Short Paper 1, Classroom Management Observation

Jon Alaniz
Clinical Supervision, Dr. Leiker
Short Paper 1 - Alaniz
To the Principal:
Thank you for bringing the situation regarding classroom management in
Ms. Jones classes to my attention. As your Dean of Instruction on campus, I
have not been able so far this year to observe every classroom uite yet ! I had
Ms. Jones do"n for a "alk#through observation ne$t "eek, though it seems that
time is absolutely of the essence in response to the allegations that things may
be getting out of hand. %ecause our observation model is geared to"ards a
multi#faceted characteristic approach, I have created a ne" instrument for the
collection of e$periential and anecdotal date specifically geared to"ards
classroom management.
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It is of my firm belief that "henever "e learn of issues regarding
classroom management, it is important that the observation that follo"s e$tend
for the entire /0#minute class period. 1o"ever, classroom management begins
before the students even enter the room ! the first and last sections of the tool
are devoted "ith this concept in mind2 3hat is the teacher doing during the
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passing period immediately prior to the class start, and during the passing period
immediately follo"ing the class completion4 5ou and I have discussed
previously the value of having a 6teacher at the door7 or 6TAD7 during all passing
periods, in addition to having that teacher maintain a 6five#foot 8one7 in helping to
keep the flo" of students moving to"ards their ne$t class. As you "ill see in my
organi8er, I "ill be looking for Ms. Jones to be out in front of her classroom.
Additionally, the first section "ill also cover "hat I can only hope is evidence of
rapport bet"een Ms. Jones and her students as they +.9 pass by her room, or :.9
enter her classroom. I "ill be recording the types of interactions that the teacher
has "ith both types of students, as evidence of the level of familiarity that Ms.
Jones has "ith her students.
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The second section "ill be a record of the general classroom cooperation
and demeanor during the first ten minutes of class. It "ill be important to "itness
the clear and obvious e$pectations that Ms. Jones has for her students as class
begins, and ho" "ell they respond to the beginning of the lesson. =rom "hat I
understand, Ms. Jones is having a great deal of difficulty getting her classes
started ! this is not an uncommon problem for many teachers, so "hile the
creation of this section is certainly inspired by Ms. Jones, its application beyond
this particular intervention "ill be further appreciated. I "ill be checking for
student participation, classroom noise and teacher activity. Also, there "ill be a
subsection regarding the "arm#up >bell#ringer9 activity, and ho" conducive to
participation it is, or is not.
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Just as in the previous section, the third section "ill be a record of the
three ma@or areas of classroom management2 student participation, classroom
noise and teacher activity. 1o"ever, there "ill be an added section devoted to
ho" the teacher handles disruption. Minor class disruptions happen in every
classroom, to every teacher on a consistent basis ! this, unfortunately, is @ust the
lay of the land for "orking "ith high schoolers. Aeeping those students focused
and redirecting their attention a"ay from the distraction is an essential tool for a
teacher to have. This assures that the amount of instructional time lost is
minimi8ed. =urthermore, there "ill also be a section in the observation
concerning the tone, "ord choice, and clarity regarding teacher instruction and
communication to students. This involves not only the e$ecution of the lesson
itself, but also the manner in "hich the teacher is speaking to the students in
general. Is there a reliance on sarcasm4 Is there an obvious intonation of
frustration or anger, and is the teacher trying to bargain "ith the students to
behave4
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&ection four deals "ith the "ay that the teacher both ends the class
period, and ho" she prepares for the ne$t period. 5ou and I are "ell a"are that
some teachers have a great deal of trouble holding onto the attention of their
students as the class reaches its conclusion. It is not uncommon in classrooms
"ith poor management for students to be out of their seats in the minutes leading
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Short Paper 1 - Alaniz
up to the bell, cro"ding around the door. This is obviously unacceptable, as it
identifies a clear loss of control of both the lesson by the teacher, in addition to
classroom management in general. Again, here it "ill be important to record the
attitude and tone of ho" the teacher is communicating "ith students.
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The fifth and final section "ill allo" the supervisor to record any
miscellaneous findings e$perienced over the course of the class session.
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A post#conference should be held as uickly as possible follo"ing the
completion of the observation. It should be noted that the intent of the classroom
management observational tool is not to comment directly on the effectiveness of
the teacher in general, nor is it taking the place of the formal observation
process. This observation has a very specific purpose, and it "ill be important
for supervisors to stay "ith that purpose as closely as possible. 3ith that in
mind, the post#conference "ill be structured around the follo"ing five essential
uestions2
+.9 1o" "ould you describe your style of classroom management4
:.9 Do you feel that you are managing your classes as "ell as you can4
?.9 3hat are some of the challenges that you perceive to e$ist during your
classes4
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Short Paper 1 - Alaniz
/.9 3hat are some e$amples of management techniues that are "orking for
you4
0.9 Are there any activities or lessons that you are being prevented from giving
because of issues regarding classroom management4
The teacher should have adeuate time to respond to my observations, and to
each of the uestions asked. %ecause this is not an appraisal as much as it is a
feedback session, it "ill be most valuable for the teacher to feel that change is
possible, and that there are needs that must be addressed. The observing
supervisor should make clear that continued lack of classroom management "ill
likely lead to more severe necessary actions, and a follo"#up observation "ill be
necessary in the future.
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I am optimistic that this tool can be used effectively. I believe that the non#
uantitative nature of the data collection process allo"s for a narrative of the
observation to be established, "ithout "orrying about the definition of an arbitrary
numerical score. There are no uantitative goals, or point thresholds that can
better e$plain "hat I "itnessed during the class period than as close a scripted,
chronological account of issues and events as they came up. As "ith any
remedial measure, the tool is only designed to be as effective as the level of buy#
in that the teacher has "ith its findings and propositions ! sometimes it is hardest
to hear the truth. 3ith this ne" observational model in hand, I look for"ard to
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Short Paper 1 - Alaniz
observing Ms. Jones tomorro", and "ill get back uickly "ith you for an update
of our progress.
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