What Classroom Strategies Foundation does
Professional development of educators in these areas:
- Manage classroom behavior
- Handle group dynamics
- Establish relationships with the at-risk student
Our goal is to develop local leadership so that after three years the district can sustain programs independently.
What St. Landry Parish would do to have a full program in classroom management:
- Train teachers who volunteer for classroom management workshop
- Develop trainers for the district
- Develop mentor coaches and Master Mentor Coaches for the district
- Provide ongoing evaluation of the programs. Classroom Strategies Foundation’s local Director of Programs and Applied Research will work with schools to measure progress.
Expected results for St. Landry Parish:
The following pages list the Top Ten Results of Classroom Management training-plus-coaching as observed here in St. Landry Parish in 2002. Similar results are reported from a variety of school districts, such as Minneapolis, Clark County and Issaquah (Washington State districts), Salt Lake City, and Denver.
“Our work with Michael Grinder is the best investment our district has ever made. Its contribution is unique – increased student achievement in a safe and inviting learning environment. More, by increasing instructional time and decreasing teacher stress, teachers affirm greater job satisfaction and commitment to remain in the teaching profession.”
—Tina Butt, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent, Issaquah School District (Seattle area)
(425) 837-7052, ButtT@issaquah.wednet.edu
The following table includes references to specific Seven Gems of Classroom Management on which the Manage to Teach (ENVoY Program) is based. Endnotes provide page numbers in the ENVoY textbook where explanations of the Seven Gems can be found.
| Top Ten Results Coaching of Teachers in Classroom Management | ||
| BEFORE | AFTER TRAINING PLUS COACHING OR COACHING ALONE | |
| 1 | Teacher repeatedly asks for attention; students continue to talk. | Teacher gets attention with a single word or sound. |
| 2 | Teacher loses temper and yells at students. Students go into stress (poor physiology for learning). Teacher also goes into stress. | Teacher can get attention without yelling. Both teacher and students are in an environment that is stress free and safe for learners. |
| 3 | Teacher asks a question. Student calls out the answer. Teacher berates student for not raising hand. | Students are given clear signals as to how they are to answer. |
| 4 | Teacher gives instructions verbally. If students can’t remember what teacher said, they have to ask teacher to repeat. | Teacher ALWAYS gives visual “Exit Directions” so that when a student asks something like, “What page?” the teacher can silently point to directions. |
| 5 | Teacher releases class to complete seatwork and immediately starts walking around to help struggling students. Meanwhile, some students begin work immediately but other students daydream or otherwise fail to begin work. | Teacher releases class to complete seatwork and then stands perfectly still for 20 seconds with a posture that conveys, “You are capable.” Students settle down and begin working because teacher nonverbally conveys there is no other choice. |
| 6 | At beginning of seatwork, some students leave desks and come up to talk to the teacher. Teacher immediately gives them attention even though the students are off-task. | When students approach during the 20-second settle-down-to-work interval, the teacher nonverbally indicates that they should return to desks. Only when most students have begun their seatwork does the teacher go to help individual students. Calm, productive environment is maintained. |
| 7 | During seatwork, teacher returns again and again to the same students to keep them on task, thus reinforcing the attention-seeking behaviors and pulling the surrounding students off task as evidenced by students looking at the constant interplay between the teacher and the student. Other students begin to “need help.” | Teacher remains with off-task student until student goes from OFF to NEUTRAL to ON task. Student internalizes that he/she can perform; this expectation promotes self-control and self-esteem. |
| 8 | Teacher primarily uses authority to get students’ compliance. Minor behavioral issues escalate into conflict. | Teacher primarily uses INFLUENCE Approach. Minor behavioral issues do not escalate into power struggles or conflict. |
| 9 | Teacher manages and disciplines in same location in the room where teaching occurs. Curriculum is “contaminated” by memories of discipline. | Teacher has one specific location for management. Just taking a step or two toward this location gets the class back under control. Content is preserved, relationship between teacher and class is maintained, and time is saved. |
| 10 | Teacher talks nonstop. Students can not tell the difference between main points and “noise” and they do not get an opportunity to let the content sink in. | When making a key point, teacher pauses, with still body. Teacher drops voice to a whisper. Teacher says the important information while showing it. |
| 11* | Students do not take the teacher seriously as evidenced by the students’ casual remarks, lack of attention, and side conversations. | Teacher has a range of styles for holding students accountable while maintaining relationships. |
* Lagniappe
Endnotes
See extensive research on accelerated learning by Peter Kline, SALT, Lozanov, Kane and Kane and others on the value of a state of “calm alertness” for student achievement.
ENVoY, pages 29-31.
See The Science of Nonverbal Communication by Michael Grinder. Available at michaelgrinder.com
ENVoY, page 33.
ENVoY, page 35.
ENVoY, pages 39-40.
Information for St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, School Board, 2002