In “Controlling a classroom isn’t as easy as ABC” Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles (CA, US) Times describes teachers’ struggles and successes with classroom management. She also reports what teachers say are important and unimportant components of management.
Not only does she describe conflicts in the classrooms, but the recommendations she received about management show conflicts, too. She captures this disagreement concisely with this example: “Some teachers, for example, offer rewards for good behavior; others believe that creates a false motivation.”
Here are recommendations I gleened from the teachers in Mr. Mehta’s article:
- Consistency
- Follow through
- Caring
- Clear behavioral expectations
- Automatic consequences
- Address misbehavior quickly and dispassionately
- Ignore what you learn in teacher education
For the most part, these seem sensible and appropriate. But, they also seem platitudinous and generic. If teachers are served this sort of stuff in teacher education, then I can even agree with the last one.
Instead, we need to teach more operational and evidence-based practices. I hope that’s what I accomplish in my classes. Mayhaps I don’t. Sigh.
Link to “Controlling a classroom isn’t as easy as ABC.”
Over on Slate, Alan Kazdin and Carlo Rotella tell parents what it takes to deter bullying. Under the headline “Bullies: They can be stopped, but it takes a village,” Professors Kazdin and Rotella explain what not to do and what works. They draw on real research about the issue, not just people’s reports and impressions.
Let’s say you find out that your child is being bullied by a schoolmate. Naturally, you want to do something right now to make it stop. Depending on your temperament and experience, one or more of four widely attempted common-sense solutions will occur to you: telling your child to stand up to the bully, telling your child to try to ignore and avoid the bully, taking matters into your own hands by calling the bully’s parents or confronting the bully yourself, or asking your child’s teacher to put a stop to it.
These responses share three features:
1) They all express genuine caring, concern, and good intentions.
2) You will feel better for taking action.
3) They are likely to be ineffective.
So what should a parent do? Well, my recommendation is easy: Read the article for guidance.
And, teachers, you should read this article, too. Then consult the resources listed here:
Over on 60-Second Science Blog, the news source of Scientific American, Karen Schrock reported that a task force of the American Psychological Association (APA) released a report recommending that caregivers eschew physical punishment. Ms. Schrock noted that at least one member of the task force disagreed with the recommendations, but that most members endorsed it.
Corporal punishment has long been a hotly debated subject, with conflicting study results and opposing ideologies feeding the fire. Now the results of a five-year effort to review the scientific literature are in: a task force appointed by the American Psychological Association concludes that “parents and caregivers should reduce and potentially eliminate their use of any physical punishment as a disciplinary measure.”
Continue reading ‘Physical punishment repudiated’
The Scott Center at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne (FL, US) will host its second annual conference on Autism 6 November 2009. The theme for this year is “Power and Potential of Communication,” and the featured speakers includ Mark Sundberg, Jim Carr, and Bridget Taylor.
Link to the conference Website and to the Scott Center.
For those who are interested in preventing school violence, here’s a reminder of a resource that I expect will be generating more and more helpful products in the coming years: the Consortium To Prevent School Violence (CPSV).
The Consortium to Prevent School Violence (CPSV) seeks to promote the effective implementation of school violence prevention practices that are:
- Based in high-quality scientific research
- Proven to prevent and reduce school violence
Following the school shootings of Fall 2006, a group of 20 researchers and practitioners in the field of school violence prevention collaborated on the creation of a position statement on the school shootings. In the process, it became apparent that an alliance of researchers and practitioners in school violence prevention to further the common goal of reducing school violence would be highly valuable
Although some of the recommendations are pretty generic (i.e., do not offer specific directions or procedures for implementation), the project is moving in potentially valuable directions. There is a strong emphasis on research and empirical evidence.
Link to the CSPV site.
Hooray for US National Public Radio! In a follow-up to the segment of Talk of the Nation that aired yesterday, there are notes about “Discipline Success Stories.” According to the page, “NPR Producer Susannah George asked some additional educators and counselors to tell her a story about a child who acted out, and what they did to diffuse the situation.” The results include comments by George Sugai (PBIS) and Bev Johns (personal experience).
Link to the coverage.
