Behavior Manage/Elementary
Behavior management is a huge component of classroom life that often takes new teachers by surprise. Presenting creative lessons in the context of a teacher education program is much different than in an actual classroom filled with lively elementary school students.
Kraft (2010) points out that teaching and learning can take place only when the proper environment is created and maintained. Inexperienced teachers in particular may resort to "draconian classroom management tactics" (p. 45) out of frustration and fear of loss of control. Well-established classroom procedures make the classroom a student-centered place rather than one that is teacher-centered. Kraft asserts that the best-behaved students are not the ones whose teacher has the strictest rules but the one who has the most interesting and engaging lessons.
Kraft honed his theory in a challenging environment: Life Academy, a small sub-school for at-risk ninth graders at Berkeley High School in California. The goal was...
With respect to specific behavior management techniques, Kraft suggests the use of behavior modification systems, avoidance of public confrontations, and defusing the notion of a power struggle between teacher and students. He also recommends teachers share their feelings with students, admitting when they are tired or frustrated. It is all part of establishing the human connection while still maintaining the proper position of authority.
Students cannot learn in an environment Kraft likens to "a three-ring circus" (p. 45). Teachers must consistently apply specific strategies and techniques that establish a structured, supportive classroom. It begins with content that matters to students…
