THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN 41

Preparing Teachers for Classroom Management:The Teacher Educator's Role

BY MARY C. CLEMENT

In this article, the author calls for teacher educators to prepare education candidates with a foundation in

classroom management theories and strategies before graduation. Classroom management courses that are

offered during student teaching, and also in the master's program, are described. Personal stories and results

from surveys of teachers and student teachers build the case for management courses to be offered by professors

and any other teacher educators.

When I was in my undergraduate teacher educationprogram, classroom management was handled withone line by several of my professors: "If you write agood enough lesson plan, you won't have disciplineproblems." Now, 30 years later, I use a very differentquote with my own student teachers: "You will noteven get to teach your perfectly written lesson planif you don't have a classroom management planin place." Just as the teaching profession struggledfor decades to define its knowledge base in themethodologies of effective instruction, theorists andwriters in the teaching profession are still definingthe knowledge base of classroom managementand discipline. Yet, one can hardly be considered ahighly-qualified teacher without a mastery of sound

best-practice strategies for managing classroomtime, space, and student behavior.

The purpose of this article is to describemanagement classes offered during the studentteaching semester and in a master's program atthe college level. This paper describes some of theresources available to teacher educators — theprofessors and those who work to prepare andsupport new teachers. Although teacher educationcourses are generally taught by professors ofeducation, some who prepare teachers work inschools or in regional offices of education. Theyare also teacher educators and might include acooperating teacher or staff developer.

42 Fall 2010

Need for Preparation in ManagementA benchmark study in the perceived problems ofbeginning teachers, Veenman's 1984 meta-analysislisted classroom discipline as the number oneproblem of new teachers. Education majors are stillvery concerned with "discipline" as they enter andprogress through their college programs (Parkay &Stanford, 2004). As teachers face continual pressureto raise student achievement, researchers remind usthat "classroom management is perhaps the singlemost important factor influencing student learning"(Callahan, Clark, 8C Kellough, 2002, p. 161).

Without sufficient knowledge of classroommanagement strategies, new teachers may begin theircareers striving to manage as they were managed.WTiile some of the "folk wisdom" of classroommanagement may be worthwhile, there are manymyths perpetuated by teachers that not only don'twork in today's classrooms but are harmful to theclassroom atmosphere and to students. These mythsinclude the following:

1. There is no way to study classroommanagement and discipline; you just haveto experience the classroom and thenlearn how to deal with students and theirbehaviors.

2. Start out mean.3. WTien all else fails, turn the lights on and

off.4. Don't smile before Christmas.5. Figure out the ringleaders and pick on them.

Make them an example and the others willbe scared and fall into place.

Although many student teachers have heard theselines, they have no context for understandingthem. The college class in management providesthe readings and background to debunk thesemyths, while providing a clear system on what todo in the classroom. WTien the knowledge base ofmanagement is shared in a college classroom, thestudent teacher goes into student teaching equippedwith strategies and can cope with management evenif few techniques are taught by the cooperatingteacher.

Although student teachers definitely needthe help of their cooperating teachers and mentors inlearning to manage a classroom, relying only on these

teachers in field experiences may not provide thestudent teacher with sufficient theory and strategies,as many practicing teachers may never have hadany training in management. In my own research(Clement, 2002), I found that 50% of a group of 48cooperating teachers could not even name a writeror theorist in the field of classroom management.Additionally, comments from this group of teachersindicated that they wanted college professorsto "teach general techniques for establishingmanagement systems"" and to teach "student teachersto know how to decide on appropriate consequencesfor certain behaviors' (pp. 56-57). Results from thissurvey and from other discussions on my campusled to the requirement of a classroom managementcourse in the undergraduate teacher educationprogram and the addition of an elective classroommanagement course for practicing teachers in themasters of education program.

Getting Started in Teaching ClassroomManagementI was first asked to teach a seminar in classroommanagement in 1991, as part of a program forbeginning teachers. Having never taken a course inmanagement myself, I started researching, lookingfor practical, hands-on strategies. I eventually taughtthese seminars for 6 years, using components of Leeand Marlene Canter's Assertive Discipline (1992)and Succeeding with Difficult Students (1993), Harryand Rosemary Wong's The First Days of School(1991), and Carol Fuery's Discipline Strategies forthe Bored, Belligerent, and Ballistic in Your Classroom(1994). (Canter's Assertive Discipline is now out in

Dr. Mary C. Clement is a Professor of TeacherEducation at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia.She is the author of eight books, including TJjcDefinitive Guide to Getting a Teaching Joh and FirstTime in the High School Classroom. In .addition tobeing published in the DKG Bulletin, her articles haveappeared in the Kappan, the American School BoardJournal, Principal, and Principal Leadership magazine.She received her doctorate from the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a member of thePsi State Iota Chapter in Rome, Georgia.

THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA BULLETIN 43

the newest edition, 2010, and the Wongs' book is are like anthologies in their structure, introducingavailable in the 2009 edition. The author encouragesany reader to use the newest editions.)

In one of these seminars, a first-year teacherasked, "You have shared three authors and theirstrategies with us today. Which one is right? Whichone will work all the time?" My answer was thatthere is no one correct way to establish classroommanagement and discipline. All new teachersmust find their own comfortable balance betweenfriendliness and assertiveness. They must find a wayto become established in their classrooms. Teacherscan, however, read widely from available resourcesto construct their plans (Clement, 1996).

Resources for Teaching ManagementWhile preparing this article,I did an online Google searchfor classroom management,and it netted more than 5million hits. A quick Amazon,com search showed morethan 11,000 books underthe category of classroommanagement. Because I am aprofessor who teaches bothundergraduate and graduatecourses in the subject,book publishers inundatemy mailbox with samplebooks. No teacher today,or no teacher educator, cansay that there is a shortageof material for courses onclassroom management. In fact, the issue facingthose preparing teachers is what to teach from thevast array of literature. When adding a course aboutmanagement to the teacher education curriculum,much thought should be given to the focus of thecourse, the needs of the students in the course, andfinding the right balance of theory and practicality.

The books on management can becategorized from the extremely theoretical to theoverly-simplistic "how-to" books. Some booksinclude all research-based work, while others do noteven have a reference list—they are based on whatworked for one teacher in one situation. Some books

"When adding a course

about management to

tbe teacher education

curriculum, much thought

should he given to the focus

of the course, the needs of the

students in the course, and

finding the right balance of

theory and practicality!'

a wide number of theorists, writers, and modelsto the students (see, for example. Burden, 2006;Hardin, 2008; and Manning 8¿ Bucher, 2007). Mygraduate students tend to like these types of books,as they are practicing teachers and have survived inclassrooms long enough to know what ideas to sortout as useful for them.

Reading what has been written is still notenough to prepare teacher education candidates formanagement. They must then discuss, write about,and apply what they have read. In order to helpstudents do this, I assign graduate students researchpapers for which they read original materials bythe writers who are summarized in their textbooks.Often they find that the original work by the

writer was different intone or in strategies thanthe summarized chapter intheir textbook. This methodof "going to the source"teaches valuable researchlessons while also teachingclassroom managementstrategies. Marzano's (2003)Classroom Managementthat Works serves as agood resource for graduatestudents who need to learnabout management beforebecoming staff developersand administrators.

Other books arethe summary of one or two

authors and their programs. Some of the programsare commercialized, with DVDs and other teachingmaterials available for the instructor. Many of themost prolific writers have created their own videoproducts, and my students feel that they are closerto "the source " of the writers when they hear thempresent their own material. The Canters, HarryWong, and Fred Jones are among those who offervideo materials that can be very useful to teachereducators. When I use the work of these authorsin undergraduate classes, I stress that every newteacher needs a starting point for management andthat adapting a program we study can be a good

44 Fall 2010

starting point.It is obvious that courses in classroom

management must be designed for preserviceteachers based on their chosen major—preschool,elementary, middle school, and high school. Pairinga text that is generic for all teachers with onedesigned just for a specific grade level can haveexcellent results. Examples include Wormeli (2003)for middle school and Charney (2002) or Evertson,Emmer, and Worsham (2006) for the elementarylevel.

What's in the FutureI continually ask for feedback from the studentsin my classroom management courses. Commonstudent comments include the following:

"There is a significant difference betweenconsistent textbook management and classroommanagement in real life. I have been much morepersuaded by what we have covered in class andhave found my experience in the student teachingclassroom to be fairly frustrating."

"I have not observed many teachersimplementing the strategies that have been outlinedin this course. However, I believe that these teachersshould be."

"The books are more useful than what I sawin my student teaching classroom."

Although students do report that they arelearning a lot about management, they still wantmore. Their end-of-course comments indicate thatthey want to know more about dealing with difficultstudents and about how to handle students withexceptionalities and special education students.Based on what graduate students report to meabout the lack of preparation given them in theircurrent teaching positions, violence prevention andconflict resolution also should have more time in thecurriculum.

Teacher educators have long argued thatwe do not graduate finished products. We do,however, graduate candidates who are ready fortheir first classrooms. The knowledge in classroommanagement gained in a teacher education programis just a foundation, and professional developmentin the schools should be supportive and ongoing inthis area. Many states still do not require a course

in classroom management for the completion of fullteacher certification. Professors of education needto force this requirement into programs and then toprovide a course that is comprehensive and practicalfor the teacher education candidates. This articlecan stimulate that discussion.

References

Burden, P. (2006). Classroom management: Creating a successjul k-12 learning

community (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley

Callahan, J. E, Clark, L. H., & Kellough, R. D. (2002). Teaching in the middle and

secondary schools (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice

Hall.

Canter, L., & Canter, M. (1992). Assertive discipline. Santa Monica, CA: Lee

Canter and Associates.

Canter, L., & Canter, M. (1993). Succeeding with difßcult students. Santa Monica,

CA: Lee Canter and Associates.

Charney, R. S. (2002). Teaching children to care. Greenfield, MA: Northeast

Foundation for Children.

Clement, M. C. (1996). A curriculum and resources for beginning teacherprograms. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 32(3), 87-90.

Clement, M. C. (2002). What cooperating teachers are teaching student teachers

about classroom management. TTjc Teacher Educator, 38(1), 47-62.

doi:10.1080/08878730209555306

Evertson, C. M., Emmer, E. T., & Worsham, M. E. (2006). Classroom management

for elementary teachers. Boston. MA: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.

Fuery, C. (1994). Discipline strategies for the bored, belligerent, and balltsttc in your

classroom. Captiva Island, FL: Sanibel Sanddollar Publications.

Hardin, C.J. (2008). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for

today's classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill

Prentice Hall.

Jones, F. H.,Jones, P., & Jones, J. L. (2007). Tools for teaching. Santa Cruz. CA:Fredric H.Jones and Associates.

Manning, M. L., & Bücher, K. T. (2007). Classroom management: Models,

applications, and cases (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill

Prentice Hall.

Marzano, R. J. (2003). Classroom management that works. Alexandria, VA:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Parkay, F. W., & Stanford, B. H. (2004). Becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Boston:

Allyn and Bacon.

Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of

Educational Research, 54(2), 143-178.

Wong. H. K., & Wong. R. T. (1991). The first days of school: How to be an effective

teacher. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.

Wormeli, R. (2003). Day one and beyond: Practical matters for new middle-level

teachers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Copyright of Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin is the property of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International and its

content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's

express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.