Classroom management in the digital age...

                                                                         





  It is my opinion that this is one of the best books on classroom management for teachers,  that use technology and for those that don't use technology, in their classroom environment. The details and examples are very clear and are easy to follow and comprehend. This book would be a great book study for new teachers or seasoned teachers that are not tech savvy. In the preface of the book it gives a sensible reason for why this book is a necessity. Dowd and Green (2016) explain that this book will " help you transfer your current classroom management strategies to a new classroom where every student is connected and help you deal with new challenges in a positive and productive way" ( p. XI). 

Teachers must establish classroom procedures in order to maintain order and decrease misbehavior opportunities.  Now just imagine adding the element of digital devices to an already chaotic class! Remember when you develop procedures you must teach them to all of the students, practice them, reinforce them when you see them not being used, and revisit them often. Our school uses the first week of school to establish and introduce students to our classroom procedures and expectations. Dowd and Green (2016) suggest that a teachers should have them posted in the room. My students are given a formative assessment on my classroom procedures them so that they spent time focusing on them.


                                                                        

                                                                 


Currently there are many different management tools available. One of my favorite is whole brain.
Whole brain teaching strategies according to Janelle Cox ( 2019) have seven steps and attention getting is one of them. "Before beginning every class (or lesson), the teacher uses an attention getter. The teacher must say “Class” in any way or tone that they wish, then the students must mimic the teacher’s voice and respond with the word “Yes.” 
                                            
                                                         
                                                                      



Classroom management and procedures , in a digital environment, are a vital part of helping students reach their maximum learning ability. Dowd and Green (2016) lists other elements such as room arrangement, organization, tech tool selection, teaching and modeling digital citizenship and partnering with parents. 

Partnering with parents can be beneficial especially with students that have behavior issues.  Mendez and Swick ( 2018) study determined that " that higher achievement occurs when parents are more involved and engaged in the educational process." The more a parent is involved in their students academic life, the more success their student will achieve. 


                                                                 



"Specifically, parents who share positive expectations regarding achievement with children, and parents who assist children with academic preparation through reading and creating stimulating home environments, make a positive contribution to children’s learning", wrote Mendez and Swick ( 2018, p. 251) in their research paper. Classroom procedures and expectations coupled with parent involvement is a recipe for success.


                                                                References 

Avella, F [ Teachings in education]. (2019, August 11). Classroom management [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XR6dy69f4

Cox, J. (2019. October 10). Whole Brain Teaching

Dowd, H., & Green, P. (2016). CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE: Effective practices for technology-rich learning spaces. S.l.: GYPSY HEART PRESS. 

  Kibler, S (2015). Proven effects of parental involvement in schools [[Infographic]. https://www.slideshare.net/eeniarrol/parental-involvement-at-alternative-academic-settings

Mendez, J. L., & Swick, D. C. (2018). Guilford Parent Academy: A collaborative effort to engage parents in children’s education. Education & Treatment of Children (West Virginia University Press), 41(2), 249. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2018.0011                             
                                                               

Comments

  1. Phillips' Fabulous FindsJune 24, 2020 at 2:11 PM

    It seems both of our books touched on parent involvement being important in the classroom of today. You also mentioned whole brain teaching was as well, only Joe & Kristin Merrill, (2020) explain in the book, The Interactive Class, that "Although different parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions, they work together simultaneously and , more importantly, in relation with their surroundings," (p. 10). They go on to say that when "sensory information is received it is sent to the front or the back" of the brain. They basically say that if the information is sent to the front of the brain then it handles "responsive" thinking and if sent to the left it is "reactive" thinking (p.10). I want to have learners who use responsive thinking because if they are simply reacting, then they are not fully engaged in the learning process.

    I watched the youtube video about classroom management. While I agree with some things the video says are essential in having great classroom management, there were two that I did not agree with.

    One thing the video states that I don't agree with is that classroom behavior is a direct product of the teacher's environment. I agree that the classroom must be a safe for all who enter. I also believe a student's behavior can also be a direct product of their home situations. Every year, without fail, it seems there is that one or two that struggle with behavior issues. After exhausting all positive reinforcements and all the the love my heart can offer, those students will portray learned behavior from home. Not to mention the students with special needs that may not understand the environment the way the teacher hopes.

    Another thing the video talked about was how teachers should be in authority. It mentioned how they should stand, be direct, and use a deep steady voice.. I see this much differently. I talk to my students as if they are my own children. I talk to them with respect and in a normal voice. Now I have given them the "teacher look," but that is only to get them to look at their choice and double check to see if it is a good one. I think you attract more bees with honey. I think it is okay to stand stall in some cases, but I would rather bend down and talk with a child at their level. Of course, I work in an elementary school. Not sure if this would work in a middle or high school classroom. I would like to think it would though.

    References

    Avella, F [ Teachings in education]. (2019, August 11). Classroom management [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_XR6dy69f4

    Merrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2020). The Interactive Class. EleviateBooksEdu.

    Response from Stacey Oliver - Phillips

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 25, 2020 at 5:35 AM

    Johanna, I noticed that you mentioned that our selection of tech tools can impact classroom management, and I completely agree! I know that students love to be on social media when they are not in the classroom, so what a better way to engage students and have better classroom management than by integrating social media into the classroom. In Turner and Hicks' (2017) chapter six, we read about the impact of teaching students using social media; we can help to create better digital citizens and try to stop the spread of misinformation (pp. 101-122). Based on the book Illuminate by Bethany J. Petty (2018), I believe that social media can also help us engage students, which will keep the classroom more under control. We can relate to students by having them use Twitter for arguments, we can encourage them to annotate book pages using Snapchat, and so much more! By choosing tech that students can relate to, like social media, we are doing both the students and ourselves a favor!

    References:

    Petty, B.J. (2018). Illuminate: Technology enhanced learning. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

    Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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  3. AnonymousJune 25, 2020 at 11:52 AM

    I love the attention-getting idea. I have a colleague across the hall who uses a chant every class period with her ninth graders, sort of her classroom creed, and she swears by it. I have always felt it wouldn't fit my personality, but a short one like this is great. Similar to "If you can hear me, clap once" and twice, and so on.

    One similarity that I see with your reading and mine is the importance of creating a classroom culture of maintaining order before expecting students to use technology wisely and responsibly. Jennifer WIlliams (2019) discusses the importance of "Learning space design" and using the space in the room to facilitate collaboration and inquiry, inspired by flexible seating in her book Teaching Boldy: Using Edtech for Social Good (p. 72). While not exactly the same as the argument here, it still highlights the importance of making purposeful decisions about the classroom setting before working with the curriculum.

    References:
    Williams, Jennifer. (2019). Teach boldly: Using edtech for social good. International Society for Technology in Education.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Holly AdamsJune 25, 2020 at 3:15 PM

    Classroom management is definitely a tone that you set for your students. My classroom was always loud-ish and slightly chaotic because well, science, but my students were quick to quiet down when I asked them to, they knew basic classroom procedures, and very rarely did I have an issue with more than one unruly student at a time. I would like to add two other things that I think play a major role in classroom management. Classroom design is really important. You must create spaces where your students feel comfortable, but they must also facilitate easy access to learning and materials. If your students are comfortable in your classroom, they are more likely to be engaged in learning and participating (Rands & Gansemer-Topf, 2017) (Williams, 2017). I also think the methods that are used for teaching are important. If your students are actively engaged, they are less likely to be wandering, interrupting, etc…Technology is a great tool to keep students engaged. Kahoot is great for a quick assessment, Flipgrid is great for storytelling, Virtual reality is great for in-class fieldtrips (Williams, 2017). Since you said this book would be great for new teachers, I think we also need to remind them that if we only use technology on the teacher side of classroom management, I think we are not only doing our students a disservice, but we are also doing ourselves a disservice.

    Reference
    Rands, M. L., & Gansemer-Topf, A. M. (2017). The room itself is active: How classroom design impacts student engagement. Iowa State University Digital Repository. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/edu_pubs/49/

    Williams, J. (2019). Teach Boldly: Using EdTech for Social Good. International Society for Technology Education

    ReplyDelete

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