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Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures Observations and Learning

Objective

The objective of the classroom observation exercise was to see how effectively teachers manage their classrooms and interact with students to maximise learning. The purpose of this exercise was also to see if seating arrangements and activities can result in or eliminate disruptive behavior.

The Process

I visited an international school in my country of residence, Tajikistan and spent approximately 20 to 30 minutes each in the three classrooms I visited. I made observations about the classroom setting, rules, procedures and behavior charts put up on the wall, teacher's interaction with the students, students interaction with each other, student behavior and teacher's handling of disruptive behavior. I specifically looked for teachers demonstrating withitness. Finally, I made notes on my takeaways from each class. I was not given permission to take photos and shoot videos with the students in them, therefore, I made extensive scribbled notes.

A copy of my notes

Classroom Observations

The first classroom I visited was Grade 2. There were 7 students and 1 teacher in this class. The classroom had two sections. One area had a traditional seating arrangement with desks and chairs facing the whiteboard. The other area was very comfortable with a rug and cushions. This was the reading and activity area. When I walked in to this class, the students were seated on the rug and listening to their teacher giving them instructions about their reading time.

Classroom rules were pasted very clearly on the wall. There was a behavior chart where students clip up and down according to their behavior during the day. At the end of the day, their calendar gets marked with the colour they are at. For example – “Great choices” is Pink, “Good Choices” is Purple and “Parent Contact” is Red. Some of the rules were being followed and it could be seen that students were respectful of each other’s quiet reading time. Since it was just the 2nd day of school, it was too early to demonstrate the application of other rules.

The class was very well behaved except for one student who walked in late and then caused several disruptions. Three students followed the teacher’s instruction of listening to one person reading the book if two or more children selected the same book. Three others read their respective books. The student who came in late was not interested in reading so he peeped into another child’s book. He picked up a book on receiving a warning from the teacher that in 10 seconds she would check at which time he should be reading his own book. Once they all followed the teacher’s instructions of reading quietly the class proceeded without any disruptions. A few minutes later, the teacher asked each student to narrate their understanding of their respective books.

As I have seen in my classes, there are always specific children creating problems and distractions. In this class too it was one student who was responsible for all the disturbance. First, he came in almost 15 minutes late to class. Then he argued with the teacher when asked to bring his water bottle and snack box inside the classroom. The teacher in her soft yet very firm voice told him that she did not want him running up and down the corridor later and should bring in his stuff all at once. When asked to start reading, he didn’t follow instructions but the teacher once again was soft but firm and her tone was indeed very effective.

This teacher is a young girl, recently out of university and in her 2nd year of teaching. She reminded me of the young teachers in the BBC video "Tough Young Teachers". But she was quite different from some of the teachers in the video because she demonstrated extremely calm, firm yet effective skills in managing bad behavior or disruptions.

This Grade 2 teacher demonstrated withitness when the student who walked in late, started peeping into another person’s book and literally moved over the other student’s head. The teacher was quick to check this behavior before it turned into a fight that disrupted other’s reading time. She demonstrated Marzano’s “Be With-It”. So far, I have used my loud voice with students when they have misbehaved. This teacher's behavior and handling of bad behavior was quite inspiring because even with a soft but firm tone she was able to get a rather stubborn student do what she wanted him to. My biggest takeaway was not to lose my temper when students get out of hand and behave like them, rather, I should behave like the adult that I am! I also learnt that in an activity which requires quiet individual work like reading your own book, students can be seated next to each other and the distractions can be low or none at all. Also if the teacher sits with the students instead of doing her work at her own desk, students are more involved with their own work and refrain from talking to each other.

The next class I visited was the Grade 1 classroom which had 13 students and 2 teachers. Their classroom also had two areas. One with the desks and chairs and the other for reading and activities. In this classroom, rules were not mentioned clearly. The school success orientations were put up on the wall. These are Trustworthiness, Group Interaction, Responsibility, Concern for Others, Kindness and Politeness, Independent Endeavor and Aesthetic Appreciation. There was a behavior chart but this was hidden behind a pile of books. It was evident from the students’ behavior that the classroom rules had not really sunk in even if they had been discussed. However, it has to be kept in mind that this was just Day 2 of the school year and the teachers and students were just getting used to one another.

When I went into the classroom students were seated at their desks and drawing pictures to depict what they did during summer break. There were two groups of 4 students seated facing each other. Four students were seated next to each other in twos facing the board and the last student walked in late. Once the students finished drawing they started talking to each other while some of them handed over drawings to the teacher. This was again an evidence of rules not being absorbed as yet. Having proximity to a classmate made it easier to break into chatter. The classroom wasn’t big enough to have different seating arrangements or have many transitions. Therefore, following the rules was critical to avoiding disruptions. A good starting point to following the rules would have been to have the rules pasted on the wall where everyone could see them. I, however, really liked a note that was stuck on the window by the plants that read "If speaking kindly to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking kindly to humans can do." I also really liked the pictures of the growth and fixed mindset but I wish these were pasted where the students could see them regularly like in the front of the classroom and not below a window and alphabet charts.

The disruptions in this class were seen mainly during circle time. The teacher first called on the student with Calendar Duty to change the date. At this point students continued to talk and the teacher tried to silence them with a “Shhhh”. When they didn’t stop she raised her voice a little and reminded them that when someone is in front of the class waiting to talk, we keep quiet and listen. Now the children listened carefully. She then asked them questions about the day of the week and date. At that point one of the students came to the teacher and said she was hungry. She was allowed to go and eat even though it was only 8:50 a.m. The teacher then picked up the book “Black Lagoon” to read to the students. When she started reading, all the children became quiet but one started talking. The teacher asked him to stop talking but he didn’t stop. After checking him three times the teacher told him that he was having a hard time and, therefore, he must spend some time away from the group. She sent him to sit right at the back where he was somewhat isolated from the rest of the class and this time he stopped talking.

During circle time, there was a student who was talking continuously and raising his hand for attention. The teacher first answered two questions but when she realized that he was doing this for attention she told him that it was time to listen. When he continued asking for attention, she first looked at him, then a little later reminded him to be quiet and finally isolated him. Here she demonstrated “Using a Series of Graduated Actions" as described by Marzano as one of the ways to show withitness. The biggest takeaways for me from his class were - First, I really liked the fact that the teacher allowed a child who was hungry to go and eat even though it wasn't snack time. A teacher has to make adjustments according to the age group we are dealing with. Second, I could see the benefit of what I have learnt so far in terms of classroom rules and procedures. It is an absolute must to have these set out and practised during the first week of school itself. Third, if the students are involved in a desk activity, there should be a procedure where they pass the work to the person on the right or left who collects for the row and passes it forward and one person finally gives all the papers or folders to the teacher. That way there is less movement and disruption in the classroom. Once the papers have been handed over, students should move to the circle time area in an orderly manner. Finally, if the activity is one where the teacher is reading or instructing and the students are listening, then individual or seating with some distance between students would be helpful. Children are less likely to talk to each other. However, if they sit in a group then rules have to be clear and deviations must be met with consequences as in the case in this class.

The last classroom I visited was the Grade 6 classroom. The setting of the furniture was similar to the other classrooms with respect to the two areas. The only difference was that this classroom did not have floor space for group activities but a conference table setting for discussions and group work. The class had three simple rules – be safe, be respectful and be responsible. These are students who have been with this teacher and this classroom earlier because in this school, age groups are combined at times and classes are known by age groups rather than grades. Therefore the students were very well behaved. They raised their hand each time they wanted to say something. They always made eye contact with the teacher. When the teacher moved to the back of the class they turned around too. They were all engaged in the discussion of a class name. It was clear that the teacher treated them with high expectations and in terms of behavior, they didn’t let him down.

When I went into this classroom they were having a discussion about the name they would give the class. Last year they were called Master Legends. Students came up with names one by one and the teacher asked them questions about how the name represented them. Some suggestions were: Popcorn Pirates – A student said it gave them the legitimacy to jump up and down like popcorn! Large Brains – Name suggested that the students have grown up and have bigger brains! Battle Royale Blasters and Elegant Elevens were two other names. This was a discussion where there could have been lots of excitement, students jumping out of their seats and getting passionate but they were very organized, took turns and except for one student who hardly ever sat on his chair, the others stayed where they were throughout.

The teacher in this class demonstrated withitness when he occupied the entire room by moving to the back of the class where the restless student was sitting. He then moved to the corner where there was student who was looking blank and the teacher said, “I know you are thinking. Can you share with us what you’re thinking?” Her response was a blank gaze. She realized that the teacher was aware of what was happening and then became attentive.

The things that I learnt from the way this class was managed were that - First, these were Grade 6 students so too much individual work would be monotonous for them. I would break up the class into individual and group work and have learning games in between. Second, I would definitely have a behavior chart and reward good behavior and discipline with points. These are kids who enjoy attention. I would reward the student with the highest points with an opportunity to present his/her best work during one of the school assemblies.

Summary

To summarize this entire exercise, I must mention that I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity to observe three classrooms in a very good school. The children come from families which are more privileged than the average. Fortunately for the school, most of the students are very well behaved and other than a few minor examples of bad behavior there are no extreme examples. Having watched the two episodes of "Tough Young Teachers", I do realise that there are a lot of schools in different countries in the world where children with various financial, family and socio economic issues come. No matter what the students are like, teachers have to follow a few fundamentals and with experience and learning make adjustments and adaptations. Some of these fundamentals as mentioned by different educators are - 1. Connect & Reconnect: Greet students in the morning, maintain eye and physical contact during the rest of the day and find ways to reconnect with them during the course of the day until they leave school when we see them off with a happy note. 2. Wear their shoes - It is very important to think of things from a student's perspective. Look beyond the defiance and misbehavior to see what is really bothering him/her and forcing bad behavior. As Roselink, an ESL teacher from Spain says, this is especially true for teenagers who are impressionable and hypersensitive. 3. Practice mutual respect and build a rapport with the students to show them that we care. 4. Finally, set out expectations right at the beginning.

References

https://hellahappyandhealthy.com/rules-and-procedures/

http://thriveingradefive.com/up-your-teacher-game-with-withitness/

https://www.slideserve.com/brady-adkins/withitness

http://www.teacherpreptech.com/2016/12/the-ripple-effect.html

https://kareyann77.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/applying-classroom-rules-and-procedures/

https://apessay.com/order/

http://indulgy.com/post/3iKH3DEBz2/great-to-remember

Marzano, Robert J. (2007).The Art and Science of Teaching

Cathie, Leota. (2015, May 15). Tough Young Teachers Season 1 [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq_mveIM8BM

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