Instructional Management

Instructional Management

A Theory of improving Discipline by Theorist Jacob Kounin

Situations

Group Activity...

Linda Ann is annoying another student during a lesson. The situation is not dangerous, but both students are distracted.

Dean and Arrin are quarreling quietly over an insignificant issue, but they are distracting other students who are trying to solve a math problem in their cooperation learning group.

Three students are passing baseball cards around (or the teacher thinks they are baseball cards) while the teacher is trying to teach.

Advantages of this Theory:

The class is already split into two sections.

Please turn your chairs to face one another.

Group 1: Desist Group 2: Quiet Action

Helps the teacher create a withitness in the class: Students know that the teacher is aware so it decreases misbehavior.

Easy to apply and suggests practical ideas

“Ripple effect”

Disadvantages of this Theory...

Teacher's Roles and Responsibilities

You will be debating on the topic of Desist vs. Quietly Action

Students do not take personal responsibility for their behaviors.

Students do not learn a lesson by the use of desists, because it stops the behavior but does not show a better way to behave.

Does not provide strategies to deal with more serious problems.

Only keeping students busy so they cannot act out.

Only routine classroom management problems can be addressed on a daily basis.

What is it?

Instructional Practice you want to avoid...

In a nutshell...

The teacher is primarily responsible for the learner's behaviors.

Demonstrate appropriate teaching behaviors

Maintain appropriate instructional momentum

Work toward group focus

“Teachers who have clear transitions from one learning activity to another one, who know what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times, and who know how to maintain instructional momentum will be effective classroom managers.”

Dangles: A teacher starts an activity and leaves it “hanging in midair”. The teacher may come back to this activity later.

Flip-flops: When a teacher terminates one activity, begins another one, and then reverts to the first activity.

• Example: The teacher tell students to put their science books away and to get out their spelling books. After they are ready to start spelling, the teacher asks the question, “What was one interesting thing you learned in science class today?”

Jerkiness: Lack of lesson smoothness and momentum. Teacher switching from one topic to another without notifying students.

Slowdowns: Distractions that slow down the lesson.

Overdwelling: When a teacher dwells on corrective behavior longer than needed or on a lesson longer than required for most students to understand it.

Fragmentation: A type of slowdown where the teacher breaks a lesson or activity into parts when it could be performed as a single unit.

• Example page 102

It deals more with preventing issues before they become a problem.

Practices that could be either good or bad depending on context...

Continued...

Meet the Theorist...

Desists: An effort to stop misbehavior such as addressing a student during class time. Should be used only when necessary.

Quiet Action: When a teacher attempts to stop bad behavior without disrupting the lesson.

example: walking over to student and taking a hand written note that is causing distraction.

Ripple Effect: Can be positive or negative. If a student is misbehaving, other students may copy the wrong behavior. Conversely, if a teacher corrects a behavior, other students may follow and improve their misbehavior.

Good Instructional Management:

Satiation: Teaching the same lesson for so long that the students are tired of the topic. Students lose motivation.

• What can be done to improve this?
• Show enthusiasm for the topic
• Respond positively about the activity
• Tell students that the activity requires a special intellectual challenge
• Ask higher level questions

Stimulus Bound: When the teacher is teaching a lesson, then suddenly shift their attention to an external situation.

• Example: A fight breaking out in the hallway

Thrust: A teacher’s sudden “bursting in” on students’ activities with an order, statement, or question.

• Are the students ready to receive the message?

Truncation: Same as a dangle, but the teacher never resumes the activity.

Group Accountability: The teacher holds the students accountable and responsible for their task performance.

• Examples could be checklists or task cards. When a student understands they will be held accountable, student misbehavior decreases.

Group Alerting: Refers to the degree to which a teacher attempts to involve all learners in learning tasks, maintain their attention, and keep them “on their toes.”

Group Focus: Teacher makes an attempt to keep the attention of all members of the class at the same time. Keeps classroom control and eliminates misbehavior.

Movement Management: Focusing on the entire class and moving throughout the room to attend to the behaviors of all students.

• Jacob Kounin
• Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms (1970)
• Over two decades of work
• Analyzed thousands of hours of video of classes from many grade levels and different neighborhoods

Continued...

Overlapping: When teacher have two matters to deal with at the same time. (Multitasking)

• Example: working with a small group of students on a reading lesson, and students in another part of the room start misbehaving.

Withitness: Teachers are aware of all the activities, events, and behaviors that are happening in the classroom. “Eyes in the back of their head.”

Momentum: The flow of the lesson, knowing when to slow down and when to move on. This means the teacher has a clear objective, and keeps the lesson succinct and to the point. Involves flexibility.

• A timer may be helpful.

Smoothness: Keeping everything moving despite outside distractions.

• Example: Stay on topic, stick to the lesson plan, and circulating throughout the classroom.

All of today's content is a result of his numerous years of study!

Helpful tips for Both Elementary and Secondary are on the bottom of the packet.

Do you have any questions about the theory or clarifications?