1. Classroom Management
The behaviorist viewpoint focuses on stimuli,
objects, actions and responses
 People are taught to behave the way they do
 People teach each other
 To learn is to change
 Teachers are people who change learners
For behaviorists the single most important
factor in learning a behavior is what happens
immediately following the behavior.

2. Building Management Skills
 Self control is the long-term goal of
behavior management
 Effective teachers
 Use more suggestions than commands
 Encourage and show interest in students
 Use open-ended questions (require more than
one word, thoughtful responses)

3. Classroom Management
Discipline comes from the Latin word disciple meaning to teach. Teach
students what you expect in terms of behaviors.
Remember: Big Fish Don’t Take The Bait
• Students will go to great lengths to “not lose face”
• An expression of anger is a signal of psychological pain rather than an
personal affront
• You can be firm without being punitive
• You can use authority without being authoritarian
• Kids would rather be bad, indifferent, apathetic than be stupid
• The best discipline is the kind nobody notices - not even the one being
disciplined
• Kids need to know you mean them no harm

4. Discipline Without Punishment
 Send positive messages - become aware of the number
of times you state something negatively that could be
stated positively.
 Promise with the positive by using contingencies rather
than consequences.
“as soon as you finish the project you can . . .”
“If your work is not done, you’ll get an F . . .”
• Offer choices - choices empowers, increases ownership
and intrinsic motivation. Choices can be limited,
structured, reasonable.

5.  Limit Your Telling. Telling . . .
 Is often interpreted as an attempt to control
 conveys a subtle, negative message that the way they
have been performing is wrong or not good enough.
 often creates defensiveness.
 causes resistance especially when telling involves
notifying others how they personally need to do
something differently.
 implies that something has to be changed.

6. Consider
 Students love to control but hate to be
controlled.
 Think in terms os suggestions: “Have you
thought of; What do you think about; Would
you consider . . .?”
 Students don’t mind change as much as they
mind being changed.

7. • Seek to understand
• Express your needs
“I need your help on this.”
“I need quiet time.”
• Use acknowledgements more than praise.
• Acknowledgements/recognition/validation simply
affirms.
• “I see you got your project done.”
• “You got it done early.”

8. Two categories of behavior management:
Direct & Indirect
Direct: involves physical and verbal actions
l Facial expression
l Body language
l Touching
l Talk to
l Assist
l Demonstrate & model desired behavior

9. Direct Guidance Principles:
…Use simple clear instruction, language
…Speak in calm relaxed voice
…Be positive (What to do, Why, Consequences)
…Encourage critical thinking
…Be firm
…Be consistent
…Consider feelings

10. Indirect: involves outside factors that influence behavior:
… The physical set up of the room
… The weather
… Special events & happenings both in the school and away
… Noise level
… Temperature
… Light
… Furniture
… Things in the room - bulletin board, pictures, plants, “things”
… How paper and time are managed
 Provide an environment with appropriate engaging activities
 Encourage independence through classroom arrangement,
organization, visual reminders, duty assignments.
 Arrange space for cures regarding appropriate behavior
 Schedule activities to meet student needs

11. Managing Your Classroom:
… Greet students at the door each day - say hello, make small talk
… Develop structured routines
… Always post lesson information on the board daily
Objectives Activities Assignments
… Have a pick-up table where student get needed supplies
… Practice the “teacher stare” than can stop potential problems before
they begin
… Make sure discipline is consistent with school’s policies
… Keep moving
… Different students will respond to different techniques - have
motivators and consequences, develop a repertoire of techniques
… Limit your rules (5) these must be realistic and enforceable.
… Avoid phrases like “be nice” or “be kind” - they are great goals and
can be posted but they’re difficult to enforce because the lack
clarity.
… Post rules
… Sent copy of rules to parents
… Spend time establishing the rules

12. Research on behavior (Bear, 1998, Billings
Enger 1995) indicates behaviors that consume
administrative time:
Bullying
Verbal harassment
Use of drugs
Obscene language and gestures
Gang behavior
Sexual harassment
Repeated class disuption
Threat to safety of self or others
Fighting
Theft
Truancy
Disrespect

13. All new teachers should have a
conversation with administration about
how administrators want a new teacher to
handle discipline.
Classroom management and classroom
discipline are NOT the same thing.

14.  Ineffective teachers have more:
 Hyperactive, disruptive, and bored students
 Permissive teachers have students who:
 Are more aggressive
 Show more attention seeking behaviors

15. Establishing Classroom Rules
 Rules should focus on actions and behaviors
that reflect the goals of the school.
 Every area of a classroom/school needs rules.
 It is the responsibility of the teach to maintain
rules.
 There are 3 reasons to establish rules:
1) By law, health and safety must be protected.
2) Rules help students define acceptable social
behavior.
3) Rules allow students independence with guidance.

16.  One of any school’s goals shoulc be to develop
socially responsible behavior.
 Rules should be short, in understandable
language and stated in a positive way.
 Rules should be reasonable and serve a
purpose.
 Avoid having too many rules - have a few and
maintain them.
 Define both acceptable and unacceptable
behavior.
 Decide how you will deal with unacceptable
behavior ahead of time - this should be a part of
you discipline plan.

17. • Regular, unchanging enforcement of rules
is important ⇒⇒⇒ consistency.
• Rules need to be flexible to adapt to the
situation or special needs of an individual.
Be sure to explain to students situations
when the rules have changed.

18. • The way you react to students who break
the rules affects their
1) Feelings of security (trust)
2) Their self-esteem
3) Their feelings toward you
4) Their future performance
5) And maybe peer relationships
• Be careful - teachers can do a lot of
damage in the name of enforcing the
rules.

19.  Communicate rules to students in various
ways:
Post in room
Verbally explain rules
Have students explain rules back to you to
check for understanding
Restate the rule that was broken every time
you deal with unacceptable behavior or broken.
Write a set of rules for a foods lab and a set of
rules for a 7th grade exploratory course