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Classroom Management
Ichbinmich
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Hi folks,
I've been a lurker on the forums for a little while, and it seems that good advice is usually given here, so I thought I'd pose a question for all of you educators out there:
What are some effective classroom management strategies, i.e., how do you get the little buggers to sit down and shut up for a few minutes so that you can teach them something? We're talking high school here, by the way. Story below.
I recently completed student teaching, graduated, and got my teaching certificate. Since no one wants to hire a social studies teacher at the moment, I've just been subbing to gain some experience and cash. The only problem is that I'm having a lot harder time controlling the classroom than when I was student teaching. At least then I was the "real" teacher and had some more tools to keep the kids in line, such as being able to hold the grade book over their heads. Now, no one will take me seriously.
Is this just sub-syndrome, or is there something more I could do to keep the students from acting like wild animals?
Thanks.
I've been a lurker on the forums for a little while, and it seems that good advice is usually given here, so I thought I'd pose a question for all of you educators out there:
What are some effective classroom management strategies, i.e., how do you get the little buggers to sit down and shut up for a few minutes so that you can teach them something? We're talking high school here, by the way. Story below.
I recently completed student teaching, graduated, and got my teaching certificate. Since no one wants to hire a social studies teacher at the moment, I've just been subbing to gain some experience and cash. The only problem is that I'm having a lot harder time controlling the classroom than when I was student teaching. At least then I was the "real" teacher and had some more tools to keep the kids in line, such as being able to hold the grade book over their heads. Now, no one will take me seriously.
Is this just sub-syndrome, or is there something more I could do to keep the students from acting like wild animals?
Thanks.
Ichbinmich on
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I found in general people would listen more to the teachers who treated us like people, talked and joked around a bit rather than those who came in and were all about trying to lay down the rules. Of course there's a fine line, because if you're too relaxed with them then they'll just slack off the whole time anyway.
Are you teaching any specific grades in high school, or all grades? I found that by nature 9s and 10s would be a lot less likely to listen and do work than 11s and 12s.
Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa.... Do... Re.... Do...
Forget it...
Also if they're really out of control, send one of them to the principals office and the rest should kinda-sorta fall in line...sometimes.
Whole-class instruction, you must be a disciplinarian. Because otherwise the pack-syndrome comes out of the students, and they take advantage of the relaxed sub.
Methods for controlling their behavior:
Write their names on the board. This list is then transcribed to a pad of paper/word document with a short description of the student(s) offense and left for their regular teacher to see and deal with when he/she returns. "I want your teacher, Mrs. X, to see that you all have behaved great while she's been gone. But if you decide to misbehave, then I promise you she'll be hearing about it." But stress that you will remove his/her name from the board if he/she does something good - ie, helping a peer or you with something, actually doing his/her work, working silently, and basically adhering to your instructions.
Try your best to not light the referral pad on fire with your pen, though. As easy as it may be to write referrals at every disruption, administration pays attention to subs who depend on this method. And it may affect future opportunities of subbing at that school.
Goodluck! It's a jungle out there for Subs!
This... would never work in any class i've heard of.
Subs who come into a class and try to be "The Teacher" generally aren't taken seriously because the students know they won't have to deal with them more than that day. Instantly writing everyone's name down and telling them to be good little kids and help each other out? I can't see anyone taking that seriously.
11 or 12?
Give them an assignment and treat them like adults; it's all they want. they might be louder than they would with their regular teacher but if you tell them to get the work done and don't treat them like idiots they'll do it.
9 or 10?
I have no idea, this kids all think they're the coolest thing since sliced bread and have a real anti-authority mentality. I know I'm generalizing but its what I've seen.
younger then that?
candy? like others have said don't try and be the hard ass, it's not going to work because they know you're gone in a day or two...
It's not really an ideal solution, but using this plan you can generally get the class to pay attention for at least a little while. Students will generally become productive if you use "free time" as an incentive, and you won't have a huge fight on your hands for the entire period. Obviously this is no good if you're subbing for an extended period of time.
At least, that's how my mom always hands this sort of situation. And she used to teach in prisons filled with rapists. She's a tough lady.
But as a teacher who had to sub for a bit myself, I'd have to agree with just building a rapport with the kids. They're not going to respond to the hardass who thinks that they all need to sit down and shut up. Just talk to them, and if anybody gives you trouble, write it down in your sub notes for the actual teacher. Whether or not they actually discipline the kids when they get back is up to them, but at least they will be aware of it. I wouldn't recommend sending kids to the office unless they're doing something really bad like fighting or swearing at you or, you know, something that they really shouldn't be doing.
Honestly, it sounds silly, but when the kids walked in to my class as a sub for high school, I would be leaning back in the chair, hands behind my head and my feet propped up on a nearby desk or chair or something. Immediately the students saw I was "relaxed" and I'd usually get the "alphas" of the class to at least make some kind of small talk. And I just expanded from there.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
i bet you are either extremely well-behaved or a clever motherfucker.
This... does work, actually
My described method isn't making the sub "the teacher." Instead, it's bringing to the kids' attention that their behavior will still be looked at by their "real teacher" even though she/he isn't there that day. Now if the "real teacher" is terrible with classroom management, then the list is completely moot - I'll give you that. But it's all subjective. The sub can gauge the kids' reactions to the method, and that will more or less tell the sub what type of "real teacher" they have - that is, if the "real teacher" is terrible or effective with daily CM. It's simple psychology.
My recommendations run contrary to a lot of the ideas that some other people are throwing out there. I'm not sure if it's because I teach older folks or folks who aren't (as explicitly) forced to be there, but these are some things that work for me:
1) Establish that you are friendly (but not their friend). You should absolutely start off with a joke or a funny comment. Don't make your first impression a negative one.
2) If you contextualize your role as a substitute, the students will probably be a little more involved and engaged than they would be otherwise. If you're like "hey everybody. Sorry your teacher isn't here today. Let's do some awesome shit anyway..." It will probably go over a little better than if you don't introduce yourself and just start up with the lesson plan.
You walk a really fine line as a substitute, since you don't actually have a whole lot of authority or power, but you're expected to by the administration and the teacher whose class you're subbing for.
I hope that stuff starts getting better for you.
For paintings in progress, check out canvas and paints
"The power of the weirdness compels me."
Yeah, I think if I were a substitute teacher for this sort of age I'd probably sacrifice small animal or something before I went in. I'm not a teacher, but I remember being at school then. Ouch. Half the kids just waiting until their hips are physically big enough to fit a child through (well, the girls anyway), and the other half pretending so as to look cool.
Gods school sucked. You're a braver person than me to optionally go back into that environment. Shudder.