Know of a good Classroom management book

Subject: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: GUEST,Rachel
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 12:45 PM

I am looking of a good Classroom management book I can use at the high school level (ages 13-18). Can you recommend me some books about this area of teaching. Can you also describe them to me? In other words give me a review of them?

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 12:50 PM

Are you looking for books on how to manage your class, or on management that can be used in classes? I wasn't quite sure...

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Amergin
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 12:58 PM

A good yardstick used to work wonders I hear.....

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Sorcha
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 01:32 PM

Amergin, we have to stop reading each others' minds....LOL

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 01:48 PM

Rachel, I know exactly what you're saying. I've never seen such a book. I do remember one about discipline that might be something you could use...just can't remember the name.

When I went into the classroom at age 34 I was shocked at how little support there was. When we new teachers were asked to stand in an assembly the first day of school and everyone laughed, I suspected things might be rough.

The only advice I got was short anecdotes and suggestions from fellow teachers. Most said that you just had to develop your own style. This really wasn't particularly helpful, but I picked up a few tricks along the way. If you need any, just let me know.

I've always felt that high school teaching was a bit like being a standup comedian or performer. Maybe some of the performers here could give you some suggestions, (especially on how to deal with hecklers)!

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: catspaw49
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 02:28 PM

I'll pass on the best piece of advice that I ever got as a teacher. If you're only concerned about behavior problems, that's easy. But here's the best piece of advice I ever got:

If you're not as entertaining as MTV, you NEDD to be.

I was and I kept them busy too. Everyone else bitched about kids that did wonders for me.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Peter T.
Date: 11 Jan 01 - 02:29 PM

Machievelli's The Prince. I'm not joking. yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Suffet
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 06:37 AM

You might check out "The Halls of the High School" in the Digital Tradition, or else CLICK RE.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Suffet
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 06:42 AM

What I meant to say was CLICK HERE but CLICK RE seems to have worked just as well!

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Zebedee
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 08:01 AM

Rachel

There are loads of books. A search at www.amazon.com for "Classroom Management" in the books section, gave me over a thousand matches.

Ed

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Gern
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 09:23 AM

The best advice I ever received on this subject was that 90% of classroom behavior problems come from poor planning by the teacher. As earlier posters have proclaimed, your entertainment savvy and dramatic flair will make a difference, and having a full and varied plan for the entire class will satisfy most of your students. Meticuloud planning will prevent most problems. This is easy to say, of course, and I didn't succeed all the time, but it was easier for me to explain breakdowns afterwards. Plan the class in short increments, to match the teenage attention span, and once they trust that you will have an interesting and relevant class, most of them will follow just fine. As for the other 10%, these are merely a[xx]holes who sadly will one day rule the world.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Susan from California
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 10:40 AM

Rachel,

Yes there are 1000's of books, but sadly few that focus on older students, and fewer still that are any good. Here are a few things that have helped me -- for what they are worth... Have procedures that make the class run smoothly, See Wong's "The First Days of School". This will help you to keep your sanity. He goes farther than I am comfortable with (seems a bit rigid) but the advice is sound.

SOmehow let the kids know that you truely care. You can't fake it w/ high school kids.

Be consistent.

Be a good model. If you don't want to hear bad language, don't use it EVER.

Spaw's advice is right on. Overplan so that you aren't caught flat footed, give them short deadlines, etc.

I have to go to the oral surgeon now, :-( so more later if needed

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Susan from California
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 03:40 PM

Oh Rachel, I almost forgot... I found that you have to teach them the most basic stuff, how to pass in papers, how to move chairs, etc if you want them to do it appropriately. A lot of my students do not know basic rules of decorum because they haven't been taught, so that's another thing we teachers have to try to squeeze into our day!

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: thosp
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 04:14 PM

"creative use of whip & chain" by mark e desod

"doseages and the student" by tim leary

"absentee teaching methods" by iman paris

peace (Y) thosp

Subject: Remember they are people!
From: Bernard
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 05:37 PM

My technique was to talk to them as people, and to make sure they understood I expected the same consideration in return.

Treating them as 'kids' made them behave that way - and it's important to understand that they expect you to listen to them.

My Education Tutor at college was really down to earth. He said the secret of successful teaching is 'Start from where the pupil is at...'!!

Books aren't much use. Either you develop your own 'feel' for it, guided by helpful, experienced colleagues - make sure you listen to them, too! - or you must acknowledge your shortcomings and try to work within your limits.

Good luck!!

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Zebedee
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 05:57 PM

Bernard,

I'd disagree with you and others about books not being much use.

Granted you do have to develop your own approach, and find out from experience what works, but books can offer strategies and ideas that you might not have thought of.

Ed

(Remembered you when I passed Reg Vardy's yesterday)

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 06:02 PM

Many years ago I taught English in a very rough school on the outskirts of Angers France. On my first day I walked into a class full of 17 year olds who had resat year 11 twice and really weren't interested in learning English especially from some student! They were all layed along the desks and just stared at me. I decided that confrontation was what they were after so just carried on as if nothing was wrong. Slowly but surely they sat down one by one and by the end of the year we were all best of friends. Show no fear!! Never talk down! I now teach year 1 but the principles are the same.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: flattop
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 07:34 PM

If your kids are like we were in high school, the book Good Dog, Bad Dog might be helpful. The main concept of the trainer who wrote the book is to work with the dog's natural tendencies to get the dog to do something right then praise the hell out of him.

I have never read the book but I saw the author of the early edition on TV, stole a couple of his ideas, and used them successful over the years to quickly teach dogs to heel, sit and stay.

You could start with praise even if your students haven't done much of that is praiseworthy. First, praise them for being in school and tell them that they've made a good decision. If they are noisy, praise their free spirits. If they are drugged into a stupor, praise them for being quiet and calm.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 11:28 PM

You said, "If your kids are like we were in high school", flattop. What natural tendencies did you and your classmates show in school that a teacher could use to help guide you in the right direction?

Also, what about class size? Does that have any effect on what approach would be appropriate?

Carol

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: flattop
Date: 13 Jan 01 - 12:04 AM

Well cc, we were the kind of dogs that might bite the hand that gave us a doggie biscuit.

In my first year in high school I had an English Composition teacher who was starting her first year of teaching after having left a nunnery. For her first assignment I deliberately wrote a piece that I thought was silly, outrageous, and over the top. She liked it and read it to the class. This helped me enjoy writing for her for the rest of the year. It might even have inspired me to write a parody piece that year where I used the teachers nicknames and placed them in compromising positions. It was a big hit with the kids in the class, so much so that three of them decided to pass it in to the English Literature teacher as their next assignment. They were all suspended for a week and I suddenly realized that the written word could be powerful.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: Bernard
Date: 13 Jan 01 - 05:19 AM

Ed - why had you eaten Reg Vardy's in the first place?!

Regarding books - I came out of teaching nearly 20 years ago, and the books were pretty dire, so I'll concede that they may have improved.

Regarding class size, I had to cope with classes of 40 plus... the one-to-one approach some pupils needed was often impractical, but I gradually built up the trust needed to allow them to 'self-monitor' their work (at least, that's what they thought!) to give me the breathing space I needed for the slower ones.

Admittedly there is more scope for that in Maths - 'right' or 'wrong' answers. My pupils would have access to cards with the answers on them, but there would always be a point where no answer card was available, and I'd have to mark them - if they were cheating they'd be caught out, and have to repeat the lot! They soon realised cheating got them nowhere, which was a useful moral lesson, too!

Even with smaller classes I think I would still use that approach, because of the many advantages it offers.

Subject: RE: Know of a good Classroom management book
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 13 Jan 01 - 08:28 AM

Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Sidney Charney really is an excellent book, since that's what you've asked for. It's geared to elementary-middle school children but most of the principles would apply to older kids as well. Great advice above- I would sum it up with:
Be friendly but firm
Be clear with what your expectations are.
Be consistent with consequences when you are challenged.
Be frequent with praise, but make it real- not for every little thing, but "catch 'em doing good" often enough so they know you've noticed!

Over time you'll gain their trust and respect. They might even like you! But don't go into it trying to make them like you or they'll walk all over you.

Oh- and know your subject, and admit it when you flub up (you will!). Laugh at yourself, not at them.

Upper grade teachers are my heros- I love my under-12s and wouldn't have it any other way!