Classroom

Management
FARAH NASIR
  A well-managed classroom is one in which students are consistently
engaged in productive learning.

 Effective classrooms are the result of effective classroom management.

Environments Conducive to Learning

 Teachers with effective classroom management skills:
 Physically arrange the classroom in a way that minimizes
distractions and facilitates teacher-student interaction
 Create a climate in which students feel they belong and are
intrinsically motivated to learn
 Set reasonable limits for behavior
 Plan activities that encourage on-task behavior
 Continually monitor what students are doing
 Modify instructional strategies when necessary

Effective Classroom Management

 Minimize distractions

 Facilitate teacher-student interaction

 Students seated closer to the teacher pay more attention and are more
interactive.

 Survey the entire class

 Check for signs of boredom, frustration, etc.

Arranging the Classroom

 Type of instructional activity
Auditorium style
students will mainly be engaged
in Face-to-face style
ARRANGEMENT
• whole-class STYLE
• small-group Off set style
• Individual assignments
Seminar style

Cluster style
 Auditorium
style
All students sit
facing the teacher.
Auditorium style
Inhibits face-to-face
student contacts
Teacher is
free to move
Lectures or someone is making
a presentation to the entire class
 Distraction
from other
In face-to- students is
face style, higher in
students sit this
facing each arrangement
other than in the
auditorium
style
Face-to-face style
 In off set style, small
numbers of students
Off set style (usually three or four) sit at
tables but do not sit directly
across from one another
This produces less
distraction than face-to-
face style and can be
effective for cooperative
learning activities
 In seminar This is
style, larger especially
numbers of effective
Seminar style students (10 when you
or more) sit want students
in circular, to talk with
square, or U- each other or
shaped to converse
arrangements with you
 In cluster style, small
Cluster style numbers of students
(usually four to eight)
work in small, closely
bunched groups.

This arrangement is
especially effective for
collaborative learning
activities.
In classrooms in which seats are organized in rows, the teacher is most likely
to interact with students seated in the front and center of the classroom.

This area has been called the “action zone” because students in the front and
center locations interact the most with the teacher.

If you use a row arrangement, move around the

room when possible, establish eye contact with
students seated outside the “action zone,” direct
For example, they most often ask questions and
comments to students in the peripheral seats,
are most likely to initiate discussion.
and periodically have students change seats so
that all students have an equal opportunity of
being in the front and center seats
Action Zone
 The climate is the overall psychological atmosphere of the classroom.
 Students should feel safe and secure.
 Students should believe learning is a high priority.
 Students should be willing to take risks and make mistakes.

The Classroom Climate

  Form and maintain a productive relationship with
every student
 Be well prepared for class
 Demonstrate that you enjoy teaching
 Communicate high but realistic expectations for student
performance
 Include students in decision making and in evaluation of
their work
 Acknowledge that everyone has an “off” day now and
then

Strategies for Creating an

Effective Classroom Climate
 Establish a businesslike yet nonthreatening atmosphere

 Communicate appropriate messages about subject matter

 Give students a sense of control

 Promote a sense of community and belonging

Strategies for Creating an

Effective Classroom Climate
.Chaos reigns in classrooms without guidelines for appropriate behavior 

Setting reasonable limits promotes productive behavior and contributes 

.to students’ socialization
?How can you set useful and reasonable limits 

Establish initial rules and procedures ◦

Present rules and procedures in an informational rather than controlling ◦

manner
Periodically review existing rules and procedures ◦

Acknowledge students’ feelings about classroom requirements ◦

Enforce rules consistently and fairly ◦

Setting Limits
 Effective teachers keep students on task by:
 Keeping students productively engaged and on task
 Choosing developmentally appropriate tasks
 Providing structure and support so students know exactly what they need
to do
 Adequately planning for transitions

Keeping Students on Task

  “Withit” teachers know what students are doing at all
times in the classroom.

 They regularly scan the classroom for misbehaviors.

 They make regular eye contact with students.

 They know when, and often why, misbehaviors occur.

“Withit” Teachers
 Rather than focusing on what students are doing wrong, expert
teachers:
 Modify their instructional strategies so that students are more productive
 Ask, “How can I better capture students’ interest and excitement? Are my
students bored?”

How “Expert” Teachers

Manage the Classroom
 Misbehavior is any action that has the potential to disrupt students’
learning and planned classroom activities.

 Teachers should plan ahead, as much as possible, when considering

how to deal with misbehaviors.

Dealing with Misbehaviors

 Ignore the behavior
 Cue the student by using a signal that indicates the desired
behavior
 Discuss the problem privately with the student
 Teach self-regulation strategies
 Use behaviorist approaches, such as applying extinction and/or
reinforcing an incompatible behavior
 Use a combination of cognitive and behavioral techniques
 Confer with parents

Helpful Strategies for Dealing

with Misbehavior
 Aggression is more likely at school and in places with minimal
supervision than any other place.

 Most aggression at school involves psychological harm, minor physical

injury, and destruction of property.

Aggression and Violence at School

 Lack of perspective-taking
 Misinterpretation of social cues
 Poor social problem-solving skills
 Poor home or neighborhood environment
 Belief that aggression is an appropriate way of resolving conflicts

The Roots of Aggression and Violence

 Early Warning Signs of
Violent Behavior
 Social withdrawal  Sense of superiority
 Excessive feelings of  Lengthy grudges
isolation, rejection, or  Violent themes in drawings
persecution
and written work
 Rapid decline in academic  Intolerance of differences
performance
 History of violence
 Poor coping skills and lack of
anger control  Inappropriate access to
firearms
 Inappropriate role models
 Threats of violence
 Excessive alcohol or drug use
 Create a schoolwide environment that minimizes the potential for
aggression and violence

 Intervene early for students at risk

 Provide intensive intervention for students in trouble

Preventing School Violence

 Develop, communicate, and enforce clear-cut policies
regarding potential threats to school safety

 Identify the specific nature and scope of gang activity

 Forbid symbols that signify membership in a particular

gang

 Actively mediate between-gang and within-gang disputes

Recommended Strategies to Combat Gang-

Related Hostilities
 Some students from lower SES backgrounds are exposed to violence
almost daily.
◦ Their classroom should feel affectionate, safe, and orderly.

 Remember that some “misbehaviors” may be culturally dictated.

◦ Inappropriate behaviors in one culture may be appropriate in another
culture.

Taking Student Diversity into Account

Working with Other Faculty Members
 Communicate and collaborate regularly
 Form common goals regarding students’ learning
 Establish a shared set of strategies for encouraging productive student
behavior
 Commit to promoting equality and multicultural sensitivity
throughout the school community
 Recognize the important role parents play in students’ lives
 Communicate on a regular basis
 Share students’ progress
 Coordinate efforts to increase the likelihood of success
 Avoid blaming parents for students’ behaviors or shortcomings

Working with Parents

Behavior
Modification
in Class

FARAH NASIR
Behavior Modification

Behavior modification is the use of basic

learning techniques, such as:
 Conditioning
 Biofeedback
 Reinforcement and,
 Aversion therapy to alter human behaviors.

Positive Reinforcement is a form of behavior modification.

In Simple Terms

 It involves applying the principles of cognitive learning to change a behavior.

 It teaches children which behaviors are acceptable and appropriate and which are
not.
 It is a strategy of prevention.
Characteristics of Behavior
Modification

Focus on
well defined
Intervention
target
behaviors

Emphasis
on self Evaluation
assessment
 Using The Behavioral Approach

Define and contrast the three types of

behavioral learning theories (contiguity,
classical conditioning, and operant
conditioning), giving examples of how each
can be used in the classroom.
 Behavior Modification Techniques

There are five categories of activities that can be

addressed with behavior modification techniques:

• Develop a new behavior

• Strengthen a behavior
• Maintain an established behavior
• Stop inappropriate behavior
• Modify emotional behavior
 Behavior Modification Techniques
Negative Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement Principle
Principle
  To increase a child's
To develop a new
behavior that the child performance in a particular

Develop a has not previously

exhibited, arrange for an
way, arrange for him to avoid
or escape a mild aversive
situation by improving his
new immediate reward after
each correct behavior or by allowing him
to avoid the aversive
behavior
performance.
situation by behaving
appropriately.

Cueing Principle
Successive Approximation
Principle
 To teach a child to
 To teach a child to act in a remember to act at a specific
manner in which he has time, arrange for him to
seldom or never before receive a cue for the correct
behaved, reward performance just before the
successive steps to the action is expected rather
final behavior (also called than after he has performed
shaping). it incorrectly.
Behavior Modification Techniques
Strengthen a new behavior

Decreasing Reinforcement Principle Variable Reinforcement Principle

 To encourage a child to continue performing
an established behavior with few or no
rewards, gradually require a longer time
period or more correct responses before a
correct behavior is rewarded.
 To improve or increase a child's performance
of a certain activity, provide the child with an
intermittent reward.
 Behavior Modification Techniques
Substitution Principle
 To change reinforcers when
a previously effective
Maintain an reward is no longer
controlling behavior,
established present it just before (or as
behavior soon as possible to) the time
you present the new,
hopefully more effective
reward.
Extinction Principle
 To stop a child from acting
in a particular way, you
may arrange conditions so
that he receives no
rewards following the
undesired act.
Satiation Principle
 To stop a child from
acting in a particular
way, you may allow him
to continue (or insist
that he continue)
performing the
undesired act until he
gets tires of it
Incompatible Alternative Principle
 To stop a child from acting in
a particular way, you may
reward an alternative action
that is inconsistent with or
cannot be performed at the
same time as the undesired
act.
Behavior Modification Techniques

Stop an inappropriate behavior

To stop a child from acting in a

certain way, remove a pleasant
Response stimulus immediately after the
Cost action occurs. Since response cost
Principle results in increased hostility and
aggression, it should only be used
infrequently and in conjunction
with reinforcement.
Behavior Modification Techniques
Modify emotional behavior
Avoidance Principle
 To teach a child to avoid a certain type of
situation, simultaneously present to the child
the situation to be avoided (or some
representation of it) and some aversive
condition (or its representation).
Fear Reduction Principle
 To help a child overcome his fear of a
particular situation, gradually increase his
exposure to the feared situation while he is
otherwise comfortable, relaxed, secure or
rewarded.
Token Economy or Behavior Chart

A Behavior chart is a form of behavior

modification techniques designed to
increase desirable behavior and decrease
undesirable behavior with the use of
tokens (stars, stickers etc). Individuals
receive tokens immediately after displaying
desirable behavior. The tokens are collected
and later exchanged for a meaningful object
or privilege.
Behaviors
Chart
 Addressing Difficult Classroom
Behaviors
 Applied behavioral analysis
 Behavior modification through systematic application of
principles of behaviorism
 Functional analysis
 changing response-reinforcement contingencies
 Positive behavioral support
 identifying purposes of undesirable behaviors and
providing alternative behaviors
 Schoolwide positive behavior support
 Positive Behavioral Support

 Teach behaviors that can serve the same purpose as—

and can therefore replace—inappropriate behaviors.
 Modify the classroom environment to minimize
conditions that might trigger inappropriate behaviors.
 Establish a predictable daily routine as a way of
minimizing anxiety and making the student feel more
comfortable and secure.
 Positive Behavioral Support
 Give the student opportunities to make choices.
 Make adaptations in the curriculum, instruction, or both
to maximize the likelihood of academic success.
 Monitor the frequency of various behaviors to
determine whether the intervention is working or,
instead, requires modification.
 Schoolwide Positive Behavioral
Support
 Explicitly defining and teaching appropriate behaviors, including productive
ways of getting desired outcomes.
 Designing a curriculum and implementing instructional practices tailored to
students’ needs and abilities.
 Giving students opportunities to make choices.
 Regularly reinforcing students for appropriate behavior.
 Providing considerable guidance and support for students who need them.
 Continually monitoring the program’s effectiveness by examining office
referrals, disciplinary actions, and other relevant data.