One of the most difficult skills to master as a teacher is classroom management. Unfortunately, if you can not master this skill you are not going to survive as a teacher, especially as a middle school teacher
However, when the school year starts, many first-year middle school teachers are pleasantly surprised. All through their teacher training they were told how difficult classroom management at the middle school level can be and how important it is to have effective classroom management skills in order to be a successful teacher.
Yet, during the first days of school there doesn't seem to be much of a problem...students seem fairly attentive, no one is really talking or passing notes, there certainly hasn't been anyone talking back or any fights during the first few days...but then things start to change.
You see, those first few days are the honeymoon period...students are nervous and many are a little scared so they sit back and wait. However, by the end of the first week of school, or certainly by the second week of school, middle school students start to feel more comfortable, they start to test the teacher's limits and classroom management becomes more and more difficult.
It is at this point that many teachers start to panic and immediately resort to various reward/punishment systems, or as Alfie Kohn refers to them..."carrot and stick" systems.
Unfortunately, these elaborate systems are a mistake. They provide only temporary solutions to an ongoing problem. Students who respond to the rewards begin to do their work and behave ONLY if a reward is involved, while at the same time many students who thrive on negative attention actually begin to seek out the punishment.
The better plan is the "proactive approach" to classroom management. The proactive approach is based on the premise that the best classroom management plan is a strong instructional plan...that the key to middle school classroom management is to keep all of your students actively involved in all of your lessons.
Unfortunately, there are times when teachers are still forced to REact. There are times when the teacher has used every proactive trick in the book and still a student does something that requires the teacher to react.
HOWEVER, just because a teacher must react to a situation does mean the teacher must punish the student. The teacher must still save punishment as a last resort only!
So, what's a teacher to do?
Well here's an idea...create a "behavior action plan". Better yet, have the student create the "behavior action plan".
The key to changing inappropriate student behavior is to have the *student* take responsibility for his actions. First, the student must identify the inappropriate behavior, and then determine why it is inappropriate, and finally, how he plans to stop the inappropriate behavior.
All the teacher needs to do is have the student complete a "behavior action plan". The plan calls for the student to complete the following three statements:
1. I am writing this plan because I...
2. This behavior was not appropriate because...
3. To prevent this from happening again, I plan to...
Then, at the bottom of the handout make sure to have the student sign his or her name. By signing their name the student is making a promise to follow through with their plan.
In the end, this classroom management approach is significantly better than simply punishing the student for the misbehavior. This classroom management approach has long-term results.
Kamis, 16 April 2009
Senin, 13 April 2009
Qaryah Thayyibah (QT) is an alternative school in Kalibening, Salatiga, Central Java. Now the school has two levels. They are junior high school and senior high school. More than 99 students study in this school. They come from the villages nearby, and they go on foot or go by bicycle to get the school every morning.
Why do people call QT the alternative school?
It is because the system of learning in this school is different from the system of the other formal school. Generally, the students study seriously in the classroom, but the students in QT School do not. They do not the chairs and study in the classroom the whole time. They access the internet freely and study the materials happily. People call it the joyful learning. In these schools the students are free to develop their creativity and interests. For senior high school level, there are many programs such as biology, chemistry, writing novel, drawing, music, theatre, or film. They are free to choose the program.
Is there any examination in the school? No, there is not any post test or final examination. QT does not hold the formal tests. They may take the final examination or not. The students learn the subjects joyfully. In a certain period of time they must create something independently. They may write short stories or novels individually. There are other works such as film, handicraft, drawing, or mini research. Now the students write more than 11 novels. Each novel consists of more than 200 pages. The students also make 5 films. The titles of the films are Live is Rock ’n Roll, True Love, Funky Ghost, the documentary film of the education in QT, and the documentary film of Borobudur temple.
Beside the unique system of learning, QT is not expensive school. It is suitable for the poor. There is no uniform in the school. The students wear their clothes freely. They may wear shoes or not. How much do the students spend their money? One day each students spends not more than three thousand rupiah. The money is not for the school fee. One thousand is for the computer programme, and two thousand rupiah is for the milk and the honey. Do you want to see more about Qaryah Thayyibah school? Visit and see the school in Kalibening village, Salatiga, Central Java.