Arends

#1 What are some of the behaviors of effective classroom managers as described in the Texas and Kounin studies?

Effective classroom management is so critical to develop. I know that as I have begun teaching this past semester, it has been the one area I find truly overwhelming. I want to be a great teacher, but I really struggled to manage twenty-six fourth graders.

One of the ideas suggested in this article is that classroom management "cannot be separated from the other functions of teaching." It must be part of the teaching. Half of the battle of classroom management is won when you can implement effective teaching practices. A lesson that creates a learning environment and maintains student cooperation will minimize discipline problems because the students will be engaged in the lesson.

On the flip side, if you do not have adequate management of your classroom, you cannot have an effective instruction. Teaching and management work together. When both are in line, great lessons occur. If one is failing, the other will as well.

So how can we accomplish both tasks? The article provides great feedback on strategies that work. First of all, in the Kounin studies, teachers were most effective who had well-conceived activities that flowed smoothly. In addition, they had great group management and developed instructional procedures that ran smoothly. The Texas studies also provide great feedback. The most effective teachers were those who:
-had procedures that governed behavior (i.e. talking, participation, turning in work, etc.)
-Had clear and concise instructions for students
-handled misbehavior quickly
-monitored student progress

Grabe Assignment

#1 What is the Big Six and how should it be used?

The Big Six is a set of steps students can follow in order to come to a solution. This steps include: task definition, information seeking, locating and accessing, use of information, organizing and communicating, and evaluation.

Initially, as I read through the steps it reminded me of the scientific method. I can still remember that goofy song my 7th grade science teacher made me memorize. As I continued reading about the big six, it reminded me of the process of writing a paper. However, I feel these steps can be incorporated into solving many different types of problems.

These steps are most useful when done in order. If you do not adequately fulfill one requirement, you may have difficulty moving forward. For example, the first task is to define the problem. What is it that you need to find out or accomplish? If you do not properly define your task you will have difficulty in the next step : information seeking. You will not be able to find the answer if you have not yet defined the problem.