Classroom Management Systems

                                  Classroom Management

 One of the concepts highly stressed at the University of Central Florida in the education department is the concept that as a teacher visits several schools and interviews with potential principals, it's important to turn the tables and find out what you want to know about the school.  An interview should go both ways, so prepare by having some questions for the interviewer.  One of the main considerations mentioned is to compare your own teaching philosophies to that of the school's philosophies.  To do that, you need to be knowledgeable about classroom management systems and what they should look like.  You need to define yourself by what you value in classroom conduct and how you feel you can help your students most.  You need to find your own personal style of teaching and begin to implement it.  There are several, but for now, let's consider two systems worth mentioning.  PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) are two mainstream systems often discussed by educators in the Orlando area.  From my experience, most schools make it apparent what system they operate off of to the point where the majority of the students can in fact tell you what the system entails.

     PBIS is a school wide system for influencing positive behavior among the students.  From the principal to the teachers and all library and cafeteria staff, the system is expected to be adhered to and to be consistently represented throughout school property.  It is to be modeled and reinforced.  PBIS is a tiered system where there is a standard instructional method for all students called the universal level.  This part of the program, when properly upheld will influence, potentially, 85% of the student population to adhere to the expectations of the school.  This level includes teacher modeling, structured rules and routines, rewards and consequences associated with behavior, and even time in the day incorporating talks about behavior into the curriculum.  On tier II 10-15% of students benefit from small groups of students meeting together to discuss strategies on how to deal with situations such as anger management and self management (being off-task and disruptive) so that they will continue to strive for better behavior in the classroom.  At tier III only 5-7% of students will need services beyond small groups.  At tier III students begin to be considered for learning disabilities and undergo behavior monitoring by professionals to assess trends and try to pinpoint what is causing misbehavior as well as determine intervention strategies. All of this information and more can be found on the APA website.  Another resource that I found helpful as a quick overview of the Positive Behavior Support system is PBIS.org's 8 page guide  which covers all aspects of PBS at a glance and can be a quick reference for beginning teachers and interns.

     The UDL approach focuses less on behavior modification, but on classroom modification to fit every need.  It focuses on the principle that if we make arrangements to meet the need of someone with a disability or restriction, everyone benefits in ways not even intended by the original designer.  An example is how curbs that dip to allow access to the sidewalk by wheelchairs have now been utilized by people with baby carriages and people pushing or pulling any type of cart.  The same concept holds true for education.  The key concepts in the UDL model are equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use.  In short, if you can consider each one of your students' special needs in preparation of a school activity then you can make it available and enjoyable for everyone and you can validate them all as individuals.  It is important to not simply utilize this approach, but to share it with your students as well.  Ensure that you have a classroom climate that celebrates diversity.  Emphasize the importance of communication between teacher and students.  Give students a choice in how they will learn the lesson and how they will show competency,  Give students feedback early, before an assignment is due to ensure that they understand exactly what is required of them.  Choose to provide captions with any video shown to the class.  By taking simple steps to give students freedom in their own education you are aiming to ensure that everyone gains knowledge equally.  For more information on the UDL method visit the University of Washington and their very thorough explanation including resources, videos, and programs that center around UDL.

     After reviewing the information given about these two unique classroom management systems, it is easy to say that both have positive qualities and both systems could be effective in a classroom setting.  That being said, they are very different.  They each work in different ways to meet different needs.  As I wrote my first draft of this post, I had convinced myself that there was virtually no way these two systems could work together because I felt that they focused on different issues and worked towards opposing goals, but then my instructor prompted me to look deeper, and sure enough, she was right.  It took me a while, but I found a very rare video of a school that has found away to include both systems in their school and shows how it's positively impacted all of their students.  The school is Maple Wood Elementary School in New Hampshire.  If you'd like to view it before finishing, here is a short, 13 minute video of Tasya's Story.
Enjoy.