Managing Behavior in the Diverse Classroom

Managing Behavior in the Diverse Classroom

Part One

"Managing Behavior in the Diverse Classroom" will be a very beneficial course for me in my teaching career. I work as a Title I teacher in a public school in Springfield. We have many students who are disadvantaged and very needy. Behavior issues come up frequently in my school situations. This course has provided me with strategies that will assist me in controlling and eliminating some of the problems in behavior.

The first concept that I feel will be helpful to me is building a lasting partnership with the parents. I have actually taken several Lee Canter courses that talk about how to do this effectively. Many of the strategies have been put into place in my daily routine and they work very nicely. Parental support is very important in helping a child meet with success in school. There are many ways to start off on the right foot. I like the idea of sending a note of introduction or making a personal phone call to begin this partnership. Parents love to get a friendly note in the mail along with the bills. A phone call which is just good news is very welcomed by most parents. I like to use a poem at the open house that refers to the parents and teachers working as a team to produce a final product. My management plan works much better with the initial support of the child's parents.

The second concept is the negotiation procedure that is discussed in this course. This procedure encourages the child to actually resolve their own conflicts; using some of the strategies they are taught. To outline these strategies I will briefly explain the steps. First, they say what they want and what they feel. They state their reasons, reversing perspectives, develop options to a solution, and finally, come to an agreement. Since many of the conflicts occur when a teacher is not even present, it is great for the students to know how to solve their own problems, using strategies they have been taught in advance. When I do not have to intervene, I can continue doing what I am there to do; teach students.

The third concept of interest to me in this course was that of setting limits through confronting-contracting techniques. I think the questioning technique is a great way to manage behavior with students who are having trouble. Sometimes, they need that sort of communication from the teacher at that particular time. The teacher questions the student and that makes them think about what he has done or said that is inappropriate. The student then thinks about what could happen to change the course