Managing for an Effective, Efficient, and

Fun Classroom!Arkansas Choral Directors Association

July 29, 2015

Charlotte P. MizenerLamar University

Mary Morgan Moore Department of Musicclmizener@lamar.edu

How about You?

• How would you describe the climate or atmosphere in the ideal music classroom?

Your Responses

Your Responses

The Three Fs!

• Eff-ective• Eff-icient• Fun!

Suggestions to Achieve a Pleasant Classroom Environment

• Effective oral, written, and physical communication

• Giving directions, asking questions, and getting responses

• Arranging students for various activities• Monitoring and responding to students

MANAGE YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR FIRST

• YOU are the primary ingredient.• Your behavior is the first line of defense in the

classroom management effort .

Energy and Expression in Voice, Facial Expression, and Posture

Introverts & Extroverts

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain

• Introverts can learn to stay true to their own personalities and still express their passion for music

• Eat your Powdermilk Biscuits!• Develop strategies for effective teaching.

Enthusiasm, Exaggeration, and Intensity

• Your voice• Grammar and language• Facial expression and gestures• Posture

Grow Eyes in the Back of Your Head

• Monitor the entire room constantly• Be aware of looking toward one side more

than the other

“Be the Grown-Up”

• Don’t acknowledge smart remarks and comments

• Control and redirect the discussion• Always have a Plan B• Avoid sarcasm

THE TEACHER’S ORAL, WRITTEN, AND PHYSICAL COMMUNICATION

Oral Communication

• Wait for the Ss’ attention before you speak• Talking to themselves• Gathering their attention• Speak softly. Vary the dynamic level of your

speech.

Written Communication 1

• Sermon No. 47: Your written products represent you, your professional training, and the entire education profession.

• Show our proud profession in the best light by sending out only the best in written messages.

Written Communication 2

• Write large enough and dark enough• Write critical information on the board• Print your messages

Physical Communication

• Move with energy and intensity• But don’t wear out the people watching and

listening to you!• Model only positive examples of what you

want Ss to do.• Avoid demonstrating negative examples.

Where Do I Belong?

• Locate yourself where you can see the activity all around the room.

• Have a place to sit where children can see you comfortably.

• Move around the room and walk among the children.

Patience in Times of Stress

• Practice your best patience.• Results will not always come immediately.• Be consistent, persistent, and insistent of the

desired behaviors over a long period of time.

GIVING DIRECTIONS, ASKING QUESTIONS,

AND GETTING RESPONSES

Giving Directions Directly

• Give directions in terms of what to do, not what not to do.

• State your rules in positive language.• Recycle directions and instructional

information.• When you ask Ss to do it again, tell them what

to do differently.

Asking Questions

General Observations about Asking Questions

• Ask the questions before you sing or speak. Let Ss know to what to pay attention. Give them a fighting chance of getting it right!

• You know about “wait time.”• Let the children give the answers• Give cues and clues when they don’t respond.• After one S correctly responds, have other Ss signal

agree/disagree. Verify the response. Get Ss to explain their responses.

Open-Ended Questions

There are “open-ended” questions, and then there are “open-ended” questions.

• Desirable: to encourage imaginative, creative, individually-designed responses. invite creativity and exploration.

• Undesirable: to find out what students already know and understand or what they recall from a previous lesson.

• “Who knows...?” or “Who would like to…?”

A Desirable Kind of Open-Ended Question

• “Why do you suppose I am asking…?”• Give Ss time to think and come up with a

thoughtful reply. • Avoid, “Why am I asking…?”• As stated, the question calls for a specific

answer.• They can’t read your mind! Many will not want

to answer because they don’t know the right answer.

An Undesirable Kind of Open-Ended Question

• “Who knows...?” or “Who would like to…?”• Invites chaos among younger learners• Results in stony silence among older learners

Alternative to the Open-Ended Question

• State the request (“If you remember…,” “If you would like to…)

• Then specify the response (“…raise your hand.” “…give me a thumbs up.”)

• Be sure to state the request first, especially for younger children.

• Otherwise, all the hands will be in the air before they know what they are responding to!

Dishonest Questions

• Those questions that teachers sometimes ask a class when behavior is not appropriate and to which they do not expect answers (“Why is there talking?”).

• Instead of asking the dishonest questions, call attention to the classroom rule the Ss should be observing.

Getting Responses

• Make clear how Ss should respond.• --Raise hands and wait to be called on?• --Call out responses at any time?• You may have different expectations for

different situations.• Let Ss know when you expect hands and when

they may call out.

Responding with Signals

• Music is not a spectator sport!• Expect all Ss to participate.• Signals allow you to “check for understanding”

among all students.• And everyone has to vote.

ARRANGING STUDENTS FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES

Entering the Room

• Greet and supervise Ss as they enter the door.• Have a routine for jackets and caps and for

lunch boxes, if necessary.• I recommend seating charts, seating the

children boy-girl-boy-girl as far as they go.• Have no more than 2 of the same gender

together.

Starting the Lesson

• Have an opening routine:– Sing a greeting song. – Chant rhythm patterns. – Review rules or chant a Rules Rap. – Sing the roll call.

Moving during the Lesson

• Ask all Ss to stand up and move to one side of the room and then move them around.

• Watch for untied shoes.• Promise Ss who step out of line to tie their

shoe that they will have their places back.

More Moving Routines• When Ss move from a sitting position to

another location, have them just stand up and stand at their places first, then move (to line up, to return to their former places, etc.)

• Otherwise they can step on others’ fingers or just plain use the floor or riser as a push-off block for a race to the new place.

• Send Ss to a new location in small groups: boys/girls; colors of clothing. (Ask me for “57 Ways to Get Kids in a Row.”)

More Moving Routines• Have a set of movement rules and review

them before any movement activity.• 1. Stay with the music.• 2. Stay on your feet unless falling down is part

of the game.• 3. We touch one another only if touching is

part of the game.• FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE

CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT OBSERVING THE RULES!

On the Risers

• Ss always step down from the risers, and never jump or leap.

• Step down one row at a time.

Closing the Lesson and Dismissal

• Have a good-bye song.• Lead activities while Ss wait for teacher:– Rhythm gossip (tap on shoulder of next student)– Echo body sound patterns – Sing hand sign patterns– Tempo-dynamic clapping

MONITORING AND RESPONDING TO STUDENTS

You Are in Charge

• Your Ss CAN behave appropriately. • YOU must be persistent and consistent and

insistent enough to bring the desired behavior out of them.

Monitoring

• Refer to Growing Eyes in the Back of Your Head.

• Establish expectations (rules) and consequences (positive & negative, rewards & penalties)

Review the RulesRULES RAP I

As a cool kid, a music kid, gonna close my mouth when I walk in the door,

Put my hands in my lap and sit on the floor,*Gonna be polite to everyone and participate in all

that's done.One more thing we've got to say, got to treat the

instruments right to play.Gonna mind those rules, no fuss no flap, and that's

the end of the RULES RAP.(*OR Put my hands in my lap and feet on the floor)

Review the RulesRULES RAP II

Gonna walk right in and take a seat,Gonna clap the rhythm, gonna feel the beat,Gonna learn to listen, gonna listen to learn,Gotta know other folks gotta get their turn.Gotta care about me, gotta care about you,Gotta care about each other, that’s the thing to do.Yes, we’re gonna work together, gonna make (name

of school) better,Gonna weather any weather (stamp, stamp) oh yeah!

Review the Rules• Ss patsch and clap a steady beat, then speak

phrases alternately (1/2 of class say phrase 1, other 1/2 say ph. 2, first 1/2 say ph. 3, etc. Halves may be boys alternating with girls.) or individually.

• This can be done as a game. If any one misses an entrance, he/she is in the mush pot. Continue until you have a winner.

• Add body percussion patterns, then transfer to instruments.

Reward Systems for Whole-Class and Individual Behavior

• Team Kids vs. Team Teacher• Score cards for the select few. (Ask me for

details.)

A Collection of Thoughts about Observing & Responding I

• Don’t allow the children to go up to you to speak.

• Remind Ss that you will call on those raising their hands quietly and politely.

• "One person has permission to speak."

A Collection of Thoughts about Observing & Responding II

• Watch all over the group for appropriate participation and off-task behavior.

• Make sure Ss follow directions when you give an assignment.

• Don’t smile when you are correcting student behavior.

• Remind Ss of good sportsmanship and of respect for teacher and classmates.

• Avoid comparing behavior of 2 Ss.• Don't get involved with the tattles

A Collection of Thoughts about Observing & Responding III

• About “I like the way...” • Instead, state the appropriate behavior and

give an approval. • Otherwise, children may think that they

should do certain things in order to please the teacher, not because it is the right thing to do or because it contributes to a desirable learning environment.

Regarding Praise vs Constructive Information

• Bennett, P. (1988). The perils and profits of praise. Music Educators Journal, 75, 23-24.

• Bennett, P. (January 1989). Is praise always positive? TMEC Connection, 12-13.

• Praise can cause feelings of embarrassment, manipulation, and inferiority.

• Consider the difference between praise substantive feedback or constructive information.

Try Some on for Size• These ideas are things that have worked for

me.• Choose a few of them and try them in your

classroom.• If at first you don’t succeed, give the

technique another try… or two or three.• And try another approach.• Best wishes for an effective, efficient, and FUN

classroom!

You Must Read This• Denton, P. (2014). The Power of Our Words:

Teacher Language That Helps Children Learn, 2nd Edition. Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.

• ISBN: 978-1-892989-59-8 • Read Chapter 1:• http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/

default/files/pow_ch1.pdf• Order the book:• http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/

product/power-our-words

You Must Read This, cont.

• The Power of Our Words addresses:• Direct language (avoid the open-ended

questions; give directions in polite imperatives)

• Dishonest questions• Appropriate tone of voice• Sarcasm• And much more