Reflection on Classroom Management Plan

My current classroom management plan is largely based on the rules and procedures that I have observed in use by my mentor teacher, and which I have emulated in my own student teaching.  This style of classroom management seems to work, and it certainly hasn't been taking up a lot of valuable classroom time.  I tend to put more stock in something I have seen working in practice than in the theory that I have received in class - although I do think of theory as a good place to look when the "tried and true methods" aren't working as well as I had hoped.

In practice, most of my classroom management procedures really boil down to the following:

1. Keep the students busy.  If I have any significant period where I am fiddling around with taking roll, handling papers, etc., and the students have nothing to do during this time, then they get bored and/or start socializing, and then I have to waste time getting them back on track.  That's why I love warm-up problems at the start of class.
2. Don't lecture too long.  I've noticed when the lectures are broken up by "try this" problems, the students seem to stay more engaged.  So, I like to lecture for a bit, then have them try a problem while I go around and help them, then I lecture a bit more (and repeat).  Also, going around to help them gets them back on track if they are lost in the lecture.
3. Get them quiet before speaking.  The one area where I do have to spend a bit of discipline time is getting them to stop talking before I talk to them.  Generally it is enough to just ask for their attention, wait a few seconds, and maybe call out a few names of the last few talkers.  They know I won't continue until they stop talking (and they don't like waiting either), so they tend to be pretty good about stopping.  Also, see rule 1.
4. Know the names.  Perhaps this goes without saying, but knowing the students names is such a powerful tool.  I can speak to them like people instead of saying - "hey you!"  Maybe someday most of them will learn my name too (but that's a different story - and Mr. Linstrum doesn't really roll off the tongue).
5. Keep a routine.  Most days the class is run in the same way as all the other days.  I think this helps the students know what to expect, and I think the whole class gets into a sort of rhythm.  Also, I don't have to spend a lot of time explaining myself.  Of course, we do break up the routine once in a while just for something different (especially on review days).

That said, I have to admit that the class I have been teaching to date is fairly advanced (Algebra II), and so the students on average are already pretty well behaved.  I really have no idea how well these procedures will work in one of the slower classes, or in a class of middle school students.  In these cases I might have to resort to "The A+ List" or a "Token Economy" to help with behavior issues - in which case I'm glad I've learned a bit about them in class.

Aside from having classroom procedures that work for me, I've also found that certain personal attitudes and procedures help me too:

1. Check the ego at the door.  When I first started teaching, I was pretty concerned about establishing my authority.  In particular, I really wanted to establish myself as a math expert so they would know I was the real deal.  However, after I made a few mistakes I figured out that I could be imperfect and they would still listen to me.  (When you think about it, what choice do they have?)  So, I'm learning how to make a few minor mistakes and how to accept feedback from the students when I do.  Anyway, it makes the class more interactive - which is not a bad thing.
2. Do the homework.  When I do the homework problems ahead of teaching the class, it gives me more confidence on the lecture and much more confidence when presenting homework problems the next day.
3. Get out and help them.  Putting "try this" exercises into the lecture gives me a chance to go out and make a connection with the students and find out how they are doing (assessment).  Also, the one-on-one interaction gives me a chance to prove to them that I want to help them, and I think it earns their respect.
4. Get feedback.  The students seem to be more vocal with me than they are with my mentor teacher.  They seem a little more willing to say when they don't understand something.  I'm sure part of this is the fact that my lectures are not always as clear as they could be, and I don't project the same kind of absolute authority as my MT.  However, I'm glad they feel comfortable giving me feedback, and I've made a point of cultivating this by thanking them for feedback and especially by doing my best to respond to it by trying alternate explanations.

Again, I don't know if teaching younger and/or less advanced students is going to encourage me to have new attitudes and personal procedures for teaching class.  In an algebra I class (for instance), I might not feel that doing the homework would be as beneficial.  I might also find it necessary to try to project more authority and be a little less casual with the students - I don't really know.

One classroom management model that I keep in the back of my mind when I teach is Linda Albert's Cooperative Discipline model.  I think this fits my teaching personality fairly well.  I like her philosophy that teachers can only influence behavior, not control it, and that the best way to deal with misbehavior is to establish a climate that keeps them feeling connected and like they are getting something done (feeling capable and contributing).  I also like the way she categorizes misbehavior and the non-confrontive methods she suggests for dealing with them.  I tend to think when a teacher resorts to the use of authority to try to change behavior ("do it because you'll get in trouble if you don't"), that this is a kind of failure of teaching style.  Linda Albert represents the kind of teacher I want to become some day.