Running head: CLASSROOM MANAGMENT 1

Expectations, Community, and Positivity:

A Position Statement on Classroom Management

Rolanda S. Hardy

October 5, 2017

Trinity Washington University

EDTE 499- Dr. Morant

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Expectations, Community, and Positivity:

A Position Statement on Classroom Management

Imagine this scenario that is familiar to many teachers throughout the country. You just

said that it was time to clean up and go to music. Three times, no less. But Henry is still surrounded

by construction paper, and Cara is pulling on your sleeve asking what she's supposed to do.

Sometimes it seems like your class has tuned you out (Scholastic, n.d., para. 9). What can appear

to be an unruly class demonstrates the lack of effective classroom management practices in the

learning environment. The key components to effective classroom management are: establishing

clear expectations and routines, the creation of a sense of community, and using positive

reinforcement strategies.

It is important that classroom expectations are clear in the beginning of the school year.

How educators begin the year sets the tone for learning and speaks volumes about what and whom

we value, about our expectations for the way we will treat each other, and about the way we believe

learning occurs (Kriete & Davis, 2017, para. 17). In the opening scenario, the teacher had not

established the expectations for listening, following directions, or independence. This was evident

by Caras unawareness of the expected process for transitioning to the next activity. Teachers can

establish these expectations with practice, reminders of routines, and the implementation of

planned transitions. Students do not come into the classroom automatically knowing how to

behave in a classroom. Just as educators teach content knowledge, appropriate and acceptable

behaviors must also be taught. Students bring with them their home cultures and ways of doing

things, as well as behaviors they have learned from previous classrooms.

Because students are essentially learning to code-switch and adapt their behaviors to their

environments, it is important that teachers create a sense of community to help them understand
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and motivate the students. Soodak (2013) claims that community-building management strategies

that facilitate friendships, collaboration, parent involvement, and address challenging behaviors in

a positive, proactive, and educative manner are consistent with the goals of inclusive education

(p. 327). Classroom demographics are shifting from widely segregated to increasingly inclusive.

As a result, a transformation of classroom management methods will need to ensue. Effective

transformation will incorporate community-building elements that give students a sense of

ownership for their environment. Providing roles and choices for students in their learning

environment fosters a sense of pride and responsibility for its care. Behavior management is

successful when students are rewarded together. When students are encouraged to collaborate for

a common goal, teachers relinquish a significant amount of responsibility for student behavior to

the students themselves. Students hold themselves accountable. When as a community, teachers

and students generate classroom expectations, consequences, and rewards; students are aware of

the effects of their choices and are prompted to regulate their behaviors accordingly.

According to Myers, Freeman, Simonsen, and Sugai (2017), for social behavior errors,

teachers often provide limited feedback beyond a reprimand (e.g., a no, stop or dont

statement). Effective teaching includes providing specific, positive praise statements when student

behavior meets expectations and specific error corrections when student behavior does not meet

expectations (p. 227). A crucial component to this notion is that feedback must be given positively.

Simply telling a child not to do something does not motivate them to demonstrate better citizenship

skills in the classroom. Implementing positive feedback and rewards for appropriate behavior helps

students view the rules and expectations more positively. Thus, students begin to truly modify their

behavior as opposed to robotically following directions.

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In essence, the teaching profession is one of the largest occupations, yet teacher retention

rates are low. According to Phillips (2015), beginning teachers have the highest turnover rates.

We generated data over a decade ago showing somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of those that

go into teaching are gone within five years. Among concerns over autonomy and pay, many new

teachers struggle with classroom management, contributing to their decision to leave the

profession. This statement proposes that educators incorporate positivity, community building, and

guidance to manage behaviors in their learning environments.

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References

Phillips, O. (2015). Revolving door of teachers costs schools billions every year. Retrieved from

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/03/30/395322012/the-hidden-costs-of-teacher-

turnover.

Scholastic (n.d.). How to turn around annoying behavior problems. Retrieved October 04, 2017,

from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/how-turn-around-

annoying-behavior-problems.

Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (2017). The morning meeting book: K-8. Turner Falls, MA: Center for

Responsive Schools.

Soodak, L. C. (2003). Classroom Management in Inclusive Settings. Theory Into Practice, 42(4),

327-333.

Myers, D., Freeman, J., Simonsen, B., & Sugai, G. (2017). Classroom management with

exceptional learners. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 49(4), 223-230.