Web Tools for Classroom Management

From Library Journal and School Library Journals / The Digital Shift, here's an interesting way to keep up with attendance and behavior reporting.

Free Web Tools Make Classroom Management Fun

The author, Richard Byrne says:

When I decided to become a teacher, the first course I took was on classroom management. It involved all sorts of rubrics and checklists for documenting student behavior—certainly not the most fun aspect of the job, but a necessary one. The records that I learned to keep have come in handy over the years, especially for sharing with students’ parents when we meet to discuss their children’s work. Thankfully, taking attendance and other record keeping no longer require paper, nor do parents and students have to wait until conference time to review this information.

Enjoy!

Post 2: Creating a Positive Learning Environment

When we described our ideal classroom environment, I listed these characteristics: comfortable, vibrant, interesting, and organized. A school media center, or library, doesn't have to be a dry and boring place where a student comes only when forced to do research on a paper he or she doesn't want to do. No! The media center should be a vibrant and thriving environment where, yes, we do research sometimes, but where you can follow your own curiosity and interests...leading to the path of greater learning.

Few librarians get to construct a library from the ground up, designing spaces, plotting shelves, and shaping the physical environment. When we get a new position (whether in a school library or public or special collection), the great majority of space is often set for us and cannot be changed without a major overhaul of the entire facility. And we all know that's probably not going to happen.

However, what we can change in the physical environment --the placement of tables, reading areas, technology, social spaces, and the like -- can influence the learning environment a great deal. I would want to arrange the room to promote student interaction and collaboration with plenty of tables or groupings of chairs. In the elementary grades, I would also want to provide floor seating, a rug or teaching space, as well kid-friendly chairs or beanbags for quiet reading.  A high school media center may call for individual study corrals to minimize distractions, depending on how the library is utilized by faculty and students.

No matter how the space is arranged, the librarian should be able to easily monitor student activities and behavior. As many media centers allow open access to any student during the school day, the librarian must monitor and respond to many students do many different tasks at any given time. Librarians must show a high degree of withitness.

My library will have a clear set of expectations for student behavior, conforming to the school's overall policy. In addition, libraries must add a component to address how materials are treated (books, technology, magazines, etc.).

Most importantly, I hope to establish good relationships with the students who come into the library. Maintaining positive relationships with students can go a long way in dealing with behavior issues, particularly in special areas that might not be visited as often. Students will be treated with respect, and I except that they will treat me, my staff, and other students with that same respect.

CSEL Case Study: Elementary Education -- When Lisa comes to the library with her class, I often put the students in groups to work together on that week's topic. She gets angry with others if she doesn't get the job she wants or if she feels like her ideas for the assignment are not being followed. She refuses to contribute to the group's learning, constantly interrupting the other members and not paying attention to what others are saying.

In order to address Lisa's behaviors, I first would respond with a cue to the class to stay on task, followed by reminders to be respectful of others. Then I would place myself in proximity to Lisa's group in hopes that my presence and attention would encourage her to get with the program. She may also require a more understated individual cue (a look, a shake of the head, those raised eyebrows) that would indicate to her that she needs to cease certain behaviors and focus on her work.

Next, I would ask to speak with her privately, perhaps in a quiet corner or in my office. We would address her anger and unwillingness to work together as a group. Pointing out her negative behaviors can promote self-regulation in making her initially aware of the problem. As Lisa is in third grade, she may not be aware that her actions are inappropriate or how they affect her group's work.

Finally, if she continues with her inattention and disruptions over a period of time (a couple of visits to the library), I would certainly discuss the issue to her classroom teacher. Perhaps the teacher can shed some light on what is causing Lisa's behavior and what works well in the classroom to address similar problems. If Lisa, the teacher, and I cannot work out her problems to our satisfaction and in accordance with the school's policies for student behavior, then I would call Lisa's parents and see what solutions we might work out. In an extreme case, Lisa may have to sit out of library visits for a week or two until she can get her behavior and attitudes under control.

Post 1: The Nitty-Gritty

So let's get down to the nitty-gritty...what is it that really motivates students to learn? Are we motivated extrinsically by the carrot, the promise of reward, the candy, the sticker, the grade? Or are we more truly motivated by less-measurable factors like curiosity, mastery, and pleasure?

Daniel Pink's TED talk on The Puzzle of Motivation (and there's a great RSAnimate version of the talk here, for all you visual learners) led me eventually to an interesting guest on Pink's Office Hours segment. Pink interviews Paul Tough, author of the new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.

Tough hypothesizes that it is not necessarily intelligence, IQ, or success on tests which measure those types of cognitive skills that determine a child's long-term success in school and in life. Instead, he says that more intangible skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control play a greater role in determining a child's success. Consider also the role of grit (yes, grit) in a child's development. He cites the research of Dr. Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, who studies the effect of grit as a predictor of success. (Duckworth's research is not limited to student success, but instead human development. She gives an excellent TedxBlue lecture on grit, and you can measure your own gritty-ness on her Grit Scale. I scored a 4.13, if you're curious.)

Tough  points our the surprising ways that parents do - and do not - prepare their children for adulthood. He notes that helping a child deal with failures and manage adversity can increase the child's persistence and grit, and ultimately help them succeed. Non-cognitive skills are more often developed within the context of meaningful relationships, including relationships with other adults (coaches, music instructors, scout leaders, etc.) which influence children to develop these characteristics.

Tough defines grit as "perseverance in the pursuit of a passion," but notes that the passion must be the child's own, not the parents' passion, or the teachers' passion. This ties closely to the theory of self-determination and autonomy, which indicate high intrinsic motivations.

I am totally fascinated by this stuff. A little known fact about me among my class peers is that we home-schooled our older son, who incidentally has some special education needs, for two years in first and second grades. The question of motivating that little guy was always first in my mind. How can I make today's work more interesting, more relevant? How can I use his natural curiosity to maximum advantage for learning? When it's your child and your responsibility (which it inherently is whether your child attends public school or not), motivation becomes Very. Very. Important.

Additional note:  I was also reminded of the controversy of the self-proclaimed Tiger Mother, Amy Chua, who took quite a lot of heat a couple of years ago for her non-conventional, non-Western approach to parenting. One might say that she was the primary motivator of and for her daughters, without any kind of external or extrinsic reward for them (except possibly being the best at everything they set their hands to). However, we read the following in Annie Murphy Paul's 2001 article in Time magazine, which adds evidence to Tough's claim that we do no great service to our children when we insulate them from adversity:

Most surprising of all to Chua's detractors may be the fact that many elements of her approach are supported by research in psychology and cognitive science. Take, for example, her assertion that American parents go too far in insulating their children from discomfort and distress. Chinese parents, by contrast, she writes, "assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently." In the 2008 book A Nation of Wimps, author Hara Estroff Marano, editor-at-large of Psychology Today magazine, marshals evidence that shows Chua is correct. "Research demonstrates that children who are protected from grappling with difficult tasks don't develop what psychologists call 'mastery experiences,' " Marano explains. "Kids who have this well-earned sense of mastery are more optimistic and decisive; they've learned that they're capable of overcoming adversity and achieving goals." Children who have never had to test their abilities, says Marano, grow into "emotionally brittle" young adults who are more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

A Couple of Thoughts

Hey, look at me! I'm thinking thoughts!!

I started this blog in 2009, but never got past the title and an initial (still) un-published post. Our oldest was starting kindergarten at the time, and for some reason (don't ask me why), I thought I'd have more time on my hands to think and write. False.

So here I am, 3+ years later, thinking and writing...and starting back to school. I must be crazy!

Why would I do such a thing?! Well, it's high-time I went back to the working world, this time actually using one my many hard-earned degrees. Your BA in English? Nope. Oh, must be the Masters in English? Nope, not that one either. Oh, your other Masters in Library Science? Yes, but it's 'Information Science'....and I need my School Library Media Specialist endorsement in order to work in the public school system.

So here we are. Back in school after a long hiatus.

Kinds feels like this sometime:

I've enjoyed hanging out with the 20 year olds so far, don't get me wrong, but I still am feelin' 40ish. You can wish me a happy birthday next Thursday - it's a big one.

Happy Semester to me. :)