Classroom Management: The Good, The Bad and the Boys

Managing student behaviours is a constant chess game. One that demands focus, lateral thinking, and most of all, patience.

The more I think about the students in our classrooms that struggle to walk the conformity line - the more I realize that the game needs to change.

In my experience, most students that are "flagged" as having behavioural ‘problems’ or poor decision-making seem to be boys. It's staggering to think that the gender distribution is THAT imbalanced. But, the truth is, it always has been.

Do you know what else has always been the way it is? Answer: Some of the classrooms in which these boys find themselves.

Perhaps the reason that so many of these boys seem unfocused, uncaring and unmotivated to learn in some of our classrooms is because they are. Sit still, don't talk, don't fidget, write neatly, spell correctly, raise your hand, hands to yourself....sound familiar?

The way that school is supposed to look, sound and be like, has largely remained unchanged for decades. Conformity to rules, routines, procedures, and often, teacher-determined expectations is at the forefront; especially, for those of us who feel that we are best displaying our success in teaching by a quiet classroom with the sounds of pencils pushed against the paper.

When I reflect upon my own professional practice, I would have to agree. In my first few years of teaching, I strived to gain the classroom management skills so that I could actually get a class full of grade 8 students to work quietly – uninterrupted – in silence on a task that I assigned.

There is a certain satisfaction – which I believe is the assertion of control – that a teacher feels when the class is quietly working on task. But, how much of the school day is spent striving for this outcome? I absolutely believe that there is a time and place for quiet work in the classroom – but I also firmly hold that there MUST BE time in the instructional day for unstructured, creative, and yes, even loud learning to take place (and I'm not talking about recess).

This is where we are failing our students that struggle to sit still and be quiet. This is where we are often failing our jittery, active and energetic boys. Are there also girls who need to learn in this way and break free of the chains of peace and quiet? Definitely! I am well aware that there are many students of differing genders for which these words hold true. But, I have watched MINIMAL focus and attention in supporting our boys with new educational initiatives over my own teaching career (13 years) for their own self-esteem and well-being – at least not, in the same way that other programs for girls have been implemented and explored.

It’s time to help our boys. 

As a father of two (ages 5 and 8), I am realizing more and more that many of our classrooms are ill-equipped to evolve in the ways needed to support our struggling students. These needs to be a shift in what the real expectations for learning and development in our schools should be in the 21st century.

Student self-esteem is a delicate and challenging issue to approach in any case – but the culture of boys and the pride of masculinity make an educator’s task even more daunting. Many boys often don’t want to talk about their feelings. They have been systematically programmed not to share their worries and fears in a way - that they perceive - somehow demonstrates their strength and confidence. The myths of masculinity and culture of Boykind need to be broken and re-defined.

Let’s start in our schools. The single-most important tool that I attempt to use with a ‘difficult’ student is forging a positive relationship. It requires some surveillance to determine the best approach. By speaking to students, we gain insights into their own interests, beliefs and most of all, character. You can tell a great deal about a student by what they choose to divulge to you (their teacher) or not share.

Building a strong rapport with a student allows you to become a “trusted adult” in the school environment and someone who they can not only “count on” but also will become someone to whom they are accountable. Many of our boys are craving a positive role model (especially from their male teachers) who can provide an alternative view of the gender than the bumbling male idiot during commercials or tv shows. Seriously, watch an hour of television and keep track of how the men are portrayed (especially during ads) - through the eyes of a 7-year-old...

I used to begin each year by telling the students in my class that I knew very little about them – as of right now. I would explain that I have tried my best to avoid conversations with colleagues on how they were in someone else’s class – because I am only interested in who they are and how they conduct themselves in this moment moving forward. Providing a fresh start and a blank slate is something within my own control as an educator.

I’m not suggesting that I ignore details about special needs programming or safety issues; rather, I selectively frame behaviour instances in a context that takes into account more than simply a student’s predetermination for negative or “undesirable” behaviour choices.

The students in my class who had been building a terrific reputation for themselves in their schooling as intelligent, trustworthy and responsible were given, yet another, opportunity to show me these attributes and the character traits that my colleagues had praised over the years.

The ‘impressionable’ group – sometimes referred to as ‘followers’ – were provided with a chance to set themselves on the right path for the year and possibly break away from some of the negative choices that they had made previously.

Most importantly, the “challenging” students had been given an opportunity to begin anew in setting goals, building relationships and demonstrating their potential to become more responsible and positive. I don’t claim to have fixed every troubled or “challenging” student who spent time in my classroom. But I do feel that many of them were given the right nudge at the right moment to inform and set the context for their decision-making.

Many of our "troubled" students are developmentally-stuck in attempting to meet their own basic needs - food, water, shelter, safety, security, love and a postive self-image. These are the first things that we MUST address before the math lesson matters or their narrative is finished.

Student behaviour management is a tightrope walk. Contrary to what some of us have heard while training to become a teacher, you are allowed to smile before Christmas. In fact, you should….it reminds the students that you are a person with emotions and investments in their learning and lives. Find as much common ground with them as you can – but all the while you are still setting a high levels of expectation for them and their learning. You shouldn’t need to be their friend; instead, they will need you to be their support and guide.

Learning requires equal parts of idea (not content), facilitation (not delivery), environment (not structure), startegies and tools (not equipment) and perspective (not rationale). As teachers, we cannot successfully plan and utilize any of these components; without first understanding the students in our classroom, and building a positive, reciprocal relationship with them.

5 Tips for the First Week of School

As a new school year is set to begin, we often spend countless nights in the lead-up to the "big day" asking ourselves the same kind of question:

How can I make this year even better?

The time spent pondering ideas to this question is so important, if you are looking to elicit any kind of change to your own teaching practice and goals for this school year. Take your time. Reflect on everything you know and everything you've tried before - this can be a year for you to tweak things slightly or even re-brand yourself as an educator!

Here are 5 things that I believe matter in the first week of school:

1. Welcome them to your classroom at the door with a smile. First day class organization chaos may happen - but once you have your group and are in the room - take the time to make them feel like they are a part of something special in your class.

2. Spend time with "team building" and "class culture" growing games and activities. DO NOT begin with class rules. Nothing lets the excitement out of the room quite like revealing your laminated copy of the class rules (because they haven't changed in 10+ years).

3. Learn their names in the first week (or even the first few days if you can). Use student names early and often - we all love hearing our name used, and it will begin to show students that you care about them and who they are. 

4. Find out about student interests. The more directly the better too! Having them write a letter to introduce themselves to you is one idea - but a face-to-face conversation will give them both your attention and interest. 

5. Share your own beliefs about learning and development. As a class, come up with a collaborative list of things to remember and realize. Post them on the walls all around the class:

"Learning is a journey - we are all in this together"

"Be problem-solvers - not problem-makers"

"Learning is messy and failure gives us important feedback"

"Show Grit. Be Resilient. Stay Strong."

"Dream about what you want to learn and become."

Above all else, have fun and always remember why you chose this profession. Do what is best for students and always keep their interests and dreams in mind. 

10 Things I've Learned about Teaching

I think that "Reflective Teaching" is the single-most important tool that educators can use to improve student learning. If we don't take the time to truly think about what we do in the classroom - and how we do it - how can we transform our practice in meaningful and lasting ways? What we think worked 5 years ago, likely won't have the same impact on our students - so how can we continually evolve and re-define ourselves as facilitators for student growth and development?

Put simply, we need to question everything and focus on only those things that we can honestly say are "good for students."

Here's what I've come up with so far....(put together as my very first infographic:)

What's missing from this list? What have you learned about teaching? What would your list include? 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Who Speaks for Our Students?

All caring adults do. We empathize with their emotions and advise them on their actions.

All parents do. We understand them - profoundly - in innate ways that cannot be measured or described.

All educators do. We plan, teach and assess in a way that supports who they are, what they care about and how best they can demonstrate the learning.

All communities do. We make decisions in meetings to plan for their future and support their present in our facilities and our programs.

All society does. We cultivate a future pathway that is promising and desired by talking of responsible citizenship and promising tomorrows.

But, what about students? 

Do we let them, truly, speak for themselves? If we stopped and took the time to LISTEN TO THEM – we would, finally, be able to imagine their insights and realize their dreams. Students have much to say, and with our listening silence, comes an opportunity to change our pathway and support their ambitions.

Let's allow them to speak for themselves.

This image was created by graphic artists by using the insights and beliefs of Ontario’s students on what they imagined the future of Ontario’s education should look like. Take a look and see for yourself what our students want their educational world to look like.

Image: Ontario Ministry of Education

(Not) Just Another School Year

This year will be different…

Welcome your students with a new kind of message - one that imparts hope, excitement and promise:

“This year is yours to learn.”

1. My year is not planned. I have no intention of putting you through the same activities and assignments that your older siblings have done. Our focus for learning may be the same – but the way that we get there will be according to your learning needs (not my teaching needs).

2. Success or failure is up to you. I have zero interest (or intention) on ‘getting you through this year.’ Take your own learning into your own hands. I will support, guide and facilitate – but it will be you that holds the keys to your own success. I will not make excuses for you – nor will your parents – it is up to you to realize your centrality in this year’s educational plan.

3. Learning is paramount to your personal development. I absolutely recognize that your social networks, personal interests and skills are important to you – they are also important to me. That is why I will do what I can to weave them into my teaching practice. You will see yourself in our curriculum. They are the guiding principles framing our learning together – but they need a face and a perspective – yours, the student.

Let this year get messy. Let yourself fall into the deep, dark abyss that is the unknown. Take on new challenges and learn what it means to love learning – yourself.

I promise you that this will be your year of inspiration, reflection and passion – if you throw away the same old worksheets and craft new learning experiences with an entirely new (and refreshed!) group of students.

Let the journey begin! You are doing the work that matters in helping to bring about new, profound changes to the way we reach students and guide learning.

The Very Best Thing About iPads (and other devices)

I love everything about my iPad. It possesses a powerful processor and eye-popping screen, has more innovative apps than I will ever be able to use, and it fits easily into my carry-on luggage in its gorgeous purple leather case. What’s not to love?

Because I love my iPad, it is easy for me to understand the enthusiasm of teachers who are keen to get their hands on a class set of iPads, ipods, laptops, or netbooks. I get it when people talk about how engaged they think their students will be, and how many new and authentic activities they can create when students have fingertip access to apps and to the Internet. Nevertheless I must confess to having felt downright curmudgeonly in the last few months as I listened to people extolling the virtues of one app or another. I worried about the certainty I was hearing that any given app or device had the power to ensure both engagement and achievement.  It seemed to me that the focus on learning had been lost, that the ‘gee whiz’ factor had taken over. It was all I could do not to sigh aloud, wag my finger, and talk about the good old days when we knew what really mattered in education and pursued our desired goals with grit and determination. (I’m not sure those days ever existed but in the novels I read, curmudgeons always make extensive reference to halcyon days of long ago.)

A teacher in Victoria, British Columbia saved me from a certain future of scowling and finger wagging. Explaining the benefits of her class’s iPad project, Jane said, “The learning just exploded. I learned from the kids and the kids learned from each other.”

Repositioning teachers from the stance of expert to that of co-learner is the very best thing about iPads and other devices. Our students experience sustained intellectual engagement and achievement not because of an app or a device, however wonderful it might be. Rather student engagement and achievement is, at least in part, the result of adults engaging intellectually with essential concepts and skills, acknowledging that we don’t have all of the answers, and inviting students to join us in building new knowledge. Technology isn’t the only way we can become co-learners in the classroom but because it is an area of genuine new learning for many of us, it is a good way.

This guest post is by Karen Hume, author of Tuned Out: Engaging the 21st Century Learner, Start Where They Are: Differentiating for Success with the Young Adolescent, and many other books. Check out Karen’s blogs at www.karenhume.ca 

Movies in Class - Using Supertexts in Literacy

One of the most effective, but sometimes risky, things to do in your classroom is show a movie. Our students love the experience of watching a movie in class. They think it's entertaining, and yet, they are learning key literacy skills through the use of this vehicle.

Movies act like super-texts. They present information in an auditory and visual manner. Dialogue and plot details must be considered, filtered and used to form the basis of predictions and evaluative statements about the movie.

Our students are connecting text-to-text, text-to-world and text-to-self when they watch movies - the key is to draw out those connections during or after the viewing. Plus, we are giving them another text from which future connections can be forged.

For some of our students, movies are familiar and safe. No one putting them on the spot for a correct answer. No forced writing activities on topics they have little interest in. Sit, back and enjoy the show - but of course, there could be pre-, during and even post-activities to tackle when the credits begin.

When considering what movies are appropriate and sensible to show in your classroom, consult http://www.kids-in-mind.com/. This website is a database of movies and a play-by-play of the content using examples and a numbered rating system. From this information, a more informed and confident decision can be made about whether the movie will work and match the learning needs of your students.

Not just for rainy days or supply teachers, movies can unlock your student's potential for acquiring literacy skills, engaging in their learning, and all the while, feeling entertained.

Is There Something We're Missing?

Have we been distracted from the real issue in education?

It seems that in the education sector, there are always new issues that breed new initiatives. When an idea is presented at the right moment, it can garner interest and speed to those who write policy and guide action. Whether the issue is using technology, preventing bullying, engaging boys in learning, differentiating instruction or raising achievement data; something is always on the horizon lingering as the next focus-fix. There is a multitude of issues in education that can be the source of funding, time and professional development - which one is the most important?

The point of the video is to draw a parallel to the current educational climate. Maybe all the aforementioned issues are the way we have distracted ourselves from what our true focus should be...student happiness.

How well does someone learn when they are unhappy compared to when they are happy? Now, focusing on raising student happiness is not an easy task. Perhaps the students in your class need basic needs met (i.e. food, shelter, safety) and providing snacks, consistent personal support and genuine interest in their lives, is the way you will improve student happiness and mental well-being in your room. Maybe your class needs hands-on, tech-based activities and assignments to feel engaged, improve their sense of self-worth, and therefore, feel happy about their accomplishments in school.

Whatever the specific need, your students will connect, produce and internalize more if they are enjoying their time in your classroom and value their place in your lessons. Some of our students come from horrendous family situations and brutal living conditions, your sole purpose in teaching should be to provide a safe and "utopian-like" environment for every minute they spend with you. After all, these are the students who look forward to school as a place of order and also an opportunity for distraction.

All of identified issues in education have value. But, how might the success we experience as teachers to our students change if every lesson we deliver was precluded by deliberate thought about how students might enjoy what they are doing? If they find happiness in something, they will attach to it - that's your motivation.

Let's expose the gorilla and have some fun. The students probably won't see it coming - and they surely won't forget it.

Video Games and Learning

As humans, we fear the unfamiliar. As teachers, we fear what is unfamiliar to us and knowledgeable to the students. Video games fall into that category for many teachers. Students today are playing more video games than ever before. They are spending hours each day in on-line gaming communities and fantastical environments and peaking in personal interest and motivation - with no classroom in sight. First-person shooter ("war-type") games are highly successful in their marketing and excitement to many kids - but flawed in their moral message and 'harm' when de-sensitizing us to violence. If school could become an online format of social networking sites and high-interest video games - students would never leave. The reality is that many video games can be a positive experience for a child as a reward, motivator, social experience or simply as fun. If we can tap into their love and dedication to these game series as teaching tools, it can lead to amazing results.

When assigning your next project, try a webpage creation assignment - let the focus be that favourite video game. Even if "Halo" or World of Warcraft" is not your comfort zone - it is the student's world. Not only will they be motivated and successful in delivering the content - they will appreciate your attempt to be a part of their own personal environment. Sure there are inappropriate websites and plot lines and character photos that could emerge, but as teachers we are no longer responsible for keeping the knowledge under lock-and-key for students to have peeks at the next great nugget of knowledge when they time is right. They will access these sites on their own time anyway. In fact, they will find ways to do it at school through proxy sites and internet back doors as a challenge, if they sense that it will cause an uproar. We need to relinquish our perceived control.

Our historical role in the classroom today has been replaced by "Wikipedia." They can search faster online for an answer to any question they have and have instant gratification. We are now responsible for building digital citizenship and critical thinking skills about: WHAT they research? WHO is providing their search results? HOW reputable is the source? We need to take a step back and let their technological world run our classroom instruction. Each day should present a "teachable" moment when you observe what your students do out of habit and comfort. These are the opportunities to learn from them and provide the guidance and support needed to further their own sense of accomplishment and drive for knowledge. The problem is that our sense of order and control is cultivated by this illusion that rules and careful curriculum planning do keep the peace for us. So we find ourselves waiting to enter into their world. The deep, dark abyss that is the student mind - unfamiliar, and therefore, scary.