At this point in the school year, I always wonder if I am an effective teacher when it comes to classroom management. Even though I have written pages and pages about it, I still worry that my own classroom is not as well-managed as it should be and could be. Like other teachers, I want to make sure that every student becomes a self-disciplined success story. With that lofty goal in mind, I spend time each year when a grading period ends to review my efforts at making sure that my classroom management procedures and policies are as effective as I would like for them to be.


With that in mind, you may also want to take a mid-year moment to examine your own classroom management effectiveness. While there are many different approaches to solve discipline problems, some are simply more effective than others. As you take this quiz, ask yourself which of the answer choices would be the most effective way to handle a problem that you and your students may be experiencing.

1. Students take too long to get their materials arranged for a test.

a.         Remind them to hurry.

b.         Start the test and let the slow ones catch up.
c.         Tell them they can have one minute to get ready and then
            time them by pointedly watching the clock.

2. A student is lost in a daydream instead of finishing a reading assignment.

a.         Tell the student that if he or she doesn’t get to work, there
             will be more to do for homework.
b.         Stay at your desk and wait to see how long it takes the
             dreamer to get back to work.
c.         Move to stand near the student.

3. Students jokingly insult each other while waiting for class to begin.

a.         Ignore the horseplay. Class hasn’t started yet.

b.         Remind students of the procedure for starting class and the
            class rule about showing respect for others.
c.         Tell students to stop and to get to work at once.

4. A student always finishes assignments in a rush and then wants to spend the rest of class doing absolutely nothing.

 a.         As long as no one else is being bothered, there is no real  
             problem.
b.          Design instruction so that one assignment will flow into
             the next. Students can use a checklist to keep on track.
c.         Give the student more work to do.

5. A few students show up day after day without completed homework assignments.

a.         Tell them that they are going to fail the class and that you 
             are going to call home.
b.         Ask them to write out the reason and then work with them
            to figure out a solution. Take a positive approach.
c.         Stop giving homework assignments. Focus on class time 
            learning instead.

6. Students ball up papers and toss them at the wastebasket while

you are giving directions about an assignment.

a.         Shake your head, frown, and move near them.
b.         Stop what you are saying and reprimand them.
c.         Finish your directions. Go to the students and quietly ask
            them about the class rule they violated.

7.  A student is constantly disorganized. A book bag full of

crumpled papers functions as a locker.

a.         Keep the student after class and straighten out the mess
            together. Work out a weekly organization goal.
b.         Call home and talk to a parent about helping the student
            get organized.
c.         Assign binder buddies to help the student find materials.

8. Students chat while you are explaining the homework assignment.

a.         Ignore it.

b.         Stop and wait for them to pay attention. Call them to order

            if needed.

c.         Tell them to stop talking and start paying attention.

9. A student lacks a textbook, pen, or paper.

a.         Share materials from the class storehouse.

b.         Don’t allow student to complete the work in class. He or
             she can do it at home. This will help all students remember
             to bring materials next time.
c.         Allow student to borrow from classmates.

10. Students talk back rudely when you have reprimanded them.

a.         Send them to the office.

b.         Reprimand them privately.
c.         Ignore it.

11. Students turn in sloppy or inaccurate work.

a.         Refuse to take it.

b.         Take it but give a lecture about work habits.
c.         Require that they redo the work whenever practical.

12. Students are tardy to class without a good reason.

a.         Enforce your rules regarding tardiness to class.

b.         Refuse to let them in.
c.         Meet them at the door and ask why they are tardy.

13. Some students ignore you when you call for the class to quiet down to work.

a.         Keep asking until they listen to you.

b.         Raise your voice until no one can ignore you.
c.         Give the signal that they recognize as a sign that they need
            to get quiet.

14. A student seems to take forever to dawdle over any assignment in class—tests, quizzes, and other written work.

a.         Give the student a timer to self-manage tasks.

b.         Call home to find out any reasons for the problem.
c.         Talk to the student to find out the reasons for the slow pace
            and to find ways to help the student stay focused and 
            productive.

15. One student refuses to work with the rest of the students in a group.

a.         Make sure that everyone knows the reason for the
            assignment, has an appropriate role in the group, and has
            been taught teamwork skills.
b.         Ignore the situation as long as you can so that students can
            work it out for themselves.
c.         Take care to assign students to groups where they will be
            able to work with friends

Answers:

1. c      6. a      11. c

2. c      7. a      12. a

3. b      8. b      13. c

4. b      9. a      14. c

5. b      10. b    15. a

Three Classroom Problems...Three Solutions

One thing is certain: to be a good teacher, you have to be able to solve porblems quickly and with confidence. While most of us are very good at solving serious problems such as covering  massive amounts of curriculum and convincing a roomful of students that we really do have their best interests at heart, sometimes it's the small problems that can be energy zappers. Perhaps the suggestions offered here can help!

Problem 1: Heavy Backpacks Blocking the Aisles

Your school does not have a policy concerning student backpacks. Your students carry around all of their school belongings in backpacks that sometimes seem to weigh more than they do, and their backpacks block the aisles in your class.

SUGGESTIONS

This is a problem with two parts that you must handle separately. First, deal with the weight of the backpacks. Then, tackle the issue of the obstructions and disruptions in your class.

Backpack Weight

• This situation certainly requires collaboration with other teachers. When you speak with colleagues, suggest that you stagger homework deadlines so that students can leave some of their belongings in their locker, in the classroom, or at home.

• Talk to your students to let them know how concerned you are about their health and their stress level. Ask for their suggestions on how to solve the problem.

• Consider involving parents in finding solutions.

• Find out why students feel the need to carry so much. Do they need more time to go to their locker? Do they need advice on how to manage their materials?

Obstructions and Disruptions in Your Class

• When students have backpacks in class, expect them to place their backpack under their desk or as close to them as possible in order to leave a safe aisle.

• Take a team approach to keeping backpacks stowed safely. If they are involved in creating the solution, students will be able to police themselves and each other. Working together on the problem will increase the chances of successful resolution.

• See if you can provide a safe place for students to keep their backpacks other than near their desks.

• Teach students that it is disruptive to constantly search for materials in their backpack during class. Encourage them to keep their belongings as organized as possible in order to reduce search time.

Problem 2: Lost Papers

 

Problem: You hand back a set of homework papers and notice that some of your students do not have their papers. You tell them that you never received their work. They, in turn, assure you that they did the work, turned it in on time, and you must have lost it.

SUGGESTIONS

• Be very organized about how you manage student papers. By appearing very organized, you will prevent many false accusations because students will not think that they can take advantage of your disorganization.

• Grade papers and hand them back as quickly as you can. The longer you delay in returning papers, the harder it is to keep track of them.

• If you use an in-basket for students to hand in their work as they finish it, be sure to move their papers to a labeled folder before the next class can add theirs to the stack.

• If you are unable to check a set of papers within a day or two, at least check to make sure all students have turned in work. This will preclude any surprises for students who are expecting to receive graded papers.

• Do not be absolute in denying your guilt. Instead, try to solve the problem by first asking students with missing papers to check their own notebooks or lockers to see if they could have taken them from the room accidentally. If the papers do not turn up, then offer the students more time to redo the work and turn it in.

Problem 3: Students Without Supplies or Materials

 

Problem: Some of your students have problems keeping up with their materials. They come to class without pencils, pens, papers, or books. You find yourself growing increasingly frustrated as you wait for students to borrow the necessary tools to do their work, wasting valuable instructional time.

SUGGESTIONS

Off-task behavior and discipline problems are just two of the things that can go wrong when students come to class unprepared. Keeping extra supplies on hand will help you avoid many problems. You should implement a system that works for you and your students—one where students can settle quickly to work without fuss. You can do this without having to spend a fortune of your own.

Try to have extra textbooks on hand to lend to students if they forget theirs. When you lend a book to a student, make sure the student writes his or her name on the board or another safe place so you have a record of where the books are. You could also assign a responsible student to be in charge of issuing and collecting borrowed texts. Other teachers have found that expecting students to provide collateral is also effective.

If missing pens or pencils are a problem, set up a system where students can borrow from a shared bank of supplies. Here’s how:

Step 1: Select one or two students to be in charge of the supplies bank.

Step 2: Ask every student to donate a new pen or pencil.

Step 3: Mark the pens and pencils with a number.

Step 4: When students need to borrow a pen or pencil, the students who are

in charge of the bank can record the number and the name of the student who borrowed it.

Step 5: The students who distribute the supplies are also the ones who should remind the borrowers to return them at the end of class.