1 Tool Kit: Having a tool kit is a very helpful as a teacher. As a teacher using different ideas and combing them to come up with your own perfect classroom management style is very important. If a teacher were just to use one specific model or idea for their classroom, they would run into some issues and it would not work. Each style talked about throughout this paper has its positives and negatives. This is why if a teacher makes their own style based on a combination of these different ideas it is a better learning environment for the classroom as a whole. As a teacher it is important to be flexible and change things if they aren’t working. A lot of older teachers focus more on one specific plan to run their classroom, than developing their own. When teachers develop their own classroom management style it tends to be a creative way for the class to stay involved and engaged throughout the day, and something that will work in the classroom based on the atmosphere of the class. If a teacher just has one specific plan that they stick to throughout the year there is no variety that they can look into if their plan to manage the classroom is failing. Throughout this tool kit are different ideas we have talked about in class, and the general idea of them. This will help me to distinguish which tools will be helpful to use in a classroom and which tools I will stay away from. 2 Charles “Jim” Fay – Love and Logic Charles Fay’s ideas of his love and logic plan were a system that attempts to teach children to be responsible and have fun while leading to acceptable behavior. Fay’s versions of love and logic are teaching, parenting, grand parenting, magic for lasting relationships, solutions for special needs, and marriage. His teaching version of this sets limits without anger, supports the underachievers, manages the disruptive students, attempts to keep student’s attention, and helps students solve their own problems. His reasoning for this was when students must solve problems and thinking leads to foresight. Along with his theory there are three rules. They are use enforceable limits, provide choices within limits, and apply consequences with empathy. The discipline part of this of this has two approaches. The system approach has rules and punishments and the principles approach is based on a set of beliefs. This love and logic idea is very interesting to look at. The teaching version of this makes some very good points. I really like the versions that go along with it. They set limits without anger, support underachievers, manage disruptive students, keep the student’s attention and help a student solve problems. These versions of this model are very realistic to have in a classroom. Charles Fay’s love and logic idea is very realistic to use in a classroom and can definitely see it being used in different classrooms. 3 William Glasser – Reality Therapy, Quality Schools, Choice Theory William Glasser’s model has three different parts. Reality Therapy, Quality Schools, and Choice Theory are the three different sections that Glasser stresses through his model. The Choice Theory is based on motivation and 5 basic needs. These needs are to survive and be secure, belong and be loved, gain power and respect, ,and have fun. The choice theory stresses that we are responsible for our own behaviors. The Reality Therapy focuses on the finding self-worth. This therapy part of Glasser’s model states that you can give love but you might not be able to learn anything. The Quality School part of this model means you must meet 6 criteria to be considered a “Glasser Quality School. There is a training that goes along with this quality school theory. In a school like this all assessments are open book and open note. Glasser’s model was very confusing to me. The Quality School part of this model was very strict and potentially not the best learning environment for some students. The Choice Theory is similar to other models we have talked about in that you are responsible for your own actions which I agree with and find very important in a learning environment. However Glasser’s model is very “my way or the highway”. This is one criticism I have with this model. I believe that especially in teaching it is important for teachers to be open to change depending on the classroom chemistry and I feel like Glasser’s model does not support change and is very black and white when it comes to classroom management. 4 Diane Gossen – Restitution The restitution model’s goal is the address the discipline by focusing on how the student can correct their mistake. Similar to the “Responsible Thinking Process” this model focuses on self-correction. The restitution model assumes that the students are self-motivating and that they have strong values, ideas and beliefs. The restitution model helps students to learn from their mistakes. According to this model there are 5 different traits or people the teacher should be. The teacher should be a buddy, a punisher, a guilter, a manger, and a monitor. Gossen says that it is important to explain a student in trouble that you can’t force someone to do anything, but then they will have to face the consequences. The conversation part of this model is the most important piece to success. I can relate to restitution. I believe that it is important for students to understand the reason why they are in trouble as well as grow with their values, ideas and beliefs. It is also very important for students to learn from their mistakes. The one criticism I have with this model is the different traits a teacher should be. While it is important to manage a classroom in a successful way, and be a friend to their students – a punisher and guilter sound very demeaning to a relationship with a student. It is important for students to understand that because of this action, these will be your consequences. This model I believe would very much help students to understand why their actions led to the consequence it did as well as starting to take responsibility more for the students own actions. 5 Tim Bennett – Attitude Check The Attitude Check is a way to have a kinder gentler classroom setting. The way it has been set up in Bennett’s classroom in the past was the use of a golden box. This box helps to eliminate catty behavior, poor sportsmanship, tattling, and scapegoating. Students were able to share their feelings on anything that was going on in their life. This is a good way for students to remain focused through the rest of the day. It is a pretty know fact that if students are struggling with something at home or outside of the school they are going to have issues learning throughout the day at school. If things are addressed in the middle of the day this helps students to continue to be focused and also reduces the drama in the classroom among students. The attitude check is a time that is regularly scheduled for about a 15 minute time period. The attitude check can be any subject and all attitude checks are able to receive feedback. The one stipulations of the attitude check is no names are allowed to be used. By using no names it focuses more on solving the problem instead of just the person and their problem. I really like the idea of the attitude check. I think it is a great way to get all the “fluff” out of the classroom. A lot of times there can be drama between students and it can affect the learning or alter the chemistry of the classroom. With the attitude check I can see how it would be very successful in a classroom and help avoid the constant tattling that usually happens in a classroom. This is definitely something that I will use in my classroom. Not only will it help with the chemistry of the classroom it will also help with the teacher student relationship that is the vital part of being a teacher. 6 Strategies for engaging all the students all the time There are many ways to keep all students engaged throughout the school day and in specific subjects. Partner work is always helpful to gage if the students are listening to what you have to say or just zoning out. Things like think, pair, share are also helpful in these situations because it gives the students a chance to come up with their own answer. There are other ways to keep students engaged when reading by using Popsicle sticks or popcorn reading throughout the chapter. This will help the students to pay attention to where they are at, because they don’t know if they will be called on to read next or not. There is also a lot to be said for using manipulative or interactive technology in a classroom. These tools are used to learn and especially if they are interactive it will keep all students involved in the conversation and interacting with one another. Another big thing that can play a role in students being engaged is the arrangement of the classroom. If the classroom is much cluttered and not a lot of room for movement students will have trouble paying attention in the classroom. If the environment of the classroom is very calm and comfortable then learning and the attention of the class will be easier to maintain. Engaging students throughout the school day is a very important part of being a teacher. The list that we talked about in class gave me some really good ideas to use in a classroom to do just that. As we talked about these in class I realized that some of them I have seen used before from the student prospective and did not like them. A lot of my teachers growing up used popsicle sticks and I was not a fan of these at all because I was not a strong reader. Another thing that I have seen used is popcorn reading. While this can be fun to do as a class, sometimes it is challenging to get the point across of what the 7 reading says and is instead focusing on the engaging part of the class. While it is important to keep students in engaged it should not be the main focus in the classroom otherwise no learning will get done throughout the day. 8 Harry Wong – The First Day of School Harry Wong’s model shows three characteristics of an effective teacher. These three characteristics are classroom management, teaching for mastery, and positive expectations for student success. Wong stresses through this model that what you do on the first day of school, impacts the rest of the school year. Things like welcoming the students and greeting them as they walk in the door are crucial for the first day. Wong also touches on the 4 stages of teaching according to him. These stages are fantasy, survival, mastery, and impact. The impact part of teaching a teacher must work hard at to maintain according the Wong. Discipline, Procedures, and Routines are very important to having a successful classroom. Harry Wong’s model is old fashion, but makes a lot of sense. I really like the advice that he gives for the first day of school and what you can do make the school year a success right from the beginning. Harry Wong stresses professionalism in his model. To me, this is common sense. You want to look professional and you want to have a relationship with your students by getting to know them and greeting them when they enter the classroom. I agree with Harry Wong’s model of being professional and having a relationship with your students. I find that this model will be very helpful in the classroom in the future and a constant remind of how important it really is. 9 Barbara Coloroso – Kids Are Worth It Barbara Coloroso’s model Kids are Worth It, focuses on discipline and techniques teachers use. Coloroso believes that there is an inner discipline in which teachers act like guides and the ability for students make their own decisions. Coloroso’s model has three different types of teachers, schools, and families as well. These three are the brickwall, the jellyfish, and the backbone. The brickwall is very strict and uses their power to control children. The jellyfish is the exact opposite and has little structure with a very lax discipline. The backbone is just what a backbone is, provide support and structure when necessary for a student. Coloroso also believes that threats and punishments work when we want the student to do what we want. She also believes that punishments don’t teach students what is right and wrong. This goes along with the inner discipline that Coloroso talks about and if students are threatened or punished they are not able to develop their own inner discipline. Barbara Coloroso’s model is similar to other theories we have talked about to use in our classrooms. I really like the inner discipline of this model. I strongly believe that the teacher serves as a guide and should let students make their own decisions. I also really like the threats and punishments part of this model. I agree that if students aren’t given a chance to make their own decisions or mistakes they will not develop their own inner discipline. I believe that it is important to be the backbone in a classroom, but have room for conversation as well as inner discipline. This is definitely something that students can benefit from in a classroom and develop a way to make decisions for themselves as well as find their inner discipline. 10 Daniel Goleman – Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman’s theory focuses on emotional intelligence verses IQ. Goleman believes that IQ is failing us because there is not a relation between a high IQ and how successful someone will be in practical life. He believes that emotional intelligence has no stagnant, or is constantly learned throughout one’s life. With emotional intelligence there is also the ability to get better and grow. According to Daniel Goleman there are five skill sets that are associated with emotional intelligence. They are self-awareness, managing emotions, motivation, empathy, or social skills. Goleman looks at emotional intelligence on a stop light scale. If you are in the red, you may be angry or needing to focus more on your emotional state before you make a decision. If you are in the green, you are good to go and able to make rational decisions. If you are in the yellow you are somewhere in the middle and maybe need to spend a little extra time thinking about your decision before you decide. I believe that Goleman’s theory is very good and definitely gives you something to think about. I personally know a lot of people that are not necessarily book smart, but have a lot of common sense. This correlates with Goleman’s theory about your emotional intelligence. You could be very book smart, but make no great decisions because your emotional intelligence may be in the red. Goleman also states that our emotions can impact our ability to take in information. This is also proven to be true through examples I have seen. If a student is having a bad day because of something that might have happened at home it will affect their learning in the school environment. I really like Goleman’s theory and believe that it could be used in classroom and also help with the relationships with have with students on an emotional level. 11 Lee Canter – Assertive Discipline Lee Canter’s believes on assertive discipline are very interesting to look at. Canter believes that the teacher’s rights are to establish the optimal learning environment and respect as well as expect appropriate behavior from students. From the other side of things, Canter believes that students can choose how they want to behave. He believes that discipline does not hurt the student and they will resolve it themselves eventually. He also states that teachers are not able to control the situation. Canter has steps that he believes with change the behavior of students. Step one is to remove the roadblock, this means that home life and other things that are going on with a student should not affect them in the school environment. Step two and three involve being assertive and also setting limits among the students. Step four touches on the difference between threats and promises. Canter believes that it is important to follow through and never to make threats and only promises. Canter’s ideas on assertive discipline are very absurd to me. Canter shows through his believes that discipline doesn’t hurt the student, which in every case has proven to be untrue. It is very important for the relationship of the student and teacher to be strong. Through Canter’s believes I don’t believe there would be any student teacher relationship. I can see why we have talked about Canter’s ideas in class. This is something you see a lot of in classrooms. Consist discipline with no room for explanation, or the teacher just ignores the problem all together. It is important to discuss how this is not an effective belief to use in a classroom. As it has been proven there are many other models or beliefs that teachers can use in a classroom to maintain a manageable 12 Alfie Kohn – Rewards and Punishments, Grades and Intrinsic Motivations Alfie Kohn’s beliefs are backed up by research. Alfie states in his model that punishments are very destructive towards students, and strongly believes that rewards and punishments have the same effect on students. He also believes however that motivation is a key to learning. Alfie Kohn’s big belief in his theory is his take on grades. Some of his beliefs on grades are that they lessen students interest in learning, lessen a student’s desire for more challenging tasks, and they can change the curriculum. Kohn also believes that grades are not a reliable way to assess how a student is doing. As a teacher it is important to have a strong relationship with your students as well as your students have a strong relationship with their peers. Alfie Kohn says that these different relationships can also be affected negatively by grades in a classroom. While there is no way to actually get rid of grades, Alfie Kohn’s theory makes some sense. I can see where grades can get in the way of students relationships with peers as well as the teacher. This has happened to probably all of us. How many people have not liked a teacher because of a poor grade they have gotten on a test or an assignment? I can also relate to rewards and punishments being interchangeable. Rewards and punishments both can affect the relationship with a student and a teacher, and don’t always address what the problem truly is in the classroom. 13 Edward E. Ford – Responsible Thinking Process The purpose of the Responsible Thinking Process all involves success. The two beliefs that go into this tool are that someone cares and respects you enough to help you success and that it is possible to succeed. Through this tool, students are taught to monitor their own behavior by taking responsibility for what they do. The teacher is never required to yell, lecture or tell a student something, but instead ask questions. There are six questions that a teacher is required to ask the student when there is a conflict in the classroom. First, what are you doing? This question asks the student how they are handling themselves in the classroom. Then, what are the rules? This question ties the behavior that is happening to the rules that are expected in the classroom. What happens when you break rules? This question requires the student to reflect on the behavior that is happening. The next question that is asked is, is this what you wanted to happen? This question gives students time to think about the response from their behavior. Did they accomplish what they wanted by doing this behavior. The next question is where do you want to be? This question has the student reflect on how they want to be for the rest of their life. The next question that is asked is what will happen if you disrupt again? This question makes the student aware of what will happen the next time they have poor behavior in the classroom. This tool could definitely be used in a classroom. I really like the idea of having the students think about their actions. This way the student in a way has a natural consequence for their behavior in the classroom. Being responsible for your actions is very important part of maturing as well as learning in a classroom. The one criticism I have of this tool is that there isn’t any room for teacher direction. While it is important to 14 take responsibility for your actions there must also be some direction from the teacher and consequences for your actions. When a student “thinks” about their actions and behaviors, they don’t always have a natural consequence for their actions. If there are behavior problems in a classroom, there needs to be consequences for their actions. 15 M.B. “Flip” Flippen – Capturing Kid’s Hearts Capturing Kid’s Hearts and Flip Flippen’s ideas have been installed in many classrooms. The main objective of this model is to develop a healthy relationship between members of the school district and the students in the classrooms. This program has five primary skills that it uses to do this. The first skill is EXCEL which stands for engage, explore, communicate, empower, and launch. This skill focuses on leadership, relationships, and the teaching model that can be used. The social contract is next. This is a way to get students talking about the expectations in the classroom and holding themselves accountable for their own actions. The next is the four questions for misbehavior. This skill focuses on what the student is doing wrong and what they are supposed to be doing. This skill is an important conversation. The next skill is the four questions for disrespect. These questions are similar to the misbehavior ones and the main focus is the conversation you are having with this student. The final skill is the SOLER listening skills. SOLER stands for squaring up to the person you are talking to, open posture; lean in, eye contact you make, and relax and respond to the conversation. These are the skills that Flippen says are important to capture kid’s hearts. I have seen Capturing Kid’s Hearts used in a classroom before and I agree with most of it. I really like the idea of the social contract and how it can hold the students accountable for their actions. All of the other skills that are used to capture kid’s hearts I also agree with. They are very important to gain relationship between teacher and student. Because this is something I find very important as a future teacher I agree with Mr. Flippen’s ideas of “If you have a child’s heart, you have their mind”. The one criticism I have with this program is that it is a program. It is something that schools 16 must pay for in order to gain the knowledge of this awesome idea of capturing kid’s hearts. While it is a program there is still a way that you can instill some of Flippen’s findings in your own classroom and that is what I plan to do.