CB2

=Classroom Management= Calvin Baylon

//Abstract//
Classroom management is a skill that all teachers must nail down in order for instruction and learning to prevail. Teachers will attend a workshop that provides an in-depth scope of classroom management. The workshop will feature experts, keynote speakers, and simulations. Upon completing the workshop, these teachers will make use of Wikispaces to collaborate and share effective ideas and strategies that will reinforce classroom management. If anything, a wiki on classroom management will serve as a support system for teachers who struggle in this arena of the teaching profession.

//Learners & Context//
Learners consist of both veteran and first-year teachers that would like to sharpen their skills and learn new strategies regarding classroom management. Engaging in a classroom management wiki will allow all teachers to share their expertise such as what works, what doesn't work, what new strategies have been implemented, etc. Teachers may have some experience with wikis, yet some time will be spent during the workshop on how to use Wikispaces.

//Learning Goals//
Teachers will learn effective management strategies in which they will have the opportunity to apply and implement in their classrooms.

**//Required Resources//**
The workshop should take one day and the collaboration on Wikispaces will be ongoing. Volunteers, particularly teachers who have classroom management down to a science, will open their classrooms for the teachers to observe.

//Tools and Models//
Wikispaces will be the collaborative tool that will be incorporated; Mircopedia is the mode of ecollaboration that this lesson fits most to.

//Process//
1. Teachers within a school district will attend a workshop that centers on classroom management. 2. By the end of the workshop, teachers will bring to the table any management problems they are facing in the classroom, any strategies that have worked, and any new strategies that they are developing. 3. Teachers will have the opportunity to observe expert teachers 4. A wiki will be set up for teachers to share their expertise on any effective management strategies that they have created and/or implemented in their classrooms.


 * A brief tutorial session will be conducted in the middle of the workshop so that teachers will be able to learn and understand how to use Wikispaces.
 * Examples and non examples, observations, and sharing of effective classroom management will be used to scaffold learning.

//Rationale//
One of the best ways that enabled me to improve my classroom management skills was simply observing expert teachers, applying suggestions and advice from my peers, and by taking note of the mistakes that myself and others have made in the past. Incorporating a wiki is a good fit for this particular content. A teacher's schedule can sometimes be demanding and searching for information to support classroom management can be very time consuming. A wiki that provides teachers with classroom management strategies would provide the individual with convenience and enable him or her to share their expertise. I was always told that you should never reinvent the wheel. Thus, having this wiki provides ample opportunities for all teachers to feed off one another.

//Evaluation//
Success will be determined by what teachers contribute to the wiki. There is no right way to manage your classrooms well. There are always breakthroughs and it is important for teachers to read the wiki on a consistent basis to keep up to date with the dynamic trends of this particular facet of teaching.

Pairing novice teachers with expert teachers at this workshop and having the learners fill out a survey that addresses their needs in classroom management would be something to consider if I decided to do this again.

//Reflection//
I am most satisfied with the fact that teachers are given a domain where they can seek the advice and expertise from their peers in the field of teaching. I think that I would need the learners to observe classes that are videotaped as opposed to a live observation. Students tend to act differently when adults are present in the classroom. The behavior in a classroom would not be authentic and the learners would not get a true picture of effective classroom management in this case.

As a first year teacher, it is essential to have classroom management down to a science. From my experience, I would say that I was somewhat strong in that aspect of the profession, yet I had to tweak my management system along the way to a point where I was spending more time teaching and less time handling discipline issues.