Kimberly, well done and I look forward to hearing more about your progress. Getting students more engaged by finding innovative ways to get them involved and interactive with the curriculum will provide great results with respect to better student outcomes.
James Jackson
I am a new teacher. I started out as a controller and have found myself moving towards more of a buddy. My ultimate goal is to be a guide. I feel like this is the best balance and the best way for my students to learn and become more successful contributors to society. I was leaning towards the buddy role, but that is not what my students are here to do. I need to give them the best learning environment that I can.
In the past, I don't think that I was able to identify what to improve, or how to improve my classroom management. This class helps to identify the pertaining aspects of classroom management for me.
I can see that I'm the "buddy" too often, although not always. I want to be more consistent in classroom management so that certain issues within my class don't keep getting progressively worse through a term. I would like to think that behavior issues wouldn't be a consideration in adult education, but they are a problem all the time, which may be attributable to my reputation as well-liked. I think now that such a reputation may lead to a lack of respect for myself or the class on some levels, and I just can't go on with that.
So, I guess that I really need to do some work here at not avoiding problems within my class, which is surely easier in the short-term, but it does hurt the class and my position eventually.
Thanks!
Greetings James,
The percentage of adult learners in my classroom is very high; therefore incorporating solid lesson plans that include objectives has made a definite improvment to my management of the class.
The benefits of evaluating my style of management include becoming more of a Guide and enabling the students to make informed decisons and take on leadership roles.
Jim Baker
I set my expectations the first day of class. The students are well aware of what is expected and the consequences. If the expectaitons are not met then you as the instructor has to follow through on the consequences or the classroom management will not be taken seriously
I set the pace from day one, they know the expectations and the consequences if they are not followed. We can have fun in the classroom and learn a lot if anyone is on board and follow the classroom rules.
I need to improve on cell phone use in class, I'm trying hard to manage this, but they try to hide them and text during lecture, still learning methods to improve this.
I have used clear expectations and objectives to help with classroom management. Lecture is always followed with hands on lab, but I think I need to make the lecture more interactive. I have had a hardtime getting students to interact at times. This class inspired some wonderful ideas that I wrote down and cannot wait to try. Making the lecture a discussion, and having that clear as an objective with a plan of action and activity will help a lot for student involvement.
Manuel, move away from feeling you need to coach them on what they did wrong and focus on what they are doing well. Relate to them where they can move more of their learning objectives to the side of knowledge and understanding by taking the time to focus on what they do well and how to grow this area by understanding how they can do even better. The human brain takes in positive thoughts more than negative ones with respect to accepting them and wanting more of them. Negative thoughts can be very powerful but tend to train the brain to protect itself versus accepting more of what it knows to be positive. This is why positive self-talk is so powerful just like negative self-talk. We become that which we think of the most so if we think negatively we look at the world from that lens. If we focus on thinking positive thoughts, we tend to see the solutions and opportunities more readily. Give it a try and let us know how that works for you. : - )
James Jackson
I am a young instructor in comparison to my colleagues. I began teaching at the age of 24 and felt the need to be "The Controller" in order to maintain class control. However, I have learned that coaching the students on what they did wrong, what to do differently, and why they should do it differently is a more successful approach. One thing that I can improve on is not making examples of students that insist on not following policies and instruction.
To improve classroom management in the past, I prepare my lesson plan into timed sections, this way I know how much time I will be spending on a subject or activity. I find this style of classroom management keeps the students alert and implements active learning.
John, glad you enjoyed the class and the additional reading on Digital Natives. Please share any of your insights and links to readings you feel others would find interesting as this is intended to be a sharing of ideas and resources.
James Jackson
Thank you for the link I enjoyed the article on Digital Natives. I have really done well in my class my students see me as a guide that cares about their outcomes, but not every student is the same as I have learned. Thank you very much for your feedback.
John
Phyllis, great point. We as instructors need to lead the charge of becoming life long learners. There is always something more to learn and as we evaluate each group of students we lead and educate, we need to take what works and utilize more of that while reducing and eliminating those things that do not help our students.
James Jackson
John, you may want to consider doing some reading on the best practices in teaching and learning from the National Education Association. Here is a link: http://www.nea.org/home/33508.htm. You will find this a great resource for new instructors and those interested in being data driven about the methodologies they utilize in the classroom. Continue participating in these discussions as well as you will find a lot of great ideas and tips from your peers.
James Jackson
I have found I am learning all the time how to be a more effective Classroom Manager! I always say I learn something new after the completion of a class. I think as long as we are listening to our students and educating ourselves we can and will become more effective managing the classroom. And How wonderful is it to hear "This class is over allready"? Love that!!
I am new to teaching This is my second year. I have had to learn about the adult learner on my feet so to say. I have always been a effective leader so that has help but I really have turned in to a guide and by watching the students grow as I am privileged to teach them different courses. I am able to watch and see how my teaching has improved.
Julie, inspect what you expect but at the same time model the way so your students always know where they stand and where they need to go.
James Jackson
Hi Everyone,
I think it is important to be very clear of one's expectations for students in a classroom. Having a classroom atmosphere that is anticipatory of student concerns is a way of increasing my efficiency in terms of time-management in the classroom.
In order to do this, I create a FAQ list and post it in the Discussion Board. I also alternate between student-centered activities and instructor-centered activities as a way to manage my workload. I create a weekly check-list of student deliverables so that they are reminded of what is expected of them.
Gayle, incorporate an active learning environment anytime possible. There will be times you need to get information out and in the way you feel most comfortable but from time to time, mix things up and truly engage your students through activities that get them out of their seats and interacting with each other and with yourself.
James Jackson
Tracey, teaching is as much an art form as it is a learned skill. Observing other great instructors and how they manage situations you yourself want to become more skilled is a great technique and demonstrates your dedication to the teaching arts. I have also used other techniques such as requesting others to observe my classroom and teaching skills and I have also video tapped my classroom sessions for self reflection or discussion with those more skilled than myself. I have used this analogy many times, you only need to look to the world of athletics and specifically college athletics if you really want to take your classroom management to another level. A college coach will spend hours monitoring film and reviewing the results of various game strategy packages in order to become better and better at managing their classrooms. Why do we as classroom instructors feel our environment should be any different. The techniques are very similar while the time we need is different. I am not suggesting instructors need to spend hours upon hours outside the classroom but for those working to improve on their skills, some hours outside the classroom may be necessary as you build your skill-set.
James Jackson
