Master Management Challenge #7: Analyze
This week I challenge you to begin the process of reflection. Up to this point, the challenges have all been focused on small things you can include into your classroom management repertoire immediately to see fast change. However, it is time to start going deeper.
- Reflect on Your Day –Â We all have that one time of day that makes us crazy. Even if you are the Queen (or King) of Classroom Management, there is one time of day where things just don’t go as smoothly. As you go through this week, try to pinpoint that one time that consistently winds your students up. Jot yourself some notes on what is going on during that time instructionally and what behaviors you are observing. Sometimes just seeing the two lists together can connect some dots.
- Consider Academic Data –Â As you sit down and reflect on those behavior challenges in your room, look at your academic data. On more than a few occasions, I’ve sat down to think about those kiddos who are struggling, and after looking at the data, I’ve realized that I needed to back up and reteach or pre-teach, because my behavior challenges were my struggling students…and they were misbehaving because they didn’t fully get the skill.
- Look at Your Lessons –Â Analyze your lesson plans from the past week (since it will be fresh in your mind). What types of lessons did you notice the highest engagement and lowest behavior issues? What lessons did you have to spend a lot of time on management? From there you can work to incorporate more lessons in the style that went well…and think about how you can adjust your management for the style that did not go as well.
