First Post

Classroom Management Chatboard
"Classroom Management Mailring"

Topic: Rewarding Those on Task
Dates Spanning: 9/15/08-10/6/08
A teacher who teaches fourth grade is concerned about his/her chatty fourth graders. He/she explained that although there are about eleven or twelve students (out of twenty) who are always on task, at least 4 are almost always chatting and do not follow directions. The teacher feels sorry for the students who are always on task because he/she knows that the well-behaved students are frustrated with the talkers. The question is whether or not there is a way to reward the students who follow directions and if anyone has any suggestions on how to handle the students who misbehave.

The responses to this post were varied as some teachers do not believe in physical rewards and others believe it is beneficial to actually give students some type of tactile reward. One teacher suggested making clear to students that time that isn’t spent on task will have to be made up at some point- and that time is usually made up when other students (who were previously on task) are doing something fun or hands-on! Another teacher suggested a technique that works with students of all ages (including his/her college level students) and stated that giving students praise for a job well done always works. Additionally, praising a student in front of other people (such as a parent or an administrator) is even better. However, this particular teacher added a caveat and stated that if you are working in a school where the students are rougher- especially if there might be gang members present in the classroom- it is probably a better idea to pull the student aside to give praise or ask permission to tell a student’s parent about a job well-done. Contrary to others’ suggestions, another teacher stated that she rewards students who pose thoughtful questions, give satisfactory answers, help fellow students, etc., with craft sticks. Then whenever the she needs a student to run an errand, erase the board- or do anything that young students love to volunteer to do- she draws a student’s craft stick in exchange for the coveted activity! She also stated that she occasionally holds an award ceremony and gives certificates to good students, takes their photos, and puts those photos on a “Star Students of the Month Board.”

Although specific suggestions/opinions varied, it is clear that all teachers seem to believe in some type of positive reinforcement. It also seems as though every teacher can find a way to manage their classroom without giving up their personal beliefs. If you feel that physical rewards are childish or can end up being expensive, it appears that there are other ways to manage your classroom. All in all, it is obvious that it takes a great deal of thought and effort on the part of the teacher to figure out ways to keep students motivated and focused.


Useful Information for my teaching future:
This particular topic struck me, first of all, because I felt the teacher’s frustration in his/her post. The second reason why it struck me was because since I decided to become a teacher, classroom management has always been something that I’ve thought about. I used to teach dance (tap, jazz, and ballet) to children ranging in age from three to sixteen years old. It was always difficult for me to get the students under control when I walked into the classroom- especially the younger ones. When I would step foot in the classroom, most of them would already be there chatting and/or running around. Fridays were the worst days to teach because the students were all wound up and excited that the week was over. I remember being in awe of how much energy they all had and feeling like I had to be somewhat of a lion tamer; it was me against all of them- and sometimes I felt like I could’ve been eaten alive! The owner of the dance studio allowed me to give out paper stars at the end of class to the younger students who were well-behaved or seemed to have practiced their dance steps. (Once a student had a certain amount of stars they could use them in exchange for a small gift- such as a keychain.) The mere mention of the stars in class would automatically get most students to quiet down or listen to my instructions. Of course I would not use this tactic on the older students, but the older students were much easier to reason with. Therefore, I feel it really depends on the age group you are working with. Obviously, you would not give stars or craft sticks to sixth-graders but it might just work well with children in the younger grades. When I become a teacher, I might just try to get a feel for the group I am working with before I decide how I will manage my classroom. However, I have always believed in praising students for good work- no matter the age. I feel it is extremely important to let students know you appreciate and value hard work. Therefore, I know this type of positive reinforcement will be a part of my future classroom management.