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Middle SchoolClassroomManagementPart One: Theoretical Background

Instructor: Celeste Coleman

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What is a middle-schooler?

Age: 11-14 (end of Primary School)

In some ways, still behave like littlechildren, in other ways becoming moreadult-like

Beginning of puberty, many physical andmental changes are occurring

May look more physically mature thanthey actually are

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Why is psychology importantfor classroom management?

Allows us to understand the nature of kidsthis age so that we can avoid problems

before they start

Prevention is better than Cure

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Making LessonsDevelopmentally Appropriate

Piaget: concrete vs. formal operations

Implications for decision-making

Kinds of tasks ok for each

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Pygmalion effect

The greater the expectation placed onstudents, the better they perform (and

vice-versa!)

Students internalize positive and negativelabels

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Scaffolding

Supporting the learning process byhelping/encouraging a child to

something slightly too difficult for him(Vygotsky)

i+1 (Krashen)

In this way, kids can be encouraged totransition to formal operations morequickly (but not until their brains areready!)

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Relationship-building

Important to get to know kids on apersonal level as much as possible

This will help to build respect and caring

Student who knows you care less likely tobe totally out of line

Intervene with concerns when you seethem: nip it in the bud

Do not look the other way about bullying

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Affective Environment

Important for students to feel safe, secure,challenged, and supported in order to

take risks in language learning

A harmonious classroom is a productiveclassroom

Dont let them walk all over you, but dont

just scream at them all day!

Broken-record syndrome

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Case studies

Read the following scenarios of behaviorproblems in middle school classrooms.

Based on our discussion today, try topinpoint the underlying cause of thedisruption.

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For your consideration

Think back to the time when you were amiddle-school student. Try to remember

one situation in which a teacher did anexcellent job of controlling a difficultstudent/class, and one situation in which ateacher did a terrible job of it. Can you

explain why one approach worked betterthan the other, using the theoreticalmaterial we talked about today?

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References Piaget, J. (1983). "Piaget's theory". In P. Mussen (ed). Handbook

of Child Psychology. 4th edition. Vol. 1. New York: Wiley.

Feldman, Robert S.; Prohaska, Thomas (1979). "The student as

Pygmalion: Effect of student expectation on the teacher".Journal of Educational Psychology71 (4): 485493.

Wood, D. J., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in

problem solving. Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology,

17(2), 89-100.

Richards, J., & Renandya, W. (Eds.). (2002).Methodology in

language teaching: An anthology of current practice.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.