Boston University
SED CT534: A Practical Approach to Classroom Management
Fall 2014, Friday 2-5 PM
SED Room 208
10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12
Instructor
Professor Scott Seider
SED Room 237
seider@bu.edu
(617) 353-3223
Office Hours: By appointment
“We are not amused.”
-Queen Victoria
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Course Overview
This course is designed to support teachers in developing a practical, effective and lowstress approach to classroom management. The course focuses on a classroom
management system with four components: classroom structure, limit-setting,
responsibility training and back-up systems. Through course readings, reflective writing,
class discussion and simulations, participants will develop effective classroom
management practices, break current “high cost” and ineffective strategies, and establish
a proactive, positive classroom setting that maximizes time on learning and minimizes
classroom disruptions.
Books
Required: Goldstein, M. (2013). Phoning parents. Boston, MA: Match Education.
Recommended: Jones, F. (2007) Tools for teaching: Second Edition. Santa Cruz, CA:
Fredric Jones Associates.
Attendance & Make-up Work
We have fewer than 20 hours of class time. Only a genuine emergency or highly
contagious disease should prevent you from attending class. In such cases, please contact
me ASAP and in advance of the class you will miss.
Power point presentations for each class will be available on the CT534 Blackboard site.
If you miss a class, choose the 15 slides (or questions embedded within slides) from the
class presentation that you believe to be the most interesting, engaging or provocative and
reflect upon each in a well thought out paragraph (i.e. 15 paragraphs in total) that also
draws upon the assigned readings for that class session. These paragraphs should be
emailed as an attachment to the instructor prior to the next class meeting. If you are tardy
to class (or need to leave early), please follow this same procedure using the slides
presented in your absence.
Class Discussion Board
By Friday at noon before each class session, please post on the CT534 discussion board
one comment (2-5 sentences) or one question (1-2 sentences) about an idea raised in one
of the assigned readings that caught your attention.
Statement on Academic Integrity
The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and receive
credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the
intellectual property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the
sharing of ideas that is essential to scholarship. Plagiarism, that is, failure to properly
acknowledge sources, written or electronic, used for verbatim quotations or ideas, is a
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violation of academic integrity. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper
methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure
that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly
acknowledged.
Assignments/Grading
Assignment
Formative Assessments
Warm Ups/Exit Tickets
Discussion Posting
Limit Setting Simulation
Summative Assessments
Day 1 Micro-Teaching
Final Paper




Points
4 points (each)
4 points (each)
5 points
40 points
30 points
Rubrics attached to this syllabus for all course assignments requiring preparation
Course grade = Total points earned/Total points possible
Unapproved late assignments will be docked 10% per day
Failure to submit a make-up assignment after an absence will result in a 1/6
deduction on the final course grade
Syllabus at a Glance
Class
Topic
10/24 Classroom Structure I
10/31 Classroom Structure II
11/7
Limit Setting
11/14 Micro-Teaching
11/21 Responsibility Training
12/5
Back-Up Systems
Reading Due
Marzano & Pickering-1
Walker
Noguera
Marzano & Pickering-5
Ritchhart-5
Shakespear
Fay & Funk
Simonson
Ritchhart-4
Canter-2, 10-12, 14
Ashley & Burke
Romi
Kohn
Jones-16
Goldstein 1-3
12/12
Assignment Due
Limit Setting Simulation
Micro-Teaching Day 1
Micro-Teaching Reflection
Final Paper
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Assigned Readings (Blackboard)
Ashley, J., & Burke, K. (2009). Implementing restorative justice: A guide for schools.
Springfield, IL: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Canter, L. (2011). Assertive discipline: Positive behavior management for today’s
classroom. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Fay, J. and Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with love & logic. Burbank, CA: Love and Logic
Press.
Jones, F. (2002). Positive classroom discipline. New York: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 16.
Kohn, A. (1997). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. (2003). Classroom management that works. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Noguera, P. (2008). Joaquin’s dilemma. In M. Sadowski (Ed.), Adolescents at School:
Perspectives on youth, identity, and education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education
Press.
Ritchhart, R. (2002). Intellectual character: What it is, why it matters and how to get it.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Romi, S., Lewis, R., Roache, J & Riley, P. (2011). The impact of teachers’ aggressive
management techniques on students’ attitudes to schoolwork. Journal of Educational
Research, 104, 231-240.
Simonson, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based
practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education
and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351-380.
Shakespear, E. (1999) “What I’d Tell A White Gal: What My Black Male Students
Taught Me About Race and Schooling.” In S. Freedman & E. Simons (Eds), Inside City
Schools: Investigating Literacy in Multicultural Classrooms, pp. 76-88.
Walker, J. (2009). Authoritative classroom management: How control and nurturance
work together. Theory Into Practice, 48, 122-129.
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Day One Micro-Teaching Assignment1
Micro-teaching typically runs 10 minutes in length. Each person takes his or her turn as
teacher while everyone else plays the role of students. It is the job of these ‘pupils’ to
behave realistically. For this simulation, it is not the job of the ‘pupils’ to pose
classroom management challenges.
The focus of this particular micro-teaching assignment is the first 10 minutes of the first
day of school. When finished, the student conducting the class has a moment or two to
react to his/her own teaching. Then everyone else joins in to discuss what they saw that
they especially liked. Finally, the group may mention just a few things that the practice
teacher might try doing differently in the future.
Rubric for Micro-Teaching
Components
Classroom
Structure
Practices
1 pt
Unclear which
classroom
structure
practices being
utilized
3 pts
Evident classroom structure
practices/strategies being
employed
5 pts
Evident classroom structure
practices/strategies being employed with
skill indicating planning and practice
Rubric for Micro-Teaching Reflection
Recommended Length: 4-6 typed, double-space pages, 12 point font
Components
Description
of classroom
structure
practices
employed
1 pts
Vague or
incomplete
description of
classroom
structure
practices
employed
4 pts
Clear description of
classroom structure
practices employed
7 pts
Detailed description of
classroom structure practices
employed
And
And
Effective citations from
assigned readings to
explain rationale for these
practices
Effective citations from assigned
readings to explain rationale for
learning practices
And
OR
Evidence effectively cited
from video to support
1
Evidence effectively cited from
video to support description
See Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning on “microteaching.” Retrieved from
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html
5
What went
well
Vague or
incomplete
description of
positive aspects
of Day 1
micro-teaching
description
Clear description of
positive aspects of microteaching
Detailed description and analysis
of positive aspects of microteaching
And
And
Evidence effectively cited
from video to support
description
Evidence effectively cited from
video to support description
And
OR
Effective citations from
assigned readings to
support description
What was
challenging
Vague or
incomplete
description of
opportunities
for
improvement
Effective citations from assigned
readings to support description
Clear description of
negative aspects of microteaching
Detailed description and analysis
of negative aspects of microteaching
And
And
Evidence effectively cited
from video to support
description
Evidence effectively cited from
video to support description
And
And
Effective citations from
assigned readings to
support description
Implications
for teaching
Mechanics
Effective citations from assigned
readings to support description
Vague or
Clear description of
Detailed and thoughtful analysis
incomplete
implications for ‘real’ Day
of implications for ‘real’ Day
description of
One
One
implications for
‘real’ Day One
Distracting
2-4 grammar, usage or
Reflection effectively proof-read
grammar, usage
spelling errors
and virtually error-free
or spelling or
errors
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CT534: Final Paper Assignment
Option #1: A Student Investment Plan2 articulates all of the steps you will take to build a
productive relationship with your class. A student investment plan might include:







your core beliefs about classroom management
your core values for your classroom community
your messaging to your students beginning on day one
how you’ll build relationships with students as individuals and as a class
how you will set up your room
your plan for student and parent communication
your plan for contending successfully with “high rollers”
0 Points
Paper does not
present a guiding
philosophical
approach to classroom
management
4 Points
Paper presents a clear
philosophical
approach to classroom
management
Paper does not present
specific strategies that
will be utilized or
avoided
Paper does not offer a
blueprint for the
opening days of
school
Paper presents 1-2
specific strategies that
will be utilized or
avoided
Paper offers plan for
the opening days of
the school year overly
reliant on generalities
Textual Evidence3
Paper does not
support claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper offer minimal
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper offers robust
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Organization and
Clarity
Paper is not logically
structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear or
easy to understand
Paper contains
distracting grammar,
typographical, or
mechanics errors
Paper is structured
logically, written clearly,
and error-free (or mostly
free).
Core Beliefs & Values
Strategies for Building
Investment
Strategies for
Succeeding from Day
One
2
8 Points
Paper presents a detailed
and compelling approach
to classroom management
that acknowledges the
complexities of the
enterprise
Paper presents multiple
strategies raised in course
and readings that will be
utilized or avoided
Paper offers detailed plan
for succeeding from day
one
Match Teacher Residency “Relationships & Development” Textbook
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Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is
a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom
management strategy (Jones, 2003).
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Option #2: Read “Blaming the Kids” by Alfie Kohn. In this essay, Kohn offers several
criticisms of other classroom management systems. Though he does not specifically
reference Fred Jones, some might read this piece as critical of the system Fred Jones
espouses in Tools for Teaching. Compare and contrast Jones and Kohn’s perspectives on
classroom management and discuss where you fall now in your own classroom
management philosophy.
0 Points
Paper fails to present
clear differences or
similarities between
the two classroom
management systems
5 Points
Paper provides a clear
comparison of the two
classroom
management systems
10 Points
Paper presents a detailed
and nuanced comparison
of the two classroom
management systems
Your own perspective
Paper does not present
a philosophical
approach to classroom
management
Paper presents a clear
philosophical
approach to classroom
management
Textual Evidence4
Paper does not
support claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper offer minimal
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper presents a detailed
and compelling approach
to classroom management
that acknowledges the
complexities of the
enterprise
Paper offers robust
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Organization and
Clarity
Paper is not logically
structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear
and easy to
understand
Paper contains
distracting grammar,
typographical, or
mechanics errors
Paper is structured
logically, written clearly,
and error-free (or mostly
free).
Comparison of the two
systems
4
Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is
a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom
management strategy (Jones, 2003).
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Option #3: Fred Jones notes it’s the rare class that does not have has at least one “Larry”
(male or female). In this paper, offer a brief description of the “Larry” with whom you
have worked this summer and the types of behavior that are of concern to you as a
teacher. Drawing on strategies and course themes from CT534, discuss your specific plan
for effectively working with “Larry” to optimize his or her chances of success, if you
found out you would be teaching him/her again in the spring.
Description of Larry
and the classroom
management challenges
he/she presents
Strategies
Textual Evidence5
Organization and
Clarity
0 Points
Paper does not
describe Larry or
classroom
management
challenges
5 Points
Paper presents a clear
and factual account of
Larry and his/her
accompanying
classroom
management
challenges
10 Points
Paper presents a detailed
and vivid portrait of Larry
and specific examples of
the challenges
encountered in the
classroom
Paper does not present
specific strategies that
will be utilized or
avoided
Paper does not
support claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper presents 1-2
specific strategies that
will be utilized or
avoided
Paper offer minimal
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper presents multiple
strategies raised in course
and readings that will be
utilized or avoided
Paper offers robust
support of claims with
references to assigned
readings
Paper is not logically
structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear
and easy to
understand
Paper contains
distracting grammar,
typographical, or
mechanics errors
Paper is structured
logically, written clearly,
and error-free (or mostly
free).
5
Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is
a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom
management strategy (Jones, 2003).
9
Statement on Students with Disabilities
The School of Education at Boston University is committed to equal access for students
with disabilities. If you have a specific disability and require accommodations in this
class, please let me know early in the semester so that appropriate accommodations
can be made. You must provide me with a letter of needed accommodations prepared by
the Office of Disability Services. Contact information for that office is as follows:
(617)353-3658 V/TTY or access@bu.edu. All discussions and written materials will be
kept confidential.
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