Robert Young

What an enjoyable time working during the last two weeks with the K-5 teachers at Trillium Charter School in Portland, Oregon. Several questions at the end of our session involved classroom management, and it inspired me to reflect on my experience managing a classroom.

For the first several years of teaching, I was very confused and uncertain when it came to classroom management. I was working in an elementary school (K-8) and was able to observe a variety of approaches, from the physical to the laissez faire. Like hats, I “tried on” several methods but none seemed to fit me. This left me very unsettled and, as a result, I left teaching and did not plan to return.

“Never say never” is a good saying, and I returned to education. When I did return, it was in a fairly structured environment where I learned about “Assertive Discipline” developed by Lee Cantor in the 1970s. What I liked about this approach is that it included clear expectations and consequences, things I hadn’t worked out to my satisfaction previously.

Over time, I also learned about the work of Rudolph Dreikurs, which I added to my system, especially the “logical consequences” part and the idea of children making choices. I also incorporated some ideas promoted by Alfie Kohn.

What worked for me was a system in which there were clear expectations as well as reasonable and timely consequences that lowered the likelihood of constant reminding (=nagging). The foundation for my system was “Everyone has the right to learn, and no one has the right to keep others from learning.” It was my mantra, and the basis for how I approached student behavior.

A few basic rules were created, often with input from students. These rules were clearly posted, and they generally included three things: “Hands and feet to yourself; Listen and follow directions; Show respect for the rights of others.” Yes, these overlap but I found that using the concrete (Hands and feet to yourself) as well as the abstract (Respect the rights of others) covered the bases. I used these with a variety of grade levels, from second through eighth.

Also clearly posted were consequences for not following the rules. As with the rules, these were often developed with students help. Typically, the first step was a warning. After that, a brief time-out and an associated conference with me (during recess or choice time). Following that was a time-out (sometimes in another classroom) with a parent contact.

Administrators’ lives are action-packed so I saved their use for emergencies only. They appreciated that, and I learned that I could count on strong support in the rare cases when I needed to involve them.

Many things change over time, but some things don’t, like the need for a well-managed classroom, where each child is able to pursue his or her learning in a safe and supportive environment. If I were teaching today, I would still have expectations as well as consequences, and all would be clearly communicated and posted. I’d do my best to be fair as well as consistent in carrying out this program. I would also include a reward (sorry Alfie, rewards aren’t always bad!) to support and encourage positive behavior. This can be done reasonably, and I prefer the group type in which the class works together to earn special activities.

I would also explore the work of Marshall Rosenberg (Nonviolent Communication, but I prefer the term Compassionate Communication). His work has been very helpful to me on an interpersonal level, and I think there are some exciting possibilities for classroom use.

Good luck as you work to find an approach that works for your students as well as you. It’s a challenge, but a challenge well worth the effort.

Happy National Day of Writing! Created by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) six years ago, this is a day to celebrate writing in all its forms (psst…you are free to do this any and every day!). Here’s a simple activity to celebrate your writing.

Make a list of the different types of writing you have done during the past week (e.g. e-mails, shopping lists, reports at work, letters, poems, stories, etc.). Next, code each item as FI for fiction or FA for faction*** (nonfiction).

What do you notice? If you’re like the majority of people, most of what you write is faction. According to research, more than 85% of what we write after graduation is faction. That seems logical, doesn’t it?

So, what to do with this information? If you’re a teacher, use it to help inform your writing program. What’s the balance between fiction and faction in your classroom? Is the practice of teaching primarily fiction of service to your students? The Common Core may not be the treasure as it is often touted as, but it is addressing the traditional imbalance (too much fiction). Adding more faction to your classroom will help address those standards as well help your kids get on in the real-world. As you proceed, I encourage you to include as much authentic writing (writing that goes beyond the teacher’s eyes) as you can.

If you’re a parent, grandparent, or other adult around kids outside the classroom, model writing for them. Let them see you as a writer. Let them see firsthand the function as well as the power of words. Encourage them to write notes, makes lists, provide written feedback, and more. You’ll be doing them a great service for school and life.

***For background on faction, see the February 3, 2014 post.

Writing in front of students is one way to enhance writing instruction. It’s not the only way, though. Here’s some more (Best Practices), as well as supporting evidence. I invite you to reflect on them, celebrate the ones you are doing, and try out some of the others.

Feel free to share what works for your students.

The school year has started for some and is soon to begin for others so, of course, my thoughts wander to writing. Teaching writing, to be more specific. This will be a big year for many teachers, with the implementation of Common Core as well Smarter Balanced assessment. Change is upon us, and lots of pressure too.

All that change and pressure makes this the perfect time to utilize what works. If you’ve been teaching a long time, you’ve read enough, seen enough, and done enough to know what makes for effective writing instruction. If you’re new to the profession, read, observe your colleagues, and try things.

During my twenty-five years as a classroom teacher, I found some strategies and activities that worked. Then, when I worked as a language arts staff development specialist, I found more evidence and research to support those practices. These are very important to have in the “data-driven” climate we currently have in education.

There are many important strategies and techniques to use during writing instruction. In my experience, the most effective is to write in front of your students. Let them observe you as a writer. Let them see you construct sentences and struggle with spelling. Allow them into your head you as you think aloud, transferring your thoughts into writing.

The power of modelling is amazing, and it doesn’t take any special materials or much planning either. Just get up there and do it!

I’ll share the rest of my list in the next post.

In the Comments section below you will find writing plans developed by All Write! class participants. These plans include visions participants have for their classrooms as well as methods and timelines for carrying out those visions. All class assignments are posted so that they will be available for others. Sharing useful ideas, strategies, and activities can help make us all better instructors of writing.

In the Comments section (below) of this post you will find websites that are useful for writing instruction. These are provided by the dedicated professionals who were participants in the All Write! class. You will find the URL for the site as well as a review. Feel free to respond to the reviews as well as to share them with colleagues.