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Chapter Seven from Bennet and Rolheiser talks about the benefits of collaboration, or cooperative learning. In our classes, we have learned multiple classroom management strategies that help students to engage with each other and learn collectively. This means that students are highly involved and participatory. This concept map is a great visual for learning about the theory behind cooperative learning, as well as how to begin implementing it into the classroom.

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In the book The Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson, chapter 9 deals with the various ways that teachers can use their classroom management skills to support multiple learning styles. It shows us that there is no "correct way" to approach teaching or learning, and that everyone benefits from differentiation.

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As the old phrase goes, it takes a village to raise a child. Teachers spend a lot of time with parents' children, and might even be just as familiar with those very children. Teachers and parents should collaborate and communicate with each other so that parents are involved in the education of their children, and so that learning (not just curricular, but emotional and behavioural education) can continue at home.

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EdCan Network | Amplifying what works in Canadian Education

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The EdCan Network connects thousands of Canadian K-12 educators, researchers and partner groups since more than 125 years.

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Whoever thought that Jack Black could be a role model for positive leadership? This scene from "School of Rock" may be scripted and performed by actors, but it is clear that the character is a great example of leading students in an engaging way. We can see that this type of leadership is not about giving instructions, making decisions or delegating tasks, but allowing students to experiment in their learning while giving positive feedback and encouragement. As Orrin Woodward said, "...great leaders inspire others to raise their own bars." Mr. Finn (Black) demonstrates the tasks simply, but then lets the students take charge, allowing them to "raise the bar" themselves.

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When the main focus in our classrooms is always the students and their needs, it can be easy to get caught up and forget about our own. We have all been told that teaching (while a very rewarding career) can be a higher stress occupation, especially if we are taking care to ensure the success of all our pupils. The fact is that teachers are only human and are susceptible to all the same stresses and personal issues that affect students. It is important for teachers to take the time to evaluate their own mental health and well-being so that we live up to our teaching potential and most importantly lead fulfilling lives outside of our careers. I was very reassured to see this as the topic for our reading week, because I believe that this is a subject often overlooked. The document I have attached is a comprehensive and relieving read on what teachers can do to benefit their own health.

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As we saw with the WALS classroom example, the environment in which the students are learning can play a large role in the effectiveness of the instruction. This has a lot to do with student engagement. My guest lecturer spoke about how she let her class design and decorate their classroom to see what functioned best for them. She found it to be effective, as the students felt like they had a say in their education and were thus more motivated to participate in instruction. The environment is the "third teacher" when it is adaptable and fluid towards the needs of the class, just like teachers must be.

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Focus on Not Taking Behaviour Personally

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Focus on Not Taking Behaviour Personally

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This topic has been essential for my classroom management learning. Learning not to take students' behaviour personally will help teachers to both handle situations better, and lessen the stress that would inevitably ensue by thinking that they helped cause the behaviour. Every (or nearly every) behaviour situation can be handled or prevented with effective classroom management. I found this list of "sabotages" a great instructional resource of how I can manage my classroom. I have already tried some of these strategies in my babysitting position for handling behaviours and have found it helpful in reducing stress!

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By Jennifer Gonzalez
You know the basics: Establish clear rules and consequences, be consistent, keep students engaged. But even with all that in place, the small things you do could be wreaking havoc on your whole system.

Here are some habits you might have developed that are messing with your classroom management, along with more effective alternatives.

1. Smiling at the Wrong Times

This was a big problem for me. I thought my students were pretty funny people, so when a kid took those first steps to get us off-track, I couldn't help but smile. And that just encouraged him to continue. The irony was that five minutes later, I would be yelling at the whole class for getting too wild. Duh.

Alternative: Make a conscious effort to hold a neutral, "on-task" facial expression when you need your class to be focused. I still think it's important to show students you have a sense of humor and appreciate theirs, but everyone needs to learn that there's a time and place for it. Have a private conversation with your class clowns, letting them know that there will be times when you won't react to their jokes - that will be your signal that it's a "serious" time.

2. Handling Problems Publicly

Addressing student misbehavior in a public way risks embarrassing the student, and if she is prone to being oppositional, she's likely to talk back and dig herself into a deeper hole. You retaliate, and before you know it, a full-scale war has erupted.

A lternative: Whenever possible, address off-task behavior in private. Some teachers silently place a post-it note on the student's desk to signal that a problem has occurred, then add a check mark for every subsequent infraction.

Others just speak in a quiet voice by the student's desk or call the student up to their own. The method isn't terribly important; just aim for a bare minimum of spectacle.

3. All Sound, No Sight

So many behavior problems start with students simply not understanding what they are supposed to do. This is especially true when teachers only give verbal directions instead of making them visual.

Alternative: Provide visual cues for what students are expected to do. If you want them to do steps 1-4 of today's lab, then clean up their materials, then read silently for the rest of the period, go to the board and make a quick list: step 1-4, clean up, read. Simply writing those steps on the board will save you from having to remind students or reprimand them for not following the plan.

4. Not Waiting for Quiet

When I observe teachers, I see this mistake more often than any other: They start talking to the class before everyone has completely stopped talking. To be fair, they often wait until almost everyone is quiet, but allowing that last bit of chatter to linger causes problems: Students who don't hear what you say will either (a) turn to a neighbor to ask, or (b) follow instructions incorrectly. It's easy to blame kids for being poor listeners, but the problem could actually be the teacher's timing.

Alternative: Before addressing your class, force yourself to wait a few extra seconds (about five) until everyone - everyone - is completely quiet.

5. Making Students Choose Between Listening and Reading

When you distribute a handout to students, do you give them quiet time to actually read it? Or do you keep talking, "going over it" and constantly interrupting them to the point where they can't process any of it? When you do this, you guarantee that students will either skip over something important on the document, or miss a vital bit of information you gave verbally. The brain can't do both at once.

Alternative: If you have preliminary remarks to make before giving students written material, do your talking first, then pass out the papers. Once students have the document in hand, tell them you're going to give them a few minutes to read it. Then...BE QUIET. If you must interrupt, have students turn their papers face-down and look at you, then give the announcement.

6. Only Speaking in "Don'ts"

If I tell you not to think about a hot fudge sundae, what do you think about? Yep, a hot fudge sundae. Similarly, if you tell a seventh grade boy not to tap his pencil, he still has pencil tapping on the brain.

Alternative: Tell students what to do. These directives can address the problem at hand ( Jake, put your pencil under your textbook until I tell you to use it) or distract the student with another activity altogether ( Jake, read number 4 for me, please).

7. Taking Too Long

When a student gets off-task, an ineffective teacher will waste five minutes lecturing her about it. This not only makes you lose valuable instructional time, it also annoys the heck out of the other students, who are forced to sit and watch.

Alternative: Just becoming aware of this problem will help you improve it. Remember, you don't have to settle every issue right away; when an interaction drags on, tell the student you'll finish talking after class.

8. Staying Up Front

Proximity is a huge key to stopping misbehavior before it gets going. If you're always at the front of your classroom, you can't pick up on trouble in the early stages. By the time you notice a problem, it's already gained momentum, making it much harder to stop.

Alternative: Move around while you teach. Do it so casually and so regularly that students just expect it.

9. Focusing on the Problems

It's natural to give your energy to misbehaviors, to only comment when something goes wrong, but you'll get more cooperation if you give equal (or more) attention to the good behaviors, especially when it comes to students who have trouble with self-control.

Alternative: You've probably heard of "catch them being good," but actually doing it takes concentration. For some students, you have to wait a while before the desirable behavior happens! Watch Daniel, the pencil-tapper: After you tell him to set his pencil down, does it stay there for a few minutes? Before he grabs it again, go over and say, "Thanks for keeping that pencil down." Nine times out of ten, that will lengthen the time it takes for him to pick it up again.

10. Taking Things Personally

No matter what's going on, taking student misbehavior as a personal affront can only make things worse. But not taking it personally is a lot easier said than done.

Alternative: A mental trick I used to help me step away from those hurt feelings was to think of myself as a service provider - like a dentist - and my students as patients. If my patient got a cavity, I would treat it as best I could, but I wouldn't take it personally. If things don't always go well, it doesn't have to be about me.

Classroom management is so complex, it can take years to develop a style and a system that works. By replacing these habits with more effective practices, you'll build a better classroom for everyone.

[Illustrations by Jennifer Gonzalez]
Download a PDF of this article
► Visit Jennifer's website to see her collection of videos about
classroom management and effective instruction.

► And read more of Jennifer's thoughts about classroom management at this 2016 post: Classroom Management - Four Keys to Starting the Year Off Right.

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Jennifer Gonzalez taught middle school language arts for seven and a half years (she insists on counting that half year...it was a doozy) and prepared pre-service teachers at the university level for four. Now she works full-time on her website, Cult of Pedagogy, where she shares strategies, tools, and articles like Using Notebooks for Classroom Management to help teachers make their work more effective and more fun. You can follow her on Twitter @cultofpedagogy. Her 2015 book Hacking Education, co-authored with Mark Barnes, is a must-have for school and teacher leaders.

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10 Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management

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By Jennifer Gonzalez You know the basics: Establish clear rules and consequences, be consistent, keep students engaged. But even with all that in place, the small things you do could be wreaking havoc on your whole system. Here are some habits you might have developed that are messing with your classroom management, along with more effective alternatives.

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This blog post gave me a lot to think about. I originally agreed with the "there are no bad students, only bad teachers" thinking, but I believe I have been influenced by what Steve Brown had to say. Just as there are "bad" singers, "bad" cooks or "bad" golfers, "bad" students must exist as well. I don't think Steve Brown uses "bad" as "evil" or "mean spirited" in his post (that they are bad people), but rather that he means that in a norm-referenced evaluation, these students do not meet the standards a teacher would hope for them in terms of their learning skills. They are not well-equipped to be students. The good news with this is that a good teacher will be able to meet them where they are and help them to practice the skills to become proficient. As a future French language teacher, I liked how Brown tied in the language specific types of "bad" students. His way of dealing with each type was well organized and very clear. It shows why it is important to get to know your students; You must do so to know how to teach them!

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There are no bad students (except there are)

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I first wrote this post in April 2013, more than 3 years ago now. A lot of people seem to arrive here when they perform a search like "bad students" or suchlike. Teaching can be a frustrating activity, and students often become the source of our frustration, especially when they don't behave in the way we...

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Rodd Lucier's take on the Western Active Learning Space is a great example of how technology can be extremely useful and beneficial to classroom settings. Students learn in a variety of ways, and in today's world chalk and talk might not be enough to engage and teach all students effectively. I have personally been in the WALS classroom and it was truly revolutionary. In a smaller class setting, this highly interactive interface system would be especially beneficial for students who are visual and kinaesthetic learners. I especially like that the teacher has a central platform, so that all students have equal auditory and visual access to the teacher (as opposed to students with vision or hearing impairments needing to sit close to the board, and not where they would perhaps learn best).

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Five years ago, I hosted a conversation with my colleagues at RMC about what the classrooms of tomorrow might look like. Since that time, I've led a handful of workshops at conferences where design ​thinking has similarly led eductors to envision the future. Yesterday I went on a professional development field trip to the Western Active Learning Space at the Weldon Library on the Western University campus where many of the ideas my colleagues dreamt up, have become real.

There are two mounted cameras in the space either of which can be fed to the pod screens. One captures the entire room in 360° and is intended to track student engagement and participation by researchers, the other is a remote controlled camera that can focus on particular area, to record or share the work of any pod or individual.

It's an expensive venture and one that will continue to evolve. From my perspective, I'm content knowing that Western University has found a way to promote active collaborative learning among large groups of students. If the vision proves productive, new classrooms at the university can be built using this prototype as a template.​​​

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Five years ago, I hosted a conversation with my colleagues at RMC about what the classrooms of tomorrow might look like. Since that time, I've led a handful of workshops at conferences where design ​thinking has similarly led eductors to envision the future.

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Our very first lesson in this class was that students "buy into the teacher before they buy into the class". To me this means that student engagement is one of the most critical aspect of teaching. Students can and will learn anything if they are involved and engaged enough, regardless of material. All of us have been in classrooms where we are simply spoken at. Our teachers in those classes did not use classroom management strategies to engage their students, and as a result they likely found that their students did not perform as well as they would have liked. This resource provides an excellent look into students' own perspectives on what engages them. With each changing generation, it will be important to recognize that the engagement strategies that worked for previous groups may not work as time moves on. As teachers we must be flexible and open to changing our approaches.