classroom "management"?

Question

I need help with some strategies with K students. I have tried... wait time, rewards, praise, one on one talks, time-out, behavior charts, yelling, heads down, lights off, ringing a bell, playing music, closing blinds, opening blinds, etc. Nothing is working with these kids.

Answer 1

Have you tried duct taping them to the ceiling?

In any case, perhaps the issue isn't with your strategies but with the way in which you are carrying them out. Many of us teachers start out with a good plan but we do not follow it through far enough. It will work at first, because it's novel, and then the kids will start acting out again to see if you will stick to it. In that phase you must be very consistent and firm.

List a few simple rules, go over them each and every day, remain positive even when redirecting (K kids LOOOOOVE to push your buttons so pretending like their bad behavior has no effect on you is key), have real postive and negative consquences.

Also, engage them in the process. Tell them THEY have to come up with 5 classroom rules and how to apply them fairly to everyone and what the consquences and rewards will be. Let them talk and talk and talk and talk with as minimal guidance as you can. When we teachers give up a lilttle power over to the students it can have fantastic results. After the plan has been agreed upon, then make sure you carry it out consistently and fairly.

Also, K students needs lots and lots of breaks with physcial activity. If you can't go outside, then have them stand up and march in place along to a song, wiggle their bodies up and down and all around, play a quick song of heads, shoulders, knees and toes, jump 100 times while counting loudly, etc. Do this just as you see the little mites getting restless but BEFORE they start getting into trouble.

Make sure your expectations match their develomental levels.
Good luck.

Answer 2

I remember classes like that myself. Are you involving the parents in this at all? Once I got them involved things got a bit better. First the weekly reward system seemed to help. I would have a monthly calendar posted ( about 5 " x 7" in size) in the room for each student. I did this with every grade I taught! At the end of each day I would use a smiley face or star rubber stamp on the day's square if the child had a good day. At the end of each week the top student(s) - the ones with the full week stamped-- would get a small reward--sticker, candy etc.At the end of the month the children with the top 3 amount of stamps got to pick a reward. First, second and third prizes were given. For First prize I would give ice cream
money for lunch time, a free home work pass that was good for at least a week or some other neat reward that would be somewhat better than second prizes. Third prize would be a pencil .All winners would also get a certificate for improved behavior or whatever. This always worked cause it was a competition amongst the children. At the end of the year
the children who received first prizes for a month for more than half the year would have a party outside at an extra recess with cake and ice cream. The others would stay indoors with other teachers during this special time.
This really worked. It was a minimal amount of work and most of the kids figured it out that it was more fun to behave. I usually only had a handful of kids who didn't attend the end of year reward party.
In addition to this system I would send home a weekly planner sheet with all five days on it with the daily homework and notes to all kids parents who had behavior problems. The kids who didn't got a happy face for the day. Parents had to sign the sheet every day even on Fridays to come back Monday. That way they couldn't say they didn't know what was going on. I actually kept every weeks sheets. If a parent hadn't signed in a while a phone call was made.

Answer 3

Take the Guesswork Out of Classroom Discipline. Watch Dr. Thomas Phalen's "1-2-3 Magic" seminar on a DVD. I got this DVD for me as a parent, but it is so good that I used it in teaching too.

As a teacher, when it comes to discipline you have challenges that parents don't have. No parent has to discipline 25 kids at home. You must keep an eye on the entire class and maintain order to foster a positive and productive learning environment.

The 1-2-3 Magic for Teachers program offers effective classroom discipline techniques for pre-K through the eighth grade. Teachers have been using 1-2-3 Magic for years, and many schools have used the Leader Guides to present the program to teachers and parents. The program helps you encourage good behavior, manage difficult behavior and strengthen your relationship with your students.

Since the 1-2-3 Magic for Teachers program is easy-to-learn, classroom rules and disciplinary procedures are perfectly clear, making for more order in the classroom. Useless verbal hassles with students are replaced by quick, decisive action that keeps everyone focused on learning.