Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
Chapter 1: The Critical Role of Classroom Management
Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. Chaos
becomes the norm
The teacher is probably the single most important factor affecting student achievement
“Effective teachers appear to be effective with students of all achievement levels regardless of
the levels of heterogeneity in their classes.”
Function of a teacher can be organized into 3 roles:
1. Making wise choices about the most effective instructional strategies to employ.
 They know when to use strategies, how best to use homework, they know that
some strategies work with some lessons and different approaches for another.
2. Designing classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning
 Effective teaching is classroom curriculum design. Effective teachers are skilled
at identified and articulating the proper sequence and pacing of their content
3. Making effective use of classroom management techniques
 “Effective teachers can prevent all discipline by keeping students interested in
learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities. The
potential for problems exists beyond academics. Students experience difficulties
at home which spill over into the classroom; students experience problems with
peers during class breaks and in the classroom which often involve the teacher;
and students experience mood charges which can generate problems, to name
just a few.”
Systematic Studies:
References Kounin: withitness, smoothness and momentum during lesson presentations and
letting students know what behavior is expected of them at any given point in time.
(p.5) Brody & Evertson: comparing average teachers to exceptional teachers. Evidence
supported Kounin’s findings
4 Components of Effective Classroom Management:
1. Rules and Procedures
2. Disciplinary Interventions
3. Teacher-Student relationships
4. Mental Set
Are good Classroom Managers Born or Made?
Chapter 2: Rules and Procedures
Design and implementation of classroom rules.
Students need guidelines for how to behave and when to move about the room
Rule identifies: general expectations or standards
Procedure: communicates expectations for specific behaviors
Are rules and procedures effective in middle school?
1
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
Results of Rules and Procedures within the classroom can be related to situations at home
(studies) p.16
“The more successful teacher took pains to explain both the rule itself and the reason behind it
to the children.”
Rules & Procedures should be viewed as a contract.
Student input is important when establishing rules and procedures.
Negotiated rather than imposed.
General Categories:
 General expectations for behavior
 Beginning and ending the class day or the period
 Transitions and interpretations
 Materials and equipment
 Group work
 Seatwork and teacher-led activities
At the Secondary Level only employ7 rules and procedures.
At the Secondary Level rules and procedures generally address:
 Bringing materials to class
 Being in the assigned seat at the beginning of class
 Respecting and being polite to others
 Talking or not talking at specific times
 Leaving the assigned seat
 Respecting other people’s property
‘A’ list of procedures:
Warm-Ups at the beginning of
class
Materials Distribution:
Supply Closet, have picture on
outside of closet of inside of closet
to show where things go.
The manner in which the class begins sets the tone for what happens next. Beginning well is
particularly important in a self-contained classroom. (p.19)
(p.21)
Need to outline rules and procedures for:
 transitions and interruptions – leaving/entering the room, use of bathroom, fire drills, use
of materials, teacher’s desk
 Group Work (what is expected of students not in groups) “Three before me.”
 Group Behavioral expectations
 Seatwork (Student attention during presentations, student participation, talking among
students, obtaining help, out-of-seat behavior, behavior when work is completed)
Involve students in the design of classroom rules and procedures.
Begin with a discussion of a fact or real life situation that involves rules and procedures. (e.g.
students were given sticky notes in which to write their reactions to behaviors or rules)
Chapter 3: Disciplinary Interventions (p.27)
Overreliance on punishment.
2
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
4 categories of disciplinary behaviors:
 Reinforcement (recognition/ reward for good behavior)
 Punishment (negative consequences for inappropriate behavior)
 Not immediate consequences (do reminder when an inappropriate behavior seems
imminent)
 Combined punishment and reinforcement
Interventions that do not have any type of reaction – positive or negative – to students have the
lowest effect size.
Human beings need feedback
The effect size of using mild forms punishment is quite respectable. (p.28)
5 Interventions:
 Teacher reaction: Verbal and Physical teacher reactions to acknowledge and reinforce
acceptable behavior and provide consequences for inappropriate behavior.
a. Make eye contact with offending student (Subtle but powerful)
b. Use a physical signal to indicate that behavior is inappropriate (finger to lips, shake
of the head)
c. If student is not following procedure, give short verbal reminder – ideally privately
d. If student is off-task but not misbehaving, a verbal redirect.
e. If student does not respond to subtleness, simply tell the student to stop the
inappropriate behavior
Stimulus Cueing: is another teacher reaction, which is providing a cue before the
behavior occurs.
“Catching a student being good.”
 Tangible Recognition: involves the use of appropriate behavior or “token economies.”
Because they frequently involve providing some type of chit for good behavior. Concrete
recognition.
 Direct Cost: techniques are more oriented toward negative consequences: Isolation time
out. Students should have a clear picture as to what behaviors get them into Isolation
time out.
Overcorrection: is a procedure that is used when a student has misbehaved in a way
that destroys or alters some physical aspect of the classroom. (e.g. student overturns a
desk, student is required to over compensate for their behavior to send a powerful
message about consequences)
 Group Contingency: operates similar to concrete recognition techniques.
Interdependent group contingency: require that every student in the group to meet the
behavioral criterion for the group to earn credit.
Dependent Group Contingency: requires a specific individual to meet the behavioral
criterion of the group. This tends to place a great deal of peer pressure on the
3
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
individual. Teacher can allow the students to earn “Pressure Points” to pressure her into
postponing a test or a no homework night.
 Home Contingency: home contact can be a powerful form of positive or negative
consequence.
Disciplinary procedures have an impact on lessening student misbehavior at all grade levels.
Inappropriate Teacher Behaviors:
o Absenteeism
o Tardiness
o Keeping students overtime
o Early dismissal
o Straying from the subject
o Being unprepared or unorganized
o Being late returning work
o Sarcasm, and put-downs
o Verbal abuse
o Unreasonable and arbitrary rules.
o Verbal Abuse
o Lack of response to student questions
o Sexual harassment
o Apathy toward students
o Unfair grading practices
o Negative personality
o Showing favoritism
When students feel that teachers are behaving inappropriately, they will resist efforts to monitor
their behavior.
Disciplinary Techniques:
Think & Time has 3 goals:
a. Provide for consistent consequences across all teachers
b. To provide students with feedback for their disruptive behavior and allow for planning to
avoid future incidents of such behavior
c. To enable teachers and students to cut off negative social exchanges and initiate
positive one.
“Think Time Classroom” a dedicate room where students are sent when teachers cannot
successfully address a disruptive behavior in the context of the regular classroom. A symbiotic
relationship forms between the Think Time Room and the regular classroom. Students begin to
recognize that they are sent there to think about their behavior.
Assertive Discipline:
“Interventionalist” ideology
4
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
Makes a distinction between rules and directions. Rules are generally in affect all the time.
Directions vary from activity to activity.
Also students off-task disruption behavior is different from their off-task non-disruptive behavior.
“If a student is of-task but not disrupting anyone, the teacher redirects the off-task behavior but
imposes no consequences.”
Positive consequences for good behaviors.
Negative consequences are kept to a minimum, the emphasis is on consistency as opposed to
severity of consequences.
Tracking of behavior is a PRIVATE matter.
1. Establish a positive climate for discipline. Teachers replace negative expectations with
positive ones.
2. Teachers learn/practice assertive behavior. Learn the difference between assertive,
nonassertive, and hostile behavior. Often teachers’ behaviors convey disapproval in a
firm, unemotional businesslike manner and include a communication of excepted
behavior.
3. Establish limits and consequences.
4. Follow through with consequences.
5. Implement a system of awards for appropriate behavior.
Teachers must establish limits in order to effectively execute positive or negative
consequences.
Chapter 4: Teacher-Student Relationships (p.41)
3rd rule to effective classroom management: teacher-student relationships. “If a teacher has a
good relationship with students, then students more readily accept the rules and procedures
and the disciplinary actions that follow their violations.”
p. 42 “The causes of many classroom behaviors labeled and punished as rule infractions are, in
fact, problems of students and teachers relating to each other interpersonally.”
Characteristics of good teachers: consideration, buoyancy, patience.
Two dimensions of whose interactions define relationships:
1. Dominance vs. submission
2. Cooperation vs. opposition
High dominance: is categorized by clarity of purpose and strong guidance – which should be
both academic and behavioral. The teacher needs to be attentive and concerned for the interest
of the students
High submission: lack of clarity and purpose
Neither one of these extremes exhibit good behaviors of a teacher in a healthy student-teacher
relationship.
5
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
High cooperation: is characterized by a concern for the needs and opinions of others and a
desire to function as a member of a team as opposed to an individual, but extreme high
cooperation is an inability/lack of resolve to act without input and approval of others.
Extreme opposition: is characterized by active antagonism towards others and a desire to
thwart goals
High Dominance
High Opposition
Optimal
Teacher-Student
Relationship
High Cooperation
High Submission
p. 44 Teachers should be able to empathize with students, understand their world, and listen to
them. Good teachers are not uncertain, undecided, or confusing in the way they communicate
with students. They are not grouchy, gloomy, dissatisfied, aggressive, sarcastic or quicktempered.
Over time teachers appear to decline in cooperative behavior and increase in oppositional
behavior, a change that negatively affects students.
p. 46 The issues children face:
 Homelessness
 Depression
 Suicide – for children between 15-19 death by suicide is the highest killer than any
disease
 Violent Students
 Eating Disorders – 18% of high school students manifest bulimic tendencies
 Alcoholism
 ADD
 Sexual Orientation
 Incarcerated Parents
 Poverty – 15.7 million students live below the poverty line
 Sexual/Physical Abuse 40% of students are risk of failure in school due to serious problems outside of school
Schools may be the only place where the needs of children are being met in facing extreme
challenges.
6
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
p.48 Effective teachers do not treat all children the same, particularly in situations involving
behavioral problems. Whereas some students need encouragement, other students need a
gentle reprimand, and still others might require a not so gentle reprimand.
TESA – Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement: ensures that teachers’ behaviors are
equitable for all students:
o Response Opportunities – address equitable distribution of positive responses, helping
individual students and response with latency (how long a teacher waits for a students’
response)
o Feedback – affirmation of correct performance, praise and reasons for praise, listening
and accepting feelings
o Personal Regard – addresses proximity, courtesy, personal interest, touching and
desisting
Action Steps:
1. Use specific techniques to establish an appropriate level of dominance in the
classroom. Need a balance – students rely primarily on teacher behavior as the
indication of whether the teacher is providing guidance or not and whether the teacher is
cooperative or not. Every behavior we display in the presence of another is
communication. The students’ interpretation of a behavior may be different than the
intention.
 Exhibiting Assertive Behavior – is the ability to stand up for one’s legitimate right
in ways that make it less likely that others will ignore or circumvent. Use body
language, good eye contact, erect posture, facing the offending student but
keeping enough distance so as not to appear threatening, match one’s facial
expression with the message being sent. Use appropriate tone of voice, speak
clearly and deliberately without showing emotion. Persisting until the appropriate
behavior is displayed.
 Establish Clear Learning Goals – establish learning goals early on, provide
feedback on these goals, revise goals. Strong leadership in not only classroom
management, but in content
2. Use Specific behaviors that communicate an appropriate level of cooperation.
 Provide flexible learning goals – allow students to set some of their own learning
goals. Asking this conveys a certain level of cooperation.
 Taking a personal interest in students – talk informally with students, greet
students as they enter the classroom or in outside curriculum activities, be
aware/commenting on big events in students lives.
 Using equitable and positive Classroom behaviors – (TESA), deliberately move
toward children as you walk around the room, attribute ownership to ideas from
students, provide appropriate “wait time”
3. Responding Appropriately to Students’ Incorrect Answers.
 When students response incorrectly or make no response, they are particularly
vulnerable. Emphasize what is right, encourage collaboration, restate the
7
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
question, rephrasing the question, give hints or clues, providing the answer and
giving elaboration, respecting the student’s right to pass.
4. Be aware of the needs of different types of students.
5 categories of high need students
 Passive – Fear of relationships and fear of failure. Fear may be the common
denominator but the object of the fear is different. Students from abusive,
neglected homes as well as students experiencing social phobias have fear of
relationships. Other students have an ingrained belief that they do not belong in
school or will succeed, these students exhibit a fear of failure. Fear of
relationships students need: kindness, consistency and encouragement. The
strengths perspective is good for students who have a fear of failure, reminding
them that they are good at some things.
 Aggressive – Hostile, oppositional and covert. Hostile – poor anger management,
poor impulse control, low capacity for empathy, heightened sense of entitlement,
inability to see the consequences of one’s actions, low self-esteem, propensity of
thrill seeking behavior. Oppositional milder forms of behavior similar to hostile
kids, resistance to following rules, arguing with adults, frequent use of angry
language, and propensity to criticize, blame or annoy others. Covert may be
pleasant or even charming at times but are often nearby when trouble starts,
operate on the periphery of disruptive behavior
 Attention Problems – Hyperactive and inattentive. Hyperactive – poor impulse
control, inability to stay in seat quietly, blurts out questions/answer, trouble taking
turns. Inattentive – failing to give close attention to details, rarely appearing to
listen, having difficulty organizing tasks, forgetfulness in daily activities, easily
distracted by outside stimuli.
 Perfectionist – (similar to Obsessive compulsive) students who are driven to
levels of success that are unattainable. These students are often self-critical,
deep-feelings of inferiority and vulnerability. Being perfect is the only way they
will be loved. If they are faced with a situation in which they do not think they will
succeed then they stop/give-up.
 Socially Inept – Socially inept students have trouble making and keeping
friends. They stand too close and touch people in annoying ways, make
embarrassing remarks, misread others comments and don’t seem to fit in.
Chapter 5: Mental Set (p. 65)
For classroom management: an appropriate mental set is needed. Similar to the construct of
“mindfulness” which is a heightened sense of situational awareness and a conscious control
over one’s thoughts and behavior relative to that situation. e.g. withitness
Usually the mind focuses on one activity, and has very little awareness of our environment –
especially if it regards a routine. Our typical frame of mind is not disposed to noticing detail or
deviations from our expectations.
8
Classroom Management that Works
Robert Marzano
Kounin concluded that effective classroom management was NOT how they handled the
disruptive behavior of students, but in the disposition of the teacher to quickly and accurately
identify the problem.
Constantly scanning the classroom – even when working with small groups – demonstrates to
the students the teacher’s withitness by intervening promptly and accurately when appropriate
behavior threatens to become disruptive.
Emotional Objectivity: a teachers ability to not respond to crisis, students interactions,
executing disciplinary rules as a personal attack. Addressing disciplinary issues as unemotional
and “matter-of-fact.” Do not personalize the actions of students.
Action Steps: (p.69)
9