Cracking the Hard Class. By Bill Rogers. Paul Chapman Publishing, 2nd ed. ©2006. ISBN: 1-4129-2356-5
This book is about “strategies for managing the harder than average class”
KEY POINTS FROM BOOK: CHAPTER 1: “WHAT MAKES A CLASS ‘HARD’?”
Page 11:
· Group noise, poor learning habits, resistance to normal classroom management and learning.
· Hard classes ‘corporate’ behaviour can have a through-the-wall-effect on other classes
Page 12-16:
· Classes can be considered ‘hard’ when the frequency and the intensity of the disruptive behaviour significantly affects the welfare of one or more teachers and any sense they may have of productive teaching and learning.
· Another factor is duration.
· Hard or difficult to manage behaviour may be selective just for one of two teachers, may be due to the curriculum, the teacher style, personality, management or discipline approaches, organisation and timetabling of classes (i.e. ability streaming), physical work areas, grouping of students, reputation, subject area and how it is taught, belief of the teacher that affects their perception of the class and hence the classes behaviour, lack of colleague/school support, closed-door syndrome, treatment of the entire class (i.e. whole class detentions – as good students will then begin to act out if this is how their good behaviour is rewarded), or it may be one student of groups of students acting out for various other reasons.
· “We build a working relationship from day one as we engage that natural readiness in our students”.
· Students respond to a fair, reasonable, discipline within a teacher’s need to clarify rights, rules, and responsibilities.
o Teach – reasonable entry/exit routines, seat plans, rules for class discussions, simple cues for asking questions or getting teacher support, workable ‘noise’ levels, basic classroom agreements for learning and fair/respectful treatment of one another.
Page 17:
o Follow-up and follow through early
· Putting all the difficult and ‘reputation’ students into one class can result in:
o No significant role modelling of reasonable social and on-task behaviour
o Management of behaviour is more difficult as key power brokerage / ‘hierarchal pegging’
o Class gets a special reputation beyond any normative hard class
o Unfair for teacher and students – perception of an ‘isolated’ mentality for both
o Setting up such a class in the mainstream sends the message to students that we cannot you within the relative normality of a classroom setting.
o Partial withdrawal would be more effective to give behavioural support, of key learning and behavioural skills, one-to-one or in small groups through dialogue, active teaching, role modelling, and rehearsal
Page 18:
· Regular / normative classes subject difficult/hard students to the social pressure of their peers, sending the message that (reverse peer-pressure):
o They are always welcome in our classes/school but not with behaviour that continually and significantly affects the rights of others
o Your behaviour is your ‘choice’. Our message “when you come into our school this is how we do things. We can help you to make better, more effective choices. These choices will help you with your learning, behaviour, and relationships at our school.”
o YOYOB – “You Own Your Own Behaviour” – I don’t own it, your mates don’t own it, and your mum doesn’t own it. YOU DO. (Doesn’t deny the need to help, support, encourage students with their behaviour, but it enforces the idea that students are not merely victims)
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MY COMMENTS & REFLECTIONS: When I read this: "Your behaviour is your ‘choice’" and “You Own Your Own Behaviour”, I was happily surprised. It is always nice to gain evidence of something you have always believed. I have always found myself telling my students "you are responsible for your own behaviour, as only you can control how you act and what you choose to do". One of my bggest pet peeves is when I ask students to justify their behaviour, to give me a good reason as to why they behaved a certain way, and they say "well s/he made me" or they attempt to explain by stating how their classmate was acting and therefore that is why THEY acted the way they did (which actually has no connection to their behaviour at all). I have to keep reminding them that I want to know why they decided that they should behave the way they did and was not asking for a description of what their classmate was doing at the time of their behaviour (i.e. so their classmate made a mistake and was getting a rubber from a friend is this a good reason that the student in question was talking out of turn and crawling about the floor?). After telling them that they are responsible for their own behaviour, I also let my students know that I plan the way we approach learning based on how responsible they behave; if they show me they are mature enough then I am able to plan activities that are more fun, free, and open for exploration as I know that they won't get as out of hand or as loud as if I plan the same activity for students who act out frequently and are hard to manage (as you may never get through the activity with these individuals and therefore not learn what needs to be learned).
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Page 18-21
· Labels provide a useful summary; Global labels (All, Never, Always) are hindering when used for a whole class of an individual
· Ways to deal more effectively/positively with difficult students:
o After class chats, classroom meetings, conflict-resolution, problem solving with support, developing personal and individual behaviour plans
· “Shouting a class down” – trains students – we don’t believe the class can settle and listen without the shouting. Sends the wrong message – unsettling, unnerving, over excite, or entertain instead of having the intended outcome.
· Non-verbal communication is just as important as our verbal – w=such as waiting, standing relaxed and just waiting (silent, casual, look at watch as appropriate but not overdone) then select appropriate words that convey your expectations (face this way and listening, settle down please and thank you, “I want everyone facing this way. I want to see everyone listening with their eyes and their ears”), walking around and settle groups/individuals one at a time, bell, clapping rhythm (If you can hear my voice, clap once. If you can hear my voice, clap twice. Etc.), silent teacher with hand or finger cue, writing or drawing on board.
Page 23-24:
· Sometimes, with a hard class or individual, we must remind ourselves “I can lead, guide, engage, challenge, encourage, and (at times, when necessary) confront. I cannot, simply, control others.”
· Safety valve methods – send a student messenger to disruptive class, “borrowing” students for brief time out, “message in the office” code for teacher to take a break while another covers
o Merely temporary relief, not a solution to the problem
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