cara

Cara Eisley Classroom Management 531 P Wednesdays Holy Family University Dr. Herman 3/2/11  Annotated Bibliography Duebber, D. (2000). Substitute teaching: sink or swim. // Educational Leadership, 57 // (8), 73-74 This article is written by a veteran teacher who, as she put it “found herself suddenly substitute teaching.” The author succinctly details what she believes is a list of rules, procedures, and attitudes that one must possess or learn to survive and enjoy substitute teaching. It is a short but very helpful article with great information. Gresham, J., et. al. (2007). 5 Strategies to enhance your substitute teaching. // Kappa Delta Pi // // Record, 44 // (1), 28-32. This article details five effective strategies substitute teachers can employ to ensure student success and enhance the substituting experience. The three authors are former and current school teachers and professors with experience at the primary and secondary education levels. This article was helpful in streamlining some important factors to remember about making substitute teaching successful. Horwitz, E. K. (2005). Classroom management for teachers of Japanese and other foreign languages. // Foreign Language Annals, 38 // (1), 56-68. This article specifically discusses a classroom management course that was included in the Professional Development of Japanese Teachers of Texas certification program. Though the course and its details are targeted at in-service teachers of Japanese who were mostly natives of Japan, the article translates well into other foreign language classrooms. This article was particularly interesting because it takes classroom management into consideration from a different cultural perspective—and one where the need for classroom management is actually less and also different. There is very little information out there specific to classroom management in foreign language classes, so I found this article particularly helpful. Lassmann, M. E. (2001). Defining the role of the substitute teacher. // Education, // // 121 // (3), 625-628. The author of this article explains that the role of substitute teachers is at best ambiguous. The article discusses perceptions of substitutes from various educators (i.e., teacher, principal) as well as substitutes themselves. The author suggests steps that could help each school district or each school campus clarify the role of its substitutes. The author also discusses how clarifying the role of substitutes could impact students' attitudes toward substitute teachers. This article was helpful in understanding how the general role and perception of substitute teachers are defined in different schools. Since I am looking to substitute teach before teaching, this was a good article to read to help me be proactive in my search for responsible and well-organized schools with a good attitude as well as good organization for handling substitutes. The road to confidence. (2006). // Kappa Delta Pi Record 42, // (3), 142. This article was a short article that fields questions written into experts at the Kappa Delta Pi Record. Two different unnamed authors replied to the question, which was extremely pertinent and common. Though short, I really appreciated this article because I could identify so much with the question that was posed from a real scenario about a brand new teacher subbing for the first time who is having a very hard time in secondary classes. Cara Eisley Reflections Chapters 10-13 EDUC 531 Holy Family University Dr. Williams 3/16/11 I like that this method helps students realize they are constantly making choices consciously and unconsciously. In addition, I like that it uses communication that uses the same conceptual vocabulary for adults and at the same time puts the onus on the student not just the teacher. I like how it brings to light internal versus external motivation—a concept that I think I inherently knew about, but it would have been good as a student growing up to really consciously discuss and understand the differences and have discussions about them. I like that this tactic is so reflective for both the teacher and the students. I found it really interesting that it suggested asking questions to maintain control of the conversation. It is almost counterintuitive since asking questions might seem like the inferior thing to do, but when the example was given it makes sense—when a question is asked, the inclination is to answer it, and if you don’t answer the student and instead reflect a question back, the student will have to stop and think about a constructive answer (hopefully!). I agree that creating curiosity is a great motivator—I don’t teach yet, but I do teach adult cooking classes (usually Indian cooking), and always do a small lecture in the beginning to place the meals in context (where I am always a nervous wreck during that part) even though that might be the most “boring” part, but when you create curiosity in terms of having the ingredients ready to smell and inquire about—it is very lively. I totally agree about the using collaboration thing—like many other issues, I am torn about competition. I see why both work and have their down sides. I DO like the idea of partners A LOT though, since it does allow for collaboration and a group dynamic, but doesn’t have nearly the same capacity for problems in my opinion. I like that this method is very much so about positive vocabulary—like “responsibilities” rather than “rules”, “challenges” not “problems.” I think it is also an interesting idea to tutor a few students everyday. I love this theory since it seems to me a very humanistic system that is not terribly complicated and that could work. Up until the point, I have read more authoritarian approaches that seem like they could work, but haven’t been inclined to think the ones with more choice see like they could fit me. I would like to know more about how to do this method from the get-go during the school year. This is interesting reading especially right after Marshall. In a way it is so confusing that there are so many ways to manage a classroom, but then again, as we have learned that all students have different needs and so you need to treat them differently in order to reach a fairness. That probably also applies to what general populations you are teaching, and since he is teaching inner city and at-risk youth, they might do best in his management style that is more hard-nosed. His no explanation in enforcing rules is good, especially if you have rules already clearly defined. Another interesting thing that I haven’t seen since maybe Morrish is that he does not belief in warnings for secondary students. Wow! Again, something that is simple but seems like such an innovative idea! Reading about his quick to detention rule seems like you might be staying to babysit at detention A LOT and throw out a lot of detentions. I wonder if that IS better than the haggle and the warnings? Not sure why they didn’t go into all 11 rules, I would like to see them. Again, even though I just said I love Marshall, I am now really liking Seganti! I like that he focuses on weak points in a teacher’s discipline structure like sharpening pencils, the bathroom, and even chewing gum. I agree that teachers need leverage, and it seems this is a good method to get it but I don’t exactly understand how all the detention would work in a school where kids have to get the bus.
 * Chapter 10**
 * Chapter 11**

This chapter at first sounded too good to be true in a way or else problematic. Especially reading it after some people who have extremely high standards and don’t give any excuses for special treatment. Hingsburger is particularly interesting in saying that teachers are a) more powerful than they thing b)frequently misuse power c) misguided behavior is evident to everyone except themselves and d) they are responsible even when they mean well—I think that is SO poignant. Just in my Practicum I have noticed this, where teachers or administers jump to a conclusion when it seems obvious to the class that they were in the wrong but not the teacher/administrator. I TOTALLY get how it happens though, since even though I only taught one lesson, you get so wrapped up in it that I probably didn’t even notice 90% of what was going on (and that was for an extremely well behaved class!). This just reminds me of the importance of reflection and even video taping to catch things that you might miss or misinterpret that you do. Overall I really liked this chapter and the other options available for problem kids. The whole book so far, I do keep thinking with the theoris “well yes, but what if the student DOESN’T listen/do that?, then what?” Not that this fully answered it in black and white, but there are methods that focus on the small percent of students that make up the majority of problems. Even though I agree that our society has lost a lot of civility and has very confusing and conflicting (and passive) models of morality, just by the title, I thought the article would be lame and not so helpful. However, it did make me realize how I could certainly use a lot of brushing up in general civility training. I actually consider myself a pretty nice person who is not rude etc. etc. (//especially noticeable// because I am from Pittsburgh and I need to say Philadelphia/New Jersey, if I had to stereotype strangers, you all are a rude bunch of people! Just half kidding), //but// it is a whole different story to be perpetually challenged by young people who might actively want to push your buttons. Being a teacher is a very special circumstance in that light and very very challenging and we //need// training in how to be proactive and even better people than we are normally. I really like the idea too of self-restitution and least coersive road. The least coersive road reminded me of advice I got from a teacher who said that they have found that under reacting is always better than over reacting, and that they never yell and in that way when this teacher just slightly raises their voice, it is a big de Cara Eisley Reflections Chapters 6-9 EDUC 531 Holy Family University Dr. Williams 2/9/11
 * Chapter 12**
 * Chapter 13**

**Chapter 6** I really appreciate the Wong’s classroom management advice. I like how incredibly specific they are about the details. Even though the book indicates that the examples from Mr. Gibbs was tedious to read, I disagree. This is the exact sort of thing I have been wanting to read: exactly what a successful teacher is doing or procedures they are following. Also I agree that there is so much prep-work that goes into being a teacher in school, but a lot of it is just TONS of information that I might be able to synthesize weeks or YEARS after I have actually been in a classroom for example (like educational psychology stuff). I really want the nitty gritty, here is what this kid said and it is the first day of school ok now what do I do stuff. So it is refreshing that they address this, and that there is a book about the first week of school which I will definitely read now. I have asked some friends who are teachers (more recently) and they can give a few suggestions on books to read; however, when I asked my 4 favorite teachers who are veteran teachers, NONE could give me a book and all alluded to “common sense” and “preparedness” and “organization” among others as key. Though it is nice to get these opinions, it does little to help me NOW at this moment—I have no “common sense” since that comes from experience which I have none. So I am excited about the Wongs and their relations. I wish that they would answer the questions that they pose at the end of the chapter until I get the hang of how to actually apply the principles to live situations. It is really interesting that they were able to actually measure the frequency that misbehavior occurs. I also think it is interesting that the “effective” teacher still gets 1 interruption every 2 minutes, which in an hour class would be 30 interruptions which seems like an awful lot and that is for the successful teacher. When observing both in my Practicum and other observations, I concur that even for the teacher that I find to be very good, all these things still do come into play (time wasting, passivity, aimlessness, helpless handraising, and ineffective nagging). The room arrangement is interesting—I understand the point of the loop arrangement, but I must say that in all of my favorite and most effective teachers had the typical row system that worked for them—also I often feel there is very little “room” in the actual room to necessarily improve on seating arrangements. Hearing that body language is key is helpful—several people have said that to me already. Interesting they condone penalizing whole class for the misconduct of one student in PAT—but they explain it is ok because it is for a group activity that everyone wants (but doesn’t need). Suggestions on how to cut down on wasted time during seat work is good. “All behavior is chosen” and “we are solely responsible for our behavior” are almost obvious, yet are good to hear reiterated because I feel like it is not apparent at all times especially when in the moment. Few of today’s students do their best work—that is an interesting yet sad statement that I can see being true, I hope it is obvious to know when students are doing their best. What he considers a “boss teacher” (dictate procedure, order studetns to work…) and he considers ineffective with todays students sounds a lot like Wang and Morish’s idea of an effective teacher… so that is a little confusing. Motivation is key in almost everyone’s theory—but no one exactly talks about how to exactly create that… I definitely agree that school is too focused on memorizing facts and too little on synthesis—yet I am not sure how to improve too too much on this because we are moving so much to a standards based system AND class sizes can be huge, which might necessitate that kind of teaching in order to assess anything. I like that he says everyone uses structure, but we might not be aware of what type of structures we use. So you are better off knowing which ones work, so you can actively implement them. Surprising to find that one of the most automatic and popular is least effective: whole class question answer. It is interesting that he suggests “being a friend” in a way (eg same side chat) to the students…while many other people advocate against this. I like the idea of a 3 part apology involving regret, future behavior, and request for acceptance of the apology. I like that for this they offer suggestions of the “win win” strategy for the moment of certain types of disruption. Cara Eisley Reflections Chapters 2-5 1/25/11  ** Chapter 2 ** I am not sure if it is because I am sick with a cold, or because this book is sort of boring that I am finding it very hard to read and gain things from it that I haven’t already read in some capacity. The other chapters hopefully get better at real-world scenarios and tell me what to actually DO since I am in stitches over classroom management preparation. Despite that, what I found most helpful so far in this chapter is review of behaviors at certain ages and what to expect and why. Also going over basic needs that need to be met before any learning can happen, I think that is a very poignant and relative point—but again, how do I actually DO that in a classroom?! Also what was a good reminder is that there are not only bad habits but actually good habits that dictate and expedite things we do in life and that good habits can be //taught// to replace bad ones. Again, how exactly to do that? Reiteration of values typically “taught” or at least assumed in school was a good reminder, especially since I don’t personally adhere to some of them... I also agree that teachers (absolutely including me) enter the workforce underprepared especially in terms of understanding the 100s of cultures they’ll encounter in school, SES’s, and attitudes (let’s face it, probably 90% of teachers did well in school, were from pretty good backgrounds, are well educated, and //liked// school and very well might have a hard time communicating with children that are unlike how they were). The 26 conditions that lead to misbehavior are obvious in many respects, but yes, please tell me more about how to actually manage a classroom with these in mind. ** Chapter 3 ** This is definitely a chapter that makes me not want to teach. The book is getting better, but now I am terrified! When did everyone get so insane and unhealthy? I realize that they are becoming better at diagnosing problems, but in general I believe our entire country is over medicated and lacks good nutrition, good environments, good exercise, and good role models. Not that I don’t believe that some of these things do exist, I absolutely do, but I still think it reflects our lifestyles and that does make me sad in general. The one that sticks out to me is “Oppositional Defiant Disorder”—now couldn’t that one genuinely be attributed to too much sugar, caffeine, no exercise, bad parenting and being crammed in a school all day? That being said… WOW. Teaching is going to be insane. Still not feeling like I am getting much “what to actually DO in this scenario, save for the part on Rage, which felt a lot like telling someone how to deal with a rabid animal or criminally insane person—however, the suggestions were very good here like “don’t look the person directly in the eye” etc. I would have never known that. Anyway, it’s really heating up in these chapters. Finding out about the schools medication policy is good advice as in the choice of vocabulary when talking about students in write ups. The final scenario was a good example of how something played out in real-life. ** Chapter 4 ** In this chapter I really liked Lee and Marlene Canter with their Assertive Discipline. I think it is an easy concept that isn’t too cumbersome, and there is a strategy to implement it per grade. What does Charles mean when they talk about punishment? It keeps saying things like “students who experience realistic consequences for misbehavior learn that they have positive control over their lives. In contrast students who are bribed rewarded and punished become dependent on others for approval”—what is a “realistic consequence” and what is a “punishment” that they deem bad??? They mention this several times but I am not sure exactly what it means, but would be helpful to know. The question about “good coaching” versus “good teaching” is so interesting and I want them to answer it!!! I would guess it is because in a classroom setting, a lot of time individual work is stressed, but in a team context or a music or drama teaching context, the importance is on the team or the band or play to do well and thus //inherently requires// that the kids get along for a common goal that relies on all parts to work—which is often helpful with a leader. If our culture were more like cultures with a group emphasis, then maybe authoritative teaching would work better. Otherwise I am not sure. In an “unschooling” setting, Alphie Kohn might make better sense (though I like it) outside the public school context with the way it is structured and funded now. That said, I think some of his things are implementable, but really his philosophy belongs outside of the public American education system as we know it—where is directly conflicts with the education system’s hidden or in the nicest context, unintended, agendas. **Chapter 5** I think because I am so incredibly terrified of the teacher that cannot manage a classroom, I am REALLY liking Morish! As much as I like the idea of more leniency and student decision in general, I do gravitate towards this approach I think because I don’t want to take any chances at being walked all over and end up crying in a bathroom stall (which will still probably happen…). I think what he says is very true—that we almost give students too much credit on their maturity level and we do need to make a lot of decisions until students can prove their self discipline and responsibility. I am wondering if there is a grade level for this approach or if it works on secondary ed if the kids are not used to this type of discipline? I think having high expectations and //requiring// that the student fulfills that is very interesting—since looking back and in my observations, teachers often have high expectations, but don’t necessarily enforce that students to also have them for themselves. “It’s your grade not mine” “I don’t care if you get an F” and letting kids be ok with failing isn’t in Morish’s suggestions, which I would like to know more about how those scenes organically play out for those students who “don’t care.”
 * Chapter 7**
 * Chapter 8**
 * Chapter** 9