The Joy of Learning Through Management

May 1, 2015
Issue #354

I have been doing a lot of thinking about management lately, different management styles, management of classrooms of students, and managing adult groups. I often wonder how those being managed really feel about the various systems in place and if the results intended are indeed the results attained.

Management styles vary as widely as personality types do. One management style I recently encountered was in the classroom of a brand new teacher. It favored the "I want to be your friend and have everyone like me" approach. Predictably, with few management strategies in place, along with a deep-rooted belief that taking a stand on poor behavior or redirecting inappropriate conversations between classmates would lead to students not liking the teacher, this classroom was not functioning as the teacher had intended it to function.

The new teacher had been receiving advice from an experienced colleague across the hall. That teacher fell into the behavior management chart category, where students were overtly pointed out in front of the whole class for inappropriate behavior choices, then asked to make the "walk of shame" to the board to move their name, visually indicating a problem to all. The teacher had used that management chart for many years, yet things weren’t going as well as hoped in that classroom either.

Upon having a conversation with students in both classrooms, it was fascinating to hear what they had to say about each management approach. The comments ranged from, “Kids in my room are mean to others, and it worries me” to a fixation on who had to move their name that day and who got extra recess because they didn’t move their name.

For many of us, spring break is behind us and the end of the year is looming. That means spring fever may have hit, and with it can often come bumpy behaviors. Students may be anxious if this is their last year at the school, and others are facing a long summer without friends, books, learning, or their beloved teachers. So this is the perfect time to stop and reevaluate what is working and not working in our classrooms and to make some changes to help everyone (the teacher included) end the year on a positive note. 

Which brings me to this wonderful article by Justin Minkel, worthy of being read by anyone who manages people. The article, titled “Distracted by Rewards: Moving Beyond Carrots and Sticks,” provides a refreshing viewpoint that helped me refocus on doing the hard work of setting guidelines so children know that "being cruel will not be tolerated." By focusing on creating the intrinsic motivation, students can find the joy of learning without being bogged down by fear of behaviors from peers or having an unbalanced focus on the extrinsic carrots offered for good behavior.

Enjoy!

 

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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iPads in the Classroom, Part 1 of 2

With more and more iPads appearing in our classrooms, it's important to know how to make the most of these technological tools. 

 

Math Writing Problem of the Day

Ready for two new ideas for math writing? Listen in!

 

 

Huggapotamus by Steve Metzger *

Albert loves to hug his friends and must learn how to show his friends he cares.

 

"I Can" Bookmarks

Help students remember the key factors of these accuracy strategies with easily reproduced bookmarks.

1  Read Text as the Author Would Say It, Conveying Meaning or Feeling*

2  Read Appropriate-Level Texts That Are a Good Fit*
 

 

*Available to members

b-Resilient Stretch Your Mind Keep your body and mind stretched to keep up with day-to-day living.

Conferring with CCPensieve Create New Conferring Groups Our groups are flexible and fluid. The CCP makes it easy to create new groups.

 

Professional Development Opportunities

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2015 Live Workshops We are excited about our 2015 workshops. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two is a new CAFE Intensive.  Location Dates Charlotte, NC Westin Charlotte June 6, 7 Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano June 25 (full), 26 (full) Orange County, CA Hyatt Regency Orange County August 3, 4 Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America   August 29, 30   Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth September 19, 20 Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas November 14, 15

2015 Online Seminars Prefer short bursts of information combined with independent learning? Each session offers separate seminars on Daily 5, CAFE and Math Daily 3. May 3–May 30 (Full) May 31-June 27 July 7-Aug1 Aug 2-Aug 29 Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses. Up & Running with the Daily 5 Our new how-to video, shot in third-grade and fifth-grade classrooms, is available through subscription for online streaming or as a DVD.  Go to Stenhouse Publishers to learn about a limited-time offer that could benefit your school.