Tate "Shouting Won't Make Dendrites Grow" response

One of the major challenges in my classroom is definitely addressing all the different types of misbehavior. I have already noticed that my classroom misbehavior tends to run the gamut-- some minor misbehavior that just seems to be done out of trying to gain 'control', especially among peers... but also, much of the challenging behavior stems from a few of my higher students, which is likely indicative of inadequacy of rigor. I hope to be able to address this by providing work that genuinely challenges these students and upping the expectations that I hold for them. This may mean using the second grade teachers as resources, or seeking more challenging homework pages to supplement their work with.

In terms of meeting the need for control issues, I think I have been fairly good at ironing out these issues with the a.m. class, but less solid with the p.m. class. One thing that I have focused on is empowering the more challenging students with positivity--- giving the ability to have some control (by being a helper, etc) as a reward for truly good behavior. This has worked incredibly well with one student in particular and I look forward to implementing this more with the students in my p.m. class. The a.m. class also seems to have a better grasp on the fact that I am their teacher and need their respect in order to have a productive classroom. The p.m. class fights authority more, both with me and in the afterschool program, which is in my classroom. I think I should probably observe this power struggle in the afterschool program further, to determine ways to be authoritative without being authoritarian.

In terms of dealing with students need for attention, there are many different mechanisms that I am working on implementing.

1. Being more purposeful about giving each child attention before they enter my classroom (i.e. hug, handshake, high five, etc) and giving them a little one-on-one time. Too often, it is the loudest students that end up with the most one-on-one time [for both positive and/or negative reasons].
2. Ignoring the attention getting behaviors/clinginess from specific students. I will be more clear with directions with them, do a CFU to ensure that they can work independently, and then reinforce to them that I will check in with them again in (X) minutes, when the activity is finished. I have one student in my a.m. class for whom this is a major challenge and another in the PM. To go along with this, I have already implemented the rule that students may not call my name when they need help--- they will get help by sitting up and raising their hand like a rocketeer!
3. Work on reminding students to ignore poor behavior/not get caught up in it. The attention-seeking students will sometimes begin to seek attention from other students if I am purposefully ignoring it. While certain students are good about ignoring and just going about their work, others are more prone to getting caught up in misbehavior, which can lead the class off track.

Finally, in terms of dealing with misbehavior as a result of boredom, I think my plan will be to include one 5-minute break for every 40 minutes of learning time [much of which is already interactive]. This break will be included on the daily schedule and I will remind students at morning/afternoon meeting to check for the break if they are getting restless... giving them a reminder that there will always be time to get on their feet. I will also look for other ways to get students moving in the classroom (and during their breaks). Breaks so far have included: Our Learn Position song (also good for reinforcing behavior), Stretching, "Yoga", Flashcards (running HFW in AM), practicing procedures, parading around the room, singing UbD Rainforest song, etc. Hopefully more of these activities will help iron out boredom issues, and also keep students moving. I also try not to stay in any one location for more than 20 minutes at a time (i.e., will move students from rug to desks, to reading rug, to white board, to bulletin board, etc)> I am also trying to vary the time sitting, time standing, kneeling, walking, etc.