Matt Normand, a professor at the University of the Pacific who maintains a site he calls “The Skinner Box,” publishes a series of podcasts about behavior analysis. The second of these, released 5 August 2008, is a discussion of functional behavioral analysis (FBA). Much of the content features a conversation with Brian Iwata about his experiences in early work on FBA as well as other matters (e.g., comparison of FBA and simpler descriptive analyses). The latest episode of “Current Directions in Behavioral Science” is available at Mr. Normand’s Web site. It’s worth a listen.
Sphere: Related ContentArchive for the 'Teaching b mod' Category
Over on Another Brick in the Wall, Donna posted an entry about the term “classroom control.” It got me thinking about the concepts of control, management, and teaching. Here’s her lead
Teachers use the term “classroom control” for classroom management techniques. I have also used those terms. Lately I have been thinking about how much control makes sense and if the goal is to keep children simply controlled or to change their behavior in a more lasting way. Change is a process that takes place inside the child before you see it in the behavior.
Continue reading ‘Reflections on control’
Sphere: Related ContentOver on Snail-Snail, snail_snail has a couple of posts that illustrate fundamentals for behavior management. The recommendations, in the form of a list one should ask oneself, provide the basic background that should be in place before one attempts to employ more formal behavior modification procedures.
Under the titles “Onaway Elementary/Day N,” snail_snail raises questions such as “Are the teacher’s directions usually clear?” and “Is the teacher consistent? Are the rules in force for all students? every day?” Most of the items on the list of questions should serve as reminders about basic teaching practices.
Continue reading ‘Baseline practices’
Just in case anyone doubts the need for preparing teachers to manage classroom behavior, here are five illustrations:
Continue reading ‘Need for management training’
In a story entitled “Teaching as a rewarding second career” in the Waynseboro (VA, US) News Virginian, Bob Stuart describes the experience of Chris Eldredge, an electrical engineer who changed careers and became a middle school math teacher. Mr. Stuart reports that Mr. Eldredge came to appreciate the importance of learning classroom management skills.
Continue reading ‘Career switching teachers need management skills’
Pat and I have a quiet tug-o-war between management and teaching. Although both of us recognize the importance of having both classroom management and instructional skills, she contends that the management skills are required. Pollyanna-ishly, I maintain that if one’s instructional management is strong, one will not need behavior management competence.
Too be sure, my view is idealist. That’s reinforced (ahem) by an article entitled “Schools Beef Up Classroom-Management Training” from by Vaishali Honawar of Education Week. Ms. Honowar provides the following lead:
Faced with concerns that too many teachers are entering the profession unprepared to manage classrooms, some colleges of education have in recent years increased their focus on training aspiring educators to handle disruptive students.
New teachers, even if skilled in academic subjects and pedagogy, often find themselves grossly unprepared to deal with student misbehavior. Discipline issues are one of the primary reasons given for teacher attrition. In fact, a 2003 study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, a Washington-based advocacy group, found that more than 25 percent of teachers who left the profession cited student discipline.
Given that I teach a behavior management class for my school’s teacher education program, I should be encouraged. I’ll still promote the idea that the first behavior management bulwark is powerful instruction, but I know I’ll have to teach them how to deal with problems, too. Here’s hoping I the evidence-based procedures I pitch to them will register…and stick.
Link to Ms. Honowar’s article.
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