Initial Question

How do I most effectively deal with behaviorally challenging students in my classroom?

Mr. Jeremy Rosens

Summary of the Research Why

is this important?

Delinquent behavior displayed by just one student will discourage a community learning environment and also may result in copycat behavior. Delinquent behavior affects my ability to teach.

Summary of the ResearchQuestions to be answered

How

do we motivate students to alter their behavior? are good teaching qualities that motivate students? there accountability on the part of the teacher for negative behaviors ?

What

Is

Literature
Articles

from Journals (e.g. Students Who Challenge Us, Benson, Ferlazzo, Scherer) School-wide vs. Individual approach Psychological background Traditional vs. proactive approach Success Psychology books (e.g. 101 ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility, Canfield & Siccone) Motivational books (e.g. Classroom Motivation from A to Z, Blackburn and Battling Boredom, Harris)

Research Design Students

Who were the participants in my study?

at East Los Angeles Performing Arts Academy, East Los Angeles (88) Students at the Los Angeles School of Global Studies, Downtown Los Angeles (100) Teachers at Clinton middle school (4), LASGS (3), ELAPAA (13), Wilson (1), Fremont (3), and Sierra Vista High School (1) Students were primarily Latino/Latina sophomore level (10th grade) teen-agers living in lower SES/urban communities

Students= 188

Teachers= 25

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Daily

classroom observations * 88 students from ELAPAA *100 students from LASGS

Students were observed during group activity and during direct instruction Students were observed in biology class by me as their teacher and me as a bystander. Students were observed outside of class as well as inside the class

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Surveys:

18 open-ended questions *48 completed from ELAPAA *46 completed from LASGS *Qualitative Data

94 out of 188 students completed the optional surveys (50%)

Research Design1. 2.

What were the survey questions?

3.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

How can I help you better as a teacher? Favorite thing about going to school? Dislike most about school? Things that you are proud of? Things you are not proud of? Hobbies/Activities? Things that you want to do with your life? Stressful things that you have overcome or still deal with? Describe a good experience at school? Describe a bad experience at school? People that you admire? Things that you disagree with? Things you wish you could be better at? Jobs/Careers of interest? Outside activities you are involved in? Something interesting about your family? Favorite movie? Book? TV show? Anything else you would like to share or, if not, anything you would like to ask me?

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Qualitative

case studies with five students. * 3 from ELAPAA * 2 from LASGS (numerous 30-minute interviews during lunch and after school) Daily observances and communication * Focus students were observed in all their different classes.

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Website

poll submissions (quantitative data)

1. Do you think using the randomizer to call on people is a good thing? (18:5) 2. Do you recommend for the teacher to start calling parents? (6:23) 3. Which do you prefer, group or individual work? (19:10) 86%, 70%, 89%, 95%, 79%, 98%, 91%, 98%, 100%, 82% (88.8%) Data is used to support or weaken findings

Data- Graphs

Research Design- Graphs

Data- Graphs

Data- Graphs

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Classrooms

observed: (High School) (Middle school)

ELAPAA: 13 classrooms LASGS: 3 classrooms Fremont: 4 classrooms Sierra Vista: 1 classroom Clinton: 4 classrooms

I specifically looked for routines, student behavior in class, disciplinary rules and group work versus traditional teaching.

Research DesignHow did I conduct my study?

Teacher

interviews

Ms. Dina Mahmood (LASGS) Ms. Kenia Gomez (Fremont)

Research Design Students

What was discussed with the participants?

and answers to my questions: What would be your #1 advice to me when I start teaching my own class? and What valuable life lessons did you learn from Mr. Terry? (Mr. Terry passed away during this study)

at LASGS (100): Survey questions

Students

at ELAPAA (88): Survey questions Focus Students: Background, interests, hardships and classroom management Teachers: Classroom management

Results- What did I discover?

There

IS accountability on the part of the teacher for negative behaviors in the classroom. All instructional strategies must first be built upon a strong foundation of teacher-student respect and established routines in the classroom. BOTH group work and direct teaching are influenced by the classroom climate
This is called classroom management

Data- Knowledge gained from students

Most

kids may be mean and wild so heads up with that.

(LASGS student from survey, block 3)

Data-Knowledge gained from students

Make

comparisons with life with what were learningGlobal Studies student

Data- Knowledge gained from students

More

hands-on. Just listening is boring(ELAPAA focus student)

Data- Knowledge gained from students

You

got to change the people who talk a lot cause then I cant really hear. from survey

Data- Knowledge gained from students

These

people need some major discipline. ELAPAA student (taken from survey)

Data- Knowledge gained from students

Enforce the rules. Make them respect you and the rules. I would advise you to be more stricter Let students interact more instead of talking about the topic all day Be friendly with your students but stand your ground Be more involved with the students Teach with enthusiasm and happiness Be friendly but also be strict or they will take advantage of you Show authority from the beginning Never give up Know your students individually so they see you as a friend Be yourself and let your students know that you care about them Be funny but serious These are just some of the Talk louder

many responses

Data- Knowledge gained from teachers

Ms. Mahmood

The randomizer helps to ensure that students pay attention I firmly believe that if you can provide an engaging and comfortable classroom environment, students will comply and not act out. I have seen this so many times You need to have clear "rules" in the classroom and a clear policy on what happens if you do not respect those rules Just show the students respect, show tough love

Ms. Gomez

Data-Knowledge gained from teachers

I

did have problems with classroom management. My first year was the hardest. In fact, I still have a "rough" period this year. I try my best to show my students respect I try to give them rationales as to why I am giving them certain assignments and so on. You have to be clear your expectations from day one and always be consistent

Data- Knowledge gained from teachers

I

Mr. Terry

believe in giving students as much opportunities as possible to pass their classes and succeed. I believe in 2nd chances.

Results:
What

are the qualities possessed by certain teachers that motivate students? Patience Consistency Encouragement Strong voice Concise Caring Strict with expectations/rules Experience Fairness

More Results- Guidelines taken from my

experiences, my readings, students and teachers

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IS THE FOUNDATION A combination of traditional (teachercentered)and pro-social (student empowering) strategies are beneficial Negative behaviors should be dealt with as soon as they become evident Use proximity and circulation to eliminate behavioral problems Turning your back invites opportunistic behavior Never have your voice compete for attention, 100% no talking when asking for quiet Maintain emotional consistency Teach in chunks, avoid excess talking

Implications (Discussion)
What

does this mean to teachers? There are clear strategies and personal qualities that improve classroom climate What does this mean to students? Stronger student-teacher and studentstudent relationships What does this mean to schools? Improved instruction and increased learning outcomes.

Conclusions
We

motivate students to alter their behavior by the climate we create in the classroom. With a little knowledge and proper preparation a teacher can quickly become more effective in the classroom.
I learned by trial and error. Honestly, I learned more in my first month of teaching than I ever did in my credential program.- Ms. Gomez

Conclusions

What took me over a year to find out about classroom management through students, teachers, classroom experience, courses, and reading numerous texts can be learned in 30 minutes. There is excessive information out there found in texts and taught in courses that are not aligned with todays urban classroom. The priority for beginning teachers should be to create a classroom climate that is conducive to learning.