Classroom Management
90 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Routines, behavior systems, engagement, and de-escalation, drawn from Kounin's withitness research through modern tiered supports and restorative practice. The prevention side of the job, not just the discipline side.
- What is classroom management?
- Everything a teacher does to organize time, space, materials, behavior, and relationships so that learning can happen.
- What did Jacob Kounin find distinguished well-managed classrooms?
- Prevention rather than reaction: skilled teachers stopped problems before they spread and kept lessons moving.
- What is withitness?
- A teacher's demonstrated awareness of what is happening everywhere in the room, communicated so students believe it.
- What is overlapping in classroom management?
- Handling two events at once, such as correcting a behavior without stopping the small-group lesson.
- What is momentum in Kounin's terms?
- Keeping a lesson moving at a steady pace without needless pauses, which prevents the dead time where misbehavior starts.
- What is a slowdown, or overdwelling?
- Spending far more time on a direction, a transition, or a minor issue than it needs, which loses the group's attention.
- What is the ripple effect in classroom management?
- A correction directed at one student affects the behavior of the students watching.
- What is a classroom routine?
- A specific sequence of actions taught and practiced until it runs without teacher direction.
- Why are routines taught rather than announced?
- Students cannot follow a procedure they have only heard once; routines need explanation, modeling, practice, and feedback like any skill.
- What is the difference between a rule and a procedure?
- A rule sets an expectation for behavior and may carry a consequence; a procedure is simply how a task is done and carries reteaching, not punishment.
- How many classroom rules are generally recommended?
- A short set, usually three to five, stated positively and broad enough to cover most situations.
- Why are rules written positively?
- A positive statement names the behavior you want, which students can actually perform, while a prohibition only names what to avoid.
- What is a transition in classroom terms?
- Any movement between activities, locations, or materials.
- What is a signal for attention?
- An agreed cue, such as a chime, countdown, or call and response, that reliably brings the class to silence and eye contact.
- What is a do now, or bell ringer?
- A short task available the moment students enter, so class begins without dead time.
- What is proximity control?
- Moving near a student who is drifting off task, which redirects behavior without a public correction.
- What is a least-to-most intrusive correction sequence?
- Starting with the smallest effective response, such as a look or proximity, and escalating only if needed.
- What is a private correction?
- Addressing behavior quietly and individually rather than in front of the class.
- What is behavior-specific praise?
- Praise that names exactly what the student did and why it mattered.
- What ratio of positive to corrective interactions is commonly recommended?
- At least four or five positive interactions for every correction.
- What is precorrection?
- Reminding students of the expectation just before the situation where it is usually broken.
- What is an active supervision routine?
- Deliberately moving, scanning, and interacting during independent or unstructured time rather than sitting at the desk.
- What is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports?
- A school-wide, tiered framework for teaching and reinforcing expected behavior and using data to decide who needs more support.
- What are the three tiers in a multi-tiered system of support?
- Tier 1 universal supports for all students, Tier 2 targeted supports for some, Tier 3 intensive individualized supports for a few.
- What is a behavior matrix?
- A grid listing school-wide expectations down one side and settings across the top, with the specific behavior defined in each cell.
- What is a functional behavior assessment?
- A structured process to identify what a behavior achieves for the student so a support plan can teach a better route to the same outcome.
- What are the four common functions of behavior?
- Gaining attention, gaining access to something tangible, escaping or avoiding a demand, and sensory or automatic reinforcement.
- What is an ABC record?
- A log of the Antecedent before a behavior, the Behavior itself, and the Consequence that followed.
- What is a behavior intervention plan?
- A written plan based on a functional behavior assessment that specifies prevention strategies, a replacement behavior to teach, and how adults will respond.
- What is a replacement behavior?
- An acceptable behavior taught to the student that achieves the same function as the problem behavior, at least as easily.