Effective instruction Good instruction is good …

1 classroom MANAGEMENT. Effective instruction Good instruction is good classroom management Robert Slavin explains how exciting, engaging lessons can solve who will misbehave. While Ms. Carter's focus is on preventing behavior problems, she is also most problems in the classroom ready to intervene when necessary to see that students' behaviors are within acceptable limits. WITH THE SOUND OF THE school BELL STILL begin, I'd like you to move your desks together For some students, a glance, physical proximity, echoing in the hall, Julia Carter started her high and start planning your compositions. Ready? or a hand on the shoulder is enough. For others, school English class.

2 Begin. consequences might be necessary. Even in Today, she began, you will become The students moved their desks together these cases, Ms. Carter does not let behavior thieves. Worse than thieves. Thieves steal smoothly and quickly and got to work. issues disrupt her lesson or her students'. only your money or your property. You During the transition, Ms. Carter called learning activities. (she looked around the class and paused for Mark and Gloria to her desk to discuss their There is no magic or charisma that makes a emphasis) will steal something far more lateness. Gloria had a good excuse, but Mark teacher an Effective classroom manager. Setting valuable.

3 You will steal an author's style. was developing a pattern of lateness and up an Effective learning environment is a matter During her speech, the students sat in rapt disruptiveness. Ms. Carter asked Mark to of knowing a set of techniques that any teacher attention. Two children, Mark and Gloria, slunk come after school to make a plan to improve can learn and apply. in late. Mark made a funny Oops, I'm late face his behavior. He then returned to his group and did an exaggerated tiptoe to his desk. Ms. and got to work. The students worked in a Effective use of time Carter ignored both of them, as did the class. controlled but excited way through the end The first focus of classroom management must She continued her lesson.

4 Of the lesson, thoroughly enjoying stealing be on how time for instruction and learning can be maximized. In Ms. Carter's class, students know that if they are late, they Preventing lost time Making good use of all classroom time is will miss something interesting, fun, and important. As a result, less a matter of squeezing out a few more almost all of them are in class and ready to learn when the minutes or hours of teaching each year, than lesson starts of communicating to students that learning is an important business worthy of their time and effort. If a teacher finds excuses not to teach, While Ms. Carter talked, Mark made an from Hemingway.

5 The classroom sounded like students might think that learning is not a exaggerated show of getting out his books. a beehive with busy, involved students sharing serious enterprise. In studying an outstanding He whispered to a neighboring student. ideas, reading drafts to each other, and editing inner-city Baltimore elementary school , a Without stopping her lesson, Ms. Carter moved each other's compositions. journalist described a third-grade teacher near Mark. He stopped whispering and paid who took her class to the school library, which attention. Creating an Effective learning she found locked. She sent a student for the Today you will become Hemingway.

6 You will environment key, and while the class waited, the teacher steal his words, his pace, his meter, his similes, The most Effective approach to classroom whispered to her students, Let's work on our his metaphors, and put them to work in your management is Effective instruction . Students doubles. Nine plus nine? Six plus six? The own stories. who are participating in well-structured class whispered the answers back in unison. Ms. Carter had students review elements of activities that engage their interests, who Did a couple of minutes working on addition Hemingway's style, which the class had studied are highly motivated to learn, and who are facts increase the students' achievement?

7 Of before. working on tasks that are challenging yet course not. But it probably did help to develop In a moment, she said, you're going to get within their capabilities, rarely pose any a perception that school is for learning, not for your chance to become Ernest Hemingway. As serious management problems. The vignette marking time. usual, you'll be working in your writing response involving Ms. Carter illustrates this. She has groups. Before we start, however, let's go over a well-managed class not because she Preventing late starts our rules about Effective group work. Who can behaves like a drill sergeant, but because she A surprising amount of instructional time is lost tell me what they are?

8 Teaches interesting lessons, engages students' because the teacher does not start teaching The students volunteered several rules: imaginations and energies, makes efficient at the beginning of the period. A crisp, on-time Respect others, explain your ideas, be sure use of time, and communicates a sense of start to a lesson is important for setting a everyone participates, stand up for your purpose, high expectations, and contagious purposive tone to instruction . If students know opinion, keep voices low. enthusiasm. However, even a well-managed that a teacher does not start promptly, they All right, said Ms. Carter. When I say class is sure to contain individual students might be lackadaisical about getting to class 4 Better: Evidence-based Education fall 2012.

9 Better(US)Fall12 4 26/10/2012 10:00. classroom MANAGEMENT. Effective instruction on time. This attitude makes future on-time that are annoying interruptions for teachers but but in a well-managed, well-taught class, these starts increasingly difficult. In Ms. Carter's class, that students love to do. Use student power as should be rare. Happy, productive, successful students know that if they are late, they will much as possible. kids are generally well-behaved, and well- miss something interesting, fun, and important. managed classes let teachers focus on content As a result, almost all of them are in class and Getting students' attention rather than discipline.

10 Ready to learn when the lesson starts. Teachers need a method for getting students' Portions of this article are adapted from attention quickly. Many use a zero noise Slavin RE (2012), Educational Psychology: Preventing interruptions signal in which they raise their hand and Theory and Practice (10th edition). Boston: One important cause of lost allocated time for teach students to raise their own hands, stop Pearson. instruction is interruptions. Interruptions may talking, and listen. They then praise the groups be externally imposed, such as announcements that comply first. Other teachers use a bell or a About the author or the need to sign forms sent from the tambourine for the same purpose.