Classroom Management Resources-secondary Education

[Gabriela]

It's the tough love sort of thing.  Assign extra homework, detention, etc.  CCD is kinda a joke as the kids don't want to be there and are being forced to listen with someone who they don't see has having much authority.  Their whole lives the focus was on fun.  As a traditional teacher you will have much more authority.  You may loose a few classes, but when a student has to write a 5 page cited paper about the theology of animals because they spoke about a dog, then zip it.

 

This is counterproductive. Threats and punishment will only get you so far. They'll obey you, but they won't respect you.

 

To the OP: I recommend reading a book called "Learner-Centered Teaching" by Weimer. It will change how you view the classroom. You can google the phrase "learner-centered teaching" and read about the approach.

 

You can also google "handling classroom misbehavior" and find a ton of ways to handle such problems, with lots of specific examples.

 

There are two things to always remember:

 

1) No two classrooms are the same, because every classroom is comprised of many different individuals—no two of which are the same.

 

2) Not everything you read about teaching will suit you. I've had a lot of pedagogy coursework (and done a lot of reading on my own), and sometimes I read things that make me think, "I could never pull that off." Don't ever do anything in the classroom that's foreign to who you are. Your students will sense the falsity of it immediately, and it won't work. Adopt or develop solutions that are natural to you.

[tinytherese]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

 

I was told in my classroom management class that the novelty of getting a reward quickly wears off. Instead of developing critical thinking skills, students basically become Pavlov’s dogs—always expecting to get something.  Once they discover that they do not always get something than they tend to give up or forget about rewards. 

 

Edited February 5, 2013 by tinytherese