Psychology of Learning and Instruction: Theory and Practice



Today’s Agenda

1. Presentation

2. Reflective Response

3. Body Break & Social Break

4. Alfie Kohn on Oprah‬: Punished by Rewards

5. Advice for New Teachers about Behaviour in the Classroom

6. Your Future Classroom

7. Scenarios of Three Students: Renee, Samantha, and DeSean

8. Brief Overview: Approaches to Classroom Discipline – Part 1

9. Brief Overview: Approaches to Classroom Discipline – Part 2

[pic]

Reflective Response

• Share your Reflective Response to the Readings with each other.

• Use one or more of your discussion questions to deepen your thinking.

[pic]

Alfie Kohn on Oprah‬: Punished by Rewards



Kohn on Punishment



Alfie Kohn on Feel-Bad Education



Education and Competition



[pic]

New Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management



[pic]

A Conversation with John Bayley – Advice for New Teachers about Behaviour in the Classroom

[pic]

Your Future Classroom

Four Scenarios Student Teachers Should Expect to Encounter

It is quite natural for a student teacher to be a little anxious the first time he or she steps into a real classroom. All of the teacher education courses, lectures and controlled classroom scenarios that were designed to give a student the skills to become a teacher have been completed. What was mastered to earn your degree, will now be put to the test.

Over the course of the first year as a student teacher, individuals experience different emotions ranging from joy and happiness to disappointment and frustration. By the time the school year is over, student teachers will have gone through several different phases of development that will make them a skilled professional, ready to teach a class on their own.

Phases for the first year:

Anticipation

Everything is new and exciting. Dreams of shaping the minds and influencing the lives of young students run through the heads of student teachers during the first few weeks of the school year. Teaching is seen through rose-colored glasses as reality has not yet set in. Student teachers cannot wait to get into their new assignments.

Survival

After the first few weeks, when the initial excitement has slowed down, the workload can become overwhelming. The student teacher is immersed in all aspects of running a classroom. Teaching a class, keeping up with administrative procedures, taking work home and never having a minute of free time are common issues that all student teachers face in the first month or two while on the job.

Disillusionment

As the school year progresses, it gradually becomes apparent that all of the things learned in school do not naturally happen in the real world. Issues arise that are difficult to solve. School politics may limit the control a teacher has to run the class the way he or she thinks best. Pressure comes during parent-teacher meetings and many new teachers have trouble coping with the stress. Some soul-searching takes place and the minds of many individuals may become filled with questions over whether they made the right career choice to become a teacher

Rejuvenation

Winter break comes and student teachers finally have a chance to step back and assess their progress and performance during the first half of the school year. They get a chance to socialize with friends and family and view the larger picture. Away from the daily stresses of managing a classroom, a new energy forms. Student teachers are invigorated and anxious to get back to their students.

Reflection

As the end of the school year approaches around the beginning of May, first-year teachers have a chance to look back and reflect on what they have accomplished. It may seem like ancient history when recalling the first day in the classroom, but there are many moments that stand out. Student teachers learn what worked well and what they need to do to improve their teaching skills for the future.

Focus on the first four weeks

In the first week, new teachers are closely supervised by an experienced teacher. The student teacher is given basic tasks such as taking attendance and getting to know the names of all of the students. Student teachers may be asked to give individual help to a student struggling with an assignment or assist the regular teacher with grading papers.

In the second week, student teachers should have had enough time to understand the regular routine of how the classroom functions. At this point, expect to be asked to assist in presenting the lesson plan for the day.

In the third week, you actually get to lead the class. You are in control and the supervising teacher will be there to observe and later discuss the solo performance. One should expect some constructive criticism as well as some praise for things that went well.

In the fourth week, you will have gone through all of the rough stuff and be ready to start teaching your own class. Remember to stick to the curriculum and closely follow the routine that you learned as a student teacher.

Starting out as a student teacher is always a challenge. It is important to listen, learn and observe as you make the transition to a regular teacher. It will take time to gain confidence and full control over your class. Stay determined and focus on teaching to the best of your ability.

Source:

Activity:

Think about your first day in a teaching position. In small groups list classroom procedures that you would need to organize the classroom, transitions, and general procedures.

[pic]Scenarios of Three Students: Renee, Samantha, and DeSean

Renee’s Story: Elementary School Student

In the Classroom

• Renee is a third grade student who was tested at the end of last year, identified as gifted, and placed in the only grade 3 gifted classroom.

• Renee is constantly loud and disruptive, demanding the teacher’s attention and often speaking out of turn. When she is not acknowledged immediately, she will get angry and yell, often using inappropriate language.

• Other students’ parents have complained to the teacher because their children come home with stories of classroom disruption and being bothered by Renee.

• Today, when the teacher told Renee she would not be able to go to recess because of her behavior, she spit at the teacher. She was sent to the principal’s office because of this incident.

Teacher’s View

• The teacher has been in the vice principal’s office in tears on three separate occasions because, she says, she “cannot deal with this child.”

• The teacher has asked that Renee be removed from her class.

Family Interactions

• On two previous occasions when the principal has conferenced with Renee’s parents, the parents expressed their belief that the teacher treats Renee differently and that other students get away with behaviors that Renee is being punished for.

• The principal is treading lightly because he knows that Renee’s father was laid off from his job six months ago and that the family is under a lot of financial stress.

Samantha’s Story: Middle School Student

In the Classroom

• Samantha is struggling academically and reads at a third grade level.

• Samantha’s English and math teachers report that she cannot keep her hands to herself and is constantly out of her seat, disrupting the classroom.

• Samantha loves art and chorus and has had no problems in those courses or with her other elective teachers. However, she almost never participates in P.E., rarely even changing into her gym clothes, and she is failing this class.

• Today in English class Samantha pushed another student, who fell and scraped her knee, badly enough to make her cry and have to be sent to the nurse. Samantha was sent to the principal’s office because of this incident.

Background

• Samantha is an overweight seventh grade student who has a history of missing a lot of school. (Last year she missed 19 days—more than 10% of the school year.)

• Samantha does not have any close friends and is often seen alone at school.

Family Interactions

• Samantha lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. The mother’s boyfriend is often the one to drop her off at school when she has missed the bus.

• Samantha’s mother works nights and sleeps during most days, so the school has had difficulty contacting her to discuss Samantha.

• When the school has been able to speak with Samantha’s mother, she seems exasperated, saying that it is the “teacher’s job to teach her.” She indicates that she has no problems with Samantha at home and the teacher must not know how to work with her.

DeSean’s Story: High School Scenario

In the Classroom

• DeSean was happy at the beginning of the school year and liked all his teachers

• DeSean began to cut algebra to have lunch with his friends. He also began coming late to algebra class, displaying anger when present, and being confrontational with the teacher.

• DeSean is currently failing algebra, and he earned a “D” in English at mid-term. However, he seems to be “holding his own” in most of his other classes.

Discipline

• DeSean is a 15-year-old ninth grade student who is being suspended for 5 days for repeated violations of school rules. Most serious is a recent confrontation with his fourth period algebra teacher. DeSean was involved in a verbal argument in class and dropped the “F bomb” on his teacher.

• The vice principal has seen DeSean seven times in the first four weeks of school for various infractions, including cutting class, leaving campus without permission, excessive tardiness, insubordination, defiance of authority, and this final confrontation. He has been given warnings, multiple in-school suspensions, and after-school detention.

Background

• DeSean has struggled academically since middle school. He is currently two to three years behind grade level in reading and two years behind in math.

• DeSean lives with his mom and stepdad. His biological parents divorced when DeSean was entering third grade, and he and his mom went to live with his grandparents.

• DeSean’s mom married his stepdad when he entered sixth grade. The school counselor met with DeSean and his mom that year to address DeSean’s academic and behavioral problems. It was determined that he was “having difficulty” adjusting to all the changes in his life, particularly having a new person vying for his mom’s attention. After this initial meeting, there was no follow-up.

Family Interactions

• DeSean’s parents have been contacted by phone but have been unable to leave work to attend conferences.

• They have expressed dissatisfaction with the school for the way their son has been treated; in their view, DeSean’s teachers pick on him and are too quick to blame him for minor offenses.

• A letter has been sent home informing his parents of his suspension.

• DeSean’s mom works full-time at minimum wage, and his stepdad details cars at a local auto dealership.

• Due to financial problems, the family moved back in with DeSean’s grandparents at the start of the school year.

Source:

[pic]

Brief Overview: Approaches to Classroom Discipline

As you read over the overview below, please scratch down any experiences you may have had that relate to these different approaches. We will share some of these experiences in minutes.

Bridging Works

William Glasser and Alfie Kohn represent two authorities during the latter part of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st century, when the general approach to classroom discipline changed from controlling student behaviour to working with students to bring about responsible behaviour. That change is exemplified by these two approaches:

• The work of William Glasser, a psychiatrist whose earlier work focused on “lead teaching” (instead of “boss teaching”), providing quality school experiences, and helping students do quality work, and whose most recent work, Discipline Guided by Choice Theory, emphasizes the human need to belong.

• The work of Alfie Kohn, education critic and former teacher. Kohn’s Beyond Discipline focuses on constructivist teaching, the concept of classroom as community, and teachers and students as collaborative problem-solvers for non-coercive discipline.

Application Works

Discipline through Belonging, Cooperation and Self-Control

• Linda Albert’s Cooperative Discipline considers the influences on students of belonging and cooperation. The program identifies strategies that teachers find most useful, and gives attention to helping all students feel capable, connected and contributing.

• Barbara Coloroso’s Inner Discipline looks at developing inner self-control in students for trust, respect, and success in school by having them make their own decisions and take responsibility for their choices.

• Jan Nelsen and Lynn Lott’s Positive Discipline in the Classroom stresses encouragement and support to help students learn to accept themselves and others, behave responsibly, and contribute to group betterment.

Discipline through Active Student Involvement

• Fred Jones’s Tools for Teaching emphasizes discipline through active student involvement. The program uses classroom structure; class agreements; body language; Say, See, Do teaching; meaningful incentives; and efficient help to enable students to control their own behaviour.

Discipline through Pragmatic Classroom Management

• Harry Wong’s Pragmatic Classroom Management, places major emphasis on classroom management, especially structure and procedures the first days of school that enable students to work diligently, behave responsibly, and reach high levels of achievement.

Discipline through Same-Side Win-Win Strategies

• Spencer Kagan, Patricia Kyle and Sally Scott’s Win-Win Discipline uses same-side win-win strategies. The program examines where students are coming from at the moment of disruption, and provides teachers with structures (step-by-step actions) to help student and teacher together find follow-up and long-term solutions.

Discipline through Self-Restitution and Moral Intelligence

• Diane Gossen’s Self-Restitution approach has students regularly reflect on their own personal behaviour to help them learn to conduct themselves in harmony with their needs and inner sense of morality.

• Michele Borba’s program of Building Moral Intelligence emphasizes the teaching and development of essential virtues that control students’ ability to deal effectively with ethical and moral challenges they meet in school and elsewhere.

Discipline through Raising Student Responsibility

• Marvin Marshall’s Raising Student Responsibility System helps students willingly assume greater responsibility for personal behaviour.

Discipline through Careful Teacher Guidance and Instruction

• Ronald Morrish’s Real Discipline stresses that the essential skills students need to behave responsibly result from the training, teaching and management by caring teachers.

Discipline through Synergy and Reducing Causes of Misbehaviour

• C.M. Charles’s Synergetic Discipline unifies teaching and discipline to help students function at their best, and has teacher prevent and redirect misbehaviour by attending to the causes.

Discussion: Turn to the person beside you now and share any experiences or stories you may have had that relate to these different approaches. Once you’ve done that, share with your partner which ideas, at this initial point of introduction, you are most interested in exploring and why.

[pic]

Brief Overview: Approaches to Classroom Discipline – Part 2

With your selected ideas in mind, perform a search for books or articles to help in the development of your classroom ‘management’ approach and choose what you believe to be the best one to borrow from the library or purchase. Post the name, author and link on our course blog for the benefit of your peers and a reminder for you.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download