2d: Managing Student Behavior

Congratulations to this week’s morning beverage winners, Will and Laurie!  Thanks for sharing your thinking!

Thanks for your focused and deep thinking on Monday as we reflected on our collaboration and teaming, developed our visions, and explored SLOs.  Remember to strive for True Teaming!  We hope you had some fun during our Minute to Win It break.  Congratulations to the winning team!

As students are settling into the school year and becoming more comfortable in your levels...  In order for students to be able to deeply engage with learning, the classroom environment must be orderly and productive, without being authoritarian.  Have standards of conduct been established in your classroom and your level?  Do students know what they allowed to do and what they can expect their classmates to do?

This week we are exploring Danielson’s Domain 2: Classroom Environment by focusing on Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior.  The elements that make up component 2d are:

• Expectations
• Expectations for student conduct have been established and that they are being implemented.
• Monitoring of Student Behavior
• Teachers are attuned to what’s happening in the classroom and can move subtly to help students, when necessary, re-engage with the content being addressed in the lesson.  At a high level, such monitoring is preventative and subtle.
• Response to Student Misbehavior
• Even experienced teachers find that their students occasionally violate one of the agreed-upon standards; how the teacher responds to such infractions is an important mark of the teacher’s skill.  Teachers try to understand why students are acting the way they are and respond in a way that respects the dignity of the student.  The best responses address misbehavior early in an episode, whenever possible.

In a proficient classroom for Managing Student Behavior:

Student behavior is generally appropriate.  The teacher monitors student behavior against established standards of conduct.  Teacher response to student misbehavior is consistent, proportionate, and respectful to students and is effective (Danielson rubric, 2013).

What might this look like?

• Upon a nonverbal signal from the teacher, students correct their behavior.
• The teacher moves to every section of the classroom, keeping a close eye on student behavior.

In a distinguished classroom, student behavior is entirely appropriate.  Students take an active role in monitoring their own behavior and/or that of other students against standards of conduct.  Teacher monitoring of student behavior is subtle and preventative.  The teacher’s response to student misbehavior is sensitive to individual student needs and respects students’ dignity (Danielson rubric, 2013).

What might this look like?

• A student suggests a revision to one of the classroom rules.
• The teacher notices that some students are talking among themselves and without a word moves nearer to them; the talking stops.
• The teacher speaks privately to a student about misbehavior.
• A student reminds her classmates of the class rule about chewing gum.

Things to reflect upon...

• Are clear standards of conduct established in your room and across your level?
• How do you reinforce positive behaviors?
• How do you respond to student misbehavior?
• Does student behavior allow them to fully engage in content?
• Do students keep one another accountable for their behavior?

* Much of this work about the Danielson Framework comes directly from a "Teachscape" information document called "Framework for Teaching."


Comment question of the week: What was one aha you had about teaming during Monday's work?
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