Behavior Modification

I came across an entry in a middle school teacher’s blog that provides a good illustration of how to manage a classroom learning environment. Ellen Berg, who has taught mostly English and communication arts (but, also shop and pre-calculus) at Turner Middle in a racially isolated part of St. Louis (MO, US) where most of her students receive free or reduced-price meals, tells the story of how she revised her classroom management system.

Similarly, last Monday was a new beginning for my students and me in our classroom. After hearing Harry Wong at the NMSA convention, I knew that I had neglected spending enough time setting up the routines and procedures in my classroom. As a result, I was frequently short-tempered and impatient with my students, and they responded accordingly. This was especially true with my “difficult” after-lunch class. Behaviors were becoming increasingly negative with every consequence I threw at them. It wasn’t working.

The problems that I identified in my classroom were:

1. The level of noise during group work.
2. My difficulty getting the whole class’s attention during group work.
3. Social behaviors when they sat at desk tables instead of straight rows.
4. Students out of their seats at inappropriate times.
5. Lack of focus during mini-lessons.
6. Demonstrating readiness to get on task.

These problems are common ones for teachers everywhere. Some accept it as a natural result of teaching middle school children. I, however, refused to believe that these problems couldn’t be solved.

Ms. Berg goes on to explain her solutions. Mostly, they are simple, commonsense procedures, but they fit quite well with my perspective on classroom management. Read the post to see how Ms. Berg skillfully identified specific goals, demonstrated and explained to her students how to behave appropriately, provided extensive practice for them, and calmly reinforced the students’ adherence to the classroom procedures.

I plan to use her post as an illustration in my teacher education course on classroom management. It has authenticity and clarity that I think make it compelling.

Link to Ms. Berg’s entry.