Classroom management Discussion

There were many approaches and strategies included in this week's unit on classroom management. Now it is time to share your experiences, questions and reflections with your peers.

For example: My exposure to classroom management in my undergraduate teacher education program included only an article by a nun on how straight rows and attractive bulletin boards promoted better behavior.

As a first year teacher, I had given my secondary students class time to review for the test scheduled the next day. Yes, that was all I told them. Of course, within a short period of time the noise and activity level (not related to class material) was becoming a problem.

Naive teacher that I was, I told them, "Since you've wasted this study time, you MUST come for an after-school study session here. Any student that does not show up will be withdrawn from this course (remember - we are in a secondary school).

I found out during my planning period that I could not enforce this. I waited in my classroom that afternoon (very nervously) - and to my surprise, EVERY student showed up and began quietly studying.

As an experienced teacher - I now know what I did was wrong - but I also know why it worked - let's see what you think.

Unit 3 Blog

Reflect on what you learned from the power point presentations and chapter 6. Which approach did you prefer? Why? How do they relate to each other. What questions do you have. This is your opportunity to share with your peers and instructor.

Unit 2 Review

Feel free to post any questions about Unit 2.