Classroom management strategies for 6-8 year olds?

[staceyobu]

I teach classical conversations and I feel like my kids are getting wilder with each week that passes. Does anyone have some good classroom management strategies? I feel like they are either bouncing off the walls or staring out the window. Sigh.

[Sevilla]

1. What time of day is your class?

2. What is the seating arrangement like? (tables or desks, rows/ushape/angled rows, what kind of chairs)

3. What topic do you teach?

4. How many students and what is the boy/girl ratio?

 

Answering those questions will help me in formulating a better response :).

[SonshineLearner]

Well, after directing a CC group for 3 years, and now having our own co-op, here are a few. Get a mom who can be with you more than not. Look at who is in your class, don't know how your group does it... but I believe it's being recommended for parents to stay in one classroom this year... (and then switch to your other child's classroom the next week) So, place your parents right in between children... assign seats. Decide what is "disobedient/distractive" and what is behavior you just don't like. The behavior that is not to be tolerated is one part... the part you just don't like... ignore. So, behaviors that might not be ok.... "raise your hand when you want to speak." When they don't, just don't let them answer... if possible. If they won't stop, then ask, "Mrs. Jones, pls talk to Little Johnny out in the hall" Don't be afraid to pull parents into taking kids out.

You can also have all names on the board, then mark "strikes" by their names if they won't obey. Three strikes, you sit by mom the rest of the day. (or have to leave) Also, DO talk to your director about this!! This is her/his job to help you figure out. You can get better at classroom management, but you need "back-up" The other thing is you can take a few minutes each day to go over rules. DO you have a copy of "Think like a Classical Student, Think like a Christian Student"? Or, just talk about what makes classes work. I had one tutor who came in and just "wiped the slate clean" by explaining that CC is school, you must respect her and each other, and you would be out with your mom... if you don't listen. She did it with force and some compassion :) Give your Director a heads up... so she can come in and support you... (and let her know before..)

[tex-mex]

Never did CC but was a Elementary School teacher for this age group.

 

Did you go over class rules and consequences on day one? You have to be consistent with behavior. Incentives work. Stickers or non-toxic smelly rubber stamp on hand to show parent they behaved.

 

One trick I used at that age was to turn the lights on and off to get attention. Calmly repeat the class rule. Continue with lesson. Use positive words when class has a good day. They do want to please you. But at this age, it can be like herding cats if they are not all on board.

 

I would do a handclap 3 times and the class knew to repeat the clap in unison. This tactic stops the behavior and redirects the group to your lesson.

 

Another trick was to ring a small bell to gain everyone's attention. Remind them of the rule (calm voice, but you are in charge teacher voice) and reinforce it.

 

Mark the person's name on the board if it is in the middle of a lesson. Don't stop your lesson to deal with it. Finish the lesson and then while the kids are doing seatwork, speak with that child in a corner of the room (so others don't hear or embarrass the child) as a warning. If the behavior continues during the session for the hour, day, etc... mark a check by the name.

 

1 check = timeout or no incentive (sticker, star on wall chart)

2 checks= speak to parent

3 checks= co-op leaders notified

[staceyobu]

1. What time of day is your class?

2. What is the seating arrangement like? (tables or desks, rows/ushape/angled rows, what kind of chairs)

3. What topic do you teach?

4. How many students and what is the boy/girl ratio?

 

Answering those questions will help me in formulating a better response :).

 

 

1. It's from 9:30 to 12:00. We are stuck in one room for that entire time.

2. We have tables that seat four. I've been pushing two together and sitting the kids around the outside. There are extra tables so I could switch up the seating some.

3. I teach classical conversations.

4. 7 students. 4 girls. 3 boys.

[tex-mex]

By all means use the aides (moms) with getting them to focus!! Get the moms to help.

[Starr]

It sounds like they could use a run around mid way through the class.

[staceyobu]

Decide what is "disobedient/distractive" and what is behavior you just don't like. The behavior that is not to be tolerated is one part... the part you just don't like... ignore.

 

I think it's hard for me to determine which is which. I feel like they are all pushing the envelope constantly, but no one is being totally outrageous. Examples... not following directions at all during art time but instead coloring whatever they feel like... or wandering around while they are supposed to be standing and doing hand motions.

[tex-mex]

It sounds like they could use a run around mid way through the class.

 

:iagree:

2.5 hours is a long time. And it is normal for kids at that age to wander or daydream. But the OP needs to redirect them -- sometimes personality of one child can cause the whole group to act out? I say nip it in the bud early on.

Edited September 15, 2011 by tex-mex

[mrs.m]

I think it's hard for me to determine which is which. I feel like they are all pushing the envelope constantly, but no one is being totally outrageous. Examples... not following directions at all during art time but instead coloring whatever they feel like... or wandering around while they are supposed to be standing and doing hand motions.

 

I have one in that age group and the class sounds about the same. The tutor just reminds them to listen to her and follow directions. And none of them do all the time.

 

Our class doesn't wander but they act like they need a cup of coffee to liven them up during the memory work. :lol:

 

Make your expectations of how you want the moms to handle these situations in an email. So if you don't want the kiddos to wander, the moms need to redirect them back to the group so you can continue on with instruction. They should sit behind the kids too. It also helps if the moms are active and doing the motions with everyone. (in my opinion)

 

And you are a saint for taking on this age group. :D

[angela in ohio]

What is your campus discipline policy? The Director should have a consistent discipline policy in place, and you can follow that. If not, you need to set up your own policy. In the CC model, it always involves turning the child to his or her parent. On our campus, we gave one warning (with a conversation with the parent later,) and then the child went to the parent. The parent deals with it and returns the child to the classroom when they are ready to behave in a way that does not hinder the group. If it is a repeated problem, you can require the parent to stay in your room every week.

[Sevilla]

I think it's hard for me to determine which is which. I feel like they are all pushing the envelope constantly, but no one is being totally outrageous. Examples... not following directions at all during art time but instead coloring whatever they feel like... or wandering around while they are supposed to be standing and doing hand motions.

A few thoughts come to mind...First is that they probably haven't been taught how to handle this type of large-group classroom scenario, so it is up to you to teach it. They don't sound disobedient, more young and clueless which is far easier to handle :). Here are some ideas:

 

* Experiment with different seating assignments, but for just 7 students I'd have two tables like this -------- --------- and have them arranged boy-girl-boy-girl.

 

* Post a few explicit rules in the classroom on a poster. Tailor them to the management struggles you're dealing with, and each class go over the rules with the students. Examples (I'd pick 3-4)

 

Class Boundaires/Rules

1. Show respect to the teacher and classmates

2. Raise your hand to ask a question

3. Stay at your table until the teacher says you can move

4. Follow the teacher's directions

5. Focus your attention

 

I'm fine with students fidgeting/standing in my class - but not wandering around. Some kids need to wiggle more in order to concentrate and that is ok with me - but it needs to be within certain boundaries. I'd probably talk with the students about what is/isn't ok to do with their bodies during instructional time (i.e., "If you need to wiggle, try tapping your foot or standing up but please stay in your place b/c it distracts others when you walk around and doesn't show respect to their learning").

 

* I'd also make sure you have the class broken up into 20-30 minute increments and post that schedule on the board - with approximate times

 

Ex.

Our Classical Conversations Routine:

Art: 25 minutes

History: 30 minutes

Break: 4 minutes (have structure to what they can do - jumping jacks, heads up 7 up, other movement - they could change seats at the break too)

Reading: 20 minutes

Literature: 30 minutes

Break: 4 minutes

Science: 45 minutes

 

That provides external boundaries for their behavior and the day which you can refer them back to when they're out of line.

[deacongirl]

I love this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Wealth-Initiative-Nurtured-Education/dp/0967050774

[nowimscrappin]

This is my first year participating in CC and I feel sorry for our tutor. We only have 5 in our class - 4 girls and 1 boy. The boy is her son and he is all boy, so she is having to redirect him a lot. Not outrageous but definitely boy. There is also a girl that is disruptive. Her mom is a tutor for another group, so she's never there. The girl can't sit still, went to the bathroom twice in an hour at one point, made random noises, at one point the tutor had to grab a pencil that she was pointing directly in her eye. There are two of us moms in there every week and we have taken to redirecting this girl so that the tutor isn't always having to do it, and she can try and focus on the other kids, but the tutor had to outright tell her that she needed to behave or she would have to talk to her mommy.

 

Funny thing - I remember this girl from when we visited for Open House last year and I can remember wishing we weren't in her class this year, but here we are. Mainly because while Emma can behave well, she is only 6 and sometimes get "caught up" in others talking or misbehaving.

[Chris in VA]

I don't know what your work looks like, but if there's a lot of "one kid answers while others wait" kind of thing, you can get individual white boards and have everyone write an answer and then turn it around to "reveal." That keeps everyone occupied.

 

I think I'd say that the parents need to be sitting beside or behind their kids for the next 4 weeks or so, and fully participating in the class.

 

You can also play games to quiz and do memory work.

 

Divide-and-conquer can work, too--one parent overseeing 2 or 3 kids for memory work, then everyone presenting.

[arghmatey]

Where are the parents during your class?

 

We are completely on top of our own children during CC (Foundations, Abecedarians). The tutor has not had to discipline any children other than her own.

 

Maybe you can request for the parent to attend the class the entire time until the behavior issues are handled. Our tutors are not responsible for discipline, and you shouldn't have to be.

 

Our children sit while we review new material, then we move to another room for science, then back to the first room for presentations, then we eat snacks and do fine arts, and finally, we review old material. The review always involves a game where the children get to move around--they either get to run a lap around a table when they get a correct answer or get a turn in a game we are playing, such as Kerplunk.

 

The only time the children actually need to sit still for thirty minutes is the first chunk--new material.

 

Also, the children sit at a table for art, science, and snack. The rest of the time they are lined up in chairs facing the tutor at a white board. The moms sit behind them.