Management Tool Box
Management Basics
Structuring Classroom Experiences for Success
Proactive Management Strategies
Ensuring active student engagement
Understanding the problem
Many teachers use question-and-answer techniques to involve students during
instructional activities. This approach is problematic in that only one student can
respond at a time.
We refer to this as the A key to the solution
A proactive strategy for encouraging desired student
“one at a time” trap.
Here, teachers are
behavior is to plan for active student engagement
during the lesson and throughout the instructional day.
unintentionally
Active student engagement means that we are creating
encouraging the
opportunities for students to be involved in instructional
other students in the
activities in numerous, varied, and meaningful ways.
class to “tune out” or
“call out”! Often, the
When teachers invest in generating these ideas prior to
providing instruction, they reap the benefits in a short
students who tune
amount of time – minimal effort with maximum reward.
out or call out are
Strategically planning ways to involve students during
the low-achieving,
instructional activities increases appropriate behavior
poor-performing, or
behaviorally
and decreases crazy-making behavior. In the long run,
challenging ones.
both teachers’ and students’ needs are more likely to
be met.
In order to “tune” all
students into
Creative and continuous opportunities for high rates of
instructional
activities in
student participation are the hallmarks of active
appropriate ways,
engagement. In order to accomplish this, teachers
need to plan and provide multiple and simultaneous
we need to think of
student responding during instructional activities.
techniques that will
Active engagement promotes students’ learning and
encourage more
decreases the likelihood that behavioral challenges will
than one student at
a time to respond
emerge (e.g., if students are involved then they are less
likely to be tuning out or calling out).
in a structured and
organized manner.
Management Tips
Step 1 Consider the nature of the instructional format. Determine how and
where the content or skills will be taught. For example, science content
is often taught through lectures and lab experiments, whereas
mathematical skills are taught utilizing lectures and paper pencil,
problem-solving activities.
Step 2 Brainstorm creative ways to involve students. During this process, it
is often helpful to visualize the instructional activity. What do you see
the teacher doing? What do you see the students doing? What
“teacher” behaviors/activities could be transferred to the students? For
example, consider a traditional lecture on the four phases of mitosis (i.e.,
DNA replication and cell division). In this type of format, the teacher
does most of the talking and the quickest and the brightest students
answer most of the questions. The dangerous assumption that we make
is that all students are supposed to be listening and taking notes. But in
reality, many students are sleeping, drawing, talking, and so on. The irony is
that they are engaged in something, however it is not in the manner that
teachers want them to be. In order to facilitate authentic student
engagement, ask yourself how students could become actively involved
during all aspects of the lesson. For example, consider the science
lesson below about the four phases of mitosis.
At the beginning of the lesson, Response cards can be used to stimulate
students’ prior knowledge. For example…
Think about our last class together and use the information that we
learned to answer the questions on your response cards. Please
remember, that the rules for response cards are: (1) you need to keep the
card at chin level and (2) you need to write something down on the card
related to DNA replication & cell division. The first question is … Shortly
before a cell begins to divide, what happens to the DNA within the
nucleus? Please think and record your answer. Keep your eyes on me
and when I give you the signal, please display your response underneath
your chin.
The response the teacher is looking for on the cards is “unzipped”.
The next question posed may be What chemical unzips the DNA within the
nucleus? The correct response on the cards would be an enzyme.
Similar types of questions can be posed to the group during the beginning of the
lesson to review previously taught and related content.
During the lesson, cooperative learning might be used. Here, students could be
divided into four cooperative learning groups. In these groups, students collaborate
to identify the “unique characteristics” of each phase to produce a graphic organizer
like the one below.
Four phases of mitosis
Phase 1
Prophase
Phase 2
Metaphase
Phase 3
Anaphase
Phase 4
Telophase
Chromosomes pair
up.
Chromosomes align
at equator between
poles.
Chromosomes
divide and head
toward each pole.
Nuclei emerge at
either pole.
Chromosomes
replicate to create
two complete sets.
Membrane divides.
Cell membrane
begins to divide.
Cell forms two poles.
Two cells result w/
identical
chromosomes.
Nucleus disappears
At the end of the lesson you could engage students in a think-pair-share activity to
review the DNA replication and cell division, as well as the four phases of mitosis.
For example, you could pose the What? So What? Questions …
What was the most unusual or strange thing you learned about the process of cell
division (mitosis)?
So what? Why do you think it's so unusual?
Step 3 Reflect on your expectations regarding student behavior during high
rates of responding activities. Chaos can easily erupt when several
students are answering simultaneously. In order to avoid this undesired
outcome, you need to identify what students will do during these
times and how they will do it. Clearly stated expectations and structured
transitions are the most effective methods to ensure active student
participation in an organized and structured manner.
At this time, it is also necessary to anticipate any problems that may
arise during instruction as a result of active student engagement. For
example, students may “bop” one another on the head while using
response cards. The teacher needs to brainstorm ways to prevent this
from occurring. Modeling may be used to provide examples to students
of how students should display their cards. Nonexamples can also be
provided to clearly demonstrate to students unacceptable ways of
displaying their response cards.
Jazzing It Up
1. Involve students in brainstorming ideas for becoming active participants in the
learning process. Ask them to identify their preferred modes of participation.
This helps students to experience a sense of ownership and investment, which
in turn maximizes their success.
2. Use opportunities for active student engagement to individualize activities to
meet students’ varying abilities. For example, students with word finding
problems could be provided with a vocabulary bank that they can use
to prompt their answers during response-card activities. The vocabulary bank
can be
VOCABULARY BANK
displayed on an
index card that
- DNA
-Divide
-Hydrogen bonds
studenbts can
- Daughter cell
-Unzipped
-Bonding
refer easily and
- Parent cell
-Enzyme
-Free-floating nucleotides
discreetly, if
- Mitosis
-Meiosis
-Prophase
- Metaphase
-Anaphase
-Telophase
necessary.
-
Chromosomes
Cell membrane
-Nucleus
-Poles
-Replicate
-Equator
Students can use the prompts to generate a response to record on the card.
In the previous example relating to response cards, students were posed an
open-ended question. The vocabulary bank provides a forced-choice format
to students who require more support to respond. The number of words
contained in the vocabulary bank can be increased or decreased, depending
on the students’ needs.
3. Tap into your talents by planning for multiple and varied opportunities for
active student engagement that require thought and creativity. These activities
can become mundane if they are not used wisely. Consult the chart below for
some ideas to get you started.
For grades 6-8:
Response cards
Choral responding
Think Pair
Share
All students record
answers to questions at
the same time.
Students can record on
miniature white boards,
laminated index cards,
miniature blackboard
slates, etc.
The teacher gives the
students a signal and
the students display
their response cards.
All students respond in
unison to the teacher’s
statement. Answers can
be orally stated
simultaneously (e.g.,
unzipped) or they can be
nonverbally displayed to
indicate agreement
(thumbs up) or
Disagreement (thumbs
down).
A question or
series of questions
are posed, and
then students are
given time to
reflect on the
answer. The
teacher gives a
signal and students
turn to their
partners to share
their responses.
Afterward a few
pairs are asked to
share their
responses with the
entire class and
discussion ensues.
Cooperative
Learning
Students are
assigned to small
groups to complete
an activity.
Directions for the
activity should be
clearly stated. All
students are
expected to
cooperate and
participate in
completing of the
assigned activity.
Important Considerations
Response cards
Choral responding
Think Pair
Share
Response cards can be
waved wildly, used to
hit other students, etc.
Teachers need to
model the appropriate
display of the cards.
Students easily become
bored with this format,
so use it sparingly.
It is most effective
when incorporated into a
cooperative game format.
It is necessary to
place a time limit on
each phase of this
activity and to vary
the question.
Cooperative
Learning
Assigning roles and
responsibilities to
each group member
prior to the start of
the activity is
recommended.
Roles may include
spokesperson;
recorder,
evaluator, and
motivator.
5. Be prepared to support students as they learn new ways to participate.
When students are asked to do things in an unfamiliar manner, resistance can
occur. Many students have become conditioned to tune out or call out.
Consequently, expecting them to eagerly engage in the use of response
cards, cooperative learning, or think pair share activities may not be realistic.
In order to avoid failure, it may be helpful to shape active student engagement.
Select only one method for facilitating active student engagement during
instruction. For example, you may decide to useonly think pair
share activities at the end of each lesson. Practice this technique for
a week until students get the hang of it and then add response
cards at the beginning of each lesson. Implement these two techniques for a
similar period of time. During the third week, incorporate cooperative learning
activities during each lesson. This gradual approach helps
to ease students into active participation in a structured and organized
manner.
6. Remember to be cautious of the “one at a time” trap. Teacher
questioning is a basic instructional technique for facilitating students’ learning.
The danger rests within the answer portion of the Q&A paradigm. The key to
success is to provide opportunities for several students to participate
simultaneously during instruction. This is a powerful way to get students to
“tune in” rather than “tune out”!!! It also facilitates the transfer of power
between the teacher and the students because students begin to assume
increased responsibilities for their learning. Instructional interactions become
more equitable and empowering for all!
What’s Next?
Promoting active student engagement is one proactive approach to making the
positive or desired student behavior(s) happen. Additional strategies
include
•
Communicating expectations
•
Ensuring smooth-sailing transitions
•
Using social and other natural rewards
•
Using classwide management systems
•
Making decisions based on a least-to-most intrusive rule
Management Tool Box
Management Basics