Combating Problem Behaviors Online

Course Description

This course provides busy educators with practical, easy-to use strategies for preventing and responding to misbehavior in ways that will build respectful, responsible and cooperative classroom communities.  This course is designed to directly deal with the issues surrounding problem behaviors in a classroom.  You will learn to establish a caring, stimulating and safe community for learning where democratic values are fostered, diversity is embraced, and students assume responsibility for learning.  Candidates will explore instructional strategies to enhance teaching and learning for all students.

This course will focus on creating a classroom of exceptional learners who are committed to the learning process when dealing with diverse learners, including those with special needs.  We will learn to promote democratic values, appreciate diversity, and create classroom communities with high expectations for all students.  We will examine the causes of misbehavior, classroom disruptions and oppositional behaviors that affect student learning. 

The first half of this course will focus on a proactive approach with a focus on specific techniques you can use to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.  You will learn five specific phrases guaranteed to build relationships with any student as well as numerous strategies designed to make students want to behave because they care about you and each other.  In addition, you will learn many practical ways to satisfy the needs that often drive students to misbehave without sacrificing precious instructional time.

The second half of the course will focus on why kids misbehave and how to intervene when one student or a small group of students disrupt the learning process for all.  When students are disruptive, you will learn specific things to say and do that will enable you to maintain your authority and the student's dignity while ending the disruption quickly so you can get back to teaching and keep the student in class.  You will learn two phrases that will have challenging students agreeing with the consequences given.  Finally, you will learn exactly what to say and do when you must remove a student to make them want to return to your class.

Objectives

• Examine the importance of relationship building in the teaching process.
• Create artifacts that support relationship building teaching strategies.
• Develop strategies to predict and prevent disruptive behavior.
• Design strategies that will increase student work completion.
• Assess the root cause of student misbehavior.
• Differentiate between being fair and treating everyone the same way.
• Determine when differentiated instruction and discipline is necessary. 
• Explore and practice creative teaching and testing strategies.
• Assess how, why, where and when to sue cooperative learning to maximize group work.
• Decide how to use rules, consequences and punishments.
• Structure and define values for rules, consequences and punishments.
• Apply strategies to diffuse a power struggle.
• Implement strategies to help students make responsible decisions.
• Recognize and correct specific ways teachers inadvertently cause bullying.
• Determine how to effectively use awards without bribing.
• Implement core concepts, strategies and ideals from first nine modules.
• Explain aspects of classroom management.

Curriculum Design & Time Requirements

There are a series of major classroom management concepts systematically presented by the instructor. Each concept acts as a building block to form a basic understanding that teachers can weave into their own classroom including strategies and best practices to assist teachers in creating a positive and enriching school environment where all can learn. This is a three-credit graduate level or 60-hour online professional development course completed over a thirteen-week period. Modules One through Nine will be completed one per week. Module Ten will be completed over a two week period so students will have time to revise and complete the final integrative assignment.

Hardware & Computer Skill Requirements

Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox etc.

Course Materials

The required textbook for this course is Strategies for Successful Classroom Management: Helping Students Succeed Without Losing your Dignity or Sanity by Brian D. Mendler, Richard L. Curwin, and Allen N. Mendler. In this text, educators will learn dozens of strategies to improve lessons and eliminate disruptions and one secret strategy that every teacher needs for successful classroom management. You will learn to differentiate instruction without adding any work for the teacher. Finally, you will understand the three biggest classroom management mistakes and how to avoid them. The textbook will be provided for all students. Case studies, rubrics, and lesson plans are included in modules.

Session Outline

Module 1: Building Relationships with Diffusing Basics
Objectives:

• Examine the importance of relationship building in the teaching process.
• Create artifacts that support relationship building teaching strategies. Contents:

1. P.E.P.
2. Making time for students
3. Relationship building

Module 2: Preventing Problem Behavior and Homework Excuses
Objectives:

• Develop strategies to predict and prevent disruptive behavior.
• Design strategies that will increase student work completion.
  

Contents:

1. 4-2-1
2. Preventing homework problems
3. Predictability/Prevention Phrases

Module 3: Why Students Misbehave in School and in Class
Objective:

• Assess the root cause of student misbehavior.

Contents:

1. Reasons for misbehavior
2. Suggestions for fulfilling student needs

Module 4: Fair vs. Equal
Objectives:

• Differentiate between being fair and treating everyone the same way.
• Determine when differentiated instruction and discipline is necessary.

Contents:

1. Fair vs. equal
2. Other examples

Module 5: Using Creative Teaching Strategies, Groups, and Cooperative Learning to Prevent Problem Behavior
Objectives:

• Explore and practice creative teaching and testing strategies.
• Assess how, why, where and when to sue cooperative learning to maximize group work.

Contents:

1. Teaching and testing strategies
2. Groups and transitions

Module 6: Rules vs. Values and Consequences vs. Punishments
Objectives:

• Decide how to use rules, consequences and punishments.
• Structure and define values for rules, consequences and punishments.

Contents:

1. Teachers determine values, students have a say in creating rules
2. Rules and values, things to remember
3. Consequence vs. punishment
4. Predetermined consequences
5. Consequences that teach

Module 7: Power Struggles and Conflict Resolution
Objective:

• Apply strategies to diffuse a power struggle.

Contents:

1. Power struggles and why they happen
2. 8 major steps to diffusing a situation
3. Removal an option

Module 8: Helping Students Help Each Other - Building a Responsible Classroom that is Free from Bullying
Objectives:

• Implement strategies to help students make responsible decisions.
• Recognize and correct specific ways teachers inadvertently cause bullying.

Contents:

1. Awareness strategies
2. Helping the poorly organized student
3. Choice strategies
4. Bullying prevention and intervention
5. Bullying scenarios

Module 9: Rewards, Awards, and Bribes
Objective:

• Determine how to effectively use awards without bribing.

Contents:

1. Rewards and punishments due to an individual
2. Bribes vs. rewards

Module 10: Review, Classroom Management Plans, Classroom Designs, and Preparing You for the Classroom
Objectives:

• Implement core concepts, strategies and ideals from first nine modules.
• Explain aspects of classroom management.

Contents:

1. Job interview questions/statements
2. Possible answers

Grading

		Assignment	Points			Grading Scale
		Forum Participation	25			95 – 88	A
		Assignments	45			87 – 81	B
		Final Project	25			80 – 73	C
		Total Points	95

Student Requirements

	1.	Participation: Actively participate in all Forum activities.
	2.	Assignments: Complete all readings and reflection assignments.
	3.	Final Project: Students are required to put the classroom management strategies and concepts into action and will be required to construct a portfolio during the course that will serve as a toolkit of specific ideas and protocols for their classrooms as a part of their final project which will be due by the end of Module 10.

Student Academic Integrity

Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register

To register to take TEI's Combating Problem Behaviors Online course, go to the Course Registration page.