prepare teachers to be effective managers of their classrooms so that student learning is maximized. The management principles contained in the book, The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong, will form the foundation for the course.Objectives
- List and discuss characteristics of an effective teacher.
- Review and discuss recent research on effective teaching.
- Understand the importance of conveying high expectations to students.
- Develop skills for welcoming and sending positive invitations to students.
- Evaluate a classroom to determine the level of readiness for students.
- Understand how effective and positive teacher reputations are developed.
- Learn skills for evaluating current procedures used in classrooms.
- Learn how to develop new procedures to improve the effectiveness of instruction.
- Develop appropriate rules for classrooms.
- Develop appropriate procedures to insure a well-managed classroom.
- Understand the difference between procedures and discipline.
- Understand the difference between procedures and routines.
- Consider the effects of procedures on at-risk students.
- Understand the importance of cooperative learning in managing effective classrooms
- Learn how to make cooperative learning work.
- Plan ways to structure cooperative learning activities.
- Develop a personal growth plan.
- Learn how to make classroom lessons powerful.
Curriculum Design & Time Requirements
Effective Classroom Management is a 3 credit graduate level or forty-five hour professional development course taught on weekends or over five full days. The following methodologies will be used during the course: lectures, readings, group and individual discussions, applied practice assignments, and papers.Course Materials
The required textbook is The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong. A variety of readings will be referenced throughout the course. Other supplementary readings will be provided.Session Outline
Session 1: Introduction and OverviewObjective: Evaluate present level of classroom management skills.
Contents:
- People Search
- Introductions
- Establishing Group Norms
- The Nominal Group Process
- Course Overview
- Personal Goal Setting
- Course Requirements
- Learning Contract
- Course Registration
Session 2: The Effective Teacher
Objective: Review research on classroom management.
Contents:
- Remembering the Effective Teachers
- Research on Effective Teaching.
- The Difference Between Efficient And Effective
- The Four Stages of Teaching: Fantasy, Survival, Mastery, Impact
Session 3: Positive Expectations
Objective: Understand the importance of conveying high expectations.
Contents:
- Pygmalion in the Classroom
- Positive Expectations and Negative Expectations
- Invitational Expectations
- Expectations and Students from Poverty
Session 4: Having Your Classroom Ready and Your Reputation Precedes You
Objective: Evaluate a classroom to determine the level of readiness.
Contents:
- Effective Teachers Are Ready
- Floor Space
- Work Area
- Student Area
- Wall Space
- Book Cases
- Teacher Area
- Teaching Materials
- Yourself
- Your Reputation
- You Are What You Are Because Of Where You Were When
Session 5: Classroom Procedures and Rules
Objective: Evaluating current classroom procedures.
Contents:
- Introduction
- Entering the Classroom
- Seating Arrangement and Assigned Seating
- Starting the Class
- Taking Roll
- Class Assignments
- Homework Assignments
- Rules, Consequences, and Rewards
- General Rules
- Specific Rules
- Your Rules
- How to Present Your Rules
- Involving Students in Forming Rules
- Area of Freedom For Teachers
Session 6: Consequences and Rewards
Objective: Develop appropriate rules for the classroom.
Contents:
- Why Consequences are Needed
- Negative Consequences
- Positive Consequences
- Getting Administrative Support
- Getting Parental Support
- Personality Styles
Session 7: Teaching Procedures
Objective: Understand why procedures are essential.
Contents:
- The Difference Between Procedures and Discipline
- The Difference Between Procedures and Routines
- What Procedures are Needed
- Teaching Procedures
- At-Risk Students and Procedures
Session 8: Working Cooperatively
Objective: Creating a cooperative learning classroom.
Contents:
- The Benefits of Cooperative Learning
- Dividing Your Class into Groups
- Who is in the Group
- How to Make Cooperative Learning Work
- How to Structure a Cooperative Learning Activity
- Implications for Teachers and Administrators
- Experiencing a Cooperative Learning Activity
Session 9: Your Personal Growth Plan and Powerful Learning
Objective: Begin developing a personal growht plan and understand the components of Powerful Learning.
Contents:
- The Professional Educator
- How to Improve Your Performance
- Taking Risks
- Your Growth Plan
- Powerful Learning
Session 10: Model Uses-Implementation
Objective: Develop a model discipline plan.
Contents:
- Discipline Article Sharing
- Discipline Plan Presentations
- Course Review
- Final Examination
- Course Evaluation
Grading
| Assignment | Points | Grading Scale | |||||||
| Group and Classroom Participation | 30 | 100 – 93 | A | ||||||
| Reading Assignments | 20 | 92 – 85 | B | ||||||
| Final Integration Project | 30 | 84 – 77 | C | ||||||
| Final Exam | 20 | ||||||||
| Total Points | 100 |
Student Requirements
| 1. | Attend all class sessions for the requisite number of hours (45) and actively participate in all class activities. | |
| 2. | Complete all reading assignments including a written summary of two current articles on classroom management. | |
| 3. | Complete the final integration project. Review research and literature on effective classroom management and develop a written model classroom discipline plan. | |
| 4. | Pass a final exam. |
