Question: This is my 3rd year teaching, and I’ve taught 1st grade for all 3 years.  I need some more ideas for managing classroom behavior.  My kids are great, but there are 3 of them that need extra attention. I’ve been doing the stop light thing the past couple years, but I don’t really care for it, and for the kids that are my behavior problems…it doesn’t seem to be working.  I talk to all their parents on a regular basis, but I want to take a different approach on handling their disruptions.  As for the girl,  she has great potential, but she does not stay focused on anything, which causes her to get into trouble several times throughout the day.  If there is any advice or ideas that you can give me I would be very grateful.

Answer:

Student misbehavior can occur for the following reasons (and more):

A) The child is bored

B) The child is frustrated - work is either too easy or too hard (or at least the child perceives that it is too easy or too hard)

C) The child is dealing with issues at home and is releasing pent up feelings in the classroom

D) The child is not used to structure and being held accountable for his/her actions and is rebelling against them in the classroom

E) The child is trying to get your attention

Trying to identify the root of the misbehavior is a good first step towards determining how to redirect that student in more positive ways.

Secondly, ask yourself - do you focus more on misbehavior and consequences or on positive behavior? Putting the focus on positive behavior often motivates students who misbehave to get their act together. I do not mean that you should implement a reward system in the classroom if you do not already have one, but rather take the time to compliment students on their good behavior and offer lots of praise. With students who typically misbehave, it is especially important to effusively praise when you catch them doing something positive in the classroom - making a good choice, working hard, cooperating, following directions, etc. Reward systems, when properly implemented, can be a big motivator to students.

One strategy I especially like for younger students can be implemented with your traffic signal system already in place. Give each student a large popsicle stick. At the end of each day, students who are still on “green” get a sticker. When the stick is full on both sides with stickers (usually 10 or so), the child gets to choose something from a treasure chest (or gets a certificate to take home). This type of system allows students who misbehave to have an equal chance at earning a reward. It may take that child longer, but he/she still has the opportunity to earn the stickers for their popsicle stick. This is much better than a system that takes away a reward for misbehavior occurring during the day or week. (That kind of system is actually a negative/consequence type system posing as a positive reinforcement system.)

Next, do you notice the child having difficulty with the work or showing signs of frustration? Think back over the past several months. Have you seen frustration in the child’s face and actions? Often, if a child is frustrated on a daily basis, there comes a time when they no longer try to do the work (or even try to behave), but instead give up before even starting. You might see signs of this if a child pushes away a paper or refuses to work on it at all. This kind of behavior can even be a hold-over from the previous year of school. With a child who is frustrated or feeling “stupid,” it is vital that you build up success stories for him/her. Praise, praise, praise every time you see the child succeeding at something.

You also need to monitor how quickly different children complete their work. Many bright students get into a lot of trouble because they finish their work quickly, or it is so easy they are bored immediately. When bored, the child begins to focus on other students, what is happening outside, a new book in the book corner, etc. Usually children tend to focus their attention on others either to “tattle,” offer “help” on the work, or simply irritate in the hopes of getting something to happen that would be more fun than sitting bored. To alleviate this problem, work on bringing in activities that are more challenging to these kids. Jigsaw puzzles, mazes, brain-teasers, and any kind of puzzle are great sources of challenging work that also stimulate higher brain activity. Offer these as “rewards” for students who finish their work early. This may motivate those who don’t focus on their work to get it done quickly and correctly so they get a chance to work a jigsaw puzzle or maze. Have a variety of easy to difficult puzzles available as you will have different levels of ability. If the puzzles are too easy, you are back to square one with the boredom issue. You can find word, math, and logic puzzles for children on the MENSA website and different gifted/talented websites through a Google search.

If you have a child you feel is dealing with other issues at home that are affecting his/her behavior in school, go see the counselor and get advice from him/her on how to handle the situation.

Children who are not used to structure at home have a difficult time adjusting in the classroom. The best thing you can do for these and all of your children is to have a set of expectations and procedures (routines) that occur in your classroom every day. Write these on posters and post them around the room. Then be consistent in following them every day. If students do not follow the expectations and/or procedures, stop what you are doing immediately and remind students of what they are supposed to be doing. Practice, if necessary, until students follow the expectation or procedure correctly. Do not hesitate in taking time to do this during class. You are reinforcing the fact that students must follow the structure and guidelines you have set up in your classroom. When students see that sometimes you make them follow the expectations, but not always, it gives them room to goof off and not follow directions. It also gives the message that the expectations and procedures are not as important as you led them to believe. This reduces the effect of any statements you make to your students because they no longer fully believe what you say.

Think about it this way — Let’s say you are in a small town and run a red light with a cop sitting at the intersection. The cop pulls you over, but just gives you a warning. The next time the cop doesn’t pull you over at all, but lets you get away with it. A third time the cop warns you again, but you never get a ticket. How likely are you to keep running that red light? Do you think the cop will let you get away with anything else - like not having a drivers license or stealing a coke from the convenience store? Who knows? He/she has already shown that the rules are treated haphazardly. You might even be tempted to try something else after a while just to see what happens. Your trust and respect for the authority of the cop is basically gone. Now, what if you were given a $250 ticket the first time you ran the red light? Would you be a little more careful? Let’s say the cop gave you a second ticket for $250 and warned that the third time your license would be taken away. Would you believe him/her? Wouldn’t you be more likely to stop at the red light because you know the cop means business and will not let you get away with anything? You have a firm trust that this cop will do what he/she says because of his/her past track record with you. It is the same in the classroom. Our track record speaks louder than our words.

Lastly, if you feel you have a student or two who are misbehaving to get your attention, then it is time to turn that around and only give “attention” when the student is behaving correctly. Does this mean that you ignore the misbehavior? Absolutely not. However, do not draw attention to the misbehavior. Quietly and quickly give the consequence without arguing with the student, and then move on. Don’t raise your voice or spend extra time with the student. Conversely, when the student does something well or behaves exactly as you have asked, be exuberant in your praise! Spend extra time telling the student what a great job he/she did or how proud you are that he/she followed directions. Give a huge smile, a hug, and a thumbs up. Go overboard with your praise. This sends the message to that child that you will give him/her far more attention when they behave correctly than when they misbehave. Once you see a consistent change in behavior, continue praising, but taper it down a bit so that the child does not grow dependent on always hearing praise for every little thing he/she does.

I know that this is a lot of advice, but unfortunately it is difficult for me to know exactly what issues you are facing with these three students. The issues I’ve listed above are the most common. However, please keep in mind that unless you have the basic building blocks for positive classroom discipline, ie- expectations, procedures, and training/consistency in those expectations and procedures, no amount of “strategies” will help correct the situation. If you do not have this in place, it is never too late to start. If you do have this in place, remember that every child is different. It is the interaction between you and the students and between the students themselves that creates a positive classroom environment. While you are responsible for putting in place the foundation, the students must do their part as well. You may be dealing with a child who is particularly stubborn, frustrating, and unreachable. If this is the case, you can only do your best. Some years are simply more challenging in terms of dealing with misbehaviors and no matter what we do, it remains challenging. I deal with those years by doing my very best to reach my kids and remembering that come June they will move on and I will get to start over with a new batch of kids.

Another resource I highly recommend is Jim Fay’s book, “Teaching with Love and Logic.” You can find his book on www.amazon.com.

Anyone else have ideas to share with this and other teachers? I’d love to hear your comments!

She also made a comment that went something like this, “I learned more about what my child is learning and doing in class tonight than I have all year long. We’ve been trying to help our child with her math division homework and I keep using the terms “borrow” and “carry.” I wondered why my daughter kept looking at me weird. Tonight I learned that she is taught to use the terms “group” and “regroup.” I never knew this. I, as a parent, want to support and enhance what is being taught in school when my daughter is home, but I don’t know what to do. I don’t have a background in education and half the time I don’t understand what the teachers are talking about. I know that other parents would also like to know this information so they are able to help you (the teachers) and their children.”

This comment really struck me because I realized how much I take for granted my knowledge base. As a parent who is also a teacher, I completely understand what my son’s teachers are telling me. I know the jargon and I know the strategies. If I am faced with an unfamiliar strategy, I am still able to connect it to educational research to understand how it works and helps my child learn. I also know where to go to read up on new strategies introduced so that I am more familiar with the concepts being used. However, most parents do not have this same level of knowledge.

I am reminded of the parent meeting held at my son’s school in August. The purpose was to inform parents on what to expect in 4^th grade. The teachers talked about the schedule which included time for Math, ELA, Specials, and IC. They also discussed various concepts and overarching themes and goals to be taught during the school year. We were told both the behavior and academic expectations for our children as well as the procedures followed in the classroom. Most of the parents nodded their heads, kept good eye contact with the teachers and seemed to be listening. When the meeting ended, my husband turned to me and asked, “Did you get all that?” I nodded and explained that I was very pleased with how the grade level was prepared and keeping parents informed. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, as long as you understood it and are happy, then I guess we’re good.” I just laughed and patted him on the shoulder, shrugging off his comment.

However, after hearing the comment made by this parent at the SBIC meeting, it made me wonder – how many of the parents actually understood what was explained in the meeting? How many keep quiet because they don’t want to seem unintelligent – even the highly intelligent ones? It also spurred me to wonder how often we break down information to a basic level when communicating with parents. If you are like me, you probably try to give information as quickly as possible so as not to waste your and the parent’s time. Is this really helping the parents or our students? We are always stressing the importance of encouraging parents to be partners in their child’s education, yet we do not give them the tools to do so. We also tend not to expect too much from parents. Yet, there are those out there who truly want to do more for their children and play a more active role in their child’s education, as evidenced by the parent at our meeting.

Still, how can we accomplish the goal of providing parents with the tools they need to understand and encourage learning at home that enhances what is done in school? There are only so many hours to the day and we are already stretched to the limit with curriculum and standardized testing demands. In the past I have put a small paragraph of information in my monthly newsletter as a way of keeping parents informed. I must admit that most of these did not provide practical or really useful information for the parents, but instead defended a particular teaching strategy or curriculum concept being taught.

After reflecting and brainstorming about this issue, I thought of the new Web 2.0 that is such an up-and-coming part of our lives. What about blogging as a way to help keep parents informed? Unlike a newsletter, a blog is very informal and can easily be done at home without the precious use of the copier (taking up needed copier credits for class assignments). I can give my students and parents the blog address and encourage them to read it. While not every family will use this resource, it will continue to be there. The other wonderful thing about blogs is that they are archived and topics can be categorized. You can also provide links to other resources including district curriculum information, state information, etc. Once a topic was addressed I would not have to continually readdress the issue every year. Parents could be pointed to relevant archived blog entries as concerns or questions arise. Additionally, parents could post comments and questions allowing for two-way communication.

So, then, how might I use a blog to help inform parents and provide them with the tools they need in order to enrich their child’s learning process at home? I have brainstormed and envision the following:

• Blog entries that address specific questions from parents (not about students). I would post both the question and my answer.
• Having a blog category of terms commonly used. These would include educational abbreviations frequently used in my district and school. Currently we use ELA to say “English and Language Arts” which means writing and reading. IC stands for Integrated Curriculum which is a two hour period during the day where students utilize writing, reading, math, art, music, and movement to study a science or social studies topic. Most parents have no idea what ARD, IEP, ELL, or many of the other commonly used abbreviations stand for. Additionally, many districts have their own verbiage to describe different types of learners and learning situations. For example, in my district PACE refers to the Gifted/Talented program.
• Blog entries that explain the vocabulary used during specific content units for language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, etc. (ie – “grouping” and “regrouping” as opposed to “borrow” and “carry”) These are especially helpful for parents to use the same terms at home when helping their child with homework or study for a test.
• Blog entries offering basic practical ideas parents can use at home to reinforce concepts and skills learned in school. What is something you would like for your parents to do with their kids when you teach decimals, temperature, world cultures, etc.? Break these down into very basic and easily understood directions that are free from educational jargon.
• Blog entries that offer questioning techniques. How can parents start and continue a dialogue with their child that will stretch the mind? What kinds of questions could a parent ask the child in the grocery store, when viewing interesting events in nature, construction sites, businesses, etc. that would encourage them to think critically?

Obviously when brainstorming, many ideas come out but not all of them are reasonable. Still, I think there are probably other ways we could use this blogging technology to help our parents become better helpers and teachers in their child’s life. There are so many experiences in life that reinforce what we teach in school, yet many parents do not know how to take advantage of these experiences as learning opportunities. They may desperately want to, but simply not have the tools needed to be effective.

I hope this has spurred some thinking on ways you might be able to use a blog, not just to keep parents informed of what you are doing, but to help them understand and learn how to be teachers at home. After-all, a parent is the child’s first and main teacher in life. It behooves us to offer them some training they can use at home. Take some time to do your own brainstorming. In an ideal world, if you had tons of time, what might you include in a blog like this? How would you organize it? How would you utilize it? How would you promote it to the parents? I would love to hear your ideas. I sincerely hope you will post comments below sharing your own ideas. Although this is only at the idea stage right now, I certainly plan to think more about it with the goal of starting a parent blog in the near future and I hope you’ll do the same.

1. Routinely invite parents into the classrooms and schools for special events.

2. Enlist parents as volunteers whenever possible.

3. Keep parents informed about classroom events and procedures.

4. Help parents know how to effectively help their children develop good study/work habits at home. 

I’d like to address the last strategy in more detail. Some families have problems helping their children develop good work and study habits. Although we try to teach our student good work habits in the classroom, these need to be reinforced at home. We can help parents implement these strategies at home by offering tips and strategies to use with their children. This information should be given in short bursts so as not to overwhelm parents. One excellent way to disseminate information is through a classroom newsletter.

A newsletter is an excellent way of keeping parents informed of:

·Classroom activities
·Units/themes of study
·Upcoming events and field trips
·Important due dates for projects and tests
·Keep them up-to-speed on the latest learning strategies
·Lastly, the parent newsletter is a great way to give parents those tips on creating a good learning/study environment in the home!!

Break your newsletter into sections that are short and to-the-point.  Parents won’t read your newsletter if it looks like a novel or even an article out of Time Magazine. Parents are busy. They need information in quick bites. Every segment of your newsletter can be a sentence or maybe a short paragraph. Use bullets frequently, so that your newsletter is not wordy!

A great idea is to include a short section titled “Tips for Home” in your newsletter. Key to Success–  Put only one or two tips per newsletter, so that parents are not too overwhelmed to actually incorporate this into their daily lives! Below are some strategies you can include in your newsletters to help parents utilize good study habits at home.

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• Stress to your children that you are a team player in their school life. Your role is to help them be better students. It is important for your children that you create an environment where your child can study and do their homework with few interruptions and distractions.

• Schedule homework at a time that works for both your child and the rest of the family. Routine is important for children, as they feel more balanced and comfortable when there is a routine for the day. Don’t expect children to sit and work quietly on homework during a chaotic time in the house.

• Plan a “quiet time” for the family every day. Parents can be reading, folding laundry, working on the computer, etc. - but not watching TV or talking on the phone. This will give your children the idea that it imperative that we all get our work done in a quiet and efficient manner.

• Help your child set up a “calm corner” and/or peaceful study area. This doesn’t have to be alone in their bedroom. It could be in any area of the house. The kitchen table is where I often did my homework. I didn’t like being alone, and my mom and dad were available to answer questions and help if I needed it. However, some students need total quiet and are distracted easily. So, if they don’t have their own bedroom, maybe they could use your room. Most parents have their own room as “off limits” to the children. If your child needs a quiet place to study, other siblings won’t distract them in your room.

• Don’t complain about your child’s homework in front of the children! If you have a comment or concern about homework or academic requirements, please call your child’s teacher or conference with the teacher, outside of earshot of your children. YOU have a huge impact on the attitude of your children towards school. Don’t let it be a negative one!

• Don’t do the homework for your children. Some parents get carried away and take over the project. Doing your child’s work for him/her may hamper his/her comprehension of the material and he/she could fall behind in class. Help and advise without doing the work. If your child is still having trouble,send a note to the class teacher or call to discuss your concerns.

• Make sure that your children are eating well. Just as cars can’t run without fuel, our brains can’t either. Even just one missed meal can affect a child’s behavior and thinking skills. Please make sure that children come to school well-fed and fueled up for the day!

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Each of these tips are short, to the point, and offer helpful strategies for parents to use at home with their child. Over time you may think of other strategies you want to share with parents. Just remember to keep the information concise and to the point. Try to avoid educational jargon and use plain language. This will encourage parents to read and utilize the strategies you share.

When we teach our students how to learn, to be able to find information for themselves, we are in effect teaching them how to be lifelong learners. Does this mean that as teachers we sit back and do nothing? Of course not! We are the facilitators in this process. Our students need to be taught HOW to ask the right questions and HOW to find the information. They also need to be taught how to process and use that same information.

First, you want to teach students about sources of information and how to take notes from websites, books, and magazines. In this day and age it is vital we teach our students how to be discerning when it comes to locating information on the internet. Is the source found a valid one? Can the information discovered on that site be corroborated by other sources? Is the website a reliable source of information? There are certain websites we know are trustworthy sources of information such as dictionary.com or britannica.com (Encyclopedia Britannica), but really anyone can post a website. How do we know that the information is correct? Confirming the same information from several sources, both online and in print is one way. Identifying the credentials of the company or person behind the website is another. For example, the crayola website contains information on how to make a marker. This is most likely accurate information because crayola is the leading manufacturer of crayons and markers.

I always start out with a simple project such as answering one question in one or two paragraphs with an explanation, and get more involved from there. I may have students do a simple presentation and visual. Pop-up books are fun presentation products for elementary students and do not take up much class time to create when only one page. Even finding the answer to a simple question promotes active learning on the part of a student. Don’t give your students the answers in class. Instead, give them the questions and require each student to find the answer using the resources you have available. No child is too young or too old to learn this important skill!

Why does everyone think that research has to be a complex and time-consuming project? I’d love to hear your thoughts about using research in the classroom - everything from the simple to complex. For example, how would a Kindergarten teacher incorporate research ideas into his/her classroom? I really don’t think this skill should be limited to a few teachers in the upper grade levels. Do you? Also, how do you get started in using research as an on-going learning tool in your classroom?

Further Resources for Research:

http://www.dictionary.com/

http://www.britannica.com/

The Research Ready Classroom: Differentiating Instruction Across Content Areas by Mike Anderson and Andy Dousis

The Thoughtful Reseacher: Teaching the Research Process to Middle School Students by Virginia Rankin

Additional tips on research in the classroom from the Inspiring Teachers Website -

http://www.inspiringteachers.com/classroom_resources/tips/index.html