Boston University
SED CT534: A Practical Approach to Classroom Management
Fall 2014, Friday 2-5 PM
SED Room 208
10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12
Instructor
Professor Scott Seider
SED Room 237
(617) 353-3223
Office Hours: By appointment
“We are not amused.”
-Queen Victoria
Course Overview
This course is designed to support teachers in developing a practical, effective and low-stress approach to classroom management. The course focuses on a classroom management system with four components: classroom structure, limit-setting, responsibility training and back-up systems. Through course readings, reflective writing, class discussion and simulations, participants will develop effective classroom management practices, break current “high cost” and ineffective strategies, and establish a proactive, positive classroom setting that maximizes time on learning and minimizes classroom disruptions.
Books
Required: Goldstein, M. (2013). Phoning parents. Boston, MA: Match Education.
Recommended: Jones, F. (2007) Tools for teaching: Second Edition. Santa Cruz, CA: Fredric Jones Associates.
Attendance & Make-up Work
We have fewer than 20 hours of class time. Only a genuine emergency or highly contagious disease should prevent you from attending class. In such cases, please contact me ASAP and in advance of the class you will miss.
Power point presentations for each class will be available on the CT534 Blackboard site. If you miss a class, choose the 15 slides (or questions embedded within slides) from the class presentation that you believe to be the most interesting, engaging or provocative and reflect upon each in a well thought out paragraph (i.e. 15 paragraphs in total) that also draws upon the assigned readings for that class session. These paragraphs should be emailed as an attachment to the instructor prior to the next class meeting. If you are tardy to class (or need to leave early), please follow this same procedure using the slides presented in your absence.
Class Discussion Board
By Friday at noon before each class session, please post on the CT534 discussion board one comment (2-5 sentences) or one question (1-2 sentences) about an idea raised in one of the assigned readings that caught your attention.
Statement on Academic Integrity
The pursuit of knowledge can proceed only when scholars take responsibility and receive credit for their work. Recognition of individual contributions to knowledge and of the intellectual property of others builds trust within the University and encourages the sharing of ideas that is essential to scholarship. Plagiarism, that is, failure to properly acknowledge sources, written or electronic, used for verbatim quotations or ideas, is a violation of academic integrity. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.
Assignments/Grading
Assignment / PointsFormative Assessments
Warm Ups/Exit Tickets / 4 points (each)
Discussion Posting / 4 points (each)
Limit Setting Simulation / 5 points
Summative Assessments
Day 1 Micro-Teaching / 40 points
Final Paper / 30 points
· Rubrics attached to this syllabus for all course assignments requiring preparation
· Course grade = Total points earned/Total points possible
· Unapproved late assignments will be docked 10% per day
· Failure to submit a make-up assignment after an absence will result in a 1/6 deduction on the final course grade
Syllabus at a Glance
Class / Topic / Reading Due / Assignment Due10/24 / Classroom Structure I / Marzano & Pickering-1
Walker
Noguera
10/31 / Classroom Structure II / Marzano & Pickering-5
Ritchhart-5
Shakespear
11/7 / Limit Setting / Fay & Funk
Simonson / Limit Setting Simulation
11/14 / Micro-Teaching / Ritchhart-4 / Micro-Teaching Day 1
11/21 / Responsibility Training / Canter-2, 10-12, 14
Ashley & Burke
Romi / Micro-Teaching Reflection
12/5 / Back-Up Systems / Kohn
Jones-16
Goldstein 1-3
12/12 / Final Paper
Assigned Readings (Blackboard)
Ashley, J., & Burke, K. (2009). Implementing restorative justice: A guide for schools. Springfield, IL: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
Canter, L. (2011). Assertive discipline: Positive behavior management for today’s classroom. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Fay, J. and Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with love & logic. Burbank, CA: Love and Logic Press.
Jones, F. (2002). Positive classroom discipline. New York: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 16.
Kohn, A. (1997). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. (2003). Classroom management that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Noguera, P. (2008). Joaquin’s dilemma. In M. Sadowski (Ed.), Adolescents at School: Perspectives on youth, identity, and education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Ritchhart, R. (2002). Intellectual character: What it is, why it matters and how to get it. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Romi, S., Lewis, R., Roache, J & Riley, P. (2011). The impact of teachers’ aggressive management techniques on students’ attitudes to schoolwork. Journal of Educational Research, 104, 231-240.
Simonson, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351-380.
Shakespear, E. (1999) “What I’d Tell A White Gal: What My Black Male Students Taught Me About Race and Schooling.” In S. Freedman & E. Simons (Eds), Inside City Schools: Investigating Literacy in Multicultural Classrooms, pp. 76-88.
Walker, J. (2009). Authoritative classroom management: How control and nurturance work together. Theory Into Practice, 48, 122-129.
Day One Micro-Teaching Assignment[1]
Micro-teaching typically runs 10 minutes in length. Each person takes his or her turn as teacher while everyone else plays the role of students. It is the job of these ‘pupils’ to behave realistically. For this simulation, it is not the job of the ‘pupils’ to pose classroom management challenges.
The focus of this particular micro-teaching assignment is the first 10 minutes of the first day of school. When finished, the student conducting the class has a moment or two to react to his/her own teaching. Then everyone else joins in to discuss what they saw that they especially liked. Finally, the group may mention just a few things that the practice teacher might try doing differently in the future.
Rubric for Micro-Teaching
Components / 1 pt / 3 pts / 5 ptsClassroom Structure Practices / Unclear which classroom structure practices being utilized / Evident classroom structure practices/strategies being employed / Evident classroom structure practices/strategies being employed with skill indicating planning and practice
Rubric for Micro-Teaching Reflection
Recommended Length: 4-6 typed, double-space pages, 12 point font
Components / 1 pts / 4 pts / 7 ptsDescription of classroom structure practices employed / Vague or incomplete description of classroom structure practices employed / Clear description of classroom structure practices employed
And
Effective citations from assigned readings to explain rationale for these practices
OR
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description / Detailed description of classroom structure practices employed
And
Effective citations from assigned readings to explain rationale for learning practices
And
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description
What went well / Vague or incomplete description of positive aspects of Day 1 micro-teaching / Clear description of positive aspects of micro-teaching
And
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description
OR
Effective citations from assigned readings to support description / Detailed description and analysis of positive aspects of micro-teaching
And
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description
And
Effective citations from assigned readings to support description
What was challenging / Vague or incomplete description of opportunities for improvement / Clear description of negative aspects of micro-teaching
And
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description
And
Effective citations from assigned readings to support description / Detailed description and analysis of negative aspects of micro-teaching
And
Evidence effectively cited from video to support description
And
Effective citations from assigned readings to support description
Implications for teaching / Vague or incomplete description of implications for ‘real’ Day One / Clear description of implications for ‘real’ Day One / Detailed and thoughtful analysis of implications for ‘real’ Day One
Mechanics / Distracting grammar, usage or spelling or errors / 2-4 grammar, usage or spelling errors / Reflection effectively proof-read and virtually error-free
CT534: Final Paper Assignment
Option #1: A Student Investment Plan[2] articulates all of the steps you will take to build a productive relationship with your class. A student investment plan might include:
· your core beliefs about classroom management
· your core values for your classroom community
· your messaging to your students beginning on day one
· how you’ll build relationships with students as individuals and as a class
· how you will set up your room
· your plan for student and parent communication
· your plan for contending successfully with “high rollers”
0 Points / 4 Points / 8 PointsCore Beliefs & Values / Paper does not present a guiding philosophical approach to classroom management / Paper presents a clear philosophical approach to classroom management / Paper presents a detailed and compelling approach to classroom management that acknowledges the complexities of the enterprise
Strategies for Building Investment / Paper does not present specific strategies that will be utilized or avoided / Paper presents 1-2 specific strategies that will be utilized or avoided / Paper presents multiple strategies raised in course and readings that will be utilized or avoided
Strategies for Succeeding from Day One / Paper does not offer a blueprint for the opening days of school / Paper offers plan for the opening days of the school year overly reliant on generalities / Paper offers detailed plan for succeeding from day one
Textual Evidence[3] / Paper does not support claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offer minimal support of claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offers robust support of claims with references to assigned readings
Organization and Clarity / Paper is not logically structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear or easy to understand / Paper contains distracting grammar, typographical, or mechanics errors / Paper is structured logically, written clearly, and error-free (or mostly free).
Option #2: Read “Blaming the Kids” by Alfie Kohn. In this essay, Kohn offers several criticisms of other classroom management systems. Though he does not specifically reference Fred Jones, some might read this piece as critical of the system Fred Jones espouses in Tools for Teaching. Compare and contrast Jones and Kohn’s perspectives on classroom management and discuss where you fall now in your own classroom management philosophy.
Comparison of the two systems / Paper fails to present clear differences or similarities between the two classroom management systems / Paper provides a clear comparison of the two classroom management systems / Paper presents a detailed and nuanced comparison of the two classroom management systems
Your own perspective / Paper does not present a philosophical approach to classroom management / Paper presents a clear philosophical approach to classroom management / Paper presents a detailed and compelling approach to classroom management that acknowledges the complexities of the enterprise
Textual Evidence[4] / Paper does not support claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offer minimal support of claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offers robust support of claims with references to assigned readings
Organization and Clarity / Paper is not logically structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear and easy to understand / Paper contains distracting grammar, typographical, or mechanics errors / Paper is structured logically, written clearly, and error-free (or mostly free).
Option #3: Fred Jones notes it’s the rare class that does not have has at least one “Larry” (male or female). In this paper, offer a brief description of the “Larry” with whom you have worked this summer and the types of behavior that are of concern to you as a teacher. Drawing on strategies and course themes from CT534, discuss your specific plan for effectively working with “Larry” to optimize his or her chances of success, if you found out you would be teaching him/her again in the spring.
Description of Larry and the classroom management challenges he/she presents / Paper does not describe Larry or classroom management challenges / Paper presents a clear and factual account of Larry and his/her accompanying classroom management
challenges / Paper presents a detailed and vivid portrait of Larry and specific examples of the challenges encountered in the classroom
Strategies / Paper does not present specific strategies that will be utilized or avoided / Paper presents 1-2 specific strategies that will be utilized or avoided / Paper presents multiple strategies raised in course and readings that will be utilized or avoided
Textual Evidence[5] / Paper does not support claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offer minimal support of claims with references to assigned readings / Paper offers robust support of claims with references to assigned readings
Organization and Clarity / Paper is not logically structured
AND/OR
Writing is not clear and easy to understand / Paper contains distracting grammar, typographical, or mechanics errors / Paper is structured logically, written clearly, and error-free (or mostly free).
Statement on Students with Disabilities
The School of Education at Boston University is committed to equal access for students with disabilities.If you have a specific disability and require accommodations in this class, please let me know early in the semester so that appropriate accommodations canbe made.You must provide me with a letter of needed accommodations prepared by the Office of Disability Services.Contact information for that office is as follows: (617)353-3658 V/TTY or.All discussions and written materials will be kept confidential.
3
[1] See Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning on “microteaching.” Retrieved from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html
[2] Match Teacher Residency “Relationships & Development” Textbook
[3] Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy (Jones, 2003).
[4] Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy (Jones, 2003).
[5] Generally, you want your in-text citations to look like this: Jones (2003) argues that working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy. Or Working the crowd is a highly effective classroom management strategy (Jones, 2003).