zaterdag 21 februari 2015

Classroom management - Jacob Kounin

Lessons with good flow keep students' attention and prevent deviation because most of the cues for behavior during the lesson are focused on behaviors appropriate for the lesson. Kounin’s concepts include:



Preventing misbehaviour

Withitness:

A teachers ability to correct misbehaviour before it gets out of control and before other students in the class see it and also begin to do it.

Allgegenwärtigkeit der Lehrkraft (Withitness):

  • Lehrkraft registriert alles, auch wenn sie nicht auf alles reagiert
  • Schüler wissen und dies und akzeptieren den Führungsanspruch


Examples
A teacher who is ‘withit’ is able to physically move towards a student who is misbehaving while continuing with the lesson.

The teacher makes eye contact with a student who is about
to “shoot a basket “ with a wad of paper.The student behind him, who has seen the interaction, decides he is not likely to get away with shooting a basket either


Overlapping:

How a teacher deals with two or more events that are going on in the classroom at the same time. 

Überlappung von inhaltlicher Arbeit, Regelung von Organisationskram und Störungsprävention (Overlapping)

  • Mehrere Dinge gleichzeitig tun
  • Zügige Erledigung von Organisatorischem bei Fortfahren des Unterrichts, Disziplinierungen erfolgen nebenbei



Example
During group activities a teacher is able to provide assistance to a student at one centre while providing words of encouragement to students at other stations.


Manage the lesson

Momentum

Refers to the teachers ability to have a steady movement or pacing throughout a lesson.

Reibungslosigkeit und Schwung (Momentum)

  • gleichmäßiger Unterrichtsfluss ohne unnötige Unterbrechungen
  • wenig Leerlauf
  • wenig Hektik durch zu hohe Geschwindigkeit


Example
A teacher is able to notice that the class is taking too much time dwelling on a minor concept and quickly moves on while making a mental note to go more in-depth the next day.


Smoothness:

Is the lessons continuity.

Geschmeidigkeit des Ablaufs (Smoothness)

  • Harmonischer Ablauf des Unterrichts ohne Brüche


Example
The teacher avoids allowing comments that may distract the attention away from the key points of the lesson.


Maintaining group focus

Group Alerting:

Is engaging the attention of the whole class while individuals are responding.

Group alerting is a technique to keep the entire class involved in the learning process so that students are, potentially, active participants at all times.

Die ganze Lerngruppe im Blick (Group Focus):

  • Auch bei Zuwendung zu einem Einzelschüler hat die Lehrkraft weiterhin das Geschehen in der Klasse im Griff.


Example
Tell students they might be called on next.


Encouraging Accountability:

Communication to the students the their participation will be observed and evaluated.

Example:  
At the end of a discussion and practice of a new skill, students are told to turn to a neighbour and explain the process to him or her.


High Participation Formats:

Using lessons that define behaviour of students when they are not directly answering a teacher’s question.

High participation formats occur when students are expected to write answers, solve problems, read along, and use manipulative material.

Erkennen und Vermeiden vorgetäuschter Schüleraufmerksamkeit (Avoiding Mock Participation)

  • Interessante Inhalte und geschickte Arbeitsaufträge vermeiden vorgespielte Aufmerksamket




Transition management

Transitions:

The interval between any two activities.

Kounin found that smooth and effective transitions are one of the most important techniques in maintaining student involvement and class control.

Geschicktes Management der Übergänge (Managing Transitions)

  • Der Übergang von einem zum anderen Unterrichtsschritt ist eindeutig organisiert
  • Stundenanfäge und –abschlüsse sind klar zu erkennen






Rangfolge des Einflusses auf den Lernerfolg

Rangfolge des Einflusses auf den Lernerfolg (Effektstärke) nach Wang, Haertel, Walberg (1993) 

  1. Kognitive Kompetenzen der Schüler
  2. Klassenführung durch den Lehrer
  3. Häusliche Umwelt der Schüler und Unterstützung durch die Eltern
  4. Metakognitive Kompetenzen der Schüler
  5. Lernbezogene Lehrer-Schüler-Interaktion
  6. Politik des Staates und der Bezirke
  7. Quantität des Unterrichtes
  8. Schulkultur
  9. Elterliches Engagement in Schulfragen
  10. Organisation des Lehrplanes
  11. Herkunft der Schüler
  12. Einbettung der Schüler in die Gruppen der Gleichaltrigen
  13. Qualität des Unterrichtes
  14. Motivationale und affektive Faktoren
  15. Klassenklima
  16. Demografische Situation im Einzugsgebiet der Schüler
  17. Schuladministrative Entscheidungen
  18. Freizeitverhalten der Schüler

[ bron: Hilbert Meyer - Was ist guter Unterricht? ]

vrijdag 20 februari 2015

Bloom - questions



Level 1: Knowledge 
Exhibits previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.

Key words: who, what, why, when, omit, where, which, choose, find, how, define, label, show, spell, list, match, name, relate, tell, recall, select

Questions:

What is . . . ? How is . . . ?

Where is . . . ? When did _______ happen?

How did ______ happen? How would you explain . . . ?

Why did . . . ? How would you describe . . . ?

When did . . . ? Can you recall . . . ?

How would you show . . . ? Can you select . . . ?

Who were the main . . . ? Can you list three . . . ?

Which one . . . ? Who was . . . ?


Level 2: Comprehension 
Demonstrating understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.

Key words: compare, contrast, demonstrate, interpret, explain, extend, illustrate, infer, outline, relate, rephrase, translate, summarize, show, classify

Questions:

How would you classify the type of . . . ?

How would you compare . . . ? contrast . . . ?

Will you state or interpret in your own words . . . ?

How would you rephrase the meaning . . . ?

What facts or ideas show . . . ?

What is the main idea of . . . ?

Which statements support . . . ?

Can you explain what is happening . . . what is meant . . .?

What can you say about . . . ?

Which is the best answer . . . ?

How would you summarize . . . ?


Level 3: Application 
Solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.

Key words: apply, build, choose, construct, develop, interview, make use of, organize, experiment with, plan, select, solve, utilize, model, identify

Questions:

How would you use . . . ?

What examples can you find to . . . ?

How would you solve _______ using what you have learned . . . ?

How would you organize _______ to show . . . ?

How would you show your understanding of . . . ?

What approach would you use to . . . ?

How would you apply what you learned to develop . . . ?

What other way would you plan to . . . ?

What would result if . . . ?

Can you make use of the facts to . . . ?

What elements would you choose to change . . . ?

What facts would you select to show . . . ?

What questions would you ask in an interview with . . . ?


Level 4: Analysis 
Examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes; making inferences and finding evidence to support generalizations.

Key words: analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, discover, dissect, divide, examine, inspect, simplify, survey, take part in, test for, distinguish, list, distinction, theme, relationships, function, motive, inference, assumption, conclusion

Questions:

What are the parts or features of . . . ?

How is _______ related to . . . ?

Why do you think . . . ?

What is the theme . . . ?

What motive is there . . . ?

Can you list the parts . . . ?

What inference can you make . . . ?

What conclusions can you draw . . . ?

How would you classify . . . ?

How would you categorize . . . ?

Can you identify the difference parts . . . ?

What evidence can you find . . . ?

What is the relationship between . . . ?

Can you make a distinction between . . . ?

What is the function of . . . ?

What ideas justify . . . ?


Level 5: Synthesis 
Compiling information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.

Key Words: build, choose, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, develop, estimate, formulate, imagine, invent, make up, originate, plan, predict, propose, solve, solution, suppose, discuss, modify, change, original, improve, adapt, minimize, maximize, delete, theorize, elaborate, test, improve, happen, change

Questions:

What changes would you make to solve . . . ?

How would you improve . . . ?

What would happen if . . . ?

Can you elaborate on the reason . . . ?

Can you propose an alternative . . . ?

Can you invent . . . ?

How would you adapt ________ to create a different . . . ?

How could you change (modify) the plot (plan) . . . ?

What could be done to minimize (maximize) . . . ?

What way would you design . . . ?

What could be combined to improve (change) . . . ?

Suppose you could _______ what would you do . . . ?

How would you test . . . ?

Can you formulate a theory for . . . ?

Can you predict the outcome if . . . ?

How would you estimate the results for . . . ?

What facts can you compile . . . ?

Can you construct a model that would change . . . ?

Can you think of an original way for the . . . ? 


Level 6: Evaluation 
Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.

Key Words: award, choose, conclude, criticize, decide, defend, determine, dispute, evaluate, judge, justify, measure, compare, mark, rate, recommend, rule on, select, agree, interpret, explain, appraise, prioritize, opinion, ,support, importance, criteria, prove, disprove, assess, influence, perceive, value, estimate, influence, deduct

Questions:

Do you agree with the actions . . . ? with the outcomes . . . ?

What is your opinion of . . . ?

How would you prove . . . ? disprove . . . ?

Can you assess the value or importance of . . . ?

Would it be better if . . . ?

Why did they (the character) choose . . . ?

What would you recommend . . . ?

How would you rate the . . . ?

What would you cite to defend the actions . . . ?

How would you evaluate . . . ?

How could you determine . . . ?

What choice would you have made . . . ?

What would you select . . . ?

How would you prioritize . . . ?

What judgment would you make about . . . ?

Based on what you know, how would you explain . . . ?

What information would you use to support the view . . . ?

How would you justify . . . ?

What data was used to make the conclusion . . . ?

Why was it better that . . . ?

How would you prioritize the facts . . . ?

How would you compare the ideas . . . ? people . . . ? 

Withitness and ripple effect

Jacob Kounin is een Amerikaans pedagoog. Kounin schreef het boek "Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms".

Kounin is de bedenker van het concept klassenmanagement. Hij begon als onderwijspsycholoog aan de Wayne State University in 1946. Zijn onderwijsvisie en onderzoek dat hij heeft verricht heeft betrekking op de wijze waarop leerlingen leren. Zijn bekendste studies betreffen klassenmanagement.

Hij deed in eerste instantie onderzoek naar de wijze waarop docenten omgaan met leerlingen die zich niet gedragen in de les. Gaandeweg kwam hij erachter dat die reactiewijze veel te maken heeft met de wijze waarop de school is georganiseerd en hoe docenten de regels hanteren, dit vormde zijn besluit om verder onderzoek te doen naar de randvoorwaarden om regels te kunnen hanteren.

WithitnessToen Jacob Kounin begin jaren zeventig onderzoek deed in klaslokalen ondervond hij dat de experts in klassenmanagement beschikten over withitness. Geen gebeurtenis ontsnapte aan hun aandacht en ze lieten voortdurend blijken aan de klas - soms via minuscule bewegingen of gebaren - alles te overzien.



Withitness“Withitness” is a term created by Kounin to describe the teacher’s awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times. We commonly refer to this as “having eyes in the back of the head.” To be effective, the students must perceive that the teacher really knows what is going on in the gymnasium. If students are off task and fooling around, the teacher needs to send a clear message that communicates to the students that the teacher sees that they are not working and they need to get started. Withitness can be improved with practice, such as learning how to effectively use systematic techniques to scan the class. Keeping your “back to the wall” as you move throughout the class helps you see the broader picture and be more aware of what is going on.

The effectiveness of withitness is increased when the teacher can correctly identify the student who is the instigator of the incident. Teachers who target the wrong student for a desist or a reprimand are perceived by the students as not knowing what is really going on (i.e., not “withit”). When several incidences of misbehavior occur at the same time, it is important that teachers deal with the most serious incidence first. Timing is another aspect of withitness. Teachers should intervene early and quickly in dealing with misbehavior. Failure to do so allows the misbehavior to spread.

RimpeleffectKounin bedacht ook de term Rimpeleffect. Hij ging uit van het idee dat de wijze waarop een docent reageert op de misdraging van één leerling dit tevens de andere leerlingen beïnvloedt.`

Ripple EffectThe “ripple effect” occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students. The ripple effect is influenced by the clarity and firmness of the correction. The effect is greater when the teacher clearly names the unacceptable behavior and gives the reasons for the desist. Firmness, that is, conveying an “I mean it” attitude, enhances the ripple effect. The ripple effect is greatest at the beginning of the year and diminishes as the year progresses. At the high school level, Kounin found that respect for the teacher along with high motivation to learn lead to the greatest student involvement and minimum misbehavior by students.

woensdag 18 februari 2015

Dispute resolution

There are many principles at work in dispute resolution. When everyone is
committed to these principles, resolution at a local level is positive and co-operative.
These principles help keep the process fair and flexible:

Acceptance: It is important to accept one another’s differences as well as
the process and the outcome. Acceptance requires an open mind. People do
not always behave the way we want them to behave, things do not always
go the way we want them to go, and they do not always end the way we
want them to end. Generally, people in a dispute work toward consensus,
but there are times when the best solution is to reach a compromise, or to
agree to disagree.

Accessibility: People who are involved in a dispute should have access to
every support available to them, including information about the process and
their options. Not only should procedures and protocols be clear and available,
the people themselves should be open, approachable, and accessible.

Balance of Power: Successful dispute resolution depends on a “level
playing field” or balance of power. This does not mean we should all have
the same powers or responsibilities, because in reality we do not. For
example, a principal clearly has different responsibilities than a parent, and
a bus driver has different responsibilities than a teacher. We can, however,
work together to create an environment where all ideas are equally valued.
This allows everyone to share in the process as well as the solutions. If
people in dispute can perceive a situation as having balance, they will feel
they have an opportunity to have an impact on the outcome.

Building Trust: Trust is built on positive and respectful relationships.
Such relationships, whether they exist inside or outside of school, are built
with ongoing commitment, honesty, and effort. Many of the principles of
successful dispute resolution require trust. Trust is necessary for building
the positive, caring climate that is so important to begin any co-operative
problem-solving process. 

Communication: Good communication is about listening and speaking
carefully and respectfully. When resolving a dispute, everyone involved
should feel invited and encouraged to ask questions, discuss positions, and
explore solutions. They should feel like they can offer and receive criticism
without anyone becoming angry or defensive. Logic and consistency are
important, but so is making a place for (acceptable) emotion. Body
language can communicate as much as or more than the spoken word. It is
important to be aware of positive ways to communicate without
speaking—by making eye contact, for example, and by appearing open,
attentive, alert, and non-threatening.

Fairness: In order to be a success, the informal dispute resolution process
must be fair and equitable. Each person involved in resolving a dispute

must feel like he or she is playing an active role in a process that is fair for everyone. They should feel like they are helping to find fair solutions and to make fair decisions about a fair outcome. 

Motivation: When resolving a dispute, each person must be motivated toward positive, realistic solutions that work for everyone. Sometimes people begin with good intentions, but if those intentions become sidetracked or unclear, it is important to refocus the issues and the goals, and to re-examine the motivations. For example, being motivated to be right, or to be proven right for the sake of being right, is neither positive nor productive. Being motivated to work toward what is best for the student is always a worthwhile goal. Making assumptions about the motivations of others is often a major cause of communication breakdown. 

Mutual Respect: When we treat each other the way we would like to be treated ourselves, we create the kind of positive climate that is ideal for resolving disputes informally. 

Recognition of Diversity: It is important to be mindful of how diversity can affect the dispute resolution process. Each one of us has different ways of understanding, and different ways of expressing that understanding. We must accept and respect these differences. Informal dispute resolution is about finding positive solutions that work for everyone. It is not about judging or trying to change each other’s minds. 

Student Centred: The student is not only the common ground between families, schools, and communities; the student is the reason we are here. Dispute resolution is not about winning or losing. It is about identifying and supporting the needs of students within their learning environments at all times. 

Willingness: In order for the informal dispute resolution process to work, everyone involved must be willing to make it work. This means being willing to trust the process, trust one another, and work together toward realistic, attainable solutions.

A New Wave of Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement

“Most people, asked whether parent involvement benefits children academically, would say ‘of course it does,’” Robinson and Harris wrote. “But evidence from our research suggests otherwise. In fact, most forms of parental involvement … do not improve student achievement. In some cases, they may actually hinder it.”  This finding was fairly consistent, they noted, regardless of race, ethnic background or socioeconomic status.



http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf


Does Family Engagement Matter? The Truth and Half-Truths about Parent Involvement

By Karen L. Mapp, Anne T. Henderson, and Nancy E. Hill

Ever since a new report claiming that parent involvement is overrated was released to a flurry of media coverage last month, people have been asking us for a response. We hope you find our analysis helpful in responding to questions about why our work to engage families is important.

Does parent involvement make a difference in children’s learning? In a new study, The Broken Compass, sociologists Keith Robinson and Angel Harris argue that when parents attempt to help, they have little impact on, and may even harm, their children’s grades and test scores.

Their conclusion is, at best, only half right. By limiting their analysis to data from federal and state surveys of parents, the authors missed an important body of research showing real gains for students when schools use well-designed strategies and practices to engage families in improving student learning.

Yes, conventional parent involvement activities such as attending school events, meeting with teachers, helping with homework, joining the PTA, and volunteering, may have little or no impact on student test scores. Why? Because these practices often are not directly connected to what children are learning and doing in class or part of a systemic strategy to improve student learning. In fact, we’ve known for years that “random acts of parent involvement” have little effect on student performance.

What do have an impact, however, are innovative family engagement practices that build close collaborations between parents and teachers and share effective strategies for strengthening students’ academic skills.

The whole truth
Research that examines what we call “high-impact” practices to engage families in improving student achievement tells a very different story. This research documents what happens when schools support families’ efforts to encourage their children’s learning, monitor their progress, guide constructive use of out-of-school time, plan for post-secondary education and a career, and model life-long learning.

Our reviews of these studies find that intentional, well-designed practices to inform and support family engagement have a positive and long-term effect on student outcomes, including grades, test scores, behavior, passing rates, enrollment in higher-level programs, high school graduation, and college attendance.

Robinson and Harris did not include this research in their analysis. Instead, they used data from federal surveys asking parents what they do (or don’t do) to support their children’s learning. These data are a mile wide and an inch deep. The surveys do not collect information on what, if anything, schools do from their side to make sure that the meetings, conferences, communications, and events that parents report they are involved in are actually helpful. In short, they cannot tell us whether the schools are offering parents meaningful opportunities to engage in a productive partnership or just going through the motions.

The message that parent involvement doesn’t help children is not only misleading, but potentially damaging. For example, a widely publicized “finding” from The Broken Compass is that helping children with homework can backfire, actually harming student performance. All we can know from survey data is that homework help and low test scores are associated. It is probably more likely that parents’ attempts to help are in response to low achievement, not causing it. Instead of concluding that parents should stop helping their children, perhaps we should recommend that teachers equip parents with more effective strategies for strengthening students’ learning skills.

A State of the Art Compass for Family Engagement
Informed by the research about more effective practice, schools increasingly are adopting high-impact strategies for engaging families, and are having success in improving student achievement. What do these strategies look like?

Link to Learning: High-impact practices are aligned with school and district achievement goals. Not only do teachers inform families what and how they are teaching, they share strategies families can use at home that are directly linked to the skills students need to learn at their age and grade level.

Build Relationships: Developing respectful, trusting relationships between home and school fosters shared responsibility. For example, understanding families’ home cultures and the value they place on education, as well as listening to families’ concerns and ideas, allow teachers to tailor instruction to students needs and interests.

Develop Dual Capacity: Providing training and professional development to teachers and families together so they can test out and apply new skills enables them to be confident, active and knowledgeable partners in the effort to improve student achievement.

Robinson and Harris diagnosed the problem correctly – conventional approaches are ineffective — but they wrote the wrong prescription. Telling families to “set the stage and then leave it,” would only increase the disconnect between families and school staff.


Instead, we should take advantage of evidence–based practices that show when parents and schools work together to form a seamless system of support, children thrive. There are plenty of effective strategies, but you wouldn’t know it from reading Robinson and Harris. 

Rather than step back, we should be encouraging parents to step up and lean forward, pressing schools to adopt practices to engage them that make a real difference in student achievement.

Parent-school partnerships


Hundreds of research studies show that when parents get involved, children do better in school. We sum up the details that every parent should know.


Research shows that when parents are involved in their children's education, the children are more likely to:

  • earn better grades.
  • score higher on tests.
  • pass their classes.
  • attend school regularly.
  • have better social skills.
  • show improved behavior.
  • be more positive in their attitude toward school.
  • complete homework assignments.
  • graduate and continue their education.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/getting-parents-involved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOhZ6U5yaXA

A visual explanation of how important their involvement is in their children's education.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDiE2yGhzFc


Families In Schools partners with Banning High School PORT Small Learning Community to support their parent engagement initiative.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2-sw-v40Gs


Cathy Giardina describes how to build effective parent-school partnerships in inclusive schools. 


Learn about the three R's: 



  1. Respect, 
  2. Responsibility, and 
  3. Relationships. 


Find more resources for improving parent-school partnerships at the Inclusive Schools Network, http://inclusiveschools.org