Don’t Smile Until Christmas:
Folkloric Approaches
&
Emerging Issues in Classroom
Management
DR. DIANE KERN AND HER GOOD FRIENDS
DR. NORMA MCLEOD, DR. C. M. CHARLES, AND
THE INTERNET
EDC 415
SUMMER 2011
Think-Pair-Share
 Think about the ‘wisdom’ friends, family and
practicum teachers have shared with you about
teaching (e.g. summer’s off, out of school by 2:00,
what a life!; you’ll never get a job, blah, blah, blah;
kids today only care about video games, blah, blah,
blah…)
 Pair up with someone nearby to share the ‘wisdom’
you’ve heard.
 Share your thoughts on this ‘wisdom’ and whether or
not you found this helpful.
What we’ll do today and why!
 Consider folkloric wisdom as we consider our own
philosophy of teaching and approaches to classroom
management
 Learn some very pragmatic ways to approach setting
up your own first classroom and substitute teaching!
 Think about how social networking and technology
will affect your classroom of the future!
What is the folkloric approach and will you use
any of this approach?
 Definition: The body of knowledge the teaching
culture transmits informally, usually orally.
 Atheoretic…hmm?!
 Motto: Try it!!
 Turn and talk—Based on your viewing of Itunes U,
what folkloric approaches, if any, do you anticipate
you’ll use? Is it okay that these approaches are
“atheoretic?”
Norma’s 3 examples
1. Learning apprenticeship
…example: Student teaching
2. Tips for teachers
…example: 10 ways to do xyz
3. SOS
…example: Survival Tips for Substitutes
Do you think we really need folkloric approaches, even
though these are “atheoretical”?
Combat Duty and Fresh Meat
Kern’s Kindergartener Theory in Action—human
desire to “eat” the fresh meat teacher is an innate
behavior.
 The Kindergarten CASE!
Substitute Teaching 101
 Your bag of tricks
 NCTE Substitute Teachers’ Lesson Plans
 Kern’s substitute teacher folder and expectations
Substitute Teaching
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
 Norma cautions you to “respect” your elders!
 Is Planet Esme your planet?
 Teachers’ Messages for Report Cards
Future Studies…
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurology
 Hmmm…is wikipedia a credible source, Kern?
….and your classroom
 Continuous partial attention
 Acceptable use policy
 Netiquette
 Social networks
 Cyberbullying
 Conflict resolution online
Take Aways
 Esme Raji Codell’s Educating Esme
 Jim Burke’s Classroom Management
 Marie McDonald Teachers’ Messages for Report
Cards
 U.S. Department of Education Survival Guide for
New Teachers
 NCTE Substitute Teachers’ Lesson Plan